Well, my wife bought the 1.6L petrol 130 three months ago, after having very good experience with the old Accent. We think it is a great car, with very good handling and steering and loads of safety features.
However, we have yet to see another i30 during my wife's daily commutes between Klang and Monash University's Campus in Sunway, Subang. A fair number of i10s running round, though.
I don't think the i30 will make a serious dent in the Malaysian automobile market, where consumers look for frugal, light and quick accelerating cars with very high resale value- never mind the safety ratings. That's why the Honda City and Toyota Vios will be hard to beat. Perhaps the Kia Forte might make a little dent, because of its pricing. But I think the independent suspension of the i30 is superior to the Forte's rear torsion beam. Although Peugeot is making inroads, I suspect electrical problems will start rearing their head two years down the road in Malaysia's very wet weather for the French cars.
Anyway, the bottom line is that Hyundai cars are very much underrated in Malaysia. But we are are very pleased with our 130 - a solid, dependable car with excellent paintwork, fantastic suspension and a fine driver's car. It's not for those who want fast and nasty cars with basic suspension. Because it's a 1.6L petrol version, we find our 130 a little underpowered going up steep hills. But then we preferred the 1.6L with its more modern engine with timing chain rather than the 2.0L petrol with its timing belt.
Cheers,
Slowyak (Lone i30 owner in Klang, Malaysia)
