DRIVEN: Hyundai i30 Sport Nav Review
After a week-long test drive of the Hyundai i30 Sport Nav, here is what we thought of the car.
What’s the Hyundai i30 Sport Nav all about?
The Hyundai i30 is a reasonably sized hatchback with plenty going for it. The model on test is the 3 door Sport Nav. The 3 door version has slightly better styling than the 5 door option and being the Sport Nav variant means that there is a selection of additional goodies including 17-inch alloy wheels, LED tail lights, privacy glass, alloy pedals, leather and cloth upholstery, dual zone climate control, automatic windscreen wipers and headlights, and electrically folding door mirrors. The car also includes a touch screen satellite navigation system and a rear view parking camera with Parking Guidance System. So you are getting a fair bit of kit for your cash. One additional option that this car has fitted is the £950 panoramic sunroof.
The overall styling of the car is quite refreshing, with its large wheels and colour coded bumpers the i30 has a very solid look for such an affordable car.
The Sport Nav is powered by a 1.6-litre diesel engine that creates 128bhp and 260Nms of torque. This power goes to the front wheels using a 6 speed manual gearbox and will get from 0-60mph in 10.9 seconds.
How does it drive?
In the driving seat of the Hyundai i30 I certainly got a lot more than I bargained for, it’s a pretty decent drive. The 1.6-litre diesel engine strikes a fine balance between power and efficiency, with only a slight bias towards efficiency. Using the i30 on a daily basis the 128bhp has enough power for most things and you will only feel like you could do with a bit more power when you have 5 people in the car.
What I really enjoyed about the car was how easy it felt to drive, the car had a very relaxed feel which I believe comes from the clutch design that smooths out any poor driving you throw at the car. The 6 speed manual gearbox works very nicely and it is matched well to the 1.6-litre engine.
The Sport Nav car has a Flex Steer option that allows you to change the steering weight of the car between 3 modes. Comfort, normal, and sport. Changing the weight of the steering, be it only slight, does have an impact to how the handling of the car feels. Some may call the concept a bit of a gimmick, but you can feel the weight difference as you swap through the modes and some may prefer one mode to the other, so it can help you adjust the car to your mood.
What’s it like inside?
Being the first i30 I have test driven I didn’t expect the interior to be this good. It’s well and truly exceeded my expectations. The seats were part leather and part cloth upholstery, which I really liked, and the dash design was very impressive. Overall the car had a very crisp, clean cut, and premium feel.
The driver’s instruments are very bright and good looking, with blue lights illuminating both the main dials. The centre screen can be changed to show you trip metrics about the car and allows you to keep a close eye on those mpg figures.
The infotainment system is surprisingly refreshing. The touch screen graphical interface is very modern, simple to use and it is lightening fast to operate. The entertainment system includes radio, CD, USB and Bluetooth mp3 streaming.
The Experience
The Hyundai i30 Sport Nav provides a relaxing and highly practical experience. The current iteration of the i30 in the Sport Nav spec is by far the best the model has ever looked from a design perspective. You can feel pretty happy with yourself being seen in this stylish and affordable hatchback. Inside and out the car feels fresh, exciting and a joy to spend your time with.
Verdict
Hyundai have taken the i30 to the next level, the car looks great and has a high equipment level with the Sport Nav trim. I would have liked to see a faster engine option available in the Sport trim, but I certainly can’t complain about the impressively high MPG that the 128bhp 1.6-litre diesel engine creates.
Highlight Video
Specification
Hyundai i30 Sport Nav
- Price: £22,170
- Engine: 1.6-Litre CRDi
- Power: 128bhp
- Torque: 260Nm
- Transmission: 6-Speed Manual
- 0-62mph: 10.9 Seconds
- Top speed: 122mph
- Weight: 1,421kg
- Economy combined: 68mpg
- CO2: 108g/km
Author: Paul Hadley
