After unveiling its new i30 last month, Hyundai South Africa launched the latest generation hatchback to the local market on Friday evening at an event in Greenside, Johannesburg. The sublime “fluidic sculpture” styling on the latest generation i30 makes for a hatchback that is much more eye-catching than its conservatively penned predecessor.   

The new generation i30 comes in a choice of two engines and transmissions that are geared towards delivering more power, better fuel efficiency as well as fewer emissions.

Two engine derivatives, two transmissions

The 1.8-litre Nu Multipoint fuel-injected (MPI) four-cylinder petrol engine delivers 110 kW at 6 500 r/min and 178 Nm of torque at 4 700 r/min when pushed to the limit. A slightly more economical Gamma 1.6 MPI D-CVVT four-cylinder engine is also available, which employs Dual continuously variable valve timing (D-CVVT) to boost power output to 95 kW at 6 300 r/min and peak torque of 157 Nm at 4 850 r/min.

Buyers of the i30 1.6 GLS can opt for an automatic transmission, although this selection pushes the model’s class-leading fuel efficiency of a claimed 6.4 litres/100 km to 6.8 litres per 100 km. A six-speed manual transmission is also offered in the i30 1.6 GLS as well as the range topping 1.8 GLS, with the latter delivering 6.5 litres per 100 km according to Hyundai.

Flex Steer and other equipment

Besides the chirpy engines and beautiful styling, drivers can also look forward to Hyundai’s new Flex Steer option that supports three operating modes - comfort, normal and sport. This new system can be used to vary the level of steering assistance and feedback in order to suit driving conditions and make the journey more pleasurable, with `comfort` suitable for long roadtrips, `normal` for your daily commute and `sport` for those occasions when drivers feel like burning some rubber.

Beyond Flex Steer, both derivatives come equipped with a radio/CD sound system that can play MP3 CDs and features four speakers, Bluetooth connectivity, auxiliary input along with iPod and USB connections. Another standard feature that comes in very handy is the fold-away side mirrors that are electrically operated, as these mirrors boast a heating option to allow for better visibility on cold, foggy winter mornings.

The 1.6 GLS is available with luxury cloth seats as standard, while the 1.8 GLS features black partial leather seat covering as well as accelerator, brake and clutch pedals that are constructed out of sporty aluminium.

Pricing (incl. VAT) for the new i30 starts at R229 900 for the 1.6 GLS manual and goes all the way up to R249 900 for the 1.8 GLS manual. Prices include a five year or 90 000 km service plan as well as a five year 150 000 km roadside assistance plan.  

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