[rustynutz]

Hyundai i30 SR road test review

Hyundai's top selling car, the i30, has come in for an update that brings fresh front styling, new wheels, more equipment and a revised model range.

The biggest visual difference with the "Series II" i30 comes courtesy of a new grille, which has bold horizontal slats that bring it into line with newer Hyundais, such as the just-released Sonata and luxury Genesis

[omegaspeedy]

Gee wiz these dip S**t reviewers are hard to please!!

Oh well I personally like the engine in my 2.0L, noisy HP fuel pump and all. I enjoy the way it handles and the way it looks. I love the quality of the fit and finish. I love the little things like the little night light in the most forward stowage area on the centre console.

I Don't like the Holden cruise, its ugly as sin and after my sisters last experience with a mid sized Holden (complete autotrans failure as know fault and no support), would never ever risk it! The Mazda 3's bonnet is too long and out of proportion to the body, and the Sat Nav looks like an after thought perched up on the dash. The Corolla has just been left in the dark ages with it's styling and fit and finish! The Golf is too pricey though I'm sure it has its merits, to me it's a rectangle with wheels . The Kia is a Hyundai with a Kia badge. Pick the styling that tickles your fancy between Kia and Hyundai. Both good cars. One interesting car is the Vauxhall Astra VXR...it look very cool but will long term reliability prove good? (it's the same company that built my sisters holden). Its also in a slightly different price market.

I'm not quite sure reviewers can be trusted. Too many hidden agenda's.....best people to listen to are end users.

[Dazzler]

  without the "my"

[PhireSideZA]

People seem to bash Hyundai quite a bit, not only online but in real life too...well, here in SA as well.

I recall once I told a lady at the bank I drove a Hyundai (the topic of key fobs came up), and she looked at me as if to say "Shame, you poor soul", but when I started telling her about my dusk sensing headlights, thousands of storage compartments, motorized folding side mirrors, multitude of airbags, leather seats and autochromatic rear view mirror she got all quiet

...I might have also told her her VW Polo Vivo is made by a company known for making a car named after a bug and is the most hijacked car in SA

Getting back to the point, I feel that most reviewers are skeptical of Hyundai as a company because they are newcomers to the 'premium' car market as it were, but I think in time this public perception will change for the better

[Snookes]

 

[elantraelite]

Hyundai does get a bit of a bashing by people, but they're the ones that still think they make the Excel! (What was great for reliabilty!)

[beerman]

It seems that to get a review that causes them to dismiss their love child VW, you really need to belt it so far out of the park that a lay person could see the bias.

I haven't read the article, but I bet they crapped on about the lack of 'rear a/c vents'.

[omegaspeedy]

Yes there seems to be a few people who are stuck in the 'Excel' days and yes it was a crap car, but I think the way people perceive Hyundai is getting better (We know that they've surpassed even Toyota!!) and here in NZ that's due to excellent advertising...ads made for the Kiwi market using kiwi accents...and sponsorship of big sporting events like rugby. They also have displays with real cars in all the major airports in NZ. I have motor head mates (Holden/Ford) who like Hyundai and know that its a good reliable car maker now. I came out of the Sim the other day and my Captain who had just bought a Corolla said 'Is that your Hyundai?" I said yes and he wanted to hop in and take a look. By the end he wished he hadn't bought the Corolla! He was blown away by the fit n finish and accessories.

[FatBoy]

It seems that to get a review that causes them to dismiss their love child VW, you really need to belt it so far out of the park that a lay person could see the bias.

I haven't read the article, but I bet they crapped on about the lack of 'rear a/c vents'.

The article didn't mention the VW at all, nor the lack of 'rear a/c vents'.  I thought that the article was quite good, and did mention the differences between the Active, the SR Premium, and those in between.  I have no disagreements in what the author has stated.

Remember that we have bias to the i30 as well, and therefore will probably dismiss an article that doesn't paint the i30 in a good light.

[Kerston]

I Don't like the Holden cruise, its ugly as sin and after my sisters last experience with a mid sized Holden (complete autotrans failure as know fault and no support), would never ever risk it! The Mazda 3's bonnet is too long and out of proportion to the body, and the Sat Nav looks like an after thought perched up on the dash. The Corolla has just been left in the dark ages with it's styling and fit and finish! The Golf is too pricey though I'm sure it has its merits, to me it's a rectangle with wheels . The Kia is a Hyundai with a Kia badge. Pick the styling that tickles your fancy between Kia and Hyundai. Both good cars.

Don't even get me started on my 2011 Holden Cruze SRI 1.4l Turbo manual... I got a bloody lemon tree!
4 years of absolute hell! The day I traded it in I was so happy! I find the new 2015 front grill very ugly but I liked mine!

I always mention how Huge the bonnet is on the Mazda 3's, it has just gotten bigger and bigger each new shape that's released. Don't even get me started on the after thought! That GPS system is a laughing stock, in the cx3 that's where the radio is... Also looks funny!

The Corolla the front dash in that looks like someone just got a knife and went CHOP! Plus it has crappy features if any compared to the i30 Active.

[Wingerdave]

It seems that to get a review that causes them to dismiss their love child VW, you really need to belt it so far out of the park that a lay person could see the bias.

I haven't read the article, but I bet they crapped on about the lack of 'rear a/c vents'.

The article didn't mention the VW at all, nor the lack of 'rear a/c vents'.  I thought that the article was quite good, and did mention the differences between the Active, the SR Premium, and those in between.  I have no disagreements in what the author has stated.

Remember that we have bias to the i30 as well, and therefore will probably dismiss an article that doesn't paint the i30 in a good light.

"Those in the back seat miss out on rear air vents"

So, yes, the reviewer did mention it 

[FatBoy]

It seems that to get a review that causes them to dismiss their love child VW, you really need to belt it so far out of the park that a lay person could see the bias.

I haven't read the article, but I bet they crapped on about the lack of 'rear a/c vents'.

The article didn't mention the VW at all, nor the lack of 'rear a/c vents'.  I thought that the article was quite good, and did mention the differences between the Active, the SR Premium, and those in between.  I have no disagreements in what the author has stated.

Remember that we have bias to the i30 as well, and therefore will probably dismiss an article that doesn't paint the i30 in a good light.

"Those in the back seat miss out on rear air vents"

So, yes, the reviewer did mention it 

D'oh!!!

[Doggie 1]

I tell you what, the Excel might not have been the greatest car in its class but I do believe that it was the beginning of a great automotive story.
I know someone who had a circa 2005 Accent which was the epitome of reliability.
And they only got better from there.

[eye30]

I had a Pony and an Accent.

Both great cars and never let me down.

[Surferdude]

I had a Pony and an Accent.

Both great cars and never let me down.

Bit down on horsepower was it? 

Interesting, the Excel. While they were around in large numbers when I was working there were large numbers which were either/ or unreliable and terribly run down.

Which put me off Hyundais for years.
However, in hindsight I've realised that they were incredibly cheap so tended to be bought by people who didn't have much money. Which meant they were never maintained properly. Hence the unreliability. Obviously I shouldn't categorise all Excel drivers the same way but I have to say they were also by far the worst when it came to the insides of them Filthy seats, grubby floors, literally piles of accumulated rubbish everywhere. Including fast food wrappers - often with decaying food scraps still in them and on a few occasions, dirty nappies.  Says a lot about the owners unfortunately. Of course, there were (some) well maintained examples.

Back when they were a big seller, the MD of Pacific Dunlop, who had come from the tyre division originally, told me about a trip he made to Korea to study their business practices. He spent a fair bit of time at Hyundai where they told him they could sell the Excel up to $1500 cheaper in Australia and still make money should the market need it. 

[The Gonz]

I had a Pony and an Accent.

[elantraelite]

I had a Pony and an Accent.

Both great cars and never let me down.

Bit down on horsepower was it? 

Interesting, the Excel. While they were around in large numbers when I was working there were large numbers which were either/ or unreliable and terribly run down.

Which put me off Hyundais for years.
However, in hindsight I've realised that they were incredibly cheap so tended to be bought by people who didn't have much money. Which meant they were never maintained properly. Hence the unreliability. Obviously I shouldn't categorise all Excel drivers the same way but I have to say they were also by far the worst when it came to the insides of them Filthy seats, grubby floors, literally piles of accumulated rubbish everywhere. Including fast food wrappers - often with decaying food scraps still in them and on a few occasions, dirty nappies.  Says a lot about the owners unfortunately. Of course, there were (some) well maintained examples.

Back when they were a big seller, the MD of Pacific Dunlop, who had come from the tyre division originally, told me about a trip he made to Korea to study their business practices. He spent a fair bit of time at Hyundai where they told him they could sell the Excel up to $1500 cheaper in Australia and still make money should the market need it. 

I totally agree with you! The Excel was a cheap car bought by people that didnt service them properly and were not looked after.

However, the ones that were properly serviced (they didnt need any special treatment... Just an oil change every 15,000km) would run forever!

I always talk about my Excel, but it was a reliable car that would do anything you could throw at it.

I bought mine with 200,000km on the clock for 3k back in 07 as a runabout so I could keep my brand new Elantra in good condition. The Excel was with me through my P plate years of driving... I was a total feral back in the day.... It was paddock bashed, covered in mud, drove it through flooded roads for fun, did burn outs in it... Just revving it and dumping the clutch on it like an idiot, red lined a lot of the time.

Then when I finally settled down and bought my own place it did all the moving with a trailer and then it did all the trips to the tip carting bricks, rocks and dirt at the weigh bridge the car and trailer weighted in at just over 2 tonne - A tonne for the car and then a tonne for the trailer.

It was treated like this and ran on original everything! It was just always serviced. despite how i've described it... I was always told it was one of the cleanest Excels they have seen.

Sold it with over 320,000 on the clock. Loved that car.

[FatBoy]

I'd have thought that Gonz would be the one with the accent, si?

[CraigB]

We've still got our 99 Excel, bought it for the little woman in 2007 from one of her elderly work colleagues for $2000 with 90,000kms ( had a new motor under warranty at 30,000kms ) on it and it's still only done 97,000kms.

Had the struts - timing belt and brake pads done a few months ago and it's running like a dream, interior is still like new and the rear bumper is faded like every other one I see but other than that the car is faultless.

[Doggie 1]

We've still got our 99 Excel, bought it for the little woman in 2007 from one of her elderly work colleagues for $2000 with 90,000kms on it and it's still only done 97,000kms.

About time you fixed the odometer then.   

[CraigB]

We've still got our 99 Excel, bought it for the little woman in 2007 from one of her elderly work colleagues for $2000 with 90,000kms on it and it's still only done 97,000kms.

About time you fixed the odometer then.   

Only gets used for going to the shops so it doesn't rack up many k's

[Phil №❶]

Oh, it so wants to go for a long drive to clean the combustion chambers out. 

[CraigB]

Oh, it so wants to go for a long drive to clean the combustion chambers out. 

It could do with a long drive but we only stick ultimate or V power it, plus I give it a bit of a flogging sometimes so that blows out them chambers

[Phil №❶]