[tracek]

Hi everyone,

First time on the forum and also first time getting a new car. My 15yo Audi A4 is misbehaving and clearly would like a new home. We have decided for Hyundai i30 estate version from 2019 sell. The conundrum now is choosing between less fancy car with manual gearbox and more fancy with DCT. I have never driven a car with automated transmission and could really use your advice. Both cars have 1.4 T-GDI 140 HP engine and full LED.

Here's what the "less fancy" edition is missing:
* Knee airbag (I read study that it helps little, can't comment how true that is)
* AEB+ (autonomous emergency braking plus). "plus" is supposed to detect pedestrians
* BSD: Blind Spot Detection system
* RCTA: Rear Cross Traffic Alert
* SLIF: Speed Limit Information Function
* Advanced Smart Cruise Control
* Rain sensor
* Electronic Parking Brake
* Start / stop system (keyless)
* Panoramic roof
* Frontal parking sensor
* Supervision cluster
* Autodimming rear mirror
* Sat nav
* Wireless charging station for a phone
* Wheel size (17" in the "fancy" version, 16" in normal)

Of course the main difference is the gearbox. The extra for the more fancy is ~5000 USD (i.e. 22k vs. 27k). Would you go for the more fancy edition or rather keep 5k in the wallet? The car will be used daily for commuting within a city and every ~2 weeks for a trip outside the city.

I heard that DCT sometimes can have a hiccup and incorrectly select the gear. Is this something to be afraid? Or perhaps the problem is gone / marginal in 2019 model?

I know kids are going to love the panoramic sunroof, I wonder though if it's a cause of any severe issues (problems with cleaning, heating, whatever)?

[Dazzler]

Welcome to our forum.

If you can afford the extra and you do not have crazy bumper to bumper traffic on a regular basis I'd definitely go the dearer version.

These features in particular are great!

* BSD: Blind Spot Detection system
* RCTA: Rear Cross Traffic Alert
* Advanced Smart Cruise Control
* Rain sensor
* Electronic Parking Brake
* Start / stop system (keyless)
* Supervision cluster
* Wireless charging station for a phone

The Sunroof shouldn't cause any issues in the short to medium term.

I Like the DCT (gets more bad press than it deserves)

I have to go now but may add more comments to this tread later.

[tracek]

Thanks @Dazzler ! I am really split here, so every such opinion matters to me. The dealer recommends too the more expensive version, but hey, that's their job . Almost all of the mentioned features are new to me. What do you think about AEB+ from the safety features?

Regarding sat nav: is it any good? I saw an article claiming it's quite good, but it I can't tell how trustworthy it was. Currently I am using TomTom and Google Maps, and find both quite reliable in Central / Western Europe.

There's some traffic in my area, but nothing like regular bumper to bumper. I plan to own the car for the next 6-7 years, rarely doing more than 10000 km yearly. I have a carport (no garage) and winters nowadays are not severe (~ -10C = 14F), which I hope will be fine to keep in a good condition.

I enjoy driving, but currently what I primarily expect from the car is that it will just work, be safe and require little attention from me beyond the usual maintenance. I am not interested in having total control of the drive, so automated transmission feels like a good option. Initially I considered Toyota Corolla, but then the engine was a little too weak for my taste (116 HP) and somehow interior was not in my taste. Until now I only tested i30 with manual gearbox and it felt really good. With 5 year full warranty it's the most compelling option on the market (Central Europe) for me. I am a rookie though when it comes to cars, only now learning bits and pieces.

[robbo137]

Hi tracek

I was in a similar position to you a few months ago with purchasing an i30 Nline 1.6T here in Australia. The difference in cost here for me was around $3000 AUD but i think some of the things your manual version misses out on our manual has- for e.g. my manual has:

* Knee airbag (I read study that it helps little, can't comment how true that is)
* Rain sensor
* Start / stop system (keyless)
* Sat nav
* Wireless charging station for a phone
* 18 inch wheels - same as DCT version.

Like Dazzler said, it really depends on the type of driving you do and if you enjoy driving a manual car.

$5000 USD is a lot of money but the additions of the DCT are greater than the Aus version.

I chose manual purely based on the fact i enjoy driving a manual and the extra features for the DCT didn't outweigh my enjoyment of driving a manual car. Also, it was cheaper! I have no regrets so far.

This is the thread i started when i was trying to decide - it might help but is a little different as the cars to vary slightly.

i30 N Line/SR - Manual vs auto seeking advice


Thought i would add this quick edit in to try and address your Sat Nav question. Do both cars come with apple car play and android auto? I use google maps with apple car play and haven't used the sat nav function once since i've had the car. Others might differ, but i found google maps better and you will probably want to connect to car play anyway to access the other features. Of course you need phone/cell service/signal to use google or apple maps where as the sat nav might be more reliable in rural areas.

[tracek]

Thanks @robbo137 for linking your post! Somehow I did not find when using the Search and it does contain a lot of good info... at the same time somehow making my choice more difficult .

And yeah, both have Android / Apple Car app integration, so I can easily use my phone navigation. Small caveat is that they don't do well in my region with respect to lane guidance, there's also no speed limit info.

[robbo137]

Yeah i think it got harder for me to decide the more i researched and thought about it!

Perhaps lane assist wont be of use to you? If you get good phone coverage you may also not really use Sat Nav. Google maps has traffic info etc

Wireless charging is also useless for me as to connect to car play you have to use the cable which charges the phone anyway. The wireless charger seems to also heat up my phone quite a bit so for longer trips i don't use it.

Maybe test drive both cars and go from there?

[Dazzler]

Thanks @Dazzler ! I am really split here, so every such opinion matters to me. The dealer recommends too the more expensive version, but hey, that's their job . Almost all of the mentioned features are new to me. What do you think about AEB+ from the safety features?

Regarding sat nav: is it any good? I saw an article claiming it's quite good, but it I can't tell how trustworthy it was. Currently I am using TomTom and Google Maps, and find both quite reliable in Central / Western Europe.

I'm 63 and had 34 cars (including cars I bought for various partners over the years.) I've learnt a lot on this site too, since co-founding it back in 2008.

I've driven who knows how many thousands (over a million) kilometres in my lifetime without AEB. Still here to tell the tale. Ironically my current daily driver (2019 Toyota Camry Hybrid) has AEB and yet, just before Christmas I rear ended another car.. So it doesn't guarantee anything. That's why I didn't list it among the features I recommended having. Nice to have, but not essential.

The Hyundai GPS (which is Garmin based I think in Australia) is heaps better than the Toyota version (which i think may be Tom Tom) The Toyota one is very clunky. Some odd commands and quite repetitious. The Hyundai one we had in my 2017 i30 SR was very similar in operation to my last Garmin GPS with logical commands and was user friendly. We do some big road trips each year on Mainland Australia (probably about a third of our annual mileage and I found with the i30 that I used Google maps via Android AUto half the time and the GPS the other half. With the current Hybrid I used my phone for navigation exclusively the built in GPS was very average.

[tracek]

I'm 63 and had 34 cars (including cars I bought for various partners over the years.) I've learnt a lot on this site too, since co-founding it back in 2008

I am 35 and had 2 cars, so having a forum like this helps a great deal. Thanks!!

BTW, I hear that European version (or at least one in Poland) uses TomTom internally. Anyway, quality choice for the market.

[nzenigma]

@tracek

Hi mate, I like your avatar  ????

The DCT is a pretty nifty transmission and would suit the Polish country road style of driving. 
The DCT avoids the power loss of the fluid auto transmission which until now is probably why most Europeans prefer a manual car.
If you avoid the 4pm creeping traffic through Wroclaw the DCT will be fine.

The so called safety features are missing on the manual car because most, like AEB, need to also control the auto box.
No doubt they give old people, over 60 years, more confidence.  But,I had some of the features on a new Citroen with manual box that I was driving in Poland and found most of the features just plain annoying. To me, NOT worth $5000.

Enjoyed your city too. 

[tracek]

Thanks @nzenigma !

I got the avatar many years back when building an automated system for counting kiwi calls from audio recordings for the NZ Department of Conservation (DOC). I am working pro bono on biodiversity monitoring till this day, though nowadays primarily with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (UK org). Also, I got married in 2012 in Wellington. I loved NZ with its people. Never been to Australia though, I guess I'd enjoy it too!

I think manual gearboxes are far more popular in Europe than Australasia or North America. In Central / Eastern Europe in the past it was much due to the fact that we were importing second hand cars from Western Europe, the cheaper the better. That means, no auto. There was also the attitude of having total control. Nowadays it's different, there's no such a large income gap and many drivers favours comfort over control. Most of my colleagues who drive more recommends auto, with caveat that the experience depends on particular model. Since there's no i30 DCT in my region, I went to ask you. They might get something next week and then I will be able to give it a test drive.

BTW, although there are no i30 with automated transmission around my city, they do have Tucson with DCT (~170 HP). One dealer said it would not provide similar driving experience (incl. DCT vs manual) to i30, while the other says it's absolutely comparable. What do you think?

Also, does Hyundai update the firmware on DCT every now and then? That is, would 2017 and 2019 i30 DCTs be identical or manufacturer improves the software that controls the gearbox? 

[Lorian]

The so called safety features are missing on the manual car because most, like AEB, need to also control the auto box.
No doubt they give old people, over 60 years, more confidence.  But,I had some of the features on a new Citroen with manual box that I was driving in Poland and found most of the features just plain annoying.

I have AEB on my manual. I had to set it to "late" otherwise it would start to take intervention when I run up to cars to overtake them. Presumably it stalls the engine on a full emergency brake scenario. not found out yet...

[Dazzler]

Don't think they recalibrate the DCT on existing models unless there is an issue. Saying that I feel my wife's 2019 Kona 1.6 turbo with DCT is more responsive in 1st gear than my 2017 i30 SR was.  (Basically the same engine)

The Tucson doea feel quite different to drive (I found it quite bland) but it will give you the general idea.

[nzenigma]

Thanks @nzenigma !

 Also, I got married in 2012 in Wellington. I loved NZ with its people. 

BTW, although there are no i30 with automated transmission around my city, they do have Tucson with DCT (~170 HP). One dealer said it would not provide similar driving experience (incl. DCT vs manual) to i30, while the other says it's absolutely comparable.

 What do you think? Also, does Hyundai update the firmware on DCT every now and then? That is, would 2017 and 2019 i30 DCTs be identical or manufacturer improves the software that controls the gearbox?

Hi mate, Wellington is my home town, although I have lived in Brisbane for a longtime. I have a foot in both camps.

Some of my own (comparable) vehicles are 4 turbo diesels; ix35 Tucson ( fluid auto), i30 DCT , i30 fluid auto and i30 Manual. All good, all different: the ix35 has more torque, the two auto i30s are relaxing in traffic, the manual and DCT are the most comparable if you intend to man-up and DRIVE    the car.

I cant answer the firmware question;but rhetorically, why would you need to update if it is functioning as designed? That said, we have had members who have experience early change or no gear at all with their DCT. It seems the software reinstall has cured the glitch. The early US Tucson was very prone to this and regarded as quite dangerous.

Mechanically, hmmmm. I have some examples of a very noisy dual mass flywheel at 80-100,000km. ( needs to be replaced  $$$) This fault may have been accelerated by previous hard driving or creeping in traffic. And probably not going to affect you if you sell it within a couple of years.

[nzenigma]

The so called safety features are missing on the manual car because most, like AEB, need to also control the auto box.
No doubt they give old people, over 60 years, more confidence.  But,I had some of the features on a new Citroen with manual box that I was driving in Poland and found most of the features just plain annoying.

I have AEB on my manual. I had to set it to "late" otherwise it would start to take intervention when I run up to cars to overtake them. Presumably it stalls the engine on a full emergency brake scenario. not found out yet...

 "not found out yet..." is unacceptable and worse than

Please update your post immediately.

Signed, ( intrigued and excited)

 

[mickd]

Don't think they recalibrate the DCT on existing models unless there is an issue. Saying that I feel my wife's 2019 Kona 1.6 turbo with DCT is more responsive in 1st gear than my 2017 i30 SR was.  (Basically the same engine)

The Tucson doea feel quite different to drive (I found it quite bland) but it will give you the general idea.

Lower first  gear ratio  or final drive ratio ?
2019 Kona 1.6 T dct is 1st 3.6 :1 with final drive of 3.6:1.
Can't find the 2019 sr - anybody please.