So I've had my 2012 i30 Active GD CRDi for exactly one year now. I've just ticked over 12000Km and thought I'd do a short recap on my opinions one year on.
Summary:
- I'm still loving the car. Buying a new car was a fantastic decision
- Have had no mechanical / electrical issues with the car
- Get great economy (average 5.0L/100km) for 80% driving to/from work in town
- First service went ok
- Only downside is possible regret of not getting the Elite model!
The best part about the car is that it is a smooth, quiet, comfortable ride. Nice high driving position (which I really notice when I sit in my wife's old 98 Corolla and feel like I'm falling!). Visibility with the mirrors is great. The reverse sensors are amazing for my garage which is only 50cm longer than the car with a brick wall behind! Cruise control is great. I use it pretty regularly.
The diesel is great. The economy is such that I get on average about 900km to a tank... now that I know how empty I can go and how full I can brim it! I am filling up about every 4 weeks, and that includes doing a 15km each way trip to work Monday to Friday and the odd longer trip once a month. It took me a while to get use to the power curve of the engine, and I can still be caught out occasionally if I'm tottering around in 2nd gear (1200rpm or lower) and need to get going in a hurry. However the thing is amazing on the highway. I went for a trip up the hills. Cruise control set to 110, 6th gear... didn't deviate from 110 at all (except when I went down a steep hill, cruise control only engine brakes!).
I had the first service this week. Didn't notice any change in behaviour afterwards. The car must have been running pretty smoothly already The brakes are at 80%. Tyre tread is 4.5mm all around. The only disappointment was they didn't wash the car! I left it nice and dirty for them and everything. Boo!
As mentioned above, I do think occasionally that I should have gotten the Elite model. There are some perks that I'm now thinking I'd really enjoy:
- Auto Up-Down on all windows
- Alloy wheels (although when I need new tyres I'll look around then)
- Integrated satnav
But that is it really. Not worth the extra $$$$ I would have had to pay I suspect.
Negatives of the car:
- glovebox is a bit small
- The clock on the CD player is a pale white and difficult to see during the day. However on my parents 2013 i30 this seems to be full white bright, I guess they have a newer firmware. And yes, my parents got an i30 because they liked mine!
And that is the negatives list! I'm pretty happy.
Below is my economy stats that I log on each fill up.
Edit: I was going to create a forum table and fill in the details from my Google Doc... Ugh much too hard! Ok here is a direct link to the doc instead!
http://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AkJtIJ1UMWxqdGdvYVQ5QzRxeHFnQXY0dkI4Y3dQS2c&usp=sharing
