Well there’s a surprise. Right behind the 1.6 cee’d in the markings comes the i30 Estate from Korea’s other big manufacturer, Hyundai. Actually they are part of the same group but it says something about the consistency of our judges’ marking that the two cars’ marks were so close. Top marks again for engine performance and suitability of the manual gearbox for towing; and on the tough hill restart the Hyundai’s handbrake won friends for its strong hold despite long travel.
It’s a comfortable car too, but comments were made about the blue used for digital readouts on the dashboard – not easy to read. As you’d expect from an estate, it happily takes a good caravanning load. Also offers value for money in terms of running costs – which includes CO2, insurance group, service hours and on the road price. Poor access to spare wheel, though, when loaded up.
| Caravan weight |
Noseweight limit |
Drive |
Cyls/CC |
bhp@rpm |
lb/ft@rpm |
CO2 g/km |
Ins group |
Price |
Tested |
|
1,226kg |
75kg |
FWD |
4/1582 |
113@ 4000 |
118@2750 |
128 |
16 |
£15,177 |
2009 |
Hyundai i30 1.6 Estate
