For The Hyundai i30 is one of the most capacious small estates, and has some practical touches. The cabin is spacious, classy-looking and well-finished, while the diesel engines are frugal and relatively smooth. It rides well, and the standard spec is generous.
Against The steering is lifeless and frustratingly vague around the straight-ahead. The gearshifts can be notchy, too.
There’s a lot to recommend the Hyundai i30 Estate, not least its enormous loadbay. With a tempting mix of talents, all for an affordable price, it’s worthy of serious consideration.
Hyundai is a brand that usually competes on value, but the i30 Estate is good enough to fight its corner on merit. It’s an impressively spacious and competent estate car, and with a comfortable ride, classy interior and peppy, frugal engines, it’s no one-trick pony.
We’ve driven the higher-powered 126bhp diesel so far, and while it’s good, we reckon the sweet spot in the range will be the same as it is in the hatchback range. That’s the 109bhp diesel in Active trim, which will be much more affordable to buy and run. However, we can’t say for sure until we’ve driven it.
Hyundai’s five-year warranty is well known, but the firm’s care package also includes five years of breakdown cover and five years of free annual ‘check-ups’. The company has also recently opened a multi-million-pound dealer service training centre as it aims to improve its customer care in the UK.