FAST, stylish and sporty. Not words usually associated with Hyundai but you know what? The Hyundai i30 SR deserves them. This could be a future classic even though it’s not a mid-engine European sports car.
It is however a pretty warm hatch and deserves its place in the category as a genuine contender to take the title away from some other, better known brands in this space – red seat belts and all.
Hyundai have given the market a super affordable little sporty hatch at just $28,990 for the Auto and $25,950 for the 6-speed manual, which we’re driving. Yep, under $30,000 for a fun, economical hatch with heaps of tech and a solid amount of grunt.
Speaking of technical toys, this hatch is full of fun things like Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, rain sensing wipers, auto lights and heated and vented seats. Yes you read that correctly, the uber rare vented seats are in the i30 SR.
In Australia, you would think this would be a given but sadly many other brands only offer heated seats. Having experienced these vented seats in the hot weather, we thought they were brilliant. No more wet shirts from the summer heat.
The sound system is excellent as well. Bluetooth on this little beauty is awesome and clear. The system will read your text messages as well so you don’t need to touch your phone at all.
The interior is quality, loaded with red metallic highlights, and feels more expensive than the car is. Seating is comfortable too, while maintaining the SR’s sports feel. The driving position is great and everything is within easy reach no matter your size.
The power plant in this car is smooth and responsive as well, with the zippy little 1.6-litre turbocharged engine offering up 150kW of power and 265Nm of torque through an outstanding 6-speed manual transmission, with red highlights.
Turbo lag is minimal at most, and we hardly even noticed we were driving a boosted car, making for a very pleasurable drive no matter what you’re using it for. It was great fun on the weekends and worked well as a daily driver too.
It’s pretty economical as we mentioned, with combined fuel economy of 7.5-litres/100km, and comes in a range of great colours, including Phantom Black, Intense Blue, Marina Blue, Lava Orange, Phoenix Orange, Fiery Red, Sparkling Metal and Polar White.
Our test vehicle was supplied by Hyundai Australia. To find out more about the 2018 Hyundai i30 SR, contact your local Hyundai dealer.
