Two months ago I spent an excellent couple of weeks driving around Northern Queensland in Hyundai’s previous incarnation of the i20, the Getz. 2800km of budget motoring ranging from the tropical Napier-like town that is Cairns through to the dusty and rutted outback roads of Chillagoe got me intimately familiar with Hyundai’s smallest car. And it made me realise how far it’s come in six years. Read the rest of this entry »
Hyundai is a brand in transition. Aiming for the Euro market, it has smartened itself up considerably in the past few years and is setting vehicles from VW group as its target. The obvious competitor to the i30 Elite is the 103kW Volkswagen Golf TDI. There’s only a couple of grand in the price difference, and the specifications are comparable.
On the outside, Hyundai’s new ‘Fluidic sculpture’ design language can be seen in a multitude of visual lines that begin at the nose and head towards a strongly creased flank with its prominent wheel arches right around to a very strong boot crease that integrates beautifully with the flow of the rear lights. The designers (housed in a studio in Russelsheim, Germany) packed in a lot of detail, to the point of risking a busy mish-mash, but they’ve pulled it off with only the Read the rest of this entry »
We took a look at the naturally aspirated Veloster Elite a few months ago. If you read the article you’ll see that I said that the turbo version will be awesome. Let’s find out whether it is.
My history is with four-wheel drive rally cars of the 90s. I liked the stiff suspension, the four-cylinder turbo sound and the agile feeling that you get when you don’t have a Read the rest of this entry »
Hyundai Motors New Zealand has launched the new-generation i30; a vehicle the company expects will build on the success of the original model thanks to an all new European design.
Hyundai General Manager Andy Sinclair says the i30 is the company’s best-selling and most awarded model globally and the new-generation i30 really ups the ante against its Europeans rivals.
“The i30 is designed and engineered at Hyundai Motor Europe’s Technical Design Centre in Russelsheim, Germany, and built at our state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Namyang, South Korea,” he says.
“This car changes the game in value in the small car market. It’s going to be a hit with Kiwis. It really pushes the envelope on design, technology and efficient performance.
Every new i30 comes standard with the Flex Steer system, one-touch triple turn indicators, iPod/USB connectivity and Bluetooth hands free phone system with steering wheel controls, and cruise control. The Elite model adds front heated seats, electric folding outside mirrors, stop/start button, 17” alloy wheels, reversing camera and reversing sensors.
“Once you take account of all these additional features, the value of every model is market leading,” says Mr Sinclair.
The new i30 has also been named as ‘one of the safest choices within the small car category’ by the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP), receiving the maximum five-star safety rating.
“It is further testament to Hyundai’s continued commitment to bringing industry-leading occupant and pedestrian safety within reach of all New Zealanders,” says Mr Sinclair.
As well as achieving the maximum 5-star ANCAP safety rating, the new generation i30 comes with a comprehensive suite of active and passive safety technologies as standard.
Active safety systems include Vehicle Stability Management (VSM), Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Traction Control System (TCS), ABS with EBD and Brake Assist System (BAS), whilst advanced passive safety features include the use of ultra-high tensile steel within the body shell and seven airbags standard, including driver knee airbag.
In New Zealand, there is a choice of fuel-saving petrol and diesel engines with combined fuel efficiency as low as 4.5 litres* per 100 kilometres and CO2 emissions as low as 119 g/km*.
There is also the choice between a 6-speed manual or 6-speed automatic transmission, with both units providing a refined driving experience and enhanced fuel efficiency.
The entry model i30 manual petrol starts at $34,490 and the Elite auto petrol from $39,990.
The new i30 is on sale now and available for test drives from one of Hyundai’s 23 dealerships nationwide.
*Applies to the 1.6 CRDi M6 model
This is the big guy of the Hyundai range: a powerful SUV that aims to give seven occupants a swift and comfortable journey. Leather heated seats, heated steering wheel, rear air conditioning, dual climate control air con in the front, and centre console cooler box help keep the vehicle’s interior at the perfect temperature. There’s even a ‘cluster ioniser’, whatever that is.
The inside is appointed tastefully. Faux carbon fibre dashboard inserts would usually be dismissed as a little tacky because this isn’t Formula 1, but in the Santa Fe they seem perfectly natural. Four LCDs display air conditioning, stereo, clock and trip computer. The driving position is Read the rest of this entry »
When I picked up the Accent from Hyundai HQ my memory floated back to the decidedly average previous iterations of the Accent and I mentally rubbed my hands in glee at the prospect of getting stuck in to its foibles. You might remember the old Accent – it developed from ugly into boring, and was cheap and nasty with not poor safety ratings.
Well, it’s all changed with this completely redesigned Accent. In fact, there’s so little wrong with it that I experienced extreme procrastination coming to write this review.
Let’s get the bad out of the way with first: rear visibility is not very good (like in the i40 we had a few weeks ago), but Hyundai has included a reversing camera (integrated into the rear view mirror) and rear sensors so I can’t even complain about that. The one thing that they haven’t quite fixed, though, is the steering feel. I will say that over a week of driving it, I got used to it, but it’s just too light for you to feel like you are in control of a tonne of metal.
Onto the good: it has a willing engine that pulls strongly given its fairly low power and torque figures: 91kW and 156Nm. This is transmitted to forward motion by a four-speed automatic and it gives you the right kind of engine noise when you need to put your foot down. Fuel economy is pretty good at 6.4l/100km and you can get a diesel variant which sips a frugal 4.4l/100km.
The driving experience is very confidence-inspiring. This is a cheap compact car and it’s not a sports car, but there wasn’t one time that I felt that the Hyundai was underperforming. Despite only having steering wheel height adjustment the driving position was immediately comfortable. Visibility, as mentioned above, is not brilliant to the rear (the headrest for the centre seat obscures some of the view, as does the small rear window), but forward visibility is excellent and it is easy to position on the road.
From the outside I was fooled and walked past the rear of the Accent thinking it was an i30 such are the similarities. Gone are the frumpy, boring lines of the previous Accent. They’ve been replaced by strong lines that flow from the front fog lights across the shoulder line and around to the boot, and down near the sills there’s a line that arcs up and around to the rear bumper. It’s all coherent.
The redesign has seen Hyundai achieve a 5-star ANCAP safety rating. Safety features include six airbags, ABS brakes with EBD (electronic brakeforce distribution), ESC (electronic stability control), CSM (vehicle stability management) plus front seatbelt pretensioners and load limiters.
This Elite model comes with leatherette seats and keyless entry/start. There are three LCDs for the stereo, trip computer and climate control. While these could be a little nicer, you have to consider the overall low cost of the car and the fact that the overall interior design is pleasant and comfortable.
Bluetooth integration is supplied with buttons to answer and hang up your phone located on the steering wheel, which also has controls for the stereo. You can plug in your MP3 player or iPod. There’s no cruise control, which is probably to be expected on a car of this price.
Rear passenger legroom is tight if the front seats are all the way back, but other than that, the back is comfortable. As there is plenty of room in the front, the space you see in the photographs is based on having a 6-foot driver and passenger.
Open the boot of this hatchback and you’ll see a nice deep floor giving plenty of room. The boot contains Hyundai’s default safety kit (fire extinguisher, first aid kit and safety vest). Boot capacity is 370 litres.
Of course, you get the standard Hyundai 10-year/200,000km anti-perforation corrosion body warranty, 3-year/100,000km mechanical warranty and 3-year/100,000km roadside assistance package.
The Accent is a car where you get everything you expect for the money you pay. Sure, there are a few compromises because the price is low – a five-speed auto would undoubtedly help performance, for example – but can you really complain when you’re getting a car that’s every bit as good as a Toyota Corolla (if not better) for several grand less.
Price: $35,990. Range starts at $31,990 for the 1.6 automatic sedan.
For other Hyundai reviews, click here
To check out second hand Hyundai Accents to buy, click here
Transmission / 4 speed Automatc
CC / 1,591
Fuel Type / petrol
Power / 91 kW @ 6300 rpm
Torque / 156 Nm @ 4200 rpm
Length / 4,115 mm
Width / 1,700 mm
Height / 1,450 mm
Towing Capacity Braked / 800 kg
Towing Capacity Unbraked / 450 kg
Min. Turning Radius / 5.2 m
Kerb Weight (lightest/heaviest) / 1,060 / 1,140 kg
Fuel Tank Capacity / 43 litres
Boot Capacity / 370 (VDA litres)
Wheel Base / 2,570 mm
Tyres / 195 / 50 R16
Fuel Consumption Combined / 6.4 l / 100 km
Fuel Emissions / 151 g/km
Words and photos: Darren Cottingham
Packaging is important these days. We’re repulsed by the ugly and gravitate towards the beautiful. Today our sister publication NZ Classic Car had an authentic Lamborghini Miura in the studio for a photoshoot. The packaging is right: it says that you, too, could be in The Italian Job (though you’d want to avoid the bulldozer) and you’d better be ready for an existence fending off leggy supermodels.
The Hyundai i40, too, comes in some attractive package. It sits in my driveway, smirking, knowing it can do everything that the package says it can do. And more.
Let’s start with its Read the rest of this entry »
Hyundai now boasts an extremely large small car range courtesy of the Veloster. It’s also making forays into sports car territory with the Veloster’s middle-bumper exhaust, low-slung looks and all the tie-ins with the rally versions that Kiwi Reece Millen has been thrashing in viral videos.
While Millen’s car is a far cry from what you and I will be pootling around in, the car itself is certainly competent on the road. I have a certain hairpin bend that I know a competent sports car can take at Read the rest of this entry »