[BlackrazorNZ]

Hi there,

Been lurking for a while, figured it was time to register. Based in Auckland, NZ, found the forum very useful so far.

Some advice please :

Our company is looking to move to Hyundai for all its corporate vehicles, and I've been picked as the 'guinea pig' to be the first one to get one, so I can relay some feedback.

The car I get will be an i30 as that's the one they want to test, but I've pretty much got open license to get what I want with the exception of the 2.0 petrol.

So, couple of questions :

• General consensus seems to be i30 Diesel > i30 Petrol, but having never driven any diesels before, is there much to be aware of from a driving perspective? I do about 35k-50k km/annum across both city and country, and I tend to have a fairly 'aggressive' (although not racy) driving style as cost of fuel has not been a consideration for me for some time (corporate fuel card).
• I notice that the specs between the manual and auto diesel are radically different - manual fuel efficiency is a full litre per 100km lower, and the 0-100 times are also about a second faster in favour of the manual. Daily, my commute is about 45km each way about 90% of which is travelled at speeds between 80 and 100 kph, with very small periods of congestion at a few choke points. However very occasionally I get stuck in congested traffic if I leave at the wrong time. The question in all of this is : how is the diesel manual in a stop/start commute situation? Hard work? As if it's pretty easy i'd be silly not to consider it given the favourable specs.

Many thanks!

[John B]

Hi BlackrazorNZ and welcome. The diesel owners  have all given good reports on their economy and reliability . I would have considered the diesel except I am retired and therefor do not do enough kilometres to justify the extra purchase cost so I purchased an i30 petrol, but in your circumstances and the companies I would have thought the diesel would be ideal. These are just my thoughts and there are  members with more experience on the forum that can help you.

[Dazzler]

Welcome BlackrazorNZ

Interesting questions..

If I was paying for my own fuel I would say Manual every time.

The i30 manuals have an excellent gear change and you can creep along quite slowly using the diesel's torque if you need to.. The Manual has been quite a bit more trouble free too (amazingly reliable really) 

The MY10 and MY11 FD (series 1) i30 Auto has had a few hiccups with the transmission .. bit early to know if the 6 speed Auto in the GD model will be more reliable.

Fuel economy in the Autos is something Hyundai needs to address as some other brands get better economy out of their autos than they do out of their manuals.

Be interested to see what others say.

BTW, they are an all round great vehicle. We are about to take delivery of our 3rd in 6 years and have not had one  warranty claim!

[Phil №❶]

For your type of driving the Diesel would be ideal. The engine is particularly suited to hill climbing. Can't advise on the Diesel manual in stop start conditions, however, the Diesel is much less prone to stalling due to the idle programming and I imagine a heavier flywheel. My personal preference is for an auto, regardless of increased fuel consumption, however for multiple car purchases, the manual is going to add up to a fair saving in fuel consumption.

BTW, the petrol motor is very good, too. The increased consumption would have to be computed against the increased cost of Diesel over petrol, get your spreadsheet out. 

[eye30]

Welcome.

Why not try out the diesel for a week and see how you like it.

I bet you wont want to give it back...........

[Dazzler]

It gets complicated Petrol v Diesel, because it appears you recoup about half the extra that you pay for the diesel in better resale. Don't forget the tourer either. The wagon body is handy and the higher tech 1.6 GDi petrol motor is better than the 1.8 in some ways.

[cruiserfied]

Welcome mate,

      From what you've described about you situation I would recommend a Diesel Manual for your own use but they are going to be a company fleet of which auto's are going to be a better choice overall taking in consideration for other drivers.

You are testing a vehicle, therefore your best off to be testing the vehicle that would be best for everyone. Also in case you get different people driving the one vehicle. I don't know NZ licencing system or if this would apply in your company but in Australia if you do your licence test in an auto your restricted to auto's during the p-plate period.