Euro flavour for new Hyundai i30 wagon

HYUNDAI Australia (HMCA) will add a decidedly European flavour to its i30 small-car range when the German-designed, Czech-built Tourer wagon goes on sale at the end of February.

A starting price of $22,990 plus on-road costs means Hyundai will again offer the cheapest load-carrier in the small-car segment, undercutting the recently launched Holden Cruze wagon (from $25,790), as well as the Volkswagen Golf wagon ($26,990) and Opel Astra wagon ($27,990).

As with the previous model, Hyundai says the Tourer will account for about 20 per cent of all i30 sales. Again, fleets will be the major sales target, but the company said it hopes the sharper styling could equate to more private sales as well.

Small crossover and compact SUV models might be booming, but the i30 Tourer beats most on cargo space and starting price – even if it lacks their jacked-up ride height.

It has been a convoluted path for the stylish Tourer, which was initially ruled out from local sale when HMCA learned it could only source the car from far-flung Europe, not Korea as with the previous model.

However, a concerted effort led by a disappointed local fleet department, friendly exchange rates with the Euro and a surplus of factory supply got the car over the line.

As we reported in November, the Tourer will be available in base Active and range-topping Elite specification levels (there will be no Premium flagship variant, as found in the hatch body style).

The fleet-focused Active is available with the choice of petrol or diesel engines – both with 1.6-litre capacities – matched to six-speed manual or automatic transmissions. Pricing starts at $22,990 for the petrol and $25,590 for the diesel, with the auto adding $2000 to each.

The Elite will, from launch at least, be available exclusively as a diesel/automatic priced at $31,190.

Unlike the hatch, which uses a 110kW/178Nm 1.8-litre engine, the wagon instead features a smaller 1.6-litre direct-injection unit producing 99kW at 6300rpm and 163Nm at 4850rpm. Hyundai says this is due to the Czech sourcing, with the 1.8 only made in Korea.

The direct-injected 1.6-litre diesel is the same as that used in the hatch, producing 94kW at 4000rpm and 260Nm between 1900 and 2750rpm.

Claimed combined fuel consumption for the petrol is 6.3 litres per 100km for the manual (6.9 for the auto) and a frugal 4.6L/100km for the diesel manual (blowing out to 5.8 with the auto).

The wagon shares the same 2650mm wheelbase with the hatch, but is 185mm longer and has 150 litres more storage space with the rear seats in place (528 litres), expanding to 1642 litres with the seats folded flat. These figures are also up 113 litres and 247 litres respectively over the old model.

As with the hatch, all i30 Tourer’s come well specified for the class.

Standard features include rear parking sensors, LED daytime running lights, 16-inch alloys (with full-size spare), cruise control with speed limiter (the limiter is a new addition), touch-screen audio with Bluetooth and USB and a chilled glovebox.

The Elite adds a reversing camera, auto electric folding side mirrors, automatic dusk-sensing headlights, seven-inch touch-screen with sat-nav and SUNA live traffic updates, dual-zone climate control, a TCT instrument panel and an ignition starter button.

The Elite is differentiated externally by a chrome belt-line and a rear spoiler.

All variants come with standard roof rails, a cargo blind and safety barrier net, flat-folding rear seat and a 12-volt outlet in the cargo space.

Unlike the hatch, which features a cheaper but space-saving torsion-beam rear suspension set-up, the wagon has multi-link independent rear suspension, and MacPherson front struts.

Also present is Hyundai’s three-mode flex-steer system, which adjusts weight of the electric steering depending on which mode is selected. Comfort mode lightens the steering for the inner-city, Sport adds weight for more dynamic environs and Normal sits somewhere in the middle.

All Tourers have seven airbags and the maximum five-star ANCAP rating, and come with Hyundai’s standard five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, three-years of NavTeq map updates, 12 months free roadside assist and a complimentary 1500km service.