Hyundai i30cw Long Term Review
October 20, 2009 by Anthony Crawford
Model tested: i30cw SX CRDi with five-speed manual transmission - $23,390
To understand how and why the i30 is such an outstanding drive, you have to understand just how far Hyundaui have come in the past few years, and where they’re at now. Just five minutes at the Hyundai stand, at the world’s largest motor show in Frankfurt, Germany this year, was enough for me to realise that this is the next automotive super brand, and they’re growing stronger by the week.
On show, was the superb looking ix35 compact SUV, which is the replacement for their successful, but hardly inspiring, Tucson.
Mark my words; this thing will sell like hot cakes, with its ultra modern styling, six-speed automatic gearbox and a sprint time of 0-100km/h in just 7.8 seconds, as well as loads of electronic goodies.
Next to the ix35 was the luxury seven-seat SUV, the ix55, which looked to be of Lexus quality, with proper suede seats and plenty of gadgetry.
Although listed as a concept, the cool looking i10 Electric, a zero emissions urban commuter vehicle, will go into limited production in 2010 in the Korean market. This concept is sure to be a winner in the world’s most congested cities.
Using advanced LiPoly (Lithium Ion Polymer) battery power, the i10 Electric can recharge in five hours using standard 220V household current, or if using an industrial 413V current, will charge to 85-percent capacity in just 15 minutes.
Moreover driving range will be around 160km and top speed using the High Efficiency Electric Motor, is 130/km/h.
And what about Hyundai’s Blue-Will, a plug-in Hybrid, powered by an 113kW direct injection petrol engine, coupled with a 100kW electric motor.
Fuel consumption is said to be an astonishing 2.2L/100km (106 mpg) on the Plug-in HEV Mode) providing a range of 1050km.
If that wasn’t enough, there were some futuristic concepts by Hyundai designers from around the world, such as the Formula Electric – a fully electric Formula One car that could be built today from a ready available chassis used by TESLA, combined with a carbon fibre body. Total weight of the vehicle is 650 kilograms and with plenty of downforce, this racecar can be an effective track weapon.
The car and motorcycle hybrid called the Lane Splitting was another of these futuristic designs and is unique in its ability to travel on a freeway as a comfortably wide passenger car, but when the driver enters the city, the car shrinks to the width of a motorcycle.
To say Hyundai Motor is on a fast track to the top of the automotive world is no blue sky statement, and just like the iPod has been key to the recent fortunes of Apple, so to will the i30 and the other ‘i’ cars for Hyundai.
In 2008, Hyundai sold close to 2.8 million cars, which was up seven percent from 2007, and many of those were i30’s.
There are five overseas plants in the United States, China, India, Turkey and the Czech Republic, with other plants approved in Russia and Brazil, as production grows.
Australia is another growth market for this fast moving Korean car company, with sales for September hitting 5,484 vehicles and another record for the brand.
In fact, in a market that decreased by 13.1 percent in that same month, Hyundai was the only top ten brand to post a sales increase, after nine consecutive months of year-on-year growth.
It’s a remarkable effort for sure, but less remarkable to anyone who owns an i30, or has at least driven the car.
If you don’t see at least ten of these cars on the road each day, then you must surely have your eyes shut; they are literally multiplying day-by-day.
The reason for this success is simple enough; the i30 is a high quality build, with class leading levels of standard kit, and is a joy to drive.
The i30cw CRDi – the ‘cw’ stands for ‘crossover wagon’ and CRDi denotes ‘Common Rail Diesel injection’ is the latest addition to the i30 family, and is my current daily drive as part of CarAdvices’ long-term test fleet.
It’s pretty much the same specifications as its five-door hatch sibling, just more of a good thing, is one way to describe the wagon version.
If anything, the rear styling looks more European than the hatch, with its top-to-bottom taillight assembly, raked rear window, and various chrome-look highlights rounding out the quality finish.
Believe it or not, this is actually the base model i30 CRDi wagon, with a five-speed manual transmission, but inside, you would never guess it.
The seats may not be leather, but as we found out on our recent ‘real world’ fuel consumption run from Sydney to Brisbane, these standard kit fabric seats are comfortable, back friendly, and surprisingly supportive with excellent side bolster.
They’re also easy to clean as I found out when a can of Red Bull toppled over, while taking a sharp corner near Terranora, in NSW. A wet rag was all that was required to remove the sticky residue.
There’s full iPod integration with the audio head unit, which means, I can shuffle through my 960 songs, with a touch of a button. Only problem is, at least on this base model, there isn’t any steering wheel mounted audio buttons, which is a bit of pain.
But even through my budget priced iPod nano, the audio clarity and depth of sound through the bog standard 4 speaker audio system, is considerably better than I expected.
There’s also separate USB and auxiliary ports, but if you want to control your iPod through the head unit, then you will need to purchase the optional ‘Direct Connect’ lead for $75, which is worth every dollar.
After driving the car for several weeks, I have only just discovered that the i30 wagon has electrically folding side mirrors – and they’re heated too. That’s another practical gadget you won’t find on base model cars these days.
Unlike some makes, the switchgear in the i30 range is not only uncluttered and simple to use, but it’s also well positioned and within easy reach of the driver.
While I have no problems loading both a mountain bike and six-foot, six-inch surfboard into the i30 hatch, it’s just easier and less fiddly in the slightly longer and taller wagon.
Inside, there’s more head and legroom, and the load space grows by another 12 percent on top of its hatch sister, when the rear seats are folded.
But despite the extra dimensions, the i30cw never feels like a wagon to drive and parallel parking on a tight street, seems no more difficult than with the hatch.
Another thing you’re unlikely to find on economy-spec cars, is soft touch material on the dashboard and top half of the door trim.
There’s also a tonne of storage space inside, from the wide door pockets with bottle holders in all four doors to more trinket spaces than you are ever likely to need.
Not only that, there’s also a glove box cooling system to keep drinks or other groceries chilled and again, this is the base model diesel.
Look under the rear cargo floor, and you’ll find a full size spare wheel and tyre, and even more storage space for those wet cosies and sandy beach towels.
But as well specified as this car is, the i30cw CRDi like any other i30 diesel rewards with so much more, when it comes to daily driveability.
The 1.6-litre Common Rail Diesel engine is a gem, and quite possibly, best in class. There is loads or torque available from very early in the rev range, which is the reason this thing climbs hills like there was no tomorrow.
Not only that, there is little if any turbo lag due to its advanced Variable Geometry Turbo (VGT) which spools up with the slightest punch of the throttle.
It’s not a noisy engine either. There’s some diesel clatter at idle, but that dissipates to a rather sporty note, the moment you nudge 2000 rpm. There is so much mid range torque in third gear, that the rest of the traffic will be a long way behind you.
The five-speed manual gearbox allows for easy shifts although, slightly notchy when engaging first and second gear ratios.
The glaring omission is the absence of a sixth gear, especially for those all important highway kilometres. You can feel the need for an overdrive gear, even at 110km/h, which would only serve to better the car’s already outstanding fuel economy.
You might recall our recent economy run in this car, from Sydney to Brisbane, and back to Tweed Heads (1012 kms) on less than 53 litres of diesel, in real world driving conditions.
Even with the stock standard 15-inch steel wheels, shod with skinny 195/65 R series tyres, the i30 wagon handles commendably, with limited body roll at speed.
The suspension set up is well sorted too for the typically poor Australian road surface. You can roll over some decent size potholes and shabby road surfaces, and not once will the chassis send any jarring through the body.
Its the same with the steering, plenty of feel from dead-centre and more sporty than causal, from the Electro-hydraulic rack and pinion system.
The steering wheel is also both tilt and reach adjustable, which means you should have no difficulty in finding the perfect driving position.
I’ve got a wife, two girls, and a Sydney Silky, so it’s comforting to know there is the full compliment of airbags aboard this particular i30 wagon, including front and rear passenger curtain SRS airbags. However, that does mean you will need to purchase the ‘Protectz pack’ ($700), otherwise on the base model, you get only driver and passenger front airbags. Again, an option worth having.
That said the all-important Electronic Stability Control (ESP), Traction Control System (TCS) and Anti-skid Brake System (ABS) with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD) is standard fitment across the entire i30 range.
Hyundai haven’t just built a great small car in the i30cw, but they have also paid close attention to the smaller detail, which separates the i30 family from any other car in the class.
Note: Buy any colour but this colour, shine red, as it looks so much better in Steel Grey, Continental Silver, Vivid Blue or even Crystal White looks a treat.
Hyundai i30cw SX CRDi Specifications
*Pricing is a guide as recommended to us by the manufacturer.
Specifications:
- Engine: 1592cc 16 Valve Twin-overhead cam shafts
- Power: 85kW @ 4000 rpm
- Torque: 255Nm @ 1900-2750 rpm
- Induction: Common Rail Direct Injection & intercooled with Variable Geometry Turbo
- Transmission: Five-speed manual
- Driven Wheels: Front
- Brakes: Discs with ABS, EBD
- Top Speed: 188km/h (Claimed)
- 0-100km/h: 11.9 seconds (Claimed)
- CO2 Emissions: 128g/km
- Fuel Consumption: 4.9L/100km Combined (ADR)
- Fuel Consumption: 6.2L/100km (As Tested in urban conditions)
- Fuel Tank Capacity: 53L
- Fuel Type: Diesel
- ANCAP Rating: 5-Star with ‘Protectz pack’
- Airbags: Front, Side & Curtain
- Safety: ESC with Traction Control
- Spare Wheel: Full size
- Suspension: Strut (F) / Multi-link (R)
- Cargo Capacity: 415/1395L
- Tow Capacity: 1200kg (Braked)
- Turning Circle: 10.42m
- Warranty: Five year / Unlimited km
- Weight: 1444kg (Tare)
- Wheels: Steel 15 x 5.5J
Print it: 
The old Excel has come quite a long way hasn’t it.
Presumably Hyundai have now settled in the “i” naming system and the current name should now stick around for a while. Not that they would want these associated with the Excel name anyway.
I test-drove an Excel sometime in the mid 90’s and decided I would literally rather walk than own one. It was the crap gearshift and the chalky thin paint that put me off, more than the awful interior, which emitted from memory a very strong chemical smell.
That was then. Hyundai have come a long way since then – this i30 looks great, it is obviously very well built with great quality paint. Also, Hyundai give you stuff the others can’t or won’t provide, like full size spare, standard ESP, and full ipod connectivity (and seriously, how hard can it be to provide that?)
I’d buy this diesel wagon in a heartbeat.
iPod this iPod that, sorry but I couldnt give a rats Rs. Gimmick. Sure they’re a great entertainment toy (and more), but do you really need to plug your whole life into your iPod?
hehehe. Agreed! How about after market support for my sony Mp3 walkman???
http://www.anythingbutipod.com for the record!
I think 6 airbags are now standard.
It is a pity an i30 cw SLX manual is not available.
The SLX wagon is only available in auto.
Yeah, its a pain. We had to settle for the SX when we really wanted the SLX manual.
Steve, you must not own or use an iPod, judging by your comment. To have instant access to over 900 tracks, is music to my ears! Certainly beats listening to radio ads all day.
Their are two iPods in the family and personally I use a “normal” mp3 player or mp3s on CD. I know all about access to hundreds of tracks, I just happen to think that “most” people that go on about their iPod do it more for oneupmanship than the real joy of the product. I also don’t see the need to have your whole life plugged in to your iPod (or more correctly iPhone these days).
Use them for what they are and have a life for the rest of the time.
Hear hear, Steve!
Can’t stand the iCult that tends to surround most Apple products. They’re well designed, sure, but it’s amazing how much people waffle on about them. And yes, Anthony, I’ve used the iPhone, iMac, iBook and your beloved iPod before.
Steve & Astonalicious – good on yer, way off topic. Who cares what the device is, the point is you can have constant music without having to swap CDs. I personally could care less about how cool ipods are (or aren’t) but I know a de facto standard when I see one.
….. and I’m not the only one:
http://www.autoblog.com/galler.....yances/#11
If it’s so way off topic why did YOU bring it up. Don’t be a hypocrite just because everybody doesn’t agree with you.
And if everybody listened to “constant music” or “didn’t listen to radio adds” where would all of the marketing for new music and products (like your precious inplanted iPod) come from.
BTW I don’t know how many hunreds of songs (mp3) I’ve got on each CD, but I certainly don’t need to go swapping CD’s all day.
No, you brought it up, I just commented on it. Despite your comments (and back on topic) a lot of people have ipods and Hyundai offer full ipod integration, and that’s a good thing.
How do you figure that when I was replying to your post in the first place?
It must be too much “constant music” from you iPod burning the braincells away that quickly.
great car by the looks of it
Ipod integration is brilliant. I love being able to stick 2000 songs on my ipod, hide it in my console, and forget its there!
my alpine cd player in my car has the ipod cable, i can access and change through all those songs without even worrying about a disc, or scratching / losing any of my cds!
those people who are anti ipod will never know.
ah it might have an auxilary socket so they can plug their mp3s into until the battery dies, as the mp3 wont charge? or put up with static from sub standard fm transmitters?
i dont put my life on my ipod… just my favorite songs. it stays hidden in the car, and only comes out from time to time when i buy a new cd i want to put on it.
im far from a fanboi.
Fantastic little jigger! I can’t really find any negatives on it, apart from the manual tranny is limited to the base model (N), especially with the auto not offering a manual mode. I would love the Sportwagon spec diesel manual!
Also – wow that audio screen is cool. As a BASE model for around $24k, it’s impressive (and cars 2 or 3 times the price wouldn’t have that) stuff, as is the electric folding mirrors (something I really appreciate – I just returned from a trip to Hong Kong and all cars over there have that feature as standard!).
Good car Hyundai, keep it up! :P
Any idea of when the IX55 will be at market?
I like hyundai new design…
It looks great.
Ix55 launched almost 3years ago…(in Korea)
I don`t think they gonna bring it here..;;
What sort of price (after negotiations) are people buying these for? In the same spec as the one in the story.
Gilly, The wife and i bought one just like this one in August but with window tint and cruise control coz i refuse to own a car without cruise anymore and we paid 26,350 drive away. We are extremely happy with the amount of power this thing has to over take and climb hills…….However the lack of air vents for the back passengers is just stingy and wrong and also the glove box has an annoying little squeak at times, other than that this is a very good car for the money just don’t expect something brilliant!!
Oh and the fuel economy is spectacular, we live in a country town and constantly get well over 1,000 K’s between refills.
Hope this helps, Cheers
Cheers Carl, a sensible buy and I agree with the cruise. Was that for a manual?
I have found that a basic $900 ecu twink gives 100kw of power and even better fuel economy. Performance is improved drastically sprouting a 15.7 sec 1/4 mile time!!!
Thats serious mumbo from a little oiler at this bargain price! Imagine the improved in gear acceleration!!!
http://www.ls1.com.au/forum/sh.....p?t=102540
The proprietor Martin Donnan has been in the game for years and knows his stuff!
Rather gratuitous plug! I’d have to question reliability and how much smoke it would put out. Lots of supposed ecu reflashes are simply a case of injecting more fuel, not when or dependant on what the car as a whole is doing.
Plug?? I don’t think so or else I would have linked the workshops website instead of the public forum of all things a Holden V8!
Reliability should not be an issue as the mods are pretty minimal. With Diesels, running them rich will raise exhaust gas temperature = bad. A decent tuner will know these basics so its not just as simple as injection more fuel. The injector timing, fuel pressure rate etc are all adjusted as well.
Anyhow for a cheap mod that will turn the I30 into a hot hatch, I am not complaining!
the look of i30 took a little time for me to get used to it.
sheesh you arent going to like the new sonata then.
Hyundai is really kicking goals these days… I have to agree. I\’m waiting for the updated version, probably due when the i30 gets a facelift… 94Kw version of the 1.6 TDi and 6 speed auto. Sign me up when this update is available! Oh, and you get a 5 year warranty. I have owned 2 VW Golfs and nice as they are I\’m sick of all of the niggles, now with a credible TDi soon to come from Hyundai I can say goodbye to VW.
Good article. I think the Author sounds a little over-excited by the car and might be talking it up a little.
Your comments about the stereo for example, it being “better than expected”. I’ve driven one of these recently as a rental, and the sound from the standard stereo in the SX seriously sucks crap.
p.s. Maybe the 6 speaker jobbie in the SLX and the amped version in the SR are better. Dunno.
I found the radio quality to be sub-par, but with Mp3 or CD its really good. Seems to depend on the source.
If they sold the 2.0 Diesel here like they do overseas i would probably get one…
My sister owns an i30, and just for the record folks, it is a RED one. How silly and childish of you to knock a colour off the list just because it is red. You gave no reason. If there is any colour that looks awful, it would have to be the silver, which make the otherwise stylish i30 look like a rent-a-car
Rob, Shine Red wouldn’t be my choice, but there you go. I happen to think silver is a great colour in the i30 and much easier to move, when it comes time to sell.
Your sister has a great car, regardless of what colour she has chosen.
Hyundai is becoming what Toyota used to be 20 years ago- a decent car for not much money. Toyota has become an expensive decent car and Lexus is a very expensive inferior German copy. For the money I don’t know of a better car at this price than the I30 right now.
And guys relax about all of the iPod stuff, basically they are offering connectivity as a part of the packager where the likes of virtually every other car maker on the planet hits you up for $300 to $750 bucks for iPod connection – making things like that and other safety items is what Hyundai is doing right unlike most other maker out there. Exactly the reasons why Hyundai are on fire right now.
I would purchase a like model Hyundai over nearly anything Toyota offered (i.e. I30 hatch over a Seca, Getz over a Yaris) mainly because of the fact that you can get virtually the same feature sets or better for far less money without compromise in build quality and options – finally a car company that is starting to get it.
Go price a fully loaded VW Golf, it is nearly twice the cost of this car, and although I love VW product, it is hardly twice what this car is worth. Don’t even go there with an Audi, 3 times or more. I am not saying that Hyundai is on par with the Germans and their fanatical engineering, not yet, but they are moving closer to the likes of Toyota and Nissan no doubt about it.
hopefully the 6 speed manual and 5 speed automatic can make it out to australia for the next update of the i30. this will make a good car even better.