[AlanHo]

Recent road tests of the i30 and its main competitors have thrown up quite a lot of interesting facts.

This week’s edition of the UK Auto Express magazine has added to the data by publishing a comparative road test between the i30 CRDi (110) Active and the nearest equivalent offerings from the Golf, Focus and Mazda 3. The Auto Express road test has placed the i30 in second place, the Focus in third and the Mazda in last position. There is no prize for guessing which car has come first yet again.  Members in the UK should pop down to their newsagents and spend £2.85 on the magazine - it's a very interesting read.

Most road tests accept that the new i30 puts it on a par with the Golf in most respects. They also agree that the i30 is better styled, has a more roomy and better finished interior and more standard features than the Focus. The main criticism has been that the i30 steering lacks feel in the straight ahead position – something that I have failed to notice having now driven examples of all the current models. I can only assume that the magazine testers are looking for sports car handling in what is intended to be a comfortable, safe and economical family car.

The Auto Express report states that the Golf remains the class leader but the margin of victory is small. It has a spacious and classy interior with capable driving dynamics. Strangely they claim that the Golf has low long term running costs which offset its price premium – I am not sure how they have done the maths – my calculations show quite the opposite.

The Focus is reported as roomy and fun to drive but the engine lacks punch and is not as economic as the others. Attention is drawn to the small boot

The Mazda 3  test concluded that it lacks refinement, space and style but delivers the best driving thrills with a superb gear change, livewire handling and strong performance.

Their summary of the i30 states that it combines sipping thirst, low emissions and generous equipment in a smart and spacious body. A bumpy ride and weak resale values are the only things that let it down. (I must be well padded because in my road tests I failed to detect any difference in road behaviour between the i30 and Golf).

I have produced a chart of the salient differences between the cars.



You will see that the i30 is :-
The lowest priced
Has the best warranty by far
Is the only car with zero UK road tax
Is in the lowest insurance band – 6 bands below the Mazda and 4 bands below the Golf
Has the longest service intervals and the lowest service costs over 3 years
Has the best fuel economy and lowest fuel costs
Has the largest boot (seats up) and is beaten only by the Mazda with seats down
Has a 6 speed transmission – the Golf has only 5 speeds
Has by far the lowest ownership cost over 3 years

In my book, Hyundai have got it absolutely right and the car fully justifies being a roaring success.

[Doggie 1]

 

[syecadelic]

 

Give it 5 more years Hyundai will be very near the top of the game, there very close atm!!

[Dazzler]

Give it 5 more years Hyundai will be very near the top of the game, there very close atm!!

It won't take 5 (a couple at the most) IMHO

[eye30]

I sometimes wonder whether the authors of the pieces have actually driven/ridden in the car or are just going from someones elses comments.

Or possibly badge snobbery

[syecadelic]

^ A good point, they possibly go from hear say and word of mouth, badge snobbery could be a rather accurate statement though tbh

end of the day though the VW GOlf has been around for years and always set the bend mark, although now a days the Golf is becoming the more presitegous model, and on par with the Audi A3, BMW 1 series etc, I reckon over the next few generations of cars the Polo will become the car the GOlf used to be

[Dazzler]

I've read the review.. It is fairly honest and realistic, so I do believe they drove them (not as detailed as Alans was though) 

[beerman]

Over 2k cheaper and all they can pick on is steering feel in straight line?

Game set match in my book. Surely 2k is 2k? That's a lot of folding stuff, and in my opinion, if it was that close the closing should have read something like.

The VW was the class leader, and to the purist still may be the better drive, but the Hyundai does most things as well as the VW, has 6 gears over 5, a far better warranty, is cheaper to run and 2300 cheaper to buy. Whilst the heart may say VW the head gives the game to the I30.

[Dazzler]

Over 2k cheaper and all they can pick on is steering feel in straight line?

Game set match in my book. Surely 2k is 2k? That's a lot of folding stuff, and in my opinion, if it was that close the closing should have read something like.

The VW was the class leader, and to the purist still may be the better drive, but the Hyundai does most things as well as the VW, has 6 gears over 5, a far better warranty, is cheaper to run and 2300 cheaper to buy. Whilst the heart may say VW the head gives the game to the I30.

Very nice M8.. I think I'll try and hack into their database and slip that new wording in (for when they sell out and need to print some more issues) 

[Doggie 1]

Over 2k cheaper and all they can pick on is steering feel in straight line?

Game set match in my book. Surely 2k is 2k? That's a lot of folding stuff, and in my opinion, if it was that close the closing should have read something like.

The VW was the class leader, and to the purist still may be the better drive, but the Hyundai does most things as well as the VW, has 6 gears over 5, a far better warranty, is cheaper to run and 2300 cheaper to buy. Whilst the heart may say VW the head gives the game to the I30.

Nicely put 

[2i30s]

Give it 5 more years Hyundai will be very near the top of the game, there very close atm!!

It won't take 5 (a couple at the most) IMHO

i think that Hyundai are already there.    

[diablo]

i think that Hyundai are already there.    

Maybe in Australia, not sure about here.

Though I was reading a thread on the Pistonheads forum about the most improved cars and a lot of the car enthusiasts on there reckoned that Hyundai was one of the most improved brands. Might take longer for the general public, some think that Skoda is still a joke. 

[AlanHo]

During a recent 4 day trip of 550 miles to Plymouth for a few days then back to the Midlands using the M42, M5, A38 etc I saw only 5 i30's, 4 ix35's, 3 i20's about a dozen i10's, zero ix20S and several Getz.

I also saw a few Santa Fe's but didn't count them because I get them confused with other similar 4x4's.

What is noticeable is the lack of any Hyundai commercial delivery vans or trucks.

Hyundai have a long way to go before they have a real presence on UK roads - I reckon 5 to 10 years.

[Doggie 1]

We have Hyundai i-Max & i-Load vans in Australia and they have also recently started selling trucks here too.

[AlanHo]

We have the iLoad van shown on the hyundai web site - plus a people carrier version.

I have seen a few people carriers over the past year - however - I have yet to see the van on the road

[Doggie 1]

I wonder why?
They're everywhere over here, but the heavier trucks are relatively new so don't see many of those.

[accim]

Those i-Max and i-Load are here called H-1 and there are very few of them.

What Hyundai urgently needs is a vehicle in Renault Kangoo/ VW Caddy / etc category. Both - passenger and "cargo/load" versions (cargo vans with max load between 600-1.000 kg). So cars looking like this:

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_FoXyvaPSnVk/TIozkHpvh-I/AAAAAAADR-w/dCAFvNlXFSk/s1600/2011-VW-Caddy-1.jpg
http://renaults.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/2011-renault-kangoo.jpg
http://renaults.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/renault-kangoo2.jpg

I could almost say, that 1/2 of the cars over here are those. Well okay..not 1/2, but there are more of them then SUV's.

We bought Renault Kangoo in December, because the price was the best in it's class, but if there was some Hyundai model, we would definitely go for the Hyundai. Even if it was a bit more expensive.

I don't know how it is Australia and other countries/continents, but honestly...there really is A LOT of them over here. Especially "active" families buy them very often -> a lot of space for the children, for bikes, for skies, a lot of space for bags,.., you can even sleep in them.. And of course they are very common in companies like ours, where you transport goods, that weight around 300-600 kg.

[Dazzler]

The i-Load and i-Max are getting good feedback over here and there are plenty on the road..

The smaller vans like the Kangoo and Caddy are about but considering they have been available for a while (particularly the Caddy) they are not that popular (mostly for trademen over here) 

[Doggie 1]

This is what we get.
Maybe I should forget the i30/40 and get one of these instead 
http://www.hyundai.com.au/Vehicle-showroom/Commercial

[2i30s]

I wonder why?
They're everywhere over here, but the heavier trucks are relatively new so don't see many of those.

i recently had a look at a few of the Hyundai trucks,and they were quality built vehicles. 

[Doggie 1]

I have no doubt they will do to the truck market what they have done to the car market 

[2i30s]

I have no doubt they will do to the truck market what they have done to the car market 

no doubt.