Hyundai i40 is a new departure

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Friday, October 07, 2011

To say that the giant South Korean manufacturer Hyundai has big ambitions would be to seriously understate what is going on within the company.

Within the next three years, Hyundai aims to sell around 500,000 units per annum across Europe — a volume that would put it on a par with the likes of BMW, Audi and Toyota.

And, with the recent release of the i40 model in Ireland, Hyundai is looking to take on the likes of immediate competitors such as the Skoda Superb and the Opel Insignia.

I first saw the car outside a posh Dublin hotel a few weeks back and I was immediately struck by how handsome and contemporary the i40 looks; and, having driven it since then, I reflected on how far the company has come in terms of its struggle for credibility against the might of its Japanese and European rivals.

This car is truly a leap into the future for the Korean giant. Forget your Sonatas, your Elantras and all those moderate Hyundai models of old — the i40 represents a new world order.

Certainly in recent times — what with such as the i10, i20 and i30 models, as well as the excellent ix35 — Hyundai has been slowly but surely upping its game.

But with this car Hyundai has addressed a host of design and architectural issues, and has also taken on a mountain of engineering problems and by-and-large overcome them.

For instance, until recently the company had little experience of producing credible diesel engines but now it is making state-of-the-art oil-burners.

We tested the i40 with the 1.7 litre 115 bhp turbo diesel and aside from being hugely impressed with the look and feel of the car, we were very impressed with this powerplant too.

Consider that it is fitted with economy enhancing ancillaries such as an intelligent alternator, an automatic starter-generator and by-now regular stuff such as a stop/go system, low resistant tyres and an automatic radiator blank.

All this adds up to emissions of just 113 g/km and a fuel return of just 4.3 l/100 km (that’s at the upper end of the 60 mpg bracket for us older types).

Throw in a six-speed gearbox and all-round independent suspension and you have a package which not alone aims to compete with the best in the family car segment, but does so with some considerable aplomb.

It drives really well, throttle response is good and there is plenty of low end grunt as well as decent mid-range punch to make this car very useable across a wide range of driving conditions — which may come as a pleasant surprise to many long-standing Hyundai owners.

Handling is precise and predictable, grip levels are top-drawer and with standard kit such as hill-start assist, among other things, the i40 is more than capable of delivering a comfortable driving experience for the majority of drivers.

Sure it is not up there yet with the likes of Mondeo or Passat in this regard, but it is not far off them.

We drove the Estate model the only one available here right now, with the saloon arriving in the not too distant future, and you could not but be impressed by what this car offers driver and passengers. It is truly roomy machine which will meet the needs of most families.

Hyundai’s designers obviously know what makes families tick and it has produced an interior which is both very appealing and practical at the same time.

In the past, Hyundai would have been associated with a budget approach to much of its interior decor, but the i40 represents a new era in this facet of its endeavour as much as any other.

Stuff like the flat folding and split rear seats as well as the floor rail system for securing luggage make it hugely practical, while the adjustable backrests on the rear seats also makes the car a much more comfortable proposition for larger rear seat adults.

The list of standard equipment is as impressive as it is long and when you see things such as the rear view mirror-mounted rear camera, you realise that Hyundai has sought and achieve a whole new level of sophistication with the i40 and, consequently, is almost certain to attract a whole new audience.

I’ve driven Hyundai products — good, terrible and indifferent — down the years and I have to say that while the i30 impressed me a whole lot more than I thought it would, the i40 has upped the ante to an unprecedented level for the South Korean manufacturer.

It is a compelling contender on many levels — not least price and economy — and it is certainly the first car I have encountered from the company that truly stopped you in your tracks on your first encounter with it; and it only got better from there on.

This truly is a car of which the company can be rightly proud and one which potential owners will delight in.

It may not yet be in the same league as some of Europe’s finely tuned best, but for a majority of drivers the i40 offers a level of motoring pleasure which many would have found hard to predict only a few short years ago.