Some other interesting snippets in the Autocar Road Test Report are:-
The new model is more refined than the present one due to :-
- fluid filled engine mounts which dampen vibrations and noise before it can reach the body
- hollow drive shafts reduce road roar,
- double layer door seals,
- better insulated A pillars,
- reinforced steel underbody,
- 3 new ultra high strength reinforcements running laterally between the car's suspension mountings,
- stiffened B pillars and sill sections
- Suspension is isolated from the body by bushed sub-frames. The multi-link rear suspension is as sophisticated as it comes in this class.
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The car lapped their dry circuit in a lap time of 1 min 27.5 seconds - an identical time to the equivalent Ford Focus. The wet circuit (a shorter one) was lapped in 1 min 15.6 seconds - 0.9 seconds slower than the Focus.
The report states that
- conserving momentum is made easy by accurate (if anodyne) steering, tidy handling and generous adhesion.
- The car turns in keenly and has a strong front end and good traction.
- Shortage of steering feedback in the wet makes it hard to feel for grip but it maintains respectable apex speed,
- Chassis copes well with tight bumpy turns absorbing shocks without activating the ESP or ASR
- The i30 strikes an effective compromise between assured stability and agile response. It turns into corners keenly, hangs on hard and resists roll very well indeed, given its refinement dominated dynamic agenda. Traction is more than up to transmitting the max engine torque on corner exits, even with the stability control switched off. THe best news is the surprising subtlety of the car's ESP system. In the wet particularly, it keeps the i30's line neat and tidy by apparantly metering out power rather than reining it in, and responds quickly to remove its obstruction as soon as the car is straight and stable.
