Faults:

Badly slipping auto transmission.

General Comments:

This car was purchased with the intention of having a reasonably compact vehicle to lug work equipment around the city and do family duty on the weekend. In hindsight, I think the diesel may have been a better option.

The 2.0 engine produces adequate power on paper, but in practice it feels quite sluggish, especially when laden or on hills. The transmission started to slip after about 40000km. Supposedly fixed under warranty, but kept happening. Slipped badly on brisk take offs and made for scary overtaking kick downs. The car seemed to stop/turn OK, but was far from sporting (no surprise there). Not as nice to drive as Focus/3/Corolla of the same era, but certainly more spacious and good equipment for the price.

Load space is great, but front seats weren't the best on long trips, although I'm fairly tall and found the head/leg room quite acceptable. Not sure the interior trim would stand up to kids long term. USB port didn't provide enough power to recharge my iPhone while it played.

Fuel economy was good - generally about 8.0L/100km mixed driving and down to 6.2 on the highway. Servicing costs are very reasonable.

Overall a decent, practical car, but not as reliable as I hoped.

Faults:

Headlamp bulbs blew several times in two years; needed to replace both sides each time, and very fiddly to replace.

Front tyres wore unevenly on the edges.

Hard interior plastics scuffed easily.

General Comments:

The car was over four years old when I sold it, and had been flawless mechanically.

It still felt very solid, and was very comfortable for long trips (had done regular 350km trips without breaks).

Classed as a small car, but very spacious inside.

The interior trim had a quality feel with lots of soft-touch plastics used around the cabin. I had the mid-range model (SLX), which also added silver bits around the place to liven it up a bit.

The only thing I thought was missing was cruise control; Hyundai added this a year later.

The diesel engine was peppy enough and extremely economical; I regularly recorded under 5L/100km trips (mostly highway driving).

Back seats folded down flat by displacing the bench cushions, giving wagon-like space in the rear.

Faults:

One headlamp bulb.

Noisy tyres replaced with Michelins.

No actual faults to speak of.

General Comments:

I am really happy with my i30.

I love the shape, the finish, and the high standard of build quality. Hyundai have come a LONG way since the Accent of many years ago.

The ergonomics are perfect, the cabin is huge, and all the plastics and switchgear are beautifully made.

The ride is firm and very sporty. I love the way it handles, but I'm not too keen to go on an interstate drive yet, because it seems to have a very jolty ride on all roads.

Faults:

Only small warranty items, like the carpet not being aligned properly to the centre console.

The auto chromed gear stick top cracked, being plastic chromed, but it was replaced without question.

The ESP (electronic stability control) light came on intermittently whilst driving under normal conditions, but was found to be a faulty brake light switch; again, replaced under warranty.

Wasn't too pleased with the selling dealer's servicing, as per cost and actual times (labour) charges didn't make sense, but that's not a vehicle fault.

Other than the above mentioned, the vehicle has run faultlessly.

General Comments:

The factory Bluetooth could do with a hands free voice dial system, as currently installed on some other popular makes, but it works well.

The Vivid blue colour is great to look at, and the factory alloys look the part in grey.

My wife is very happy with this vehicle, as it does the job well as a city commuter, and is economical.

Safety features are amazing for such a budget priced vehicle; six airbags, ESP, ABS, cruise control, alloys, fog lights, rear spoiler, leather bound steering, gear stick, centre armrest. Full electrics and a great stereo.