The Hyundai i30 has become one of Australia's favourite cars.

The South Korean hatchback is locked in a sales battle with the Toyota Corolla and Mazda3 for the title of Australia's best-selling small car.

Into this contest comes Hyundai's all-new i30 which debuts new underpinnings and fresh styling, something the company will be hoping gives it an edge in the sales contest.

There are five models in the range, the sporty SR and SR Premium and luxury biased Elite and Premium as well as the entry-level model Active.

It's the latter we're testing here to see how the i30 stacks up in its most basic form.

What do you get?

The Active is priced from $20,950 (plus on-road costs) for the six-speed manual, while a six-speed automatic adds $2300 to the price.

It is well equipped for that price with 16-inch alloy wheels, LED daytime running lights, cruise control, Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, navigation (with live traffic) and an 8.0-inch infotainment touchscreen all standard.

Safety is handled by seven airbags, stability control, reversing camera and rear parking sensors. Unfortunately there are no active safety features for the Active, but they are offered on the rest of the range.

The i30 is covered by Hyundai's lifetime capped price servicing program. Intervals are every 12 months/15,000km and over the first three years you'll have to pay $777 to keep the i30 maintained.

It's also covered by Hyundai's five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty.

What's inside?

Hyundai continues to make big strides forward in its styling and the cabin of the new i30 is another example.

While the cabin is dominated by hard, grey plastics, the styling gives it a pleasing appearance. There is good small item storage, including a lidded console box and a handy shelf at the bottom of the centre fascia where you can connect your phone or music player to the USB and power outlets.

The cloth trim is a simple dark design, so it shouldn't date like more flamboyant patterns used by other brands, and the front seats, while firm, offer good support.

In the rear there is respectable space, with enough headroom for an adult to sit comfortably but kneeroom is a little tight.

The boot is a good size, with a deep floor that will accommodate plenty of luggage, shopping and even bulky items.

Under the bonnet

The Active is available with both a petrol and diesel engine, but we're testing the former. It's a 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol unit carried over from the previous sporty SR model.

It produces 120kW of power and 203Nm of torque, which thanks to fact the new i30 is lighter than the old model it feels more than adequate.

The six-speed manual won't be a popular choice but it is a slick unit for a basic hatch. The action is a little loose but the ratios are nicely spaced which helps maximise what the engine offers up.

Fuel consumption is rated at 7.3-litres per 100km, which is middle ground in the segment but off-the-pace of the class leading models. That's at least, in part, because it misses out on stop-start technology offered by some rivals.

On the road

Hyundai hasn't just made its cars look better, the company has also made them ride and handle better too. Hyundai Australia has also invested in local tuning due to Australia's unique conditions.

The new i30 is a prime example of that work paying off. Even though the Active misses out on the more sophisticated multi-link rear suspension of the SR it's still an enjoyable small car to drive.

The steering is nicely weighted and the ride is well sorted too, offering excellent control while still soaking up bumps reasonably well. The torsion beam rear end will crash over bigger bumps but most of the time it does an admirable job.

The Kuhmo tyres are a bit of a disappointment and will run out of grip before the chassis reaches its limit.

Verdict

Hyundai has improved every aspect of the i30 for this model so it's easy to see its success continuing. Whether it can become the best-seller only time will tell, but it certainly has the potential to knock off the Corolla and Mazda3; it looks good, offers good value and drives with polish.

2017 Hyundai i30 Active pricing and specifications

Price: From $20,950 plus on-road costs

Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol

Power: 120kW at 6200rpm

Torque: 203Nm at 4700rpm

Transmission: Six-speed manual, front-wheel drive

Fuel use: 7.3L/100km

The Competitors

Toyota Corolla Ascent

Price: From $20,190 plus on-road costs

Engine: 1.8-litre four-cylinder petrol

Power: 103kW

Torque: 173Nm

Transmission: Six-speed manual, FWD

Fuel use: 7.1L/100km

Our score: 6/10

Mazda3 Neo

Price: From $20,490 plus on-road costs

Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol

Power: 114kW

Torque: 200Nm

Transmission: Six-speed manual, FWD

Fuel use: 5.8L/100km

Our score: 6/10

Kia Cerato S

Price: From $19,990 drive-away

Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol

Power: 112kW

Torque: 192Nm

Transmission: Six-speed manual, FWD

Fuel use: 7.1L/100km

Our score: 6/10