[Martin88]

This is a bit of an update I guess.

My GD i30 is a year old in June, So it's around 8 months old. It has 7k miles on it or so. And I have to say I am not as in love with the car as I would like, For me the honey moon period is over, That "new car feeling" and initial excitement is gone, It's now just what I drive.

And here is why, I don't think this is down to the way the car looks, I often get compliments on how the car looks and occasionally walking back to my car I do think to myself "that's a damn good looking car", It's nice to be in too, the controls are all ergonomic and it just seems to work. It's comfortable and the ride quality is nice. It has quite a few good points!

But it does have some floors. The window wipers.. when I used the washer jets the wipers are supposed to sweet the window 3 times before resting in the normal position, Occasionally they don't, they stop about 4 inches short of where they are meant to and its annoying as hell, you have to use them again sometimes twice to get them to "reset" and go back to normal position.

Fuel economy. I have the diesel auto. On the motorway I can achieve 65mpg, around the doors its sometimes in the 50's but the issue is I feel like I have to try hard to get those figures. Driving normally im looking at 36-39 around the doors and 50's on the motorway, and that's not thrashing it around. That's accelerating up to speed then taking it easy. Getting high MPG is achievable but its like finding a needle in a haystack, not impossible but hard work.

And I think the engine is the reason im bored. Its not punchy enough or powerful enough to have any fun with. I feel like I have to wait an eternity for power to overtake at 60mpg and 70 is even more of a pain. If I have someone infront of me doing 65 and I want to overtake I have to wait for a good gap and slam the peddle to the floor to do it safely.

This car has nice sporty looks but no pedigree under the bonnet. And the high fuel economy is hard to achieve without driving like my granddads granddad and the wind blowing in the right direction.

For me its about a 6/10 overall now that im living with it. Don't get me wrong it has points it excels at, but for me its simply not as good as my FD.. I was hoping to keep this car for a good long while but we are considering changing next year or the year after at the latest. Really hasn't won me over. 

[Doggie 1]

Sorry to hear that but you can only call it as you see it.
I'm really happy with my GD after having owned an FD but I have to say that already I have had more (minor) warranty issues than in the entire life of the FD.
As I had the U1/5 speed in the FD though, the change to the U2/6 speed is welcomed and also the reduction in road noise too.
It is still not what I consider a quiet car but it is a lot quieter than the old one.
I've only done just under 10,000 km in mine (in two & a half months) so it's early days, but I do really like it and enjoy driving it.
While it is no road-burner, I don't notice a lack of power in it.
The increased refinement is what I like about it - it is definitely a step up as far as that goes.

[2i30s]

both of our 2009 FD i30 petrol's look,smell and feel like new cars still,and they have less than 60,000kms on them.    the FG i30 is looking good as an update soon. 

[Doggie 1]

You buying a Ford again?     

[2i30s]

GD. 

[rustynutz]

 

[2i30s]

YOU SHUT UP RUSS. 

[The Gonz]

 

[rustynutz]

 

[Just Rick]

Martin88

well you have convinced me further,the newer version of the beloved I30 is not the way to go if I where to get rid of Bruce and Cyril,but for a car that has done such little miles and is not that old,it still doesn't have that new car feel,Bruce and Cyril are both going in for their 60K/ 37500 mile services soon,they still both drive and smell like new cars and Cyril(the 5 spd SX) is still very exciting to drive,over Bruce(SLX 6 spd)Bruce to me is a little sluggish compared to Cyril,I haven't had the issue of overtaking just a  matter of selecting the right gear and make sure your on the boost before preforming the pass.

Like you say,the economy,unless you drive like your in a coma or a ninety year old, you can't get anywhere near the reported milage,but it is achievable,if you sit well under the speed limit on a downhill run with the wind behind you, we have in our little town quite a few I30 owners(Most a lot older than myself)most have still got their FD's,two have in fact traded up to the newer GD's and from what they're saying,they're like you not as happy with the newer ones as they are with the older FD's

For similar reasons,I can't comment as I don't have one,like all our other cars,until they are nonviable to fix any more their here to stay,our old wagon is on it's second trip round the clock,so Bruce and Cyril will be the same,you still see thousands of the old Excel still going strong so why would the I30's be any different.

[Dazzler]

I'm surprised Martin  I thought even the Auto FD i30 was fairly zippy 

I've driven a 5 speed manual CRDI, a 5 Speed Manual 2.0 Petrol and an Auto 2.0 Petrol (+ a 6 speed Manual GD) but never an auto CRDi

Why don't you lash out and get a tuning box like Terry (UM) or someone else on the site uses (might improve your economy too and give you a new lease of life) Bit like a pacemaker 

[Phil №❶]

@Martin88,

While I appreciate your honest and frank assessment of your car let's see what we're dealing with here.

- Honeymoon periods are just that, we all want them to last forever but sadly they don't. If the honeymoon's over, it is in your minds perception, nothing else.

- Our windscreen wipers never do what you describe, so it's a fault that should be repaired under warranty, don't continue to be frustrated by it.

- Fuel economy simply is a reflection of your driving style. There are no magic formula's or devices that can give you performance and economy at the same time. Every car manufacturer is striving to achieve this, so they juggle with engine size, type of fuel, gearing, vehicle weight, tyres,,,, etc to find an edge over their rivals. I don't believe there is ANY manufacturer that has it ALL correct, so driving a car will always be a compromise for me, and a matter of determining, for each person, what are the most important requirements.

If you want economy, you have to drive economically, if you want power then you will sacrifice economy. The overtaking at speed you describe, is never going to be the same as a petrol engined car and will vary significantly with road conditions, traffic etc. The small amount of driving in the country I've done, has always been quite satisfactory and enjoyable. Slamming the pedal to the floor for overtaking in a diesel is the wrong method to use.  The engine produces its best power and torque at much lower revs than it will be, if you're using the kickdown method for passing. This can in fact, hamper acceleration. Much better to find the engines sweet spot and gently squeeze and let her use the torque to accelerate. I did this recently to pass a gas fuel tanker, with a 2nd trailer attached and at the end we were at 125kmh and still accelerating nicely  , our state limit here is 110, so I had to pull back on the stick.

Anyhow, thanks for your update. 

[AlanHo]

Why don't you lash out and get a tuning box like Terry (UM) or someone else on the site uses (might improve your economy too and give you a new lease of life) Bit like a pacemaker 

Dazz - Martin is in the UK and his car will have a DPF. I would not recommend using a tuning box on a car with a DPF - unless you have a very deep pocket to meet the inevitable repair costs.

[Dazzler]

Why don't you lash out and get a tuning box like Terry (UM) or someone else on the site uses (might improve your economy too and give you a new lease of life) Bit like a pacemaker 

Dazz - Martin is in the UK and his car will have a DPF. I would not recommend using a tuning box on a car with a DPF - unless you have a very deep pocket to meet the inevitable repair costs.

Oh ok ..thanks Alan 

[eye30]

I feel like I have to wait an eternity for power to overtake at 60mpg and 70 is even more of a pain. If I have someone infront of me doing 65 and I want to overtake I have to wait for a good gap and slam the peddle to the floor to do it safely.

 

I've never driven an auto but can you "downshift" to boost acceleration?

[plasticphyte]

I have to agree with the OP regarding flaws. This afternoon while cleaning the car I noticed a couple of plastic trim pieces had some moulding rubbish leftover, there are parts of the trim which are loose fitting (plastic trim in the passenger footwell alongside the transmission tunnel), the instrument cluster shade piece is not a solid integrated piece but appears to be a clip on attachment and is as a result flexible, some other trim parts in the cup holders aren't a proper fit with the moulded curves; there are other things as well which I've covered in other topics.
I also agree the performance is pretty boring, with the 1.6L diesel not grunty enough, although the stance on the road feels pretty good.

I'm not bored by my car though; I am however a bit disappointed that the price point and premium paid over older models, and the premium price paid for the premium model over the standard model, doesn't actually bring a higher level of refinement to the car.

Hyundai have made some pretty decent strides quality wise, but there is still this drive to deliver it cheaply, which is just not possible. I'd be quite happy to have paid another $2k to get a much better finished interior with cloth/leather or soft plastic trim taking place of some of the harder trim, as well as a gruntier 1.8L/2.0L turbo diesel with maybe 110-120Kw and higher torque figures available from say 1500-2100rpm.

This sort of step would really start knocking on the Golf doorstep an mark the arrival of Hyundai to the big boys car club.


I still love my i30 though.

[Phil №❶]

Downshifting occurs "automatically" by pressing the pedal to the floor, as determined by the trans itself. Obviously it wont downshift past a certain top speed. This is not very effective in diesel engines, as I've previously stated.

[eye30]

Downshifting occurs "automatically" by pressing the pedal to the floor, as determined by the trans itself. Obviously it wont downshift past a certain top speed. This is not very effective in diesel engines, as I've previously stated.

Ok so you can't override it..

[Phil №❶]

If your speed is say 60 kmh the car will normally be in top gear, If you increase throttle, the engine will initially respond and if necessary, downshift to a lower gear to provide more acceleration, like a manual car would. As speed increases, the trans will eventually upshift back to top gear. So it can be overridden by pressing the throttle or selecting a lower gear on the gear selector. Using the gear selector can either accelerate the car or slow the car depending on the throttle position.

[eye30]

cheers.

think I'll stay with my manual

[Phil №❶]

It's easier to do than describe. 

[Doggie 1]

I think you described it very well. 

[The Gonz]

It's easier to do than describe. 

I felt the same when providing IT support over the phone. 
Reminds me of the old IT support joke where the second-last line was 'put it all in the box and send it back'. 

[Phil №❶]

 

[The Gonz]

I'm not saying this is directly relevant here or that members seeking information are stupid but this old joke reminds me of the classic frustration of having to describe a procedure instead of being there:
http://www.tensionnot.com/jokes/customer_service_jokes/too_stupid_own_computer

[Just Rick]

  haven't seen that one for ages,normally does the rounds every now and then as a blonde joke

[eye30]

normally does the rounds every now and then as a blonde joke

 

[Asterix]

Haven't seen that one before.

Real or not, very funny.. 

[eye30]

Haven't seen that one before.

Real or not, very funny.. 

I'm sure it's been on here:

Heere we are:

https://www.i30ownersclub.com/forum/index.php?topic=221.msg1552#msg1552

Well it was 2008..........................

Also Nov 2011:

https://www.i30ownersclub.com/forum/index.php?topic=11688.msg129484#msg129484