Hi all,
Just about to cross the magic 20,000 klm mark on my Hoondai – probably Friday as I have to work in Brissie.
So I thought it would be a good time for some reflection.
***-MQH (for My Qld Hyundai), came to me on the 3rd November 2009. He’s a basic 2.0 litre SX manual with the Cruise Package (includes fog lights) and it cost me $20,490 on the road. So, a pretty good deal I reckon.
As I’m a tad over 6’2” tall, the driving position will always be a major consideration for me and my extended test drives (one alone and one with my wife) soon convinced me I was onto a winner here. The driver’s seat is comfortable and boasts enough adjustment to accommodate my lanky (if thickening) frame, complemented by the steering wheel adjustment for “fore and aft” in addition to “up and down”. So, I’m comfortable in the car with all the important controls within reach. Possible I could have done with the sound system controls on the steering wheel but can live with it as it is. I did have to get used to the volume control being on the other (far) side of the unit to what I’ve had before.
In truth, this took more getting used to than the reverse gear position.
From the driver’s seat the visibility is good – froward, upwards and rearwards. No major blind spots.
Oh! And I like the little bump in the foot well just to the right of my accelerator pedal where I can rest my foot when using cruise control. I’ not sure whether it’s there for that purpose or just a coincidence but it’s just behind the pedals and at the right hight for quick access to whatever pedal I might need in a hurry.
As for the cruise control, I’ve had a bit of experience with them in various cars since about 1995 and have to say this system is the most accurate, smoothest operating one I’ve ever had.
Still in the driver’s seat, the headlights are more than adequate. I considered getting a couple of driving lights on one of those chrome bars from Super Cheap but in the end had to admit they would be there for looks only, as I’ve yet to find the limits of the standard low/ high beam set up, even on winding country roads. I also like the external shape of the headlights as I reckon their “swept back” appearance means that stones hit at such an oblique angle as to have very little chance of doing damage.
Internally, the i30 Hatch has more leg room, especially in the rear than my Subaru Impreza RV had. And I can juggle the seats so as to fit in my 9’+ surfboard for security purposes, rather than leave it on the (Rola) roof racks when parked anywhere unattended. More than once I’ve had someone comment that my board must be concertina’d to fit in there.
As I’ve said before, the tyres are noisy although I’ve learned to live with it as I also have some noise from the roof racks. The tyres themselves perform reasonably but wouldn’t go on my replacement options list. Just measured them and they’re down to 4mm which means about 2.5 mm useable tread left. Not a lot and I guess I won’t be using all of that as I reckon they’ll get pretty skaty in the wet soon. This also indicates a lot lower life span than I originally projected.
Then there are the bloody hub caps. They don’t look too bad as hub caps go (again, a set of alloy wheels would only be for cosmetic purposes and I tell myself I’m passed all that). Anyway, I don’t like bolt on hub caps. But c’est la vie.
Performance is great and if I stick my boot in it, it get’s up and goes well enough for my needs. I’m running at about 8.3 klm/100litres which, given my continued determination to enjoy my driving, is pretty good.
The only real issue I’ve had which required dealer attention was that the bonnet seemed to somehow, get out of alignment and I had an uneven gap above the grill. It wasn’t a simple fix as the hinges were actually aligned OK. It needed a little “gentle persuasion” which anyone who has had experience with panel repairs will recognise. As the car was still almost new I left it to the dealer. And they did it well. It was a puzzle though as it was OK when I picked it up and there had been no hits or bumps on it. It actually looks as though the overall bonnet pressing is slightly skew-iff which is why adjusting the hinges didn’t work.
The three visits I’ve had to Sunco Hyundai at Currimundi have been well handled with no fuss and the car back quickly each time. 1,000 klm service, the bonnet fix and the 15,000 klm service. All good. And they replaced that plug from the wiper arm at no charge.
I can’t think of much else to say about it right now. Will post this up for comment and add to it if anything else jumps out at me.
Trev
