--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hello,
I've driven i30 with 1.4 (109hp) petrol engine quite a lot, we even have that engine "in the family", I've also driven 1.6 petrol engine, I own 1.6 CRDI (originally 90hp engine) which was (chip)tuned to approx 115hp and I've also driven 1.6 CRDI ("stock" 115hp engine)..
Your "satisfaction" depends on your needs/previous experience and the roads you are driving on. But you must know, that even if overall diesel goes better or not, you will have feeling like it goes much better. That's because of the torque. Petrol engines usually have better 0-100 km/h acceleration, but in the "real life", that information is not that important, as it is about the torque.
1.) 1.4 (109hp) petrol engine:
It's nice and (at lower rpm) quiet engine. Has enough power for normal driving, but lacks some power at overtaking and driving on highway.. You can drive fast with it, but it takes some time till you reach certain speed. If you want to drive it fast/overtake etc.., you must rev it to high rpm, which can lead to higher fuel consumption. But if you drive normally, you can easily have it around 7,0 lit/100km. At speed 140 km/h it's not the quietest engine around..
2.) 1.6 (123hp) petrol engine:
Also a nice car, but compared to 1.4 petrol I was a bit disappointed. It goes better than the 1.4, of course, but not as good as I thought it should. Maybe it's just me..
3.) 1.6 (90hp) diesel engine:
Don't let the (low) horsepower mislead you. It's not that bad at all. It has enough of torque (235Nm) at low rpm, which means nice and unproblematic ride. New i30's have 6-speed gearbox, which even lowers the fuel consumption, when driving on highways. I definitely recommend that engine for "normal" users. You could wish for more power on highway or when overtaking cars at "higher speed" (from 80 km/h on). Driving 4 people on normal roads is not a problem, the "problem" only occurs if you want to accelerate fast or overtake a car. But it's not impossible I would recommend 90hp diesel over 1.4 109hp petrol, if you do drive more than 1 passenger every once in a while and if you have hills around you. Most of the 1.6 CRDi 90hp owners, that I know, are very happy with the engine and don't feel any lack in power though..
4.) 1.6 (115hp) diesel engine:
It's like a cure for 90hp engine diseases It's not a sports car, don't get me wrong, but I find it like a "best pick" for that car. Of course, the 2.0 CRDI goes even better, but 1.6 115hp just feels "right".
So, when I was buying my i30, I was also looking for 115hp version. The problem was, that it cost much more (you had to order it with more equipment) and you had to wait some time. So what I did - I bough a 1.6 CRDI 90hp engine and after 5.000 km I chip-tuned it to approx 115hp and approx 270-280Nm (more than stock 115hp version but it feels almost the same) and I'm very happy with it so far. Did almost 75.000 km till now and I must say, that I would have done the same thing again. But note, that with chip-tuning, you do risk loosing your warranty, though I haven't had any problems so far.
Before deciding, you should test drive the engines, you are thinking of buying.
