USED Hyundai i30 Hatchback (07 - 12)

My car

A great car to own. It is very quiet at motorway speeds and economical. It can be a bit bouncy in town with the stiff suspension. I had the suspension looked at twice since I bought the car in Novenber last year due to knocking from one wheel. A known fault with this model. The car is only a year and half old. Would I reconmend the car? A good alternative to a BMW, without the snob value, but better value and equipement.

My car

I have an i30 1.6 CDRi Comfort Automatic which I bought from our local authorised dealer. The car had been registered in March 2010 and had 700 miles on the clock. Initially the car ran fine but then it started baulking at 30-35 and 50-55mph. The service department at the supplying dealers have carried out various repairs put forward by Hyundai, the last was to replace the EGR valve. This intially resolved the problem but the problem soon started again and as I write the car is with the dealer once again. I have asked the dealer to replace the car but he turns a deaf ear to my request so I wrote to Hyundai but after 10 days I haven't even received an acknowledgement. Its a shame because the Hyundai Tucson 2.0 CDRi Auto I had before was faultless and my son is now the proud owner and he thinks its the best thing since sliced bread! I have now managed to talk the dealer into supplying me with a service car when mine is in but as far as an exchange he simply refers me to Hyundai.

My car

12 months & just 8000 miles, car need new wiper arm as wiper smears(blade i fine)new steering column(creaks)and washer pump(operate rear wash & front also operates). Service & insurance costs are very high, fuel economy is good though, dealer service is shocking, glad the car has 5 year warranty. Its a cheap car, but cheap for a reason.

My car

Having been given this as a rental car through work while my car was away being fixed I was ready to give it a kicking but I genuinely couldn't find a lot to dislike about it! I normally drive a Volvo XC60 and found the i30 very impressive indeed. It was comfortable, refined and economical transport for over 2000 miles in 2 particularly busy weeks!

This engine I cannot recommend enough if you do motorway miles. You can leave it in sixth and it will pull strongly from very low revs. I didn't have to change down once between Colchester and Durham this afternoon. For the record it did the journey there and back in less than a full tank even with my lead right foot. It is pretty quiet too and the car also comes with a really good stereo!

Bad points? If you're tall like me (6 ft 4) the seat feels a bit high and it seems like the steering wheel is sat in your lap at first. The interior doesn't have a whole lot of visual appeal (but does feel pretty solid). Also, the USB port does not work with an iPhone (it won't even charge it) so you have to rely on the AUX port if you want to play music off it.

If you want a good, honest motorway companion and can live with the so-so styling and interior then get one. That engine knocks spots off the equivalent Ford/Vauxhall offerings and dynamically there isn't much in it.