I thought I would share my thoughts, impressions and likes as to the Hyundai i30 CRDi Sport.
My current steed was a 2.2 ltr Honda Civic that had served me well but was getting old and items were starting to go wrong. Given I was about to move house I did not want to have to face say, the cost of a new boiler and a new car at the same time.
I had budgeted a few thousand pounds and given we had bought my wife a i20 last year, which she was pleased with, decided to go to the local Hyundai dealership.
So at 5.30pm one evening my wife and I met up at the dealership. We were made very welcome and refreshments were provided. The salesman asked as to my needs and asked for the details of my car. I gave him the keys to the Civic and left him to it. He came back very pleased with it (I suspect he ignored the oil sensor warning light that had failed and general condition of the car (very grubby)).
We looked at a few i30s but my budget would only allow one with 50k miles on the clock. Not good.
The young salesman pointed out the car he had been driving. Apparently all the salesmen could choose a car from Hyundai and include whatever extras they wanted. He had got a petrol blue metallic sport with panoramic roof, turning lights, auto wipers and lights, 17” wheels with the alloys with chrome inserts etc. There are only 150 of these in this spec in the UK. It had been delivered in Dec 13 so was only 12 weeks old and had 2,600 miles on the clock. I jumped in and took it for a spin.
Initially, I thought it was sluggish. That was because it was a 1600 engine and it took a while for the turbo to kick in. The Honda had been totally different in term of power. The ride was exceedingly comfortable though and I loved the fact I could have the roof lining back allowing so much more light into the car.
We arrived back and did the deal. The senior salesman offered me a great deal on the Civic and informed me that they were only 3 sales away from hitting their half yearly target which was due in 3 days time (best time to buy). Later I 'built' the same car on the Hyundai web site and found I had saved £6000!
After some discussion we decided to buy it. I asked whether it could be prepared for the following day as we were going to a dance weekend at the south coast. They agreed.
The following lunchtime we picked it up and set off. That weekend we did about 400 miles. On the way back the sun was shining so we had the roof fully back and made full use of the available sunshine. Initially I found the car sluggish and found myself constantly watching the average fuel consumption. I learned to ignore it and make full use of the gears which made the car a much more enjoyable drive.
What I enjoy.
The ride is smooth. Really smooth. It makes for a relaxing drive. The cruise control allows me to concentrate on my driving on the long runs. The integrated phone system is perfect and the voice control works really well, even with the windows down. The gearbox is better than the Civic. Very smooth and slick. The power steering is not too light and the seats are very comfortable.
Dislikes.
Not many. The car could do with remapping just to get rid of the turbo lag and the road noise could be reduced with more insulation under the carpets.
What have I learned.
Two days is not enough to read the manual! I am still learning about the car 3 months after purchase. This morning for example, I learned that you cannot activate the heated rear screen even with the ignition on. You have to have the engine running.
To do.
A remap and possibly some nice interior lighting.
Conclusion.
This car is the best vehicle I have purchased and I can see me owning it for many years to come.
