[syecadelic]

Just seen this,
http://3d-car-shows.com/2012/new-hyundai-i30-named-car-of-the-year-by-carbuyer/

The new 2012 model Hyundai i30 has just walked away with Car Buyers award for Car of the Year 2012, as well as the number 1 spot in Best Family Car.

Hats off to Hyundai and their new i30..

reckon its going to do even better than the Mk1 i30

[AlanHo]

That's a good start.  They probably read my review...............

[eye30]

That's a good start.  They probably read my review...............

Of course

[Dazzler]

Hyundai won US COTY with the Elantra and now UK COTY with the i30 .. Unfortunately I don't see Hyundai winning COTY in OZ (via Wheels magazine anyway) they are not that keen on Hyundai's  Maybe Ecocar might choose them again though 

[mjt57]

Will we be seeing this model with the same specs here in Australia?

[mjt57]

Just seen this,

The new 2012 model Hyundai i30 has just walked away with Car Buyers award for Car of the Year 2012, as well as the number 1 spot in Best Family Car.

I'm mystified. How can a car that has yet to go on sale win a "car of the year" award?

[AlanHo]

I'm mystified. How can a car that has yet to go on sale win a "car of the year" award?

They probably read my review...............

But it is on sale - In Ireland. But the model versions are named differently to the UK, features differ and they cost more.  Figure that one out!!

http://corkindependent.com/stories/item/7669/2012-9/Hyundai's-new-hatchback

[rustynutz]

Hyundai won US COTY with the Elantra and now UK COTY with the i30 .. Unfortunately I don't see Hyundai winning COTY in OZ (via Wheels magazine anyway) they are not that keen on Hyundai's  Maybe Ecocar might choose them again though 

There's always "Cars Guide" Car Of The Year....
The i30 won Carsguide COTY and Carsguide Best Green Car in 2007.....

[mjt57]

Just quickly read that article. Priced from about $19k AUD to $28k AUD, they can't really be called a cheap car any more. At least in the UK and Europe, that is.

And the 110 bhp model is less than our 85kW/113 bhp model.

Is Hyundai going backwards in terms of affordability and engine performance?

[bumpkin]

 

Just quickly read that article. Priced from about $19k AUD to $28k AUD, they can't really be called a cheap car any more. At least in the UK and Europe, that is.

And the 110 bhp model is less than our 85kW/113 bhp model.

Is Hyundai going backwards in terms of affordability and engine performance?

Hmmmm, my take on your questions would be

1.  For the quality you are getting are they really an expensive car??  I would note that over the lifespan of the current i30 there have been various comments about how close that car is to the Focus, Golf etc, and current previews and reviews are suggesting the new i30 is even closer.  Surely then there has to be an acceptance that the pricing is going to get closer?
I would think it is not that long ago, when the original devotees to Toyota, Nissan and Mazda were saying much the same, in the 1970's they were much cheaper to buy than the Ford Vauxhall and even British Leyland ( ) counterparts.  Folk soon caught on that the little Japanese cars were much better value for money and by the 90's they had also become "premium" brands, making way for the Koreans to move up.  If you wish to remain solely with budget pricing then you will end up going to Ssangyong and Proton and further to that MG and Tata and the other emerging Chinese or Indian manufacturers.

2.  Can we really assess power by the pure bhp figures?  Whilst the output figure may be less, I would say that I have noticed considerably in the last few years how engine technology has moved towards driveability rather than raw high power.  The power bands are much more flexible than they used to be, 6 speed ones change the characteristics of how we utilise the engine etc.
The manufacturer also has to juggle the consumers wish for power/economy/emissions balance, there is little point in creating an affordable to purchase car which will cost you a fortune in fuel and emissions duty.  Sure the Focus 1.6 has an extra 5hp, are you really going to notice in everyday driving?

EDIT - Car of the Year is always a new model which has just or is just about to go on sale, it's mad but that how they do it!

[Phil №❶]

Agree with Bumpkin, I posed a similar observation based on the economies of developing nations which draws the same conclusions.

Regarding 5 bhp, this can be gained or lost by gearing, vehicle weight or aerodynamics and would only be important in identical vehicles as in race cars. 

[mjt57]

Hmmmm, my take on your questions would be

1.  For the quality you are getting are they really an expensive car??

Sorry, but I am not sure what you're getting at, here.

My comments were based on the pricing of the i30 increasing to match that of the supposedly higher quality Toyotas and so on. Hyundai has the market advantage of being able to produce cheaper vehicles than the Japanese and Euros without any appreciable loss in quality. Certainly, mine is comparable to anything in the same class, in my opinion. But if it's going to "price match" that of Toyota, Nissan, Subaru and Mazda, without any more bang for buck, it'll make people think twice about the value of an i30, for example.

I don't know what the Australian spec'ed i30 will be, nor its pricing. So, it'll be interesting to see.

2.  Can we really assess power by the pure bhp figures?

How else can we do it?

Sure, it may produce 3bhp less than the previous engine, but at what speed? Similar to torque figures, too.

Car of the Year is always a new model which has just or is just about to go on sale, it's mad but that how they do it!

Incomprehensible would be my take on it.

Here in Australia a car has to be on sale for that model year in order to be counted. You need to know how a car actually performs, how reliable it is, build quality, handling and so on. That can only be done via comprehensive road testing, customer feedback and so on.

It's like say, "Silence of the Lambs" being nominated for an Oscar before filming has finished.

[bumpkin]

Hmmmm, my take on your questions would be

1.  For the quality you are getting are they really an expensive car??

Sorry, but I am not sure what you're getting at, here.

My comments were based on the pricing of the i30 increasing to match that of the supposedly higher quality Toyotas and so on. Hyundai has the market advantage of being able to produce cheaper vehicles than the Japanese and Euros without any appreciable loss in quality. Certainly, mine is comparable to anything in the same class, in my opinion. But if it's going to "price match" that of Toyota, Nissan, Subaru and Mazda, without any more bang for buck, it'll make people think twice about the value of an i30, for example.

I don't know what the Australian spec'ed i30 will be, nor its pricing. So, it'll be interesting to see.


The answer is in your own reply, "supposedly higher quality". Once I would agree that the Toyotas etc were a step up, but with the price tag to match that step up.  The point I would make now is that even the press agree with your own statement "mine is comparable".  Let's be honest here, if the press are saying it and the owners are saying it then what manufacturer in its right mind is not going to push the pricing closer together?  You are still getting more "bang for buck" with a Hyundai, the differential is just a bit closer than it used to be.  I still would stand by my statement that for the quality you receive in a Hyundai, it is NOT an expensive car.

2.  Can we really assess power by the pure bhp figures?

How else can we do it?

Sure, it may produce 3bhp less than the previous engine, but at what speed? Similar to torque figures, too.


Again you have answered your own question.  Is the 3bhp important?  Probably not, so looking at pure power figures tell us nothing, all we can do is drive the car and decide if we like it or not.

Car of the Year is always a new model which has just or is just about to go on sale, it's mad but that how they do it!

Incomprehensible would be my take on it.

Here in Australia a car has to be on sale for that model year in order to be counted. You need to know how a car actually performs, how reliable it is, build quality, handling and so on. That can only be done via comprehensive road testing, customer feedback and so on.

It's like say, "Silence of the Lambs" being nominated for an Oscar before filming has finished.


True, but what you are saying here is that the Australian take is more like our JD Power Surveys etc, where those attribute you mention are assessed by real owners, whereas Car of the Year is assessed by journalists on style, economy, groundbreaking technology etc etc.
If you look back at some of the Euro Car of the Year winners, many of them have had poor sales moving forward because they are just too far away from what the consumer wants.  I liken it to these catwalk shows, you see all these leggy models wearing clothes that would never be seen on your local high street on a Saturday afternoon, but aspects of what they show start to appear in the clothes which your wife/girlfriend are buying within the next 6 months.

[mjt57]

True, but what you are saying here is that the Australian take is more like our JD Power Surveys etc, where those attribute you mention are assessed by real owners, whereas Car of the Year is assessed by journalists on style, economy, groundbreaking technology etc etc.

Wheels Magazine, arguably our premier car mag has its COTY award which isn't a survey of car owners, which can be quite subjective. Rather, it's based on cars actually on sale. Same for Motor and other car related magazines here in Oz.

[AlanHo]

We haven't mentioned a factor that I am convinced applies to magazine awards - I call it the brown envelope syndrome. Nod nod wink wink.................

Money talks.

[Seoul-mate]

Not sure if this has been put on the forum already......

[Doggie 1]

Great post, I enjoyed that.
His comments supported what we already knew from Alan's reviews that it is quiet inside now and there were an awful lot of positives there with just a couple of minor negatives.
I like it. 

[mjt57]

Thanks for the video.

Sort of regretting getting my i30 when I did (Nov 11), given that the new one is arriving here in Oz in the next few months. But then, it may be more expensive than what I paid for mine.

Having said that, I am happy with mine.

[d3matt]

Here's the same i30 used in the AutoExpress group test
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/carreviews/grouptests/280627/hyundai_i30_vs_rivals.html

[Doggie 1]

Thanks for the video.

Sort of regretting getting my i30 when I did (Nov 11), given that the new one is arriving here in Oz in the next few months. But then, it may be more expensive than what I paid for mine.

Having said that, I am happy with mine.

Be happy with yours, you'll love it 
The new one will no doubt be more expensive.

[Doggie 1]

Here's the same i30 used in the AutoExpress group test
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/carreviews/grouptests/280627/hyundai_i30_vs_rivals.html

Second place isn't too bad. 

[d3matt]

I saw the first (new shape) i30 on the roads this morning. A white one.
I get mine a week tomorrow!

[Doggie 1]

I saw the first (new shape) i30 on the roads this morning. A white one.
I get mine a week tomorrow!

Counting sleeps? I know I would be. 

[Dazzler]

I saw the first (new shape) i30 on the roads this morning. A white one.
I get mine a week tomorrow!

Counting sleeps? I know I would be. 

Me too 

[d3matt]

I am a little excited, but to be honest, the least I am about any new car I've had.  I was more excited about the Ceed I got nearly two years ago.
I don't know why.  Maybe because its not my own cash as it is a company car.

[Phil №❶]

You should be more excited, you get to keep your cash & drive the car