2021 Hyundai i30 review Now with wireless Apple CarPlay & Android Auto!
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TechTranscript
00:00G'day, I'm Paul. So if you see me fly off screen, it is because it is extremely windy here today.
00:05So behind me is the Hyundai i30. It was first launched in 2016.
00:09That means it's about halfway through its lifecycle and that means it's time for a refresh,
00:13which is exactly what Hyundai has done with a little bit of a different design and some new features as well.
00:18Today we're reviewing the base model Hyundai i30. The only option on this is an automatic gearbox.
00:24It's priced at a little over $25,000.
00:28It competes with things like the Mazda 3, Ford Focus, Toyota Corolla. There's a stack of small hatches in this segment.
00:35Today we're going to do a detailed review of the Hyundai i30.
00:38If you do want to skip ahead to other parts of this review, you can use the time codes up on the screen there,
00:42or if you're on YouTube, there's just chapters below that you can click on.
00:45And if you haven't done so already, make sure you hit subscribe and press the bell icon,
00:49so you can find out every single time we drive a nice new red car.
00:53Let's talk exterior.
00:55You've got six outside colours to choose from, and all but white are just under $500 extra.
01:01So what exactly has changed here? Well, you'll notice the grille, it looks different, and so do these massive LED lights.
01:07I'll get to those in a second, but I like what they've done here with the grille.
01:10Instead of that sort of cascading effect, they've got this, I don't know, you guys are pretty good at this, I'm not.
01:15What is this material? I mean, it's kind of like a reflective material, but it's got that shadowy hue to it.
01:21So I'm not exactly sure what that is. Big proud Hyundai logo there.
01:25This now comes with radar cruise control, so I suspect this has a radar sensor built into it.
01:30Let me know what you think about the refresh of this design.
01:32Have they done enough to keep this fresh in comparison to the competitors?
01:36Let me know what you think in the comments section below.
01:39In terms of headlights, the base model gets these halogen projector lights, and then this cool LED cluster.
01:44I love what they've done here. This looks really high-end and premium,
01:48and then you see a little air vent that runs through to the side there.
01:51We'll jump around to the side where you'll find 16-inch alloy wheels.
01:54This is another design I'm a fan of. You've got that black inset and the chromey sort of brushed chrome look on the outside.
02:01A lot of manufacturers are now doing this to give you a bit of contrast and a bit of dynamic appeal to the wheel.
02:07It actually looks nice and complex, and I think it suits the car, especially considering this is a base model.
02:12You'd kind of expect it to have hubcaps or something, so that looks pretty cool.
02:16And then a decent profile. It's a 55 profile on that tyre,
02:19so it should mean that in addition to the ride and handling tune that's done in Australia, that this actually rides pretty well.
02:24Over here, you've got an indicator built into that wing mirror, and then come around the rear of the car.
02:29So, taillights down the bottom here. These aren't LED, so still an incandescent globe in there.
02:35You've got this boot lip spoiler type thing, and then a shark fin antenna at the back.
02:39I think it's still quite a handsome looking car. It doesn't look too big, doesn't look too small.
02:43It actually suits its proportions perfectly.
02:45So we are inside the Hyundai i30.
02:48Let's start off with the key. This is what it looks like.
02:51You've got lock, unlock, boot, and then on the back, you have the Hyundai symbol.
02:55But it's an old school key, being the base model, this is what you have to live with.
03:00So that just goes into the slot there, and then everything switches on after that.
03:05Now, what about the design? So, look, I'm actually not too fazed by this.
03:09I still think this looks good despite its age.
03:11So you can see here that they've integrated this screen, which is a carryover from, I guess, the original i30.
03:17But now there's a 10.25-inch screen that sits here for higher-end models.
03:22This, on the other hand, though, you may look at it and go, oh, it's old.
03:25But they've actually added a whole stack of new technology to it.
03:28So I'll run you through that shortly.
03:29But for the most part, this looks OK.
03:31It is a little bit dreary there with all just dark colors.
03:33It would have been nice to see a little bit of color highlights, perhaps something like you can get on the Corolla,
03:38where you can sort of pick different colors for your interior.
03:40But for the most part, this looks OK.
03:42Now, what about the materials and the touch points?
03:44Well, this is all nice and soft.
03:46The touch points are fine as well.
03:48This is soft and then soft on the doors too.
03:50So everything you're in contact with while you're driving is good.
03:53How soft is it?
03:54Well, we have our durometer.
03:56We've tested the surfaces across this car.
03:58If you want to see how this compares to other vehicles we've tested, just go to the link in the description below.
04:03And then what about build quality?
04:05It's actually not too bad.
04:06Everything feels nice and solid here.
04:08So a big tick for build quality.
04:11OK, let's talk infotainment.
04:13This is an 8-inch infotainment display, and then there's a 7-inch unit ahead of the driver.
04:18If you do want to see a detailed review of this, you can click up here to watch one we've recorded previously.
04:23But today, I will give you a brief overview, plus a look at some of the new features that it comes with.
04:27So it's a touchscreen, but you've also got shortcut buttons on the side.
04:32In terms of radio, it has AM and FM radio.
04:34There's no DAB plus digital radio.
04:37There's also no satellite navigation built into it.
04:39That's all done through your telephone.
04:41It's also got Bluetooth and voice recognition.
04:43But keep in mind, the voice recognition doesn't do anything unless you have your smartphone paired,
04:47which is a little bit counterintuitive, but that's how all Hyundais and Kias are for some reason in Australia.
04:53Now, what about smartphone mirroring?
04:54You have both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but this is pretty cool.
04:58It's wireless Apple CarPlay.
05:00So right now, there's no cables connected.
05:01I'll show you what that looks like.
05:02Full screen integration, really fast, nice and smooth and sharp as well.
05:07It also has Android Auto, but the exciting thing here is that it's wireless Android Auto.
05:11It's the first car that we've tested that actually works wirelessly with Android Auto.
05:15I'll show you what that looks like.
05:17So another full screen integration, nice and quick there.
05:20And then you can also scroll through the different menus.
05:23So it's really cool to see that even as a base model,
05:26this is loaded to the hilt with all of this brand new technology
05:29that you don't even find on some cars, you know, double, three times the price of this.
05:34So really cool.
05:35Moving on from our centre display, ahead of the driver, you have a seven inch unit.
05:39There's analogue gauges either side for engine revolutions, temperature and fuel.
05:44And then the centre display has a digital speedo, the gear that you're in,
05:48all of your semi-autonomous driving controls.
05:50And then you have the ability to flick through different menus for fuel economy,
05:55driver assistance, tyre pressure, and then also the vehicle settings as well.
06:00So really nice to see this integration.
06:02Just like all the wireless smartphone mirroring,
06:04this isn't something that you're used to seeing on an entry level hatchback.
06:08Moving on from there, you have a six speaker sound system
06:10and on the connectivity front, a USB port for charging devices
06:14and also smartphone mirroring if you don't want to use wireless
06:17and then two 12 volt outlets, one in here and then one in here.
06:20Okay, what about safety technology?
06:22You get autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian detection.
06:26You get a lane departure warning, a lane departure assistant
06:28with a semi-autonomous steering function,
06:31which we'll go into a little bit more detail when we go for a drive.
06:34You have automatic high beam headlights and radar cruise control.
06:38Now, what about the reverse view camera?
06:40There's rear parking sensors, no front parking sensors,
06:42but let's see what that looks like.
06:46Look, the quality is not too bad.
06:47You've got guidelines there as well.
06:49And then some settings, we'll see what they do.
06:51Like as you can adjust the brightness and all that kind of thing as well.
06:54So yeah, look, it's not a bad integration.
06:56Moving on to practicality and we'll start with storage.
06:58Where are you going to put your phone?
06:59Well, it can easily live down there.
07:01There's no wireless phone charging on this particular spec
07:04or you've got a little cubby hole in here that you can easily fit your phone
07:07or this little slot right here.
07:09So lots of convenience and then bottle storage easily fits in there.
07:13This comes out as well.
07:14So if you don't want the divider in there, you can get rid of that.
07:17Bottle will fit in the door as well.
07:19And then in terms of other storage,
07:21you have a decent size center console there
07:23that gives you an idea of how deep it is.
07:25And then the glove box over here, which is plenty big as well.
07:28Finally, whoops, not big enough for the bottle going in that direction.
07:32Finally, a sunglasses holder up the top.
07:35Moving on to comfort.
07:37You have single zone manual air conditioning,
07:40so no automatic stuff and no dual zone here.
07:43In terms of the seats themselves, they are cloth,
07:46but kind of a cool design.
07:47They don't look really too cheap and chintzy.
07:49They're both manually adjustable.
07:51Then in terms of reach, everything is fairly easy to reach.
07:53The only stuff you'll have to lean forward for are the buttons on this side,
07:57but for the most part, it's not that big of a deal.
08:00OK, second row.
08:01So it's not the most cavernous space in the world.
08:04My knees are right up against that seat.
08:06But keep in mind, this seat is fairly far back
08:09and it's not quite as tight as a Mazda 3 or a Toyota Corolla.
08:12There's no toe room at all.
08:14That's really wedged up against there.
08:16Headroom is OK.
08:17You do get air vents back here, though, which is good.
08:20No USB charging.
08:21You get these two map pockets
08:24and armrest here with two cup holders.
08:27We'll see how that works. No dramas there.
08:28And then you've got room for bottle storage in the doors as well.
08:32ISOFIX points on the two outboard seats.
08:35Look, for the most part, it's pretty comfortable.
08:37It's just a little bit tight for an adult.
08:39OK, what about cargo space?
08:41So you have a little under 400 litres available just here.
08:45You can see here that it's quite a high boot lip.
08:47So it means when you are loading things in,
08:49you kind of got to throw them over.
08:51Underneath the cargo floor, you have a full-size spare tyre,
08:54which is excellent news,
08:55especially if you do a lot of country driving.
08:57You also have tie-down hooks on the side.
08:59Let's see how it goes with our luggage in there.
09:02I wonder if this will fit in long ways.
09:05Nope.
09:06So we're going to go that way to fit that in.
09:09And then I'll show you what it looks like when this is removed as well.
09:13Pull this out of the way.
09:16Now, when you drop this out of the way,
09:18you actually get just over 1,300 litres of cargo space,
09:23although it's not too flat
09:25because you've got this section here that protects the second row of seats.
09:29We just hit the road in the i30.
09:31The entry-level models are powered by a 2.0-litre
09:34naturally aspirated petrol four-cylinder engine.
09:38It makes 120 kilowatts of power,
09:40203 newton-metres of torque,
09:42and that's all mated to a six-speed automatic transmission.
09:46Now, it doesn't sound like a great deal,
09:48but if you sink the slipper into it,
09:51once it gets above that 3,000 rpm mark,
09:53it really has a bit of urge to it,
09:55and a lot of that torque is at the top end of the rev band,
09:57being a naturally aspirated engine.
09:59Yeah, it doesn't feel as sort of peppy as the turbocharged versions,
10:03but it's not inadequate.
10:05It doesn't feel like you're going to need to stand on the throttle
10:07for 20 seconds to actually get anywhere.
10:10So you don't feel unsafe in this,
10:12which is not something you can say
10:14about some of the older hatchbacks at the entry level,
10:16where they just put whichever engine they could find in it.
10:19And same story with the gearbox.
10:21It's fairly responsive.
10:22Like, it's not lightning fast,
10:24but I've found with a lot of the modern dual-clutch gearboxes,
10:26they're not actually that quick anyway.
10:28If I sink the foot in just there,
10:30it sort of responds quick enough,
10:32and then it gets up in the rev band
10:33to give me the push in the back that I need.
10:35Now, in terms of fuel economy,
10:37Hyundai claims a combined average of 7.4 litres per 100 kilometres.
10:41We're seeing 8.7 litres per 100 kilometres,
10:44so higher than that combined average,
10:46but it's about where it should be,
10:48given we've spent a fair bit of time
10:50driving in and around the city
10:52with little highway driving in between.
10:54Let's talk drive mode.
10:55So you've got three to pick from.
10:56There's Eco, which, as far as I can tell,
10:59maybe reduces the air conditioning a little bit.
11:00It dulls the throttle response.
11:02You have Normal, which is just your regular driving mode.
11:05And then you have Sport.
11:06When you put it into Sport,
11:07you can feel the steering become a little heavier.
11:08That's one of the advantages of an EPAS system.
11:11They can adjust the weighting depending on the drive mode.
11:14The gearbox also is a little bit more responsive as well,
11:16and it's more eager to shift down gears.
11:18The throttle's sharper too.
11:20So that's the mode you want to go into
11:22if you've got some sporty driving ahead of you.
11:24Now, speaking of which, the 0 to 100 time,
11:26they don't publish a figure,
11:27but we thought we'd check to see how it goes against our stopwatch.
11:41Let's talk about ride quickly.
11:42This is where Hyundai has really nailed the brief with this.
11:45The ride and handling tune is done here in Australia,
11:48and if you've seen our other videos,
11:49I've explained why that's an important aspect of cars
11:53that we do drive here in Australia,
11:54just because of the diversity of road surfaces
11:56you can encounter just minutes from the city.
11:59And that means that it's really nice and compliant.
12:01It deals well with bumps.
12:02It's not overly sharp.
12:03It's not overly brittle,
12:05and everything is nice and softly dampened
12:07without feeling wallowy
12:09and without feeling like it's sort of lingering
12:11as you hit undulations on the road.
12:13And that translates to corners as well.
12:16Yes, this isn't the i30 N,
12:18but they've kind of trickled that suspension tune down.
12:21So it means that if you do find yourself a corner,
12:23you can lean into it.
12:24The body stays nice and flat,
12:26and you get really good feel through the steering as well.
12:28The electrically assisted steering rack
12:30just gives you all the feedback and confidence you need.
12:33Let's talk road noise.
12:34Look, it's not terrible.
12:35We're out on a country road at the moment.
12:36It's coarse chip.
12:37You do get a bit of tyre noise coming into the cabin,
12:40but it's nothing overly drastic.
12:42One thing I did notice just while we've been driving here,
12:44there is a lane keeping assistant,
12:46and for the most part, it works well.
12:48But when you're out on country roads,
12:49it can be a little bit aggressive,
12:51and it kind of sends you just to the edge of the road,
12:54and it doesn't really fill you with confidence.
12:55So I'm just finding myself switching it off.
12:57But when you do have the Radar Cruise set and running,
13:00it actually does a really good job of guiding you through the lanes
13:02and sort of suggesting exactly where your car needs to be placed.
13:05Let's talk visibility.
13:06So visibility out the front is good.
13:08I can't see the front of the car,
13:10but you can kind of get an impression for where it ends down there.
13:13The wing mirrors are decent sized as well.
13:15There is no blind spot monitoring,
13:16so you just need to keep an eye on that yourself.
13:18Visibility out the back is good.
13:20Being a front wheel drive, it has a pretty decent turning circle.
13:2310.6 metres, which means when you go for a tight U-turn,
13:28it pretty much just turns on a dime.
13:31Okay, so Hyundai i30.
13:32Yes, some of the competitors in this segment have diversified.
13:36So for example, they're a little bit more premium in the case of the Mazda 3,
13:39and with Corolla, you can get it in a hybrid.
13:42Same with the Mazda 3 now as well.
13:43But Hyundai sticks to the same formula.
13:45You still get really good value for money.
13:47It comes with all the latest bells and whistles.
13:48There's plenty of room inside.
13:50Plus, it is tuned right here in Australia.
13:52So that gives you a good incentive to actually buy it,
13:55because you know that it's built for Australian conditions.
13:58So let me know in the comments section below,
13:59do you own an i30?
14:00What's it like as a long-term proposition?
14:03Or did you buy something else instead?
14:05So if you did enjoy this video, please make sure you like it and share it.
14:08And if you haven't done so already, hit subscribe and press the bell icon,
14:11so you can find out every single time we drive something new.
14:14But until next time, take it easy.