Hyundai i30cw Car Review

Safety
The i30cw has been awarded a 5 star ANCAP safety rating-and you can’t get any better than this. To get the top rating, the car must have ESP-something that other small cars don’t offer. You’ve also got Electronic Brake force Distribution, 6 airbags and ABS brakes. Given that this car will be attractive to families, there’s also reverse park assist and a button on the driver’s door to stop the kids from opening the auto windows.

Rear Passenger Comfort
The i30cw is longer than the hatch giving your rear passengers more leg room. We took the car up to the Hunter Valley to visit the wineries and have some good girly time. My 3 rear passengers were particularly impressed with the leg and headroom. The pockets on the back of the front seats came in handy to store the flyers we (they) collected at each winery. Anyone looking for a brochure about the Lovedale Long Lunch in May, let me know, I’ve got plenty!
When we got into the car after lunch at a fabulous restaurant-Leaves and Fishes, there was some complaining about the heat in the rear. The car was parked in the sun and it was 31 degrees outside according to the car’s thermometer. Once we got underway the AC kicked in and everyone was happy again.

Storage
The i30cw gets the thumbs up for storage. 2 great cup holders in the front, 2 in the rear armrest and bottle holder slots in all 4 doors. There’s also a chilled glove box-which really does work, an in-dash storage box with lid, coin holder, sunglasses holder, front armrest with storage bin, door pockets in all doors and an additional storage nook in the centre dash under the audio controls.
The boot space is great. We neatly packed in luggage for 5 girls for the weekend. This included my reasonably large suitcase. If you need more space, the rear seats are 60/40 split fold so you can get longer items in, like your flat pack IKEA boxes.

Entertainment
Hyundai understand that cheap speakers and a single CD player just doesn’t crack it any more. Music is a big part of people’s lives. So you can load up to 6 CDs via the dash or plug in your iPod. The great news is that it has full iPod connectivity so you can select your tunes simply by using the buttons located on your steering wheel.

 
Green Factor
The most fuel efficient i30cw is the diesel manual consuming only 4.9 litres per 100kms combined city and highway driving. The car we test drove was a little thirstier consuming 7.7 litres for every 100kms travelled-although it performed better than this on the freeway. It has also been awarded a 4.5 star (out of 5) Green Vehicle Guide rating, which is great.

Overall View
The i30cw has a lot going for it. For starters, it’s got the highest Australian safety rating. You’ve also got good boot space, good room for you rear passengers and the best warranty available. Best of all, it offers very good value for money. Not a huge outlay upfront and cheap to run. A very good option in today’s economic climate!

If you are looking at this car, you might want to consider the Holden Astra.