Kentmotors Aye for an i Hyundai has made huge strides with the i40 as discovered

Paul Acres

Hyundai’s i40 is available in both Tourer – reviewed here in Premium spec – and saloon body styles and with a choice of two engines, one diesel and one petrol, both 1.6-litre in capacity. The diesel unit is available in two states of tune – 115PS and 280Nm or 136PS and 320Nm – while the petrol comes with 135PS. If evidence was required to demonstrate just how far Hyundai have come over just a few years step inside where you’ll find a cabin that enjoys a build quality to rival the best in class. The fascia sweeps across in a deep curve towards the seveninch touchscreen. There’s also a high-resolution 4.2in LCD display housed in the instrument binnacle that provides on-board and safety information. There’s plenty of room, both up front and in the rear. According to the Koreans rear headroom in the rear is class-leading but it is, in fact, the generous amount of legroom that impresses. Luggage capacity in the Tourer stands at 553 litres with the rear seats in place, increasing to 1,719 litres with them stowed away. My test car was powered by the more powerful of the diesel units and it proved to be a refined and reliable engine. It’s incredibly quiet during typical use and the cabin is particularly hushed during motorway cruising with very little road or wind noise finding its way inside. The i40’s handling is precise, predictable and benign. Adopt a relaxed attitude to making progress and you’ll find that Hyundai is an amiable companion, helped by a ride that deals competently with speed bumps and broken surfaces with relative ease. Pick up the pace, however, and it loses its composure. The steering, which feels light and responsive in urban areas suddenly adds unwelcome weight and stickiness around the straight-ahead as the pace picks up. The i40 is excellent in so many ways and in the one area that it is found slightly wanting it’s unlikely to be enough to disappoint owners. It offers excellent value, with impressive practicality, quality, refinement, style and efficiency. It might not be the complete package, but it’s close enough to warrant a place on buyers’ shopping lists.