Hyundai i30 Soon to Hit Indian Roads

Hyundai-i30

It seems that the success of Hyundai i20 Elite with more than 20,000 bookings in a month, and which was launched 3 months back in our country is not enough for the Korean automobile giant to satisfy their quest to lead in the hatchback race; as the company is already planning to bring in the Hyundai i30 premium hatchback in India. Launched earlier in the year 2012 in UK, Europe and US market, this hatchback has already been crowned the “car of the year 2012’ by carbuyers”.

Planning to launch early next year, the company is going to bring in this car as a premium hatchback with price being just below that of Hyundai Verna (i.e below Rs 10 lakhs). This car has been developed at the company’s technical centre in Russelsheim, Gemany and is available in three different forms, namely the 3 door hatchback, 5 door hatchback and as an estate. However for the Indian market it will come only in the form of 5 door hatchback and is roomy enough to make you question the need for anything bigger. The Hyundai i30 definitely sits above the i20 and was launched in European market as a competitor to Volkswagen Golf and Ford Fiesta hatchback.

Exterior

Hyundai has definitely come up with some of the best looking cars in its class in the recent times, and the new Hyundai i30 is just an addition to the list. This new car certainly looks good with its chiseled design and 21st century design characteristics. Let’s start from the front of this car. One can clearly see a new design pattern for the grilles as the mirror image design for the grilles with the logo embedded does makes the car look fresh and more attractive. The angular shaped Fog lamps are set in soft edged recess to enhance the near range visibility in bad weather. The new beautifully curved eye catching LED Daytime running lights (DRL) daytime running lights along with distinctive fluidic character lines on side profile gives muscular and sporty touch to overall look of the car giving you the absolute presence of the car both in the day and the night time.

Hyundai-i30

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The side profile definitely gives you the impression that it’s the longest in the segment. The two distinct dynamic body lines seen on the side profile boasts high energy while projecting a voluminous stance. The first line is drawn continuous from the edge of the LED headlamp to the rear tail-lamp. Other one which is at the lower end is carried from the rear of the front wheel and tapers upwards to end at the forward end of the rear wheel. The i30 has 4.3m overall length and is equipped with 16” alloy wheels and tyres. On the top there is an option for a twin-panel panorama sunroof which retracts instantly at the flick of a switch, bringing in extra sunlight into the cabin while also creating a brilliant open air driving experience.

And finally the rear end gets much more fancy, thanks to its voluminous bumber, new design eye shaped tail lamps and the strong lines on the back door. The brake lamps which are designed to wrap around the curved i30 body, automatically flashes when you brake hard giving the vehicles following you an extra warning. These combination lamps are refined to provide better signals in a more elegant way. Other features one can notice at the rear includes the rear wiper, a spoiler which is standard on all i30 models, with LED High-mounted stop lamp (HMSL) for enhanced safety, antennae, sensors and an optional rear view camera, as soon as you select reverse gear, a wide angle color picture appears on the navigation screen, or in the rear view mirror if navigation isn’t fitted.

Hyundai i30 exterior specifications

Interior

The interior design of Hyundai i30 is much posher than its previous models. The high quality material across the top of the dash and insides of the doors gives high grade feel. Cool blue lightning adds to sense of class and switches and buttons are easy to operate and located on central consol. The dials and instrument are clear and easy to read.

Hyundai-i30 interior

Seats are comfortable and supportive with height adjustment feature for better driving position. Multifunctional steering wheel is fitted as standard on all variant making it easy to access various functions and controls the stereo without taking eyes off the road. The 7” MID comes with advanced satellite navigation system to help you avoid traffic jams and displays additional information regarding restaurants, ATMS and parking plots etc while driving. Thanks to its longer wheelbase of 2.6m which provides excellent legroom at rear. The shoulder room at the front and rear is satisfactory and car feels roomy and spacious. There’s a boot space of 378L with the rear seats in place, while they are down there’s a whooping space of 1316L large enough to swallow airport bags and loads of luggage with no issues.

Hyundai-i30-seat_1  Hyundai i30 interior  Hyundai i30 seats

Other than these, the Hyundai i30 comes with loads of segment leading high-tech features like keyless entry, push button start, Dual zone automatic climate control along with ABS and Airbags as standard on all variants, Driver’s power seat, Front seat warmer, Storage system in central armrest, seat pockets and glove box, Power window controls, standard four speaker audio system and roof lamps.

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Engine & Performance

As Hyundai has always brought their vehicles in India in both diesel & petrol engine options, we expect the i30 also to be available in both options with manual and automatic transmission as well. If that’s true, the Hyundai i30 will be available with 1.4L petrol and 1.6L diesel engine option as already existing in the European markets. The 6 speed gearbox which is available for both manual and automatic transmission is really impressive and gear shifting is effortless. The 1.4 litre petrol engine is capable of delivering 98 bhp at 5500 rpm and a torque of 137 Nm at 4200 rpm. The 1.6 litre diesel variant on the other hand can deliver a maximum power of 109 bhp at 4000 rpm. Top speed for the petrol variant would be around 113 mph and 0-100 Km/hr can be reached at 13.2 seconds. With the diesel engine the top speed achievable would be 115 mph 0-100 Km/hr can be reached at 11.5 seconds.

We are though not very sure if the Hyundai i30 launched in India would be having the same specifications as mentioned above, which is for the European market. It might be possible that the company might launch the vehicle in our country with a smaller capacity engine. Whatever the case migt be, we will be updating the specifications once the vehicle is officially launched here.

Hyundai i30 engine specifications

Handling & Safety

Hyundai cars are known for their nice and soft ride and the new i30 won’t be different in this context. This car provides smooth riding, and takes on curves with no issues at all. The front suspension of the i30 includes a fully independent subframe- mounted MacPherson struts, with coil springs and gas-filled shock absorbers. This type of suspension is used in many high end vehicles around the world.

The safety systems includes the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) system, which along with the highly refined chassis minimizes the body roll and maintains the vehicle in a perfect curve during turns, Vehicle Stability Management (VSM), Adaptive front lighting system (AFLS), ABS and 7-airbag system which surrounds every occupant in an event of collision. The Hyundai i30 has also received a 5 star Euro NCAP rating in crash test in 2012.

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An Aerospace engineer by profession, Bob has a deep passion for automobiles. He started blogging on automotive stuffs since 2010 and still has the same drive for the automobiles. Feel free to contact him using the "Contact Us" form.Add Bob on FB