FIRST IMPRESSIONS
NEW HYUNDAI i30 STYLE 1.6 CRDi 128PS BLUE DRIVE 6 Spd Manual Hatch
PREAMBLE
I have now enjoyed a few days with my new car which is finished in sleek silver. As you can deduce from the above photo showing my new car parked alongside my previous i30 – I like silver cars.
I ordered it complete with the following OEM accessories :-
i30 Carpet mats front and rear
Boot mat (carpet/rubber reversible sides)
Mudflaps
Aluminium sill guards
Different Tyres
Living Up To ExpectationsHaving now lived with the car for a few days I have had no significant disappointments and it has fully lived up to my expectations. As many members of the forum are aware, I have already enjoyed the benefit of extensive road and track tests of the new model – so I was aware of what to expect. This thread is a summary of my thoughts to date - which concentrate on those areas where the new car differs from the previous model.
My thoughts are not in any particular order – just what popped into my head as I sat at the keyboard. Please note that my new car is the Style version and has more features than the Classic or Active models. Also that my previous i30 was the top of the range Premium version on which I base my comparisons.
Throughout this report where there are photos – those on the right of the page are usually the previous model and those on the left are of my new 2012 car.
I expect that the first thing you want to know about is “How does it drive”.
I will come to that in a minute…………………………….but first……
MAKING AN IMPRESSION
I was one of the early customers for the new model in the UK West Midlands – only 5 of the new cars have been delivered by my dealership so far – but they have a healthy quantity on back-order with the Nosovice factory.
Because of this, the novelty and striking appearance of the new car on the road has proved to be a head turner.
Some neighbours and several people in places where I have parked the car have questioned me about it and some have expressed agreeable surprise that it is a Hyundai.
Notably, one man whom I met on a supermarket car park yesterday, was so enthused that he asked me for the location of the Hyundai dealership because it so happens he has had problems with his 2 year old Astra and is looking to replace it. I gave him my card and wrote the details of the dealership on the back asking him to show it to the salesman when he visits. I was not being altruistic – I will get £50 from the dealership for any introduction that results in a sale.
CREATURE COMFORTS AND THINGS TO FIDDLE WITH
Getting ComfyThe wheelbase of the new model is the same as previous but the new car is a few mm longer and wider – but with slightly reduced overall height. Better packaging of the drive train and other components have produced increased cabin and luggage space.
The cabin has proved to be comfortable and feels much more spacious than the old model – even though it has grown by only a few millimetres in each direction. There is definitely more headroom in both the front and back.
I always found the seats in the previous car most comfortable and the new ones don’t feel any different. It’s a pity they don’t offer the option of seat height adjustment on the passenger seat – it would remove the only criticism my wife has yet found with the car. The passenger seat is fastened down by a bolt under each corner – I may well get round to fitting spacers under the seat brackets to raise the seat height by a few centimetres.
Leg room front and rear is as generous as the previous model – and rear seat comfort is enhanced by the floor tunnel now being only 5cm high which makes the middle seat leg space more comfortable. In addition, it is now much easier for rear passengers to enter via the nearside door and slide across the seats
Things To Prod And Peer At The instrumentation and controls are all ergonomically located. My only gripe – is that the instant fuel economy trip is shown as a moving horizontal bar rather than numerical digits. Hyundai have compounded this by limiting the display to a maximum of 50 mpg – whereas the car is capable of much higher economy figures.
The computer trip button is now in a much more sensible place – on the steering wheel rather than hidden behind it on the front of the dash as in the previous model.
Pressing the trip button for less than a second toggles the display as follows :-
• Tripmeter A distance
• Tripmeter B distance (Not on my previous i30)
• Distance to Empty
• Average fuel consumption
• Instant fuel consumption (bar display limited to 50 mpg)
• Average speed
• Elapsed time (not on my previous i30). This is the total driving time since the last time reset. The driving time appears to keep going only whilst the engine is running and pauses when the engine is off.
• User setting.
To zero any trip value - you hold down the Reset button for a couple of seconds for the selected display.
The User setting mode enables you to select options for :-
• Auto door lock
• Auto door unlock
• Headlamp delay
• Auto triple turn indicator flashes
• Average fuel economy reset (select either manual reset – or auto reset when more than 6 litres of fuel is added)
• Temperature units
• Eco driving
• Language.
The steering wheel has a full complement of buttons for the audio, phone, cruise, speed limiter, trip computer and steering mode. They are all nicely located and easy to operate without taking your eyes off the road.
The stalk controls mounted on the steering column function exactly the same as the previous model. This is good for those of us with a short memory and I have had no problems with the windscreen wipers inadvertently coming on when I actually intended to use the turn indicators - or vice versa.
A slight disappointment is that the turn indicator audio clicker, like the previous model, is not loud enough for me. My wife has no problem reminding me the indicators are still on – so people with better hearing than mine might argue that it is fine.
I considered that on my previous i30 the steering wheel had to be turned through too big an angle for the turn indicators to be automatically tripped – the new car seems much better in this respect.
The Owner’s Manual tells me that the power outlets in the cabin and luggage compartment are limited to being used for devices that draw less the 10 amps at 12 volts. By inference – phone and sat-nav power supplies should be OK. Unlike my previous car – the new car is not provided with a cigarette lighter or an ashtray. A very sensible idea.
My previous car had single zone climate control. The new car has dual zone. I am not yet able to say whether the dual zone climate control performs as well as other cars I have owned – I can see no reason why not – but the weather has so far not asked too much of the system. What I do like (similar to my previous Audi cars) is the fact that my wife can again now constantly fiddle with the temperature on her side of the car without theoretically affecting mine. Bliss…………….
The speedometer in my previous car was dead accurate at all speeds compared with my Sat-nav display – however, the new car is not. The speedometer is 8% fast at 30 mph (50 km/h) and 7% fast at 70 mph ( 112 km/h).
Using the kilometre boards on the motorway, I have determined that the odometer is 1.8 % slow. That is – if the odometer registers a distance of 100 miles – the car has actually travelled 101.8 miles. I imagine that this will affect the accuracy of the trip recorder economy figures.
Taking The ReinsThe steering wheel has tilt (as before) and reach (new feature) adjustments which have enabled me to get it into a comfortable position with an uninterrupted view of the instruments. The steering mode button on the steering wheel allows you to select one of three power assist settings.
- The Comfort mode provides very light steering effort – with maximum assist from the power steering. This is useful when parking or manoeuvring in tight places. It is likely that someone who lacks strength in their hands/arms would use this setting permanently. This is the setting my wife prefers. (Yes – I did let her have a brief drive of my new baby – I am sure my fingernails will grow back soon).
- The Sport mode provides less power assistance – the steering feels progressively heavier as you push the car towards its limits and you get a more direct “feel” of the tyres on the road surface.
- The Normal mode – as you probably anticipated, lies between these two extremes and is the setting I have used the most.
The manual gear change is the same gate arrangement as the previous model with a button under the shift lever knob to access reverse. The smoothness of gear changes is much improved compared with the previous model – my previous i30 was very notchy especially on 1st and 2nd. The new car is very smooth. (Equal to the Golf - not quite as good as the Focus but heaps better than the Astra and Mazda 3 cars I have tried).
Pedal spacing feels about the same as the previous car with which I am happy. Note that the new car has an organ type accelerator pedal. The recent road test of the car in the UK Autocar magazine mentions that “the distance between brake and accelerator might make heel and toe changes difficult”.
I don’t bother with heel and toe stuff – why does anyone nowadays - when the synchromesh and gear changes are so smooth on both upshift and downshift between the gears.
Your Bits And PiecesCabin stowage is more generous than the previous car :-
Front door pockets are 3 cm wider at the front end x 16 cm longer and now incorporate a bottle holder
The rear door pockets are longer and now wide enough for a small bottle
The storage area in front of the gear stick is much bigger at 16 cm wide x 22 cm deep x 14 cm tall at the front falling to 8 cm tall at the rear. However, missing from the new car is the small cubby with a drop down door and the ashtray which were both fitted on the previous model just below the climate controls.
- The glove box is wider and deeper
- The centre armrest compartment is bigger in every dimension. Now big enough for both “his and hers” junk.
- All the storage compartments and cup holder wells have rubber surfaces at the bottom to minimise loose contents rattling. Another nice touch.
Entertainment & CommunicationsI have yet to spend much time fiddling with the Audio system or the voice enabled Mobile phone Bluetooth, hence I cannot comment on these features – other than that the sound quality is excellent but the radio stations still broadcast the same thumping pop music and other rubbish. I know from the Silverstone demo that the voice enabled system is impressive and caters well with all sorts of accents – so my Australian and Scots friends will probably be able to use it. Us brummies speak posh so we will definitely have no problems.
The owner’s manual devotes 51 pages to the audio equipment which indicates it will be a fairly steep learning curve for me and possibly others. My bedtime reading will have to change. I will have to put my Kindle away and instead study the i30 Owners Manual in instalments. I am in no hurry to get stuck into this marathon because I know enough to make basic use of the radio and USB link without any difficulty.
Regarding my mobile phone – I rarely use it in the car but for the time being will continue to use it in conjunction with the Bluetooth on my Garmin sat-nav.
Incidentally, having mentioned sat-nav, the steeply raked windscreen means that if one is mounted on the screen, it could be a long reach from the driving seat. However, the top surface of the dashboard in the centre of the car is virtually flat which made it easy to fit a self-adhesive disc for the sat-nav sucker mount.
For me, this is the ideal position – visibly just below the bottom edge of the windscreen, easy to reach, and can be seen without taking your eyes too far off the road ahead. It is also visible and within easy reach of a passenger which can be useful. Those concerned that the use of a self-adhesive disc will damage the dash surface need have no fear – mine was removed easily and without any damage from all my previous cars by judicious use of a hair dryer to soften the adhesive.
Look OutOn my new car all 4 side windows have one touch auto up and down – my previous i30 had just auto down on only the front windows.
The windscreen is more steeply raked on the new car - the bottom of the screen is further away from the driver and the top of the screen nearer than the previous model.
This makes the A pillar more noticeable at and above eye level - but does not appear to increase the blind spot area at any elevation that matters.
I also feel that over-the-shoulder vision is not quite as good as the previous model and I find myself being more careful at angled intersections.
What is missing on the new car is an auto dipping rear view mirror which I had on the previous one. This is not listed as an option for any version.
STOP AND GO
Idle Stop & GoMy car is fitted with the blue drive fuel economy system which includes ISG (Idle Stop & Go), a more durable starter motor and an advanced energy recovery alternator.
The engine stops when the car comes to a standstill and is put into neutral. It restarts as soon as you depress the clutch to engage 1st gear. I anticipated that I would find this feature irritating, but I think I am going to like it. The engine noise is so well insulated that it is difficult to hear it stop and start anyway – and if it saves me some fuel - I am all for it.
To avoid the engine stopping and starting repeatedly when crawling in traffic the car must reach a speed of roughly 10 km/hr since the last idle stop for it to operate. I suppose this is a necessary limitation - but rather defeats the intention of the ISG system to reduce emmissions in urban stop-go conditions.
The ISG feature will not stop the engine under certain conditions - including - when the aircon or climate control is at a high setting, the defroster is on or the battery is in a low state of charge. The ISG feature can be deactivated via a button on the dashboard.
Engine StartingRegarding normal engine starting – unlike my previous i30 – you have to fully depress the clutch before turning the starter key to start the engine.
When I collected the car, I told the dealer that there was no need for the usual hand-over instruction chat. I obviously needed one - because the car wouldn’t start after I got it home - and I had quite forgotten why. A brief panic and a fumble with buttons and controls eventually revealed the need to depress the clutch. Had I have looked at the instrument cluster I would have seen a message on the display telling me to depress the clutch before starting the car. Don’t mention this to my wife – she is always banging on about us men not reading instructions or stopping for advice.
Old habits die hard – I have tried to start the car several times without remembering to depress the clutch – but I am slowly getting better by the day.
Hill Assist ControlMy car is fitted with assisted hill start control (HAC). It works by holding the brakes on for a short period after you release the (foot) brake to move your foot to the accelerator. It releases the brakes just after you press the accelerator pedal. The handbrake plays no part. On an upslope it works when you pull away forwards – and on a downslope when you reverse. It sounds a bit clumsy but seems to be effective.
Emergency Stop SignalA new feature is the Emergency Stop Signal (ESS) which alerts the driver behind by blinking the stop lights when the vehicle is braked rapidly and severely at a speed above 55 km/h. It also operates when ABS is activating. When the speed falls below 40 km/h and still braking heavily the stop lights will stop blinking and the hazard warning lights will turn on automatically. The hazard warning lights will go off after the vehicle stops then moves again at a speed above 10 km/h – or they can be switched off manually.
Emergency Brake AssistThe vehicle also has an Emergency Brake Assist which applies maximum braking when it detects an emergency braking situation. It responds to a sudden and hard application of the brakes by the driver – who might then not apply enough foot pressure on the brake pedal for maximum braking. I am not sure how this works and under what conditions but
Hyundai list it as one of the many new safety features on the 2012 cars.
Cruise Control and Speed LimiterAnother improvement is that the new car has cruise control with a speed limiter function as standard.
The cruise system (an option on my previous car) is the same - but the speed limiter is a new feature.
To set the maximum speed you wish to travel, you simply accelerate/decelerate to the required speed and press the speed limiting button on the steering wheel. (You can trim this speed up and down with the same plus and minus buttons on the steering wheel that are used by the cruise control).
This is not cruise control – you are still in charge of the car’s speed via the throttle - it simply prevents the car from exceeding the set speed. However - you can beat the system by pressing hard down on the accelerator – a bit like kick down on an auto – whereupon you can exceed the set limit to your heart’s content - but a loud annoying chime will sound until you behave yourself.
The new car has clear graphic indicators in the instrument display to show when the cruise or Speed limiter are on - whereas my previous car had a dealer fit cruise control which had a small green light set into the speedo binnacle which was difficult to see in bright sunlight.
BOOT & BAGGAGE
The rear seat folding arrangement is the same as the old model – but the rear seat backs now fold dead flat.
The rear headrests do not need be removed in order to fold the seats flat – provided that the front seats are slid not fully back or reclined too much. I am just 6 feet tall and my seat is set about three quarters back.
The luggage compartment (boot) floor is now lower, presumably due to the use of a space saver spare – this leaves a small 6 cm step up where the rear seats fold. It would not be a major DIY job to install a removable false floor to produce a completely flat luggage compartment that is level with the folded seats. This would also provide extra stowage for flat items under the whole of the rear section at the expense of a small reduction in compartment height under the parcel shelf.
The luggage compartment is 2 cm wider x 8 cm taller to the underside of the parcel shelf compared with the previous model, but has the same lengths front to back - with both the back seats up and folded down. The new car has a much deeper “well” measured from the luggage compartment floor to the sill of the tailgate opening. The new car is 23 cm – the previous model 10 cm – this makes lifting luggage in and out of the boot slightly more difficult.
The vertical tailgate opening is also slightly smaller by 3 cm. Perhaps the increased depth of this rear section of the chassis is to increase its stiffness and car refinement.
My wife found humping suitcases in and out of the previous car a bit of an ordeal – I am sure she will notice the new car is slightly worse in this respect during our forthcoming holiday. We are driving up to Scotland in mid-May to spend a week in a log cabin by Loch Ness. I might even have to help her with the luggage in order to conserve her strength for the cooking, cleaning, bed making etc. whilst I slave away posting on the forum. I estimate we will put about 1700 miles on the odometer of the new car in 10 days.
THROWING SOME LIGHT ON THINGS
HeadlightsThe halogen headlights on the new car are similar in performance to the previous model – the only real difference I have noticed is that my car is equipped with what is called static bending lights. This is an extra light in the headlight unit each side of the car set to shine at an angle to illuminate the corner you are turning into. It comes on automatically when the lights are on and you turn the steering wheel. It is speed sensitive – below a certain speed a bigger steering wheel angle is required to switch the bending light on. When the car is reversing, the light on the outside of the turn comes on.
Lane Change IndicatorsUnlike my previous i30 – the new car has a one-touch lane change turn indicator function causing the signals to flash 3 times. This can be deactivated in the settings menu.
Lamp Changing is a DIY Lovers DreamDIY hobbyists are going to love this car because it offers them the chance to indulge their passion for tinkering when a light bulb should require changing.
The owner’s manual tells you that to change any of the front bulbs you have to loosen the retaining screws for the front bumper located in the wheel wells, pull out both sides of the bumper and remove the headlight unit from the vehicle to access the bulbs from the rear. The same applies to the front fog lights.
Changing the tail, indicator and stop light bulbs requires removal of the tail light assembly –this appears to be relatively straightforward with the tailgate open. However, I can see a cricked neck looming if I tried it.
For the side repeater direction indicator bulb and rear high mounted stop LED replacement – it is recommended to see your dealer.
I have not inspected the car in detail to verify the above information and to determine whether there are any shortcuts – but this is what the book says. I think I will have a chat with my friendly dealer if any of my car bulbs fail.
Daylight Running LampsOne disappointment for our venerable DIY guys is the fact that the car is equipped with daylight running lamps – EBay are going to lose business because cheap aftermarket kits are no longer needed on this model.
BITS ON THE OUTSIDE
Aerial PaintworkThe radio antenna can be easily removed to enable you to use those automatic car wash machines that have grubby rotary brushes and muddy water to thrash dirt off the car. This will be especially welcome to those who like their car paintwork decorated with deep swirls and scratches.
Interestingly, the UK adverts for the new car claim that it has 14 coats of paint. Thin paintwork on the previous model has been mentioned quite a few times on the forum. Perhaps Hyundai have improved in this respect.
Parking Sensors – Front & RearMy previous car had just rear parking sensors – the new one also has them at the front which is great for me because I am none too brilliant at judging the front of the car - the bonnet slopes sharply away out of sight.
As an aside –the manual tells me that if you pressure wash your car, you must keep the water jet away from the parking sensors in the bumpers. They can easily get damaged.
The Bonnet StrutsPerhaps a useful target for DIY guys will be to add gas struts to the bonnet – which like the previous model, is heavy and has to be manually lifted and held open by a stay rod. I am confident the forum will soon have a thread from one of our ingenious members showing us how it can be done and where to buy the gas springs from.
I Am Wheelie PleasedI am relieved to find that unlike my previous i30, this car does not have chrome trim inserts in the wheels. Also that my new car has 16” wheels.
The 17” wheels fitted to my previous i30 made the ride too hard and cabin noise greater.
I have read in the motoring press that masochists will soon be able to specify 17” wheels as an optional extra if they have a sporting bent, deep pockets and don’t object to a firm ride and more cabin noise. They speculate that this option may be standard on the higher powered sports version of the new car later this year.
On ReflectionLike my previous i30 – the new one is equipped with manually operated electric folding mirrors. My new car has turn indicator repeaters in the mirror housing, these were not fitted to my previous car. Automatic folding mirrors with puddle lights are a factory fit option included in the convenience pack (which also includes keyless entry & chrome exterior handles) and costs a whopping £750. I only considered this option for a millisecond or two before rejecting the idea. If my wife steps out of the car into an unlit puddle, I will take my medicine like a man.
TyresAlthough my earlier road tests of the various models had proved that the new car is a considerable improvement over the previous model for cabin noise, I arranged for the dealer to change the standard Hankook Ventus Prime 2 tyres to Continental Premium Contact 2 before I took delivery. These Continentals are generally recognised to be one of the best for quiet running.
Tread patterns of the two brands are similar - so if there really is an improvement in noise – perhaps it is due to the differences in rubber compound.
Before making this decision I did a lot of internet research and corresponded with various tyre manufacturers. Continental advised that the Premium Contact 2 tyres are the least noisy in their range – better in this respect than their later Premium Contact 5 tyre which has been developed to provide improved tyre wear and better extreme wet grip. Continental admit that other major brands produce tyres that are as quiet – but claim that none are quieter.
I am happy to buy the less durable tyre in order to reduce cabin noise to the absolute minimum. The car is equipped with a temporary space-saver spare wheel so only 4 new tyres were required.
Top Her Up There is no fuel filler release in the cabin of the new car – you just press on the filler door and it springs open via a toggle latch. It can only be opened when the car doors are unlocked. It is therefore as secure as the previous car, which had a floor mounted release lever by the driver’s seat.
THE DRIVING EXPERIENCE
So now the bit you have been so patiently waiting for – how does it drive?
My answer is - as delightful and satisfying as the previous model – but somewhat different.
The car feels somehow more substantial, more cossetting and far more refined. It feels like a big car disguised in a smaller body. Hence I am tempted to call my car Tardis.
It rides bumps much better than the previous car, has a much quieter cabin, feels more spacious and oozes quality. It is quite definitely the step up in prestige that Hyundai targeted.
In the residential area where I live there are two schools and it is impossible for me to come and go from my home without having to cross speed bumps in the surrounding roads, some of which are ferocious.
The worst are the smallest and most innocuous looking ones. They are just a series of 10 cm high half round tarmac ridges across the road at about 3 metres pitch. Imagine a series of 10 cm dia pipes across the road or rows of house ridge tiles. In my previous i30 (admittedly with 17” rims) these speed bumps were painfully bone jarring and caused the suspension to crash at almost any speed.
Even mothers on the school run in their Bentley Continentals, Range Rovers, Mercedes 4x4’s, Jaguars and other Chelsea Tractors, treat these with great respect and slow to less than walking pace. In my new car they can of course be felt – but with far less discomfort and certainly not bone jarring.
On normal UK roads with pot holes and repair patches – the new car soaks up the imperfections so much better than my previous i30 without sending hard shocks through the cabin. The VW Golf and Citroen C4 are the only other cars that I have driven in this class that can compete with it in this respect. The Focus, Astra and Mazda 3 are all far less refined.
The new car is theoretically more powerful at 94kW than my previous one which developed 85kW. Both cars have the same torque figures. The new car is claimed to accelerate from zero to 100 km/h in 10.9 seconds – 0.6 seconds quicker than the previous car. I have to say that the car feels as lively as my previous i30 - but no more so. Perhaps I am not noticing any real difference because either the engine is still tight or the refinement of the car masks the improvement.
I suppose it could be a bit of both!
I brimmed the car immediately after leaving the dealers and set the distance and fuel trips to zero - but have not yet needed to buy fuel – hence I cannot give accurate feedback on economy. In any event my driving has not been typical – no long distances, quite a lot of urban miles and that fast fun drive when temptation bit me. The engine is still tight so I would expect economy to improve with greater mileage.
The average trip recorder is currently showing 55.4 mpg (5.1 L/100 km) over a distance of 210 miles (340 km). This compares with an average of 48.6 mpg (6.1 L/100 km) for my previous car – so the future is looking good.
Hyundai claim that when designing this new model they set out to equal or better the comfort and refinement of other cars in the sector – especially the VW Golf. To do this they made numerous changes to the basic design of the i30 including a completely new chassis, but kept the wheelbase at 2650 mm which is already 72mm longer than the Golf and thus a significant contributor to straight-line stability and ride comfort.
Measures to improve the i30’s mechanical and rolling refinement included :-
• Revisions to the engine and drive components
• Fluid filled engine mounts to dampen vibration before it could reach the chassis
• Larger diameter hollow drive shafts to minimise road roar
• New ultra high strength steel reinforcements between the car’s suspension mountings
• Stiffer A and B pillars with better insulation
• Double layer door seals
• Aerodynamic improvements to the body, wing mirrors and even the exterior door handles to reduce drag and wind noise.
I have driven my new car over the same route that I test drove a new 2012 i30 1.6 CRDi Classic and a VW Golf 1.6 TDi SE to compare cabin noise with my previous i30. The i30 classic and VW Golf had 15” wheels so I was expecting the new car with 16” wheels to be slightly noisier.
I am pleased to report that my decibel meter had good news and confirmed that Hyundai’s efforts have produced the intended result – these are the comparisons of the maximum average noise levels for each car for various conditions. Cabin noise levels are measured in dBA
Dodging the naughty stepVery early this Easter Sunday morning, I was alone in the car and about to drive along a series of my favourite winding country roads for a distance of over 30 miles.
When my wife is with me we pootle along at a sedate speed and admire the lovely scenery – but here I was – all alone.
I was tempted……..
Very tempted………
But hang on lad - it’s a new car….
And the road is wet after overnight rain………
But you were OK thrashing an i30 around the Silverstone circuit..
Hmmmm………………..
However - I did manage to resist the temptation………………….. For at least 20 seconds….
Whereupon I changed the steering mode to sport, dropped it down a gear or two, and let rip.
You must not show this report to my wife. I am very familiar with the route and the really dangerous bits – plus the chance of other traffic or plod being around so early on a holiday Sunday was minimal - so I felt confident that I could push the car to my limits.
I say 'my limits' advisedly because I am sure the car’s limits are much greater than mine.
There seemed to be no raw edges to the handling – the car did what I asked of it without protest. Two or three times I recognised (from my Silverstone track experience) the heavy chatter of the VSM (Vehicle Safety Management system) taking charge with differential braking and steering assist when I nearly over-did it on the wet road. The grip of the new Continentals was most reassuring. Bucket seats and a full harness would have been very welcome.
Two of the really fast bends are tricky with very poor pock marked surfaces and negative camber – even on these - handling proved to be relatively neutral provided I fed enough power in to pull it through the bend. Braking was powerful, progressive and responsive.
There was a touch more body roll than my previous car – but it was fun. It felt safe, I felt confident and at no point was it hair raising or did my heart miss a beat. It was a trip down memory lane.
Hence, those like me who put safety and comfort way in front of excitement, will feel the balance is about right. I have a suspicion that keen drivers might argue that the improved handling and extra comfort have come at the price of a far less exciting drive. They can always switch the ESP and VSM off I suppose.
On this evidence I guess that the rumoured hot hatch versions of the new i30 with the more powerful engines and sports tuned chassis’ are going to give other hot hatches some stiff competition.
SUMMARY
I have had quite a few new and used cars in my time, but I cannot recall any that have pleased me so instantly more than this one.
For some years I have treated cars as a utensil – white goods – a means of getting you from A to B safely, reliably, comfortably and economically. In my career heyday a certain badge would have been in the list. What went on with the chassis and under the bonnet were incidental. As an engineer I well understand the workings of a car – but in recent years I have lost interest in motoring as a hobby and have been content to let others maintain my car and sort out any problems.
However, joining the forum has somewhat changed my perspective. I now take more interest in what makes my car tick and why - and seek the wise opinions of others. The forum has awakened my interest in motoring and thereby caused me to research this car more thoroughly and more carefully than ever - before buying it.
My research told me that the new i30 would prove to be a fine car and my experience to date fully confirms this.
Although at one stage I seriously considered the much cheaper 1.4 petrol version, I feel vindicated that I chose the diesel again.
My brief “thrash” down the country roads is quite out of character – 40 years ago it would of course have been quite a different story – but for years I have been sliding down the slippery slope of motoring maturity. I am 75 years old for heaven’s sake – but fortunately a fit, healthy and very active 75 year old. How I have avoided being a member of the flat cap, pipe, tobacco, leather driving gloves and woolly scarf brigade is one of life’s mysteries.
I have little doubt that my motivation to push the car and myself to ‘my’ limits had something to do with being back amongst keen motorists on the forum.
Go on – admit it – you must have expected me to.
So far I have not found any significant things that fail to please me which were not revealed during my test drives of the various models both on the road - and of course during my track day at the Silverstone circuit. (The poor instant economy display and the lack of an auto dipping rear mirror being the notable ones).
If I do – I will certainly let you know.
So I will finish by expressing my appreciation and thanks to the forum staff and all the forum members who make such a magnificent contribution to our pool of knowledge and our motoring pleasure.
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