2008 Hyundai i30 First Steer
October 2, 2007 by Anthony Crawford
2008 Hyundai i30 First Steer
“No, it’s not a new Sports version of the A Class Mercedes-Benz or a new a variant of BMW’s 1-Series. It’s the new i30 from Hyundai and we reckon they’re going to sell like hotcakes”
If you’ve never thought of owning a Hyundai motor car before today, you might want to take little looksee at the i30 hatch from the award winning Korean car company.
Awards you say? Yes, stacks of them. German Auto Zeitung Magazine in it’s “2006 Qualitats Report” voted Hyundai “Most Reliable Brand”, The exhaustive JD Power & Associates Initial Quality Study: ranked the carmaker 3rd among all nameplates behind Porsche and Lexus and in Australia, reliability and cost of ownership have brought Hyundai a host of accolades from the likes of Wheels Magazine and NRMA.
The small car market is the toughest sector in the world to compete in with just on 37% of all cars sold slotting in to this category. Hyundai needed to produce an exceptional car to have a half a chance with products such as the recently launched Mitsubishi Lancer.
My guess is they have succeeded. I’m betting that the i30 will go straight to the top of the charts and yes that’s a big call, but the combination of styling, materials, equipment, drivability and affordability, are of a level not yet seen in this category, to my knowledge at least.
There are three spec levels on offer; SX, SLX and SR powered by a 2.0 CVVT petrol unit mated to either a 5-speed manual or 4-speed auto transmission. And if you are diesel savvy, you’ll be exceptionally pleased with the 1.6 CRDi powered i30 and its hill demolishing 255Nm of torque.
At this stage the CRDi is only available with a 5-speed manual box and in SX and SLX trim levels. We’re told a 4-Speed auto is literally around the corner and will be available from late December/early January.
I sure would like to see an SR badge with the CRDi though or better still – a proper high performance version of both engine variants in the not too distant future.
You can’t help but like the way this car looks. There’s a lot more Euro styling than there is Korean in the i30, and it shows.
The well sorted Volkswagen Golf, Mazda 3 and Ford Focus are said to have served as the benchmark vehicles for the i30, but as far as I’m concerned, they threw in an A-Class and a 1 Series for good measure.
The result is one very good-looking hatch, inside and out.
It’s a well thought out car inside too. For starters there’s an iPod interface allowing you to plug your MP3 directly into the car’s sound system. And you won’t even need a USB cord. Every i30 comes with one in the centre console. Not only that. The car’s audio head unit can control both volume and playlists – a huge plus and not available in many prestige cars.
The standard fit remote folding key fob looks remarkably similar to that found across the Volkswagen range and is a nice touch.
The driver and front passenger seats are particularly good, offering comfort and sports style side bolster. A massive improvement over the Elantra.
Steering is both height and reach adjustable, which in my book, is essential if you are to find the perfect driving position. The SLX and SR versions win a nice thick leather wrapped steering wheel, while the base model SX gets not so handsome plastic model which looks worse than it is to hold.
With over twenty storage compartments throughout the i30 – a family of four is well catered for, including an air-conditioned glovebox, able to chill at least two bottles or cans.
Air conditioning with Pollen filter is standard as are a host of other features such as; power windows and mirrors (heated), ABS with Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD), driver and front passenger airbags with Electronic Stability Program (ESP) and Traction Control (TCS) standard on the SR but optional on both the SX and SLX.
On the SX – you would need to go with the SX Protectz safety pack, which includes driver and front passenger side and curtain airbags. With the SLX, you would only need to option ESP with TCS, as the full compliment of airbags is standard fitment.
First off the rank was the 2.0 CCVT petrol SLX with the 4 –speed auto and running on 16-inch alloys shod with 205/55 tyres.
With 105kW peaking at 6000rpm and 186Nm of torque at 4600rpm it’s not the most powerful in class and as a result, it needs to work hard from a standard start. Once moving and into third gear, it’s a much more pleasant drive. The engine note adopts a relatively quiet composure but with plenty of go for highway cruising.
The car feels incredibly well planted while the steering weight is near perfect. Suspension has been tweaked by a world renowned handling and ride guru, who carried out substantial testing on Australian roads which I’ve been reminded, are far worse than the UK’s much criticised “B” roads.
Even over bitumen starved roads there’s no jarring through the car’s body whatsoever. All bumps and potholes are largely eliminated with this suspension setup.
We gave the i30 a little punt through a nice twisty stretch and just to see if the guru had done his/her job. Yes, in a word. The balance between between ride and handling is spot on.
The brakes are also worth a mention. The pedal feel is confident with excellent stopping power via ventilated front discs and solids at the rear.
We were itching to get behind the wheel of the 1.6 CRDi and all good things come to those that wait.
First off – buy the diesel. Yes, there’s a premium of $2500 over the equivalent petrol car but the increased driveability and low down performance of the diesel, is worth every dollar.
And if we’re talking fuel consumption – it’s a no contest. While the 2.0 petrol isn’t bad at 7.2-l/100km, how’s 4.7-l/100km sound!
• i30 SX 2.0 Petrol manual – $18,990
• i30 SX 2.0 Petrol auto – 20,990
• i30 SX CRDi man only – $21,490
• i30 SLX 2.0 Petrol man – $23,490
• i30 SLX 2.0 Petrol auto – $25,490
• i30 SLX CRDi man only – $25,990
• i30 SR 2.0 Petrol man $26,490
• i30 SR 2.0 auto – $28,490
“Hyundai is backing a winner with the i30 – and we can’t wait for the CRDi Auto”
BY: Anthony Crawford
Print it: 
According to the Australia Bureau of Statistic’s most recent Survey of Motor Vehicle Use (2005), the average fuel consumption of passenger vehicles in Australia is 11.7L /100km. This means that the i30’s fuel consumption of 3.2L/100km in the World Solar Challenge is a huge 82.7% below that of the average passenger car on Australian roads.
“The new i30 CRDi performed better than an array of diesel and hybrid rivals to top the fuel efficiency stakes in the Greenfleet Technology Class at the recent Panasonic World Solar Challenge (PWSC). The i30 consumed just 3.2 litres of fuel per 100km , emitting just 97g of C02 equivalent per kilometre on the 3,600 kilometre journey from Darwin to Adelaide, outperforming Toyota’s Prius hybrid and diesels from Peugeot, Audi and even a BioBike.”
3.2l per 100kl = 88.66mpg!!!! Think of that next time your paying for a tank of fuel
Just seen a i30 diesel automatic today at our local dealer incase anyone is interested in buying the auto diesel version !
Hi I have been reading your reviews, and Im still stuck between the Mazda 3 diesel and the i30 diesel. I like the Hyundai for its frugalness but just think that the Mazda would have better resale and would be a “funner” car to drive. What do you think?
Clarkey -
I would go Corolla
Wait till the upgrade latter in the year
Thanks to Hyundai for keeping the heat on BigT
Cheers
F-0
I would go the hyundai – Mazda 3 model has been around for years now so your resale value would not be as good as you would expect by the time you get around to reselling it.
Also Mazda 3 are the most expensive car in it’s class to repair / maintain – by the i mean the parts are pricey….
I’m about to order my I30, after testing the Mazda 3. Hyundai came out on top. Any one already got one can tell me if they are still happy. I loved the test drive decided to go SR Auto petrol
Hi Nebo
I got my Steel Grey i30 SR Auto in early January, and I’m still loving it!! The more I drive it the more I fall for it. The premium stereo in the SR is awesome, the car rides beautifully without compromising it’s handling, and there’s no rattles or squeaks to speak of. My first tank of fuel returned 9.3L/100km, which I think is fantastic considering she is still being ‘run in’ so to speak. I would think realistically you should expect somewhere between 9-11L/100km around town, depending how you drive and closer to 8L/100km on the highway.
RD – thats not good even for a newby car. Ok it will do more but I would have expected 7’s driven normally running in. It should do 6’s avg. are you tripping and brimming correctly. Give it 16,000K’s and that will be broken in nicely and returning better figures. Could be lower grade Aussie fuel compared to our silky smooth Derv.
^no name where did you get the 6avg reference from? i haven’t seen the figure that low for hyundai’s 2.0 auto. my daughter has a 2005 elantra 2.0 manual and the average is 7.5
^ i think we might be at cross purposes! i assumed RD you have a petrol i30. – sorry if i confused.
cheers
Lcat. yeh i was talking diesel figures. I think the manufacturers (and Ford seemed to be the worst) overstate their consumption figures. Hyundai are not the diesel market leaders so guessing their engines are not quite so economical as the french/german diesels. The i30 is rated at 60mpg thats 4.5’s??? perhaps on a long run.
Oh god i mentioned a foreign race now someone will call me a racist…
Yeah I have a petrol not diesel. The SR is only available with the 2.0L petrol at this stage. The combined city/highway cycle for the 2.0L petrol is 7.6L/100km which is pretty good and amongst the most (if not THE most) economical in it\’s class for 2.0L petrol engines. Like most cars, if you drive it hard, she\’ll use more fuel. Drive it normally and she\’ll be very economical indeed. Oh and by the way, anyone wanting to buy a dash mat for their i30 but can\’t find one (like me), just go and buy one for the current Elantra. The top of the dash is identical so the dash mats are interchangeable.
My SR has done 1000k now and fuel comsumption is around 9.7l avarage that’s %100 city driving and air-con on all the time.Hopefully I will be able to get around 8.6-9l avarage after a few thousands kms.I’m at overseas at the moment, haven’t driven it for the last 3 weeks, quite miss it. Hey RD, I wouldn’t put the dash mat on since it’s such a nice quality that to show off :) I would use the windscreen shade. Beside i bought the denfense package that has all the protection including vynil protection against crack as I was told, wether it works or not i kinda have the peace of mind :) BTW i got a reply from Hyundai HQ said that the front & rear skirt will be available in april/may, looking forward to have them and the euro custom plate put on :).
I would be interested to know if those that have purchased the 2.0 i30 considered/test drove the 1.6crdi and their reason for opting for the petrol over the diesel.
All the journo comments I have read recommend the diesel.
I considered the diesel but:
1)It was too expensive compared to the petrol models
2)I wanted the SR which is petrol only
3)The diesel (at the time) did not come in auto, and did not come with cruise control
3)The petrol engine felt just as zippy.
In QLD unleaded at the moment is around 130/L or less if you shop around. The 2.0L is economical enough for me.
The i30 diesel is definately a very good car, but the petrol is great as well, just not as economical of course.
After driving the VR and VRX versions of the new Lancer and the Diesel Mazda 3 back to back with the i30 diesel have ordered an SLX i30 Diesel. Better ride, quieter, nicer interior and far better value. i30 is replacing a company vehicle, also replacing the wife’s two year old current model 1.6 Hyundai Getz with a New Nissan Tiida ST Sedan (great deal $17990 + $1000 free fuel) . Will be sad to see the Getz go as it has been faultless and has amazing performance and economy (Wife needed more boot space when ferrying our Grandkids around) Notice that most who rubbish the Hyundais on this forum don’t appear to have driven one!
Dazz – you’re probably not far off the mark with the last statement. I personally don’t mind Hyundai’s and have driven two. A Lantra circa 1997 1.8sport and more recently a 2006 Lantra 2.0 Auto. Both were reasonably good and easy to get on with. The 1.8 sport had awful torque steer and was noisy. I wouldn’t have recommend it at the time.
The 2.0 Auto was OK, comfortable and OK performance. I didn’t spend long in it as it was a hire car.
Back in 97 I remember thinking two more generations of Hyundai’s and they will match the competitors. I wasn’t far off the mark.
No Name – Had a 2002 Elantra GL for a few months as an interim vehicle drove quite well although clutch had a dodgy feel about it and whole vehicle didn’t feel all that solid. As mentioned previously was very happy with 2006 Getz which we have had for 2 year since new. Excellent 4 wheel discs with ABS, zippy 1.6 in small body, plenty of creature comforts but first impressions of i30 from our test drive and numerous Web posts would suggest it’s light years ahead of earlier model Hyundais and most other small to medium cars on the market. Can’t wait for it to arrive!
Good news at last. SLX CDRi has arrived at our Hyundai Dealer. Agree with Eyma Teapot Moonlight Blue is a nice colour so will stick with first choice. Getting Towing Kit as part of deal so will be Thursday when take delivery (just in time for Easter – yippee) Probably have a 1000km up by Easter Tuesday. Will give an update on economy, driveability etc for anyone thats interested then…
P.S. THERE WAS A PETROL SLX AT THE DEALERSHIP WITH TWO FLIP REMOTE KEYS, MY DIESEL ONLY HAS ONE. HAS ANYONE ELSE GOT TWO KEYS FOR THEIR i30 WITHOUT PAYING EXTRA?
Will post this on all three i30 blogs to see if i get any feedback…
Cheers,
My SR fuel comsumption is between 8.5 -9.2 now…very happy indeed :) I would be very interested to know the avarage consumption for the auto i30 CRDi…
I’m a holden girl through and through, and hadn’t even considered looking at a hyundai until my best mate started working there. One drive in it and it was mine! I couldn’t believe the handling, take off power (2.0 manual) and how damn comfortable it is!
I’ve driven my lil i30 everywhere, on all types of roads and i tell ya now… MAKE THEM A RALLY CAR! They don’t move on gravel!
Dazz, i only got 1 flip key with my i30…
My sx fuel consumption is just under 8 at the moment, but i’ve only done 3,000kms on it, so it should come down a smidge!
I hope you all enjoy your i30’s the way i enjoy mine! i can’t wait for the SR CRDI! or even the rumored ‘i30 sportz’ now THAT would be fun!
Hi Lee Lee,
Which state are you in? With all these happy i30 drivers we might have to start an i30 club (if enough people joined we could negotiate some good discounts with service and parts through Hyundai and maybe even with items through Supercheap or Autobarn!)
Picking our CRDi SLX up at 4.30 Pm today (I’m excited)
Cheers,
Dazz
As a dealer, the 2 key fobs, are a new thing, and latest shipment (early april) has every i30 with 2 fobs.
Though only half the cars had 2!
So not exactly sure what HMC had done there.
If anyone could post a small review of their CRDi automatic i30, that would be great!
The folks are looking at ordering one in within the next two weeks so it would be nice to have a bit of a read of personal experience!
Cheers,
Ross
I want to buy the i30 SR auto model but am not good at bargaining for prices. Can anyone tell me what they pay for theirs, just so that I don’t get ripped off.
CV, There is a 3 month waiting list on these so dont fancy you have bargaining power on one of these. Expect to pay around 30k for the SR and you should be happy
CV, I got my auto SR for $28500 drive away,where are you located? if you’re in WA I can help.
Cheers,
MXM
$28/$30k You can get a european make diesel for that!
kris
Kris,
A $28/$30K european diesel would be very basic compared to the i30 CRDi SLX (My guess is you haven’t sat in one let alone taken one for a drive) I know some previous Korean cars have been sub standard … but not this one!
If you can find a better Diesel under 30K buy it!
Regards,
Dazz
I agree 100% Dazz, the PUG 207 HDi is the only thing that might offer competition to the i30.
Kris needs to go and drive an i30 then he will change his tune, no question.
Thanks Maximark, I’m located in Melbourne. Did you have any add-ons like tinted glass and paint protect.
I went to a dealer who told me $28,500 drive-away then I rang up a week later to make a deal with the add-ons and he told me its not $28,500 but $31,500. That really put me right off.
I have thought of getting the Volks Golf which was on special, but my mechanic advise me not to, as it can be costly to repair.
I don’t agree with you, Emya Teapot about not having bargaining power. Who cares about the waiting period. When you work hard for your money, you want the best deal.
Rgds,
CV
CV, I bought a package called ‘Defensive Pack’ for $1200 which include paint,rust,window tint,leather and vinel protection. I’m not sure it’s worth it, but it was a rush decision because i was excited to get the SR for only $28500 :)on that day. However I think it will add extra to resale value of the car. I wouldn’t say you have to wait for 3mths to get an auto SR, there about 3 auto SR available in WA at the moment, i think Melbourne would have plenty of them. Unfortunately, most of dealers are untrusted and greedy but I still believe if you shop around,haggle a bit and you can get it for $28500 driveaway. I just wonder if you are considering about the SLX auto diesel with “protectz” would be around that price,it’s a better value in my opinion. Good luck.
Cheers,
MXM
Hi Guys,
A couple of points…CV, in support of Eyma Teapot what I think he was getting at was not the having to wait but the lack of bargaining power when people are queued up to buy a certain model (e.g. You will generally get better negotiating power on a less popular vehicle than a more popular one)
Secondly..I have just taken delivery of our SLX CRDi manual and I decided not to pay the extra $900 odd for the Protectz pack as from memory it was Wheels in their car of the year testing that said the i30 (amongst others) didn’t have the best calibrated Stability Control. I decided with its ABS and EBD + excellent steering and handling I should be able to avoid most accident situations.
Drive carefully!
Dazz
Thanks for your advice guys, at least I know what I’ll be looking at paying.
Your idea of an i30 club sounds good, Dazz. We’ll all be able to share our i30 problems down the track. :)
Cheers,
CV
All those in favour of an i30 club say i (Grin)
and CV “wash your mouth out with soap”…Hyundai’s have been very reliable in the last few years so I’m quietly confident with the quality of the i30 that there shouldn’t be many problems…but I get your point.
I am a 51 y/o who is lucky enough to be semi-retired and likes mucking around on his PC so could easily administer an I30 club.. First step might be for me to contact Hyundai Australia and see what support/incentives they would be prepared to provide to potential members (i’ll keep you posted)
Cheers,
Dazz
Don`t get me wrong chaps I`m not anti Hyundai the wife has a excel which she brought new in 1999 no problems still going strong a great little car but I think at the moment its a sellers market with the i30 maybe later in the year we will get a better deal,and yes I have sat in one and was quite impressed with the finish and fittings but the boot is not that big maybe the same as the excel but would be big enough for us,getting back to price the i30 with all the safty gear is not all that cheap the europeans mostly come with this gear as standard.
Dazz says:
“Secondly..I have just taken delivery of our SLX CRDi manual and I decided not to pay the extra $900 odd for the Protectz pack as from memory it was Wheels in their car of the year testing that said the i30 (amongst others) didn’t have the best calibrated Stability Control.”
There is not one iota of logic in that statement. ANY car without ESP has a greater risk of having a serious accident than one without it, poorly calibrated or not. Wheels mentioned the i30’s ESP had ‘late and violent actuation’ but it still worked.
In the ‘Dog and lemon guide’ they state that ‘Vehicles fitted with electronic stability control have over 50% less single-vehicle accidents than conventional vehicles’ and it ‘reduced fatal single-vehicle crash risk by about 56%’.
They also say that ‘for many motorists stability control appears to offer one of the biggest leaps forward in safety since the airbag’
You made the wrong decision I’m afraid…
Guys, ESP is a must. It can mean the difference between life and death. Seriously. The ADR should make it mandatory on ALL new cars and I’m at a loss to work out why that hasn’t happened! Typical Australian red tape I suspect
Well RD, that would depend on whether he is an acident or not wouldnt it. I have ESP and apart from starts on dirt it has kicked in once in two years, even then it want needed, so if the guy drives safely, he hould be right :)
Another illogical comment…
He could be the safest driver on the planet, yet he can’t control what other drivers do. Someone swerving at you at 100km/h on a road that has dirt shoulders has nothing to do with ’safe driving’. In that instance, what you and your car do once it leaves the road at speed will decide whether he continues to live to be a safe driver. An ESP equipped car has a MUCH better chance of saving your life then one that doesn’t. Like an air bag, you may never (thankfully) use it. But when you do, it could mean the difference between life and death.
Pete, you may never need ESP, that’s true of airbags too. But should you or your partner happen to be driving and need to swing violently left or right, to avoid an collision with another car, kid or even dog, with ESP you have a good chance of maintaining control.
I have run a car at 140km/h on track and then without breaking, change direction around two orange cones, and the car resumed its straight line composure without any fuss. Try that in a car without ESP, on second thoughts, don’t try that at all.
Anthony is right.
Its no good saying if you drive carefully that you may never need ESP. Hopefuul you never will. In a perfect world you wouldnt need to test out the abs brakes either. And while your at it, Dont wory about car insurance and if you lock the doors, you may get away without house insurance as well.
Ok..Ok.. I get the message, sorry. Too late for the ESP but I won’t be canceling my Car or Home insurance anytime soon.
When I was younger (before speed cameras and the like) I used to drive my Fiat 128 3p hatch at 100MPH (flat out) everywhere I could and somehow managed to survive without ESP or ABS (on 145 tyres no less). I’m a bit of a fatalist I drive much more carefully now and ABS on our previous getz helped my wife avoid a couple of close shaves but I believe when your times up nothing is gonna save you!!!
Cheers,
Dazz,
I, like many, have got a lot out of the caradvice comments that we hhave all been using. If we are going to establish some sort of self help, self interest group, we need to establish ourselves on an independant forum, either open or restricted or somehwher in between. As stated elsewhere, either on this thread (or another caradvice one), I made mention of an already established worl-wide hyundai forum (completely independant of hyundai) that exists, and already has many Aussies with i30s signed up. It costs nothing to join.
Address is http://www.hyundai-forums.com
Just scroll down to the i30 sub-forum and click. It is very interesting, well organised and contains helpful information and advice already.
What do you think? Could we use this forum? It wouldn’t hurt to try it out.
Bob
For the record the i30 in diesel/auto combo is NOT economical enough, it uses more than 1.3L of diesel over the manual which IS economical.
Seems like it has a c*ap A/T in it?
Should have a CVT type.
OVER diesel, do the math, doesent work
Cheers
F-0
Hey Bob, that’s a great idea! I’m on that forum as well, it’s turning out to be quite a good resource for us (and soon to be) i30 owners. I also encourage potential and current owners to have a look at that site!
Thanks Bob,
Not sure if I’ve come across that forum in my travels but will definately check it out.
Cheers,
Dazz
Would still like to form a club at some stage as i30 owners (and potential owners) seem like a good bunch.
Hey would anyone know how the i30 compares to the VW Polo TDI?
lentil, if they were a restaurant dish, the i30 would be a generous porterhouse and the Polo would be a little dinner/big plate affair of scotch fillet. Well aged, too.
You’d enjoy it tremendously, but also wonder what it would be like to have more.