2018 Hyundai i30 v Mazda 3 v Toyota Corolla Hybrid – small car comparison review: Rear view mirror
For 25 years, Drive has been at the forefront of Australian motoring media. In our new series, Rear View Mirror, we delve into the back catalogue of thousands of reviews to bring you some of the memories. This one from 2018.
Australia’s long-time favourite vehicle type – the small-car class – may have recently been eclipsed in the popularity stakes by medium-sized SUVs, but these evergreen hatchbacks aren’t going down without a fight. Not if the all-new, massively improved Toyota Corolla and its big-selling friends, the Mazda 3 and Hyundai i30, have anything to do with it.
Something has radically shifted in the mindset of the 12th-generation Corolla. It shares its all-new TNGA underpinnings with the latest Camry, and by association, a level of contemporary sophistication that has eluded virtually every Corolla since the late-’80s. Finally, Toyota’s mainstay is more than just a dull, reliable appliance.
In fact, there isn’t a dud among the new Corolla SX, Mazda 3 Touring and Hyundai i30 Elite. But which of Australia’s most popular hatches truly deserves to be crowned Prom King (or Queen)?
WHAT DO YOU GET?
With just $1300 spanning top to bottom price-wise (before options), it’s interesting to note what equipment they share, and what some of them leave out.
All three get active-safety gear that includes autonomous emergency braking, collision alert, blind-spot monitoring and rear-view cameras.
You’ll also score keyless entry (via slick one-touch sensors in the Corolla) and push-button start, auto-fold side mirrors, dual-zone climate control, and touchscreen multimedia systems with digital radio, Bluetooth audio streaming and satellite navigation. But only the Hyundai offers Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity.
The i30 Elite is also the only car here with rear air vents, a tie-down luggage net in the boot and 17-inch alloys wheels, though it misses out on the steering-wheel paddles of its rivals.
The Corolla SX mirrors the i30 Elite by including adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assistance, wireless phone charging, four one-touch power windows and a driver’s knee airbag. And it exclusively offers rear privacy glass and LED head- and tail-lights with auto-dipping high-beam. But rear cross-traffic alert and leather upholstery – both standard features on the Mazda and Hyundai – aren’t available on the Toyota.
The Mazda 3 Touring uniquely includes lumbar adjustment for the driver’s seat backrest, but, unusually, misses out on daytime running lights, even in this range-topping 2.0-litre model. Instead, it gets an odd mixture of projector main beams, halogen high beams and LED fog lights.
As for warranty, Mazda has recently matched Hyundai by offering unlimited-kilometre coverage for five years, whereas Toyota is sticking to three years/100,000km.
WHAT DOES IT COST?
The brief was mid-$20s automatic hatchback, matching the one-up-from base Corolla SX against the Mazda 3 Touring and Hyundai i30 Elite. Least expensive is the Mazda at $26,490 (before on-road costs), followed by the Toyota at $26,870 and the well-equipped Hyundai at $27,790.
Uniquely, you can option a Hybrid drivetrain in the Corolla for just $1500 extra, and that’s what we have here – a Corolla SX Hybrid for $28,370.
Both Hyundai and Toyota recommend servicing every 12 months or 15,000km, whereas Mazda says the 3 requires fluids and a once-over every 12 months or 10,000km.
Each manufacturer offers fixed-price servicing costs but Toyota charges only $175 per visit. The cost of maintaining a Corolla across five years/75,000km is just $875, whereas Hyundai charges $1395 for an identical period and distance in the i30.
The Mazda 3, on the other hand, will cost you $1571 over five years, for a distance of only 50,000km.
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WHAT’S IT LIKE INSIDE?
Pretty darn good given the humble sticker prices, particularly the loaded i30, and not just for its wealth of equipment and neighbourhood-rumbling stereo. It’s all about space.
The most rear legroom, easily the largest (395-litre) boot, with a full-size alloy spare underneath, and good all-round vision combine with simple, (mostly) straightforward controls and a top driving position. But there’s no height adjustment for the front passenger seat, leaving it oddly high-mounted and in the eyeline of anyone sitting behind. The centre-rear seat is also the least comfortable of the three, and the doors will only house 600ml bottles, not 1.5-litre thirst-quenchers like the front pair in the Mazda.
If you can handle the cab-rearward rake of the Mazda 3’s windscreen, which makes it feel smaller in the front than its rivals and quite exposed to harsh sunlight, then its interior works pretty well. Firm, yet supportive front seats face a well-built, minimalist dash that’s functional, if a bit dated (cue daggy silver plastic trim and hard-to-read instruments that could be from a BT-50 ute). The 3’s back seat is also set quite low, making it feel slightly claustrophobic, though its storage is competitive. And its well-shaped 308-litre boot can fit suitcases length-ways.
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The Corolla feels more form-fitting than its rivals. Part of that is down to the SX’s dark-coloured headlining and rear window tinting, but there’s no escaping the cushy, enveloping feel of its seating. You sink into its front buckets like a favourite armchair, its dashboard is contemporary and ergonomically sensible, it has proper front door grab handles, robust audio quality (for front passengers, at least) and a theatre-style rear bench set higher than the front pair for a better view.
But the Corolla’s interior has some surprising flaws. The storage in each door is minimal, and its undernourished boot (just 217 litres if there’s a spare wheel included, making it smaller than a Yaris’s) is downright small. That’s what you get for including a (space-saver) spare in a car never designed to have one.
WHAT’S UNDER THE BONNET?
The Mazda 3 and Hyundai i30 feature proven 2.0-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder petrol engines tied to six-speed automatic transmissions, driving through the front wheels. Offering almost identical performance and fuel efficiency, the difference comes down to each car’s driveability, personality and refinement.
The Mazda is the more polished of the two. Its sweetly responsive 114kW/200Nm 2.0-litre is more pleasant to listen to than the i30’s louder 120kW/203Nm example, with a greater ability to channel the engine’s torque and a more effective transmission calibration. Where the Mazda will hold onto a gear knowing it has the grunt to pull it, the Hyundai often second-guesses itself, struggling in a taller ratio before shifting down, or sometimes hunting between two gears.
The efficiency-focused Corolla Hybrid blends a modest 72kW/142Nm 1.8-litre petrol four with a 53kW/163Nm nickel-metal-hydride battery for a combined system output of just 90kW.
Around town it’s a blissful combination, with silky battery torque and lovely, smooth response. But as these electricity benefits evaporate at highway speeds, everything is left to the Corolla’s weak-kneed petrol engine, which is neither quiet or forceful. At times, the only tangible sense of gathering speed is watching the speedo needle rise.
But the Corolla’s all-petrol alternative – a brand new 125kW/200Nm 2.0-litre ‘Dynamic Force’ four-cylinder – is a real surprise. Superbly refined when wafting about yet packing a sporty growl when you stamp on it, it shoves you in the back as it charges forward and perfectly complements Corolla’s newfound dynamic excellence.
The Hybrid version does have one big saving grace, though – fuel efficiency. Across varied terrain incorporating both city and country driving, our test car averaged an exceptional 4.1L/100km. The more powerful Hyundai i30 and Mazda 3 drank 7.8L/100km and 8.0L/100km respectively over the same route. All three are tuned to run on regular 91-octane unleaded.
HOW DO THEY DRIVE?
It’s been decades since a Toyota Corolla has challenged the class leaders for ride, handling and steering, yet that’s the new reality for this 12th-generation model. Possessing a silken smoothness and a dynamic fluency that puts it ahead of the Mazda 3 and well beyond the less-cultured Hyundai i30, the Corolla finally has the ability to challenge the small-car dynamic benchmarks – Volkswagen Golf and Peugeot 308.
Whether it’s gliding over speedhumps or darting its nose into corners with uncharacteristic verve, there’s genuine depth in the new Corolla’s chassis, backed by crisp, keen steering response and a beautifully supple ride. Only intrusive tyre noise from its humble 205/55R16 Dunlop Enasave tyres on coarse roads spoils the serenity.
The Mazda 3 is also pleasantly cohesive to drive, with fine balance and an eagerness for corners, but it lacks the Corolla’s velvety sheen. It transmits more noise into its cabin, to the point where it could become tiring on Australia’s coarse country-road surfaces. And while its ride is well-damped, its leather seats aren’t as plush or inviting as the Toyota’s broader cloth chairs.
In isolation, the i30 Elite is a good, solid drive. But alongside these two, you notice its grainy ride, the heavy weighting of its steering, and the lack of synergy between its front and rear suspension systems through bumpy, challenging corners. The i30 becomes agitated over surfaces the Corolla and 3 tackle with ease, and it too suffers from intrusive tyre noise on coarse surfaces. Combined with the most vocal engine of the group, the smartly dressed Hyundai lacks the mechanical finesse of its Japanese rivals.
WHICH ONE IS THE BEST?
For the first time in a very long time, Australia’s three favourite hatches are up near the pointy end of the small-car class. They’re so capable, in fact, that we’d recommend any of these three hatches, depending on your preferences.
But one hatch stands out as the most accomplished, the most enjoyable and the most complete. And that’s the Toyota Corolla SX Hybrid. It’s not perfect – the boot’s intrusive spare-wheel arrangement being the main offender – but there’s a nuanced smoothness to the Corolla that, in light of where it comes from, is gobsmacking. And if you can’t balance the Hybrid’s superb economy against its sober performance, there’s always the terrific new 2.0-litre petrol for a $1500 saving. Finally, a Corolla that knows how to make people smile.
The other two are harder to separate. The Hyundai i30 Elite nails it for style, space and equipment, but the Mazda 3 Touring counters with greater mechanical finesse, a more sophisticated feel, and a superior reliability and resale reputation.
If you delight in the finer aspects of driving, then the Mazda will be more satisfying. But if you love the Hyundai’s handsome, fashionable appearance, it makes a smart addition to any driveway.
Writer: Nathan Ponchard
PRICE AND SPECIFICATIONS - 2018
2018 Hyundai i30 Elite | |
Price | From $27,790 plus on-road costs (2018) |
Engine | 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol |
Power | 120kW at 6200rpm |
Torque | 203Nm at 4700rpm |
Transmission | 6-speed automatic |
Fuel use | 7.8L/100km (test average) |
2018 Mazda 3 Touring | |
Price | From $26,690 plus on-road costs (2018) |
Engine | 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol |
Power | 114kW at 6000rpm |
Torque | 200Nm at 4000rpm |
Transmission | 6-speed automatic |
Fuel use | 8.0L/100km (test average) |
2018 Toyota Corolla SX Hybrid | |
Price | From $28,370 plus on-road costs (2018) |
Engine | 1.8-litre four-cylinder petrol + nickel-metal-hydride battery |
Power | 90kW (total system output) |
Torque | 142Nm at 3600rpm (163Nm – battery) |
Transmission | CVT automatic |
Fuel use | 4.1L/100km (test average) |