Golf-fighting 2017 Hyundai i30 revealed in Paris

Looking distinctly European in its design, Hyundai chose the Paris Auto Show 2016 to reveal the third-generation 2017 Hyundai i30 to the world. This is a crucial car for Hyundai Australia, where the current i30 regularly features in the top 5 selling cars of each month – occasionally topping the sales charts.

To watch the video of our impressions of the i30 at the Paris Motor Show, click the image above.

Australian i30s are set to open with the 124kW/201Nm 2.0 litre petrol in the current i30 SR. Sitting higher up the range will be the 150kW/265Nm 1.6 litre turbo petrol and independent rear suspension in a possible i30 SR model. The 100kW 1.6 litre diesel will also feature. Transmissions will be 6-speed manual and automatics, with 7-speed dual-clutch automatics available on the SR and diesel models.

Later in 2017 will come the i30 N, the first from Hyundai’s new high-performance sub-brand. Tipped to feature a much higher engine output – think 180-200kW – 2.0 litre turbo engine, the i30 N will go up against the hot hatch establishment.

Now called the “DNA” of the brand’s future, the new i30 ushers in a new era of design for Hyundai. The swooping, flowing lines of the old model have been ditched and replaced with a sleek, modern and even European look inside and out, with an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system that sits on top of the dashboard and incorporates a higher-end menu layout. As with the current car, expect AndroidAuto and Apple CarPlay to feature, as well as satellite navigation on higher models.

For the first time in the model’s history, technologies such as radar cruise control, autonomous emergency braking, lane-keep assist, blind spot monitoring, driver fatigue monitoring and even wireless phone charging will be offered. The current model offers none of those features, something Hyundai Australia is surely quite keen to address when the new model arrives.

Showing a deeper connection to Australian buyers than most manufacturers, the new i30 will follow a variety of its Hyundai and Kia cousins and feature a unique-to-Australia suspension tune, and local launch is slated for the second quarter of 2017. If Hyundai Australia can keep the pricing of the new i30 close to the current car, and with the improvements over the current model clear to see, there is no reason for the new i30 not to continue its sales success in Australia.

Words by Jake Williams.