Hyundai i30 2014 review

Hyundai i30 station wagon is a practical big brother to the i30 five-door hatchback that has already scored plenty of points in the sales race since it was launched early in 2013.

Though it's South Korean, Hyundai calls this i30 variant a 'Tourer' rather than a station wagon to give it a European flavour. However, Tourer is a lot more than a mere marketing tag - because this vehicle was designed in Germany and is very much aimed at that huge economic area in its chassis dynamics and overall performance.

Styling

The front of the new Hyundai Tourer wagon has what its designers call Fluidic Sculpture. This shape has been lauded in many countries, including Australia for several years now. Potential buyers agree and say the modern lines really stand out from the crowd in what is generally a conservative market segment.

Hyundai i30 Tourer is sold in two trim levels, Active and Elite. Ours was an Elite and we found it pleasing to drive and ride in. This really is a practical load carrier that offers excellent value for money, with a recommended price list beginning at $22,990.

Inside

Unlike the now superseded Hyundai i30 station wagon which had a longer wheelbase than the hatchback variant, the new i30 Tourer shares the hatch's 2650 mm wheelbase. While that's a long wheelbase for this class, though the wagon isn't as voluminous it might otherwise have been. However interior and luggage space are still pretty good and potential buyers we spoke to agreed it would usually meet all their needs.

That's because the body of all-new i30 Tourer is 185 mm longer overall than the hatch. It has 528 litres of stowage capacity with rear seats up, a significant increase of 150 litres over the hatch. This volume rises to an impressive 1642 litres with the rear seats folded flat. Additional underfloor storage compartments are of a decent size and add to the Tourer's versatility.

Engines / Transmission

Again following the Europeans, the new Hyundai i30 Tourer is sold with both petrol and turbo-diesel powertrains. The 1.6-litre direct-injection petrol engine puts out 99 kW of power and 164 Nm of torque.  The 1.6-litre turbodiesel engine we tested has peak power of 94 kW at 4000 rpm, with top torque of 260 Nm being produced between 1900 and 2750 rpm. Making it much more suited to Australian driving. Both engines can have either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic, sitting beside it.

Safety

All-new Hyundai i30 Tourer has an impressive range of active and passive safety technologies. Standard across all models are Vehicle Stability Management (VSM), Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Traction Control System (TCS), and ABS with EBD and Brake Assist.

Driving

As will all Hyundai models sold down under in recent years, the i30 Tourer has suspension tuned to Australian driving conditions and drivers' desires. It's slightly on the firm side compared with what we would have expected in the South Korean original, but follows the Australian (and European) handling and dynamic trends. We like it, but perhaps try it for yourself if your preference puts comfort over handling - ideally over the sort of roads you will be using on a regular basis.

While peak torque is at a very high 4850rpm in the turbodiesel -- aimed at high-speed touring on European motorways -- we found it was strong for plenty of the rev band below that high number. The automatic transmission has a sequential manual mode, but we tended to leave it to its own decisions most of the time and found it to have good grunt in real life conditions.

Fuel consumption was usually in the six to seven litres per hundred kilometres range in country and motoring running, rising to a still reasonable seven to nine litres around town in heavy traffic and commuting running.

Verdict

If you can live without the image of a European car and the macho looks of an SUV, then you will get a lot of vehicle for a very modest price in the all-new Hyundai i30 Tourer wagon.