Hyundai i30 ES Car Review

Facts At A Glance
Car: Hyundai i30 Estate
Prices: £14,300-£17,150 – on the road INSURANCE GROUPS: 5-6
Emissions: 125-152g/km
Performance: [1.6 petrol] 0-60mph 11.1s / Max Speed 119mph
Fuel Consumption: [1.6 petrol] (urban) 35.3mpg / (extra urban) 54.3mpg / (combined) 45.6mpg
Safety: Twin front, side and curtain airbags / ABS with EBD, ESP
Dimensions: Length/Width/Height 4475/1775/1530mm

Special for Sure

Our Rating: No Rating Available

A special edition of a Hyundai used to mean you got what most other people called basic. Now that Hyundai is aiming its sights on taking the top rung of all the car classes an Hyundai special edition is actually a special car and the i30 ES is no exception.

Consider that the basic model of the i30 already comes with anti-lock brakes with EBD, stability control and six airbags (two in front and a full array of curtain airbags). All of these are nice options for a base model and then the ES gets 16? alloy wheels, electronic climate control and reversing sensors all of this for less than £12,000.

The interior is what you would expect from a Hyundai. The construction is sturdy and the materials are all high grade. All the instrument dials are easy to find and understand. The interior space is rather roomy for a smaller car with a boot space that is a very nice 340-litres with the rear seats in place and a whooping 1,250-litres. The dials are illuminated in blue light that also shows up on the steering wheel mounted controls and around the key slot which makes it easier to find when getting in the car at night.

The Hyundai i30 also comes standard with a 5 year Triple Care package that gets an unlimited mileage warranty, roadside assistance and free annual health check-ups on the car. Standard service intervals at 20,000 miles or one year. This means the owner isn't going to have to go to the shop over and over again.

Under the hood the engine is the 1.4-litre petrol with a good amount of power in 124bhp. Hyundai also includes the ECO Drive indicator standard on the entire i30 line. This function helps the drive know when they are driving the car for optimum fuel economy. Overall fuel economy is about 46.3mpg combined on the city with a whopping 54.3mpg on the motorways. This engine takes 12.6 second to get from 0-60mph and tops out around 116mph. Standard safety features include six airbags, anti-lock brakes with EBS and stability control.

The drivability is comfortable and responsive especially when you keep in mind the low overall cost of the vehicle. The suspension is comprised of a fully-independent multi-link rear suspension. And let's be honest people are willing to sacrifice a in the comfort level to save a bunch of money. The power steering is the most responsive, but it will do for a car in this class. Lucky for Hyundai that most people who buys these cars are doing it for the family aspect and will be pleased with the fact that they get decent driving control in a low cost family hatch.

Hyundai may not have the specialist of special editions, but the i30 ES certainly will earn a lot of respect. Hyundai has always prided itself on making good quality cars at a low cost. If Hyundai keeps making cars like all the i30s other car companies may need to rethink how they make the family hatch. People are now looking for quality and affordability with little care for gadgets. Hyundai is certainly the class leader in that regard.