Hyundai i30 Fastback review

The i30 Fastback is an intriguing proposition because Hyundai has taken one of the most traditional cars in the hatchback class and transformed it into something that is fractionally sharper to drive, yet noticeably less practical, leaving it in a somewhat no-man’s land.

Perhaps those sharp looks will be enough to distract buyers from the car’s shortcomings, but we’d rather have a conventional hatchback such as a Volkswagen Golf or Skoda Octavia any day of the week.

Like the rest of the i30 range, the Fastback benefits from a five-year, unlimited-mileage warranty that few rivals can match. The ownership package includes five years of free annual ‘check-ups’ and five years of breakdown cover.

Unfortunately, despite the i30 Fastback’s engines being comparatively small, they’re not exactly the most advanced units, so they’re not as efficient as the class best. Fuel economy and CO2 emissions for both the 1.0 turbo petrol and 1.4 turbo petrol units fall short of the figures from rivals’ equivalent units.

Safety-wise, every i30 Fastback comes with hill start assist, tyre pressure monitoring, automatic emergency braking and lane departure technology. Step up to Premium trim and technology such as blindsport monitoring and cross-traffic systems are included, too.

The i30 Fastback has yet to be tested by Euro NCAP, but the standard i30 achieved a maximum score of five stars in its recent Euro NCAP crash test, putting it on a par with the class-leading Golf. The i30 Fastback comes with a standard alarm and immobiliser, although Thatcham Research has also yet to publish its test results.

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