HYUNDAI GETS SERIOUS WITH NEW i30
HYUNDAI Motor’s new i30 features a sleek design, with advanced connectivity and electrified 48V mild hybrid option for increased fuel efficiency.
“By listening to our customers, we’ve determined there is a need for a safe, reliable car in the C-segment that also offers modern features such as connectivity and efficient powertrains — and that looks good,” said Hyundai Motor Europe marketing and product vice-president Andreas-Christoph Hofmann.
“The new i30 covers our customers’ needs while being available at an attractive price. It really has a universal appeal.”
The new exterior design includes a wider front grille and accentuated 3D pattern features, with agility as emphasis.
It is accompanied by new, slim headlamps with optional multifaceted reflector LED technology and new V-shaped signature LED daytime running lights.
The rear is a combination of a new bumper design — developed to improve aerodynamic performance — with LED rear lamps to create a V-shape, symmetrical effect between the car’s front and back.
This year, all i30 body types — the hatchback, fastback and, for the first time, the wagon — will receive an update of the motorsportinspired N Line trim design.
The front of the new i30 N Line has a wider central grille and new headlamps. Taking inspiration from the design of aeronautic jets, the lower grille has been enlarged and features prominently on the bumper.
Floating wings are installed at the sides to improve aerodynamic performance.
There’s a new design for the rear bumper — a wide diffuser and repositioned fog lights that focus the visual centre of gravity closer to the ground.
The model comes with a new 17-inch or 18-inch wheel design, accompanied by tuning updates for the hatchback and fastback’s suspension and steering, in combination with the 1.5 petrol T-GDi 160PS and 1.6 diesel 136PS engines.
The i30 N Line is offered in three new exterior colours: Dark Night, Silky Bronze and Sunset Red. This is in addition to the existing models’ Polar White, Phantom Black, Engine Red, Stellar Blue, Platinum Silver, and Olivine Grey options.
New interior garnish colours have been added: Pewter Gray, Ebony Brown and Charcoal Gray, in addition to the existing black. The seats can be covered in cloth, leather or a combination of both in eight possible options.
The new i30’s seven-inch digital cluster and 10.25-inch navigation touchscreen is fully compatible with Android Auto and Apple Car Play.
Wireless phone mirroring will be introduced in upcoming models, meaning drivers will not require a cable to connect their phone to the car’s system. With that, the car also comes with a wireless phone charging device.
Hyundai’s Bluelink technology is fully featured here — a wide range of connected car services that provide significant benefits regarding live information and control of the car via an app.
Customers who choose navigation will be provided a five-year free subscription to Bluelink and Hyundai LIVE Services.
Safety is enhanced by an improved Hyundai SmartSense advanced safety package.
The lane following assist (LFA) automatically adjusts steering to keep the vehicle centred in its lane.
The rear collision-avoidance assist (RCA) system can activate brakes to avoid a collision when the car is in reverse.
And also new to the i30 is the leading vehicle departure alert (LVDA), a system that warns the driver when the vehicle ahead starts moving forward and they don’t react quickly enough, for example, at a traffic light.
The rear blind spot detection (BSD) system has received an upgrade. The BSD warns the driver if there’s another vehicle in his blind spot and now, with blind spot collision-avoidance assist (BCA), it can activate the engine brake to avoid a collision.
The front collision-avoidance assistance (FCA) has also been improved to detect bicycles on the road.
As with previous versions, the new i30 also comes with FCA with pedestrian detection, driver attention warning (DAW), high beam assist (HBA), intelligent speed limit warning (ISLW) and lane keeping assist (LKA).
There’s even an e-call feature that automatically alerts emergency services when the airbags are deployed.
Multiple enhanced powertrain options will be available to the lineup.
First, there’s the newly-developed 1.5-litre engine with dual port injection churning out 110PS horsepower, which comes with a six-speed manual transmission.
Then, a 1.0-litre T-GDI petrol engine with 120PS will be available with a new seven-speed dual clutch transmission, in addition the previously-available six-speed manual transmission.
An optional 48V mild hybrid technology for better fuel efficiency is, for the first time, available with a six-speed intelligent manual transmission (iMT).
The iMT decouples the engine from the transmission after the driver releases the accelerator. This allows the car to enter two possible levels of coasting, depending on conditions.
The first level is when the engine is idle, and the second is when the engine is temporarily turned off to save even more fuel. For those who prefer to drive automatic, the 48V mild hybrid option is also available.
Still available is the 1.6-litre diesel engine with either manual or auto transmission. The diesel now comes standard with the 48V mild hybrid system.
Lastly, at the top of the range is the new 1.5-litre T-GDI engine, which comes standard with the mild hybrid technology. It is also available as a six-speed iMT or a seven-speed dual clutch transmission.
All cars options come with a five-year unlimited warranty.