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Ten Second Review

With this i30 Fastback, Hyundai has taken the 'five-door coupe' design concept championed by executive models like Audi's A5 Sportback and BMW's 4 Series Gran Coupe and brought it within the reach of family customers. Aside from the sleeker styling, the car shares all the attributes of the third generation i30 Focus-sized family hatch - which is no bad thing. Let's check out the revised version of this car.

Background

Take a look at this car. Now imagine it without the badges. Be honest, would you really guess at it being a Hyundai? Thought not. The i30 Fastback has the look and feel of a German premium brand model, yet it can be yours for not much more than you'd pay for an ordinary Focus-sized i30 hatch. Sounds tempting doesn't it? Hyundai says that this variant underlines its brand policy in 'making premium design accessible to everyone'. It's likely to be another step in the company's march towards full automotive credibility.

Driving Experience

Engine-wise, i30 Fastback customers are now restricted to just one engine in the mainstream line-up - and it's a unit new to the range, Hyundai's 1.5 T-Gdi 159PS 48V mild hybrid turbo petrol unit. This comes mated to either 6-speed manual or 7-speed dual-clutch auto transmission. That manual gearbox is all-new - Hyundai calls it 'iMT' or 'iMT Intelligent Manual Transmission'. iMT decouples the engine from the transmission after the driver releases the accelerator. This allows the car to enter into two possible levels of coasting depending on the conditions. With the first level, the engine is idling. With the second level, the engine is additionally temporarily turned off to save even more fuel. Go for the auto gearbox and the car will offer you two drive modes: 'normal' and 'Sport'. In 'Sport' mode, you get a different shift pattern that holds gears longer before shifting, plus the steering provides a sporty feel and the throttle response is adapted. With the 1.5-litre T-Gdi model, 62mph from rest in the manual variant takes 8.6s en route to 130mph; for the auto, it's 8.8s and 130mph. If performance is paramount, you'll want to consider the top i30 N Fastback variant, which uses a 275PS version of the 2.0-litre T-Gdi turbo unit from the i30 N hot hatch. Ride quality is one of this Fastback model's strongest suits. That's down to sophisticated multi-link rear suspension helped by a rigid body fashioned from High Strength Steel. Refinement is also pretty exemplary, thanks to things like anti-vibration engine mounts, hollow driveshafts, smoothly-profiled door handles and double-layered door seals. Hyundai says it's put lots of work into ride and handling too, developing this car in Europe at venues like the famous Nurburgring Nordschliefe.

Design and Build

Hyundai calls this a '5-door Coupe', a reference to this bodystyle's sloping roofline, long bonnet and more muscular body. The roof has been lowered by 25mm compared with the i30 five-door, enhancing the car's wide stance on the road, improving aerodynamics and creating what the Korean brand hopes is a dramatic impression. Tapering towards the rear, the cabin has a sleek look, apparently inspired by the shape of a teardrop. The rear of the cabin is additionally supported by strong shoulders. At the front, a reduction in the height of the 'Cascading grille', an angled lower front spoiler and a lower horizontal air intake together combine to further the intended more charismatic look. Changes to this revised model include a wider front grille that features an accentuated 3D pattern emphasising what Hyundai hopes is a more agile look. It's flanked by restyled, slimmer headlamps with optional multifaceted reflector MFR LED technology and smarter V-shaped signature LED daytime running lights. Inside, there are fewer changes, though there's a now-larger and more sophisticated 10.25-inch navigation touchscreen for the centre of the dash. Elsewhere in the cabin, the air vents have been restyled and there's also an extra interior garnish colour ('Pewter Grey') if you don't like the usual black. Otherwise, things are much as before. The cabin architecture doesn't quite have the quality feel of a Volkswagen Group product but it's not too far off and the interior's certainly practical enough. It's not possible to sit three fully-sized adults in the back with any real degree of comfort but if there are only two of you, then you'll find that there's reasonable space for legs, knees and shoulders. Finally, let's consider this Hyundai's boot. Despite the sloping roof, in straight stat terms, there's theoretically a little more space here than there would be in the ordinary hatch model - 450-litres as opposed to 395-litres. In practice though, the space available isn't quite as usable because you've only got about 18 inches or so of cargo loading height between the floor and the parcel shelf.

Market and Model

i30 Fastback buyers pay a £750 premium over the standard i30 hatch and there's only one mainstream trim choice - sporty 'N Line', which costs around £25,500 in iMT manual form or £1,800 more if you want the DCT auto version. You'll need around £30,000 for the top i30 N fastback variant. To justify the prices being asked, Hyundai isn't holding back when it comes to equipment. Standard 'N Line' kit includes 18-inch alloy wheels, 'N Line Exclusive'-style design for the bumpers and front grille, full-LED headlamps, a parking guidance system, a rear view camera and a 7-inch Driver's Supervision Instrument Cluster LCD display. Infotainment's taken care of by the brand's 10.25-inch Centre Console Display, with Touchscreen Navigation, 'Apple CarPlay'/'Android Auto' smartphone-mirroring, Traffic Messaging and Hyundai's 'Bluelink' Telematics system. Safety has been a particular feature of the development of this car. The key news is that all variants get Autonomous Emergency Braking, a system that scans the road ahead as you drive, the set-up looking for potential collision hazards. If one is detected, you'll be warned. If you don't respond - or aren't able to - the brakes will automatically be applied to decrease the severity of any resulting accident. Other key i30 safety features include a 'Driver Attention Alert' system, 'Smart Cruise Control', a 'Blind Spot Detector, 'Rear-Cross Traffic Alert', a 'Lane Keeping Assist System', a 'Speed Limit Information Function' and 'High Beam Assist'.

Cost of Ownership

The introduction of new engine technology has kept Hyundai right on the pace of the class best when it comes to WLTP efficiency and carbon dioxide emissions. The brand says that the 1.5 T-GDI petrol manual model will return a combined cycle figure of 45.6mpg and a CO2 return of 141g/km. For the 1.5 T-GDi DCT auto, the figures are 47.1mpg and 136g/km. What else might you need to know? As ever with Hyundai, a strong buying incentive is the five year unlimited mileage warranty that comes as standard. It's backed up by breakdown cover that last the same length of time and free annual vehicle health checks over this duration. True, rival brand Kia claims to better this package by offering a similar seven year deal, but there, you're limited to 100,000 miles. As for servicing, well your i30 will need a garage visit once a year or every 10,000 miles, whichever comes sooner. If you want to budget ahead for routine maintenance, there are various 'Hyundai Sense' packages that offer fixed-price servicing over two, three or five-year periods. You can pay for your plan monthly and add MoTs into the three or five year plans for an extra fee.

Summary

There's not much wrong with the standard i30 hatch: it just needs a bit more style and character. Perhaps aware of this, Hyundai provided the i30 range with this much better-looking Fastback bodystyle and it's enough to put the finishing touch to a very complete package indeed, especially in this revised form, though it's a touch disappointing that engine choice is now so restricted. We think this to be the most refined car in the family hatchback class - and it also offers possibly the best quality of ride you'll find in this segment. The level of standard safety kit is un-bettered in the sector too, plus this Hyundai also makes the grade when it comes to the important questions of practicality and media connectivity. Lots of boxes ticked then. As ever with Hyundai.