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By
ALISTAIR KENNEDY
14 October 2011
Hyundai’s
relentless climb up the automotive ladder, both in terms of sales
numbers and quality, has continued with the release of an all-new,
Euro-style mid-sized wagon, the Hyundai i40 Tourer.
Styling is very much to the fore from Hyundai these days, and the
new Hyundai i40 is an excellent example of the new design theme.
So important is our market to Hyundai that it flew the head of its
European design centre, Thomas Burkle, to Australia for the
wagon’s launch. Burkle has been responsible for the design of
most of Hyundai’s new ‘i’ models including the ix35 compact
SUV with which the i40 Tourer shares its striking hexagonal
frontal styling.
The other eye-catching feature of the i40’s face is a pair of
eyebrow shaped LED daytime running lights, a first for Hyundai and
one that gives the car a real presence on the road as well as
improving its on-road visibility and so its safety. The Hyundai
i40 comes into its own when viewed in profile, with its long
flowing lines making it a real head-turner.
Although
it’s likely to be viewed as a wagon version of the Hyundai i45,
the i40 is actually built on a different platform. At 4.77 metres
long it squeezes in between the Hyundai Elantra (4.51 metres) and
i45 (4.82 metres). An i40 sedan will be produced but no decision
has been made yet on whether it will be sold in Australia.
Interior space is reasonable although rear seat occupants will get
a bit of knee squeeze if the front seat passengers use up their
maximum allotted space. Despite the swooping roofline, headroom is
good in all seats even with the full-length sunroof that comes
standard in the highest-specced model.
The cargo area ranges from 553 litres with the rear seat backs in
place to 1719 litres with the rear seat backs folded. There’s an
extra 47 litres of hidden compartments below the cargo floor. The
loading lip is low for ease of loading and there is a luggage rail
fitted to the Elite and Premium models.
Three
model variants are offered, Active, Elite and Premium. Each comes
with the option of a 2.0-litre petrol or 1.7-litre turbo-diesel
engine. The entry-level Active is available with either six-speed
manual or six-speed automatic transmission; the two higher-specced
variants only come with the auto gearbox.
While these engines capacities might appear small for what is a
relatively large vehicle we had no problems during our three-hour
test drive in and around the Yarra Valley. Keep in mind that the
i40 is more about practicality than performance.
The diesel has peak power of 100 kW, and torque of 320 Nm between
2000 and 2500 rpm (in the automatic test car that we drove – no
manual was available), while the petrol unit reaches 130 kW, and
213 Nm at 4700 rpm. Our preference, as it generally is nowadays,
would be for the diesel with its combination of performance and
economy.
Ride
and handling are both impressive with a good balance between
firmness and comfort. We struck a few shallow potholes during our
test but found no serious jarring or vibration.
The Hyundai i40 Tourer is very much a car of its time in terms of
safety and fuel efficiency. Standard across the range are nine
airbags, ABS brakes with electronic brakeforce assistance and
brake assist, concerning brake control, vehicle stability
management system, swivelling headlights and hill start. There’s
also a clever emergency braking feature which instantly activates
the hazard lights when maximum brake pressure is applied.
The Elite and Premium models get front and rear parking sensors,
supplemented in the Premium with a rear view camera.
Satellite navigation is still not available in any Hyundai models
although we’ve been assured that the necessary system is in the
advanced stages of development.
All variants get Bluetooth connectivity including audio streaming
as well as auxiliary and USB sockets. Active has a single CD
player, Elite and Premium have a six-disc stacker with a more
advanced audio system and both play MP3 and WMA discs. Elite and
Premium models also use a proximity key with push button
start/stop.
Fuel consumption figures from both engines are most impressive
with the Active CRDi manual using just 4.7 litres per 100
kilometres under the ADR 81/02 test. During the press launch we
achieved around 5.5 L/100 km without any attempt at economy
driving. We’ll be interested to see what we can achieve during
our upcoming extended test. The official figures for the petrol
models range from 6.8 to 7.7 L/100km.
So there are plenty of good reasons for the mid-sized family buyer
to add the Hyundai i40 Tourer to their shopping list: good looks,
functionality, reasonable pricing and fuel efficiency. Then, as
with all Hyundai models, there’s that industry-leading five
year/unlimited kilometre warranty as an added bonus. Free roadside
assist for the same period is also offered but only where the car
is serviced by a Hyundai dealer.
The complete Hyundai i40 Tourer range, with prices (excluding
government and dealer charges) is:
Active 2.0-litre petrol: $32,490 (manual), $34,490 (automatic)
Active 1.7-litre turbo-diesel: $34,490 (manual), $36,490
(automatic)
Elite 2.0-litre petrol: $39,490 (automatic)
Elite 1.7-litre turbo-diesel: $41,490 (automatic)
Premium 2.0-litre petrol: $44,490 (automatic)
Premium 1.7-litre turbo-diesel: $46,490 (automatic)
Note: These prices do not
include dealer or government charges. Contact any Hyundai
dealership for driveaway prices.
© Copyright
Marque Publishing Company
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