The Worst Parts of the Hyundai i30

Ever since the Hyundai i30 first took the road in 2007 it’s be a favorite for city dwellers and family-first drivers all over Australia. In 2007, the i30 took home to award for Australia’s Car of the Year and was also the cheapest diesel car in Australia. Beyond that, Australian i30 models have featured a unique suspension tune made specifically for Australian road conditions.

It seems like the perfect car of Aussies all across the country, right? The answer to that questions depends heavily on what you value in a car. To put it simply, the worst part about the Hyundai i30 is that it’s just boring. Sure, it’ll get you from point A to point B, but is that all you want out of your car? From the interior, to the steering, to the acceleration, this car is just pretty average.

Let’s break down what makes it so ordinary.

Handling and responsiveness

Because of the soft suspension (which is made even softer in Australia to handle the roads), the Hyundai i30 lacks that sharp and responsive feel that many drivers love. Beyond that, because of that suspension, drivers can often feel the body shifting and swaying while on twisty roads. While it handles perfectly fine, there’s no feel to driving this car. It’s going to get you where you need to go, but don’t expect to enjoy getting there.

The one thing that its soft suspension does enhance is the driving comfort. Even with the shifting in weight that you will feel from time to time, the ride is smooth and comfortable. It’s a great help when you kids are sleeping in the back seat and you don’t want those neighborhood speed bumps to wake them up from their naps.

Visibility

Another less-than-ideal feature that the Hyundai i30 has struggled to excel at is visibility. With its relatively thick rear pillars and small rear screen, the over-the-shoulder visibility leaves something to be desired.

To make things worse, the view out of the front windscreen isn’t much better. You’ll often find yourself having trouble judge distance and space when taking roundabouts and T-junctions. On top of that, customers of several older models have complained that after some time on the road, moisture will accumulate in the i30’s headlights. That can be dangerous if driving on poorly lit roads and can only increase the front windscreen visibility issues that we already touched upon. While this isn’t a regularly reported issue, it is definitely something to keep an eye on if you are in the market for an i30.

The i30 has made of for the lack of visibility to a certain degree in their top two trims (the Premium and the Premium SE) by adding not only rear parking sensors and a camera, but front sensors as well. Still, if you want those features, you’re going to have to be prepared to shell out a little extra cash.

Interior and rear space

Because this car is considered to be a small family vehicle, one of the most substantial downsides of the Hyundai i30 has to do with how much room it actually has to fit your family. When compared to its rivals such as the VW Golf and the Skoda Octavia, this car seems a bit lacking when it comes to leg room. Sure, that won’t matter much if you’re driving a couple young children around, but once they hit their first growth spurt you might feel the need to trade up with something a bit roomier.

Where the i30 lacks space in the back seat, however, it has quite a bit of space in the boot of the car. It offers 395 litres of total load space. It bests the VW Golf in this category, but once again falls short compared to the Skoda Octavia. Still, the boot is quite deep and offers good access.

Running costs

All of its weaknesses, both on its own and when compared to other cars in its class, could be forgiven if the price of the Hyundai i30 was right. Unfortunately, this car isn’t all that cheap to maintain. While the i30’s engine is quite small, it isn’t all that efficient. Fuel economy and C02 emissions from the 1.4 turbo engine are extremely lacking compared to its rivals.

It’s not only something to keep in mind if you’re interested in reducing your carbon footprint while on the road, it’s also something to keep in mind if you hope to save a couple bucks in terms of petrol. If you plan on using your i30 to make regular trips, be prepared to make stops as the petrol station quite often.