Test: Hyundai i30 Turbo - The non-GTI

Do you remember the DIY store tuning 20 years ago? Or is it already 30? There was this Turbo lettering - not only in the hardware store - but especially there. Quickly bought these plastic adhesive letters, put them on the tailgate and in front of the “disco” the parking lot turned into a promenade. The lettering alone, 30 HP Plus and away from the traffic lights, only with screeching tires, because of the high power and such.

Test: Hyundai i30 Turbo

Is not this a GTI?

At Hyundai you go a completely opposite way. The thing with the turbo, you do not do that for the show, you do it because it's good. Modern turbo engines have long been no tuning aggregates with steam until they drop and just as much thirst. The turbo belongs to the petrol engine like hydrogen peroxides to the disco evening in the country. With Hyundai one has now a turbo, which goes, but is in the respect distance to the GTI parliamentary group. For the i30 Turbo is not about the answer to the GTI question, but more about the classic GT.

It still does not rattle

It was Martin Winterkorn, who is no longer in office and ex-Oberste VW driver Winterkorn, who certified the Hyundai i30 as being particularly solid! “Do not rattle” it said when he examined the Hyundai 2011 at the IAA. He related it to the adjustment of the steering column and its mechanical fixation. It has become synonymous with quality at Hyundai. And even if the turbo engine is not based on VW's GTI pounds, the quality and feel do. With your eyes closed you don't think you are in a “cheap Korean” for a long time.

The Hyundai i30 is a prime example of the “seven mile boots” with which Hyundai set out to make life difficult for the “German all-rounder” and “always winner”.

The Hyundai i30 Turbo comes to the solid processing a little make-up. Red cheeks on the sports seats, a gear knob with red inlay, a red anodized ring around the start button. A few alupedals and red stitching. No, he does not want to be a GTI. Can not he with his 1.6 liter turbo engine.

Turbo pressure? Not quite.

186 hp were once impressive. Back then. When you bought Turbo lettering in the hardware store. Today it is a less impressive performance figure. Hyundai has certainly not "strangled" the new 1.6 liter turbo engine. It's about reasonable performance, solid torque and the whole thing shouldn't top the thirst of a Russian sailor in everyday life. The NEDC value of 7.3 liters would also prove that.

We did not push the Hyundai i30 to its limits. In one of our normal rounds of standard practice, we used the torque of 265 Nm and drove the i30 Turbo rather shy and relaxed. The i8.0 has proven that it slips under the 30 brand.

On the winding roads of the Spessart have convinced the directly tuned steering, the precise tuning of the front axle and the very balanced behavior of the damper spring elements. You can move the i30 Turbo quickly, even though the turbo engine seems constricted starting at 4.000 rpm. But there is again the restriction: The i30 Turbo is no GTI.

He is also not a blender with a turbo logo from the hardware store. The 1.6 turbo engine ensures superior performance in the Golf class. More a good GT does not have to be on it!

And he showed something else

Turbo doesn't have to mean wanting to let the “fat Max” hang out. Turbo is now synonymous with “efficiency”. The I30 Turbo impresses with a GT tuning of the chassis, a solid workmanship, the fulfillment of Wolfsburg quality standards and the fun of a little “show”.

The fact that the Keyless-Go system can be recognized at night, the mirrors fold out, the small ambient lights come on when you get close with the key in your pocket - it looks like premium. And it looks more than just personable.

Two tailpipes at the rear, a red trim and the Turbo logo. It's just not his world. It is much more a solid compact, well equipped, with a good navigation system and a lot of comfort - plus a modern engine. The “turbo show” leads to expectations that the i30 cannot meet. This is a pity. However, the sum of its properties does not make the i30 Turbo a bad car!

Conclusion to the Hyundai i30 Turbo

Comfortable seats, a well-graded six-speed gearbox, a solid idea when it comes to the “turbo engine” and a chassis with a successful balance. What more could you want? If you want more GTI, you have to choose the GTI. The original or alternatively a Honda Type-R? The Hyundai i30 reminds me in the best way of the “old Golf GT”. Only with extensive equipment and standard equipment that leaves little to be desired. The basic i30 turbo costs € 23.850 - VW only has a Polo GTI for this - alternatively a VW Golf with a 1.4 liter TSI engine and 125 hp.

So much for the question, how much “GTI” does the i30 actually have to be?

If you order the radio navigation system with reversing camera and the “Smart Key Package” in addition to the basic i30 Turbo, you will get a lot of quality, good equipment and “GT feeling” for € 25.900 - according to the list!