Nip and tuck for i30

Hyundai’s popular i30 hatch is about to receive a big update, with the overall design, engine line-up and interior tech gaining significant incremental changes.

The exterior gets a mid-life refresh, with a new front end featuring an enlarged, more aggressive grille and revised headlights with angular details that double as the LED daytime running lights. Its profile remains relatively unchanged apart from new wheel designs (16 to 18 inches), while the rear gets a revised bumper bar (N-Line gains a diffuser) and tail-lights as well as a palette of three new paint finishes: Dark Knight, Silk Bronze and Sunset Red.

Inside, the makeover isn’t extreme, with styling remaining largely unchanged. A 10.25-inch touchscreen for the infotainment and a 7.0-inch in-dash multifunction display are the big-ticket tech additions. Wireless phone charging and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are offered, so too is Hyundai’s suite of SmartSense advanced safety systems.

The big news for overseas markets is the addition of a 48v mild-hybrid system to the engine options. The electrified units consist of a 118kW 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo tied to either a six-speed manual or a sevenspeed dual-clutch transmission, and a 100kW 1.6-litre turbo-diesel. A newly developed, naturally aspirated 1.5-litre engine with 82kW and a 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo petrol with 88kW are also in the mix.

Currently, the i30 range is powered by a 2.0-litre atmo four-cylinder with 120kW, a turbocharged 1.6-litre four with 150kW, and a 1.6-litre turbo-diesel with 100kW and a claimed consumption of 4.7L/100km.

Although the styling and interior tech tweaks are locked in for Australia, which engine configurations arrive, and how they’ll be priced, is yet to be determined. Expect the i30 to land down under in the second half of 2020, while the hot N models (including an eight-speed dual-clutch variant) aren’t due to land until early 2021.