2017 Hyundai i30 hatch new car review

Hyundai executives in Seoul, South Korea, have clearly been doing some soul searching with the third-generation i30 hatchback.

With the follow-up to the well-received 2007 original and the enormously successful 2012 second-generation model, this new i30 feels like it has been conceived after decision makers spent many long days sliding an abacus back and forth.

'Do we want to be sales conquering or class conquering?' is the over riding question that seemingly burned with the midnight oil. In other words, is Hyundai looking at spending more to match the Volkswagen Golf, or continue to price it below key rivals and trump the likes of the Mazda3 and Toyota Corolla on the sales charts?

Locally, sales have soared each time the i30's price dropped a blue note's worth below $20,000 driveaway. Hyundai admits that the car is sensitive to its sticker price, just like the radars for the autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system that we expect will be standard on the latest model, but the brand says may not be.

Hyundai also concedes the new five-door-only (for now) hatch will retain a simple torsion beam rear suspension setup in lower-grade models for cost reasons while the sportier SR gets a more sophisticated multi-link system for better handling.

We'll also pass on the high-tech 1.4-litre turbo four-cylinder engine available in Europe, which delivers increased efficiency, with our base i30 to be fitted with a 2.0-litre non-turbo engine that has been slightly revised over the version that powers the current i30 SR.

Now producing 120kW and 203Nm, the entry engine offers an extra 13kW and 28Nm compared with the 1.8-litre it replaces. Thanks to the inclusion of direct injection, it even steps 8kW and 11Nm beyond the same-capacity engine in its sedan sibling, the US-focused Elantra that arrived late last year.

It teams with a six-speed manual or auto, but neither were available to test at the new i30's international launch held in Seoul, where Australian production will be imported from. But Hyundai's genuine Golf challenger certainly was.

Before the manual-only i30 N hot hatch arrives late this year. the i30 SR continues as the top model. Given the outgoing SR used the 2.0-litre engine now found in base models, a well-primed 1.6-litre turbo takes its place.

With 150kW and 265Nm, its outputs are 40kW and 15Nm higher than the most powerful non-GTI Golf, and only slightly behind that of a decade-old Golf GTI.

The SR also scores IRS, and an Australian tuned suspension setup and electronic stability control (ESC) calibration. And quite possibly, if form indicates, rear air-vents. A six-speed manual will be standard, but only the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic option was available to test.

Compared with the previous model, the new i30 SR is a revelation in almost every way.

In our country the strongest selling point for any new i30 is its styling and bodystyle. Where South Koreans and Americans overwhelmingly prefer small sedans - like Elantra - both Europe and Australia demand hatchbacks, preferably with in-vogue styling.

Hyundai describes the previous i30 as showy in its design. The new model is deft and restrained, with cleaner side detailing and smaller, sharper headlights lending focus to the diamond-studded 'waterfall' grille.

The new i30 - codenamed PD - is 40mm longer and 15mm wider than the 2012-era generation dubbed GD. But it's also 15mm lower. Hyundai says the rear-seat position has dropped by the same figure, and the fronts 12mm, in an attempt to lower the centre of gravity while maintaining similar levels of interior space.

Despite a stretched physique, headroom and legroom are virtually unchanged front and rear, and in all measurements align with the Golf, Ford Focus, Holden Astra and Peugeot 308 the company lists as rivals. Interestingly, it did not mention the hugely popular Mazda3 or Corolla.

Boot space gets the biggest increase, meanwhile, leaping to 395 litres in volume compared with 378L previously.

Even in the twilight years of its life, the i30's cabin remained one of the best in its class, and here the i30 slightly shuffles backwards. The fresh design replaces vertical elements with a horizontal sweep from driver to passenger, and it certainly appears more modern. However, the climate control's knurled-silver knobs have been flicked for smooth plastic units while soft-touch door trims with cloth inserts make way for unyielding hard materials.

Hyundai is clearly playing a cost trade-off game inside, because the i30 takes not baby steps, but Armstrong-like leaps, in terms of available technology.

A high-resolution 8.0-inch touchscreen 'floats' above the dashboard, and will include Apple CarPlay/Android Auto smartphone mirroring technology and a new wireless charging pad. But as with AEB it may not be standard on all models.

The available safety suite is otherwise extensive, with adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning (before AEB activates), blind-spot monitor and lane-departure warning with active steering lane assistance also all new.

LED headlights with auto high-beam that can detect forward or oncoming traffic, and block only the strand of light blinding those vehicles, is a brilliant system and small-segment first.

Ask executives to name the greatest achievement from old to new i30, however, and their response is simple: driving dynamics.

Torsional body rigidity for the new i30 improves by 17.5 per cent, owing to high-tensile steel increased from 29.5 per cent to 53 per cent. Remodeled steering and chassis geometry targets tighter turning response and improved control of body movement respectively.

Over hundreds of kilometres of South Korean roads, from Seoul to the far north, the i30 SR made good on those promises. This is a nimble, fun chassis with sure-footed response through successive bends and frisky, almost-very-fast performance between them.

Where the old SR could lull lazily onto its front-end, increasing understeer and curbing enthusiasm, the 17-inch Hankook Ventus Evo2 tyres proved surprisingly grippy and no doubt were aided by the inherent sharpness of the upgraded chassis.

Only the ESC calibration proved (albeit only once) lazy to respond during higher-speed changes of direction, but was more consistently overzealous in cutting power when full throttle is applied on corner exits. Aussie engineers hopefully have such issues pasted on post-it notes back home.

If it seems like this is a tale of two i30s - entry-level versus sophisticated and sporty - then locally there will also continue to be a halfway-house model in between. Although it represents just five per cent of sales, a 1.6-litre turbo-diesel will still be offered with 100kW and a lusty 300Nm.

It teams the torsion bar rear suspension with the SR's dual-clutch auto and is expected to cost thousands less than the $36K diesel Golf that offers only 10kW and 40Nm more. With combined cycle fuel consumption of under 5.0 litres per 100 kilometres, the i30 diesel is designed to hunt the $26K Corolla Hybrid, executives whisper. Toyota claims 4.1L/100km.

This is the engine choice for those conventional owners, given its effortless surge and overall refinement. Although our test i30 diesel came with IRS, its softer suspension tune was perfectly in keeping with its more relaxed character. Crucially, both tunes - before Aussie fettling - displayed fine comfort and control, and sweetly smooth steering.

In both engine applications the seven-speed dual-clutch is solid, but it can slur and stumble when the accelerator is quickly prodded and fast downshifts are requested. Having a dedicated Sport auto calibration would be ideal, as in the Astra, 308 and Golf, but steering wheel-mounted paddleshifters at least provide an alternative.

Ultimately, though, the i30's degree of success in Australia will come down to its pricing when it arrives in April. It would be terrific to see Hyundai offer enticing technology and little details such as rear air-vents across the range. But everything comes at a cost.

You don't have to be sitting up late with executives to feel the dilemma they faced with the new i30. But with a basic entry-hatch duelling with Corolla and Mazda3, and a high-end turbo SR sparring with Astra and Golf, the South Koreans may have figured out a way to balance the abacus at both ends.

2017 Hyundai i30 SR Hatch Price and Specifications

On-sale: April 2017

Price: $27,500 (estimated)

Engine: 1.6-litre four cylinder turbo petrol

Power: 150kW at 6000rpm

Torque: 265Nm at 1750rpm

Transmission: 6-spd manual, FWD

Fuel Use: TBA