Alternative review of Hyundai i30

Hyundai's 130 is the most complete family hatchback the Asian market has yet produced - period. Based on Kia's cee'd but offering a more polished design for just a little more, it's a surprisingly impressive effort.

The styling's a little bland - but that never hindered best sellers like Toyota's Corolla or Ford's MK2 Focus. Anyway, inside the i30 fares better. It's still hardly what you would call avant garde design-wise but the quality of the materials and the construction is convincing. Nice touches include blue illumination for the dials that also extends to steering wheel controls and ignition key slot so you won't be fumbling around at night. Dim the illumination and the wheel-mounted controls dim too, which is very slick. Space is plentiful for the rear seat occupants (making putting childseats in easy) and the huge boot suggested by the car's bulging rear end is only a mild disappointment. It's a good size for the class rather than enormous, with 340 litres available. Fold the rear bench and this rises to 1,250 litres, certainly enough for the Tesco shop.

The i30 has been designed specifically for the European market and benchmarked against class leaders like the Volkswagen Golf and Ford Focus. Like those two cars but unlike many of the other established names in the sector, the i30 has fully-independent suspension all round or at least a version of it. Which is why it handles a great deal more competently than you might be expecting it to. Lewis Hamilton-wannabees will still opt for the Focus - and rightly so - but for the majority of buyers for the majority of the time, the 130 is everything you need and more. A full complement of engines is offered with the i30 and that includes a pair of CRDi common-rail diesels with variable geometry turbocharging for improved refinement. The entry-point into i30 ownership is the 1.4-litre petrol with a not inconsequential 107bhp and then you have the 124bhp 1.6. The diesels are 1.6-litres in capacity with outputs of 89 and 113bhp respectively. The engine range itself is a wide one then, even if none of the units on offer are particularly heart-stopping in their performance. The more powerful diesel's 260Nm maximum torque helps it to a 0-62mph time of 11.5s and it will roll on to a 117mph top speed. All models get 5-speed manual transmission except this 113bhp diesel which is available with a four-speed automatic in the Comfort trim level.

If, before the i30's introduction, you'd asked me which of the South Korean makers would be first to introduce a family hatchback that was properly on terms with cars like Volkswagen's Golf or Ford's Focus, I'd have said Kia or maybe Chevrolet. With this model, Hyundai have surprised all of us. It's the car that Kia's cee'd should have been and with a more dynamic look, would shift some serious numbers for Hyundai in this sector. As it is, the i30 is one of the best kept secrets in this market. Don't ignore it.

TOP 4 I30 DEALS

The results below show the top I30 deals on buyacar

Hyundai I30 1.6 CRDi Comfort 5dr Diesel Estate
Price £14,667 Read I30 Reviews	Save £2,503
Hyundai I30 1.6 CRDi Premium 5dr Diesel Estate
Price £15,931 Read I30 Reviews	Save £2,819
Hyundai I30 1.6 Comfort 5dr [6] Estate
Price £13,711 Read I30 Reviews	Save £2,289
Hyundai I30 1.6 Comfort 5dr Auto Estate
Price £14,578 Read I30 Reviews	Save £2,442
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