2017 Hyundai i30 Tourer Premium SE Review

The 2017 Hyundai i30 Tourer Premium SE (pictured) in for Review

We’ve got the Hyundai i30 Tourer (Estate) in for review, in range-topping Premium SE trim and with the 1.4 litre petrol engine. Can it match the competition?

The latest Hyundai i30 Tourer – Hyundai’s Golf and Focus-challenging Estate – arrived in the spring at the Geneva Motor, and when it went on sale in the UK in June we discovered it was cheaper than the last generation i30, and just £500 more than the equivalent i30 Hatch.

That was good news for anyone looking for a decent family estate in the same segment as the VW Golf or Ford Focus estates, but it also made us wonder why anyone would opt for the Hatch.

Don’t think we don’t like the new i30 Hatch – we do, it’s a good car – but if for just an extra £500 you can take the more capacious and, to our eyes, better looking i30 Tourer, why wouldn’t you?

It wouldn’t be because of the spec – because the i30 Tourer has a great spec, especially in this range-topping Premium SE – so maybe there’s something we’re missing?

Let’s find out.

Hyundai i30 Tourer Premium SE Inside and Out

Just like the i30 Hatch, the i30 Tourer doesn’t jump up and down and shout ‘flash’, but it is an appealing design, made more so in the Tourer with its elongated roof and slick back end.

But despite the slick roof of the Tourer, it manages to offer properly commodious accommodation for ferrying all sorts of stuff around, boasting 1650 litre of space with the seats down, and still 602 litre with the seats up. which makes it as good as it gets in this sector.

“despite the slick roof of the Tourer, it manages to offer properly commodious accommodation for ferrying all sorts of stuff around, boasting 1650 litre of space with the seats down, and still 602 litre with the seats up.”

Away from the stylish shed on the back things are much the same as the Hatch, and that means an unflashy, grown-up interior with most of the scratchy plastics relegated to bits you’re unlikely to touch, comfy and accommodating seats, quite a bit of hush, and enough room front and back for adults to be settled even on long journeys.

But this is the premium SE i30 Tourer, so there are plenty of toys on offer too including stuff like heated seats and steering wheel, parking system with rear view camera, leather, Keyless, 8″ touchscreen Sat Nav, wireless phone charging, Bluetooth, Panoramic roof and more.

There’s also a pretty impressive roster of all things technology and safety, with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, Autonomous Emergency Braking, Blind Spot Detection, Hill Start, Lane Departure Warning and Lane Assist and Rear Cross Traffic.

It all adds up to a comprehensive spec of not just toys you want, but stuff that makes life easier and safer too.

i30 Tourer Premium SE Performance

Hyundai likes to tell us, at every opportunity, that their cars are honed at the Nurburgring – and the i30 N personifies that – but that doesn’t mean they’re unforgivingly harsh to drive or, to be truthful, that they’re the most dynamic in class.

But, just like the Hatch, the Tourer does have a very well-judged set-up which manages to be comfortable, able and even a little dynamic.

What helps the refinement is an impressive handling of rotten roads, with the Tourer not crashing and bashing at ridges and holes (well, unless they really are ridiculous) but dispatching them with good absorption and real ability.

That it does that without having a ride which requires regular visits to the back fixer is impressive, but so to is the fact that the Tourer not only does motorways with aplomb, but that it’s quite happy to tackle a bit of back road blasting too.

“It’s not back road hungry in the way a Focus Estate is, but it does an admirable job of putting a smile on your face, if not quite eliciting a big grin.”

It’s not back road hungry in the way a Focus Estate is, but it does an admirable job of putting a smile on your face, if not quite eliciting a big grin.

The steering is nicely judged and accurate, the gearbox does its job well with good ratios and an easy shift, it goes round bends properly without falling over or making your eye twitch as it tries to go straight on, and it’s just very grown up.

Under the bonnet of this Premium SE is the same engine we had in the i30 Hatch recently, and, for our money, it’s the pick of the ange.

It’s a 1.4 litre turbo petrol with 138bhp and 178lb/ft of torque, which isn’t a huge amount, but it is enough to row the i30 on convincingly, without needing to keep the revs too high (as you have to in the 1.0 litre) and it feels pretty lively too.

It gets to 62mph in 8.9 seconds and never really feels over stretched, either on a back road or cruising on the motorway. And it’s quiet too. In the real world you’ll get around 40mpg.

2017 Hyundai i30 Tourer Verdict

Just like the i30 Hatch, the i30 Tourer has matured in this generation in to a very able and very grown-up car.

“The interior isn’t exciting and funky, but it is a good example of how to bolt together an interior that looks good, is practical and, certainly in this Premium SE car, is very well-equipped.”

It’s not the most dynamic, but it is very competent, and it really is perfectly judged for its target demographic.

The interior isn’t exciting and funky, but it is a good example of how to bolt together an interior that looks good, is practical and, certainly in this Premium SE car, is very well-equipped.

At £24k (although discounts are not too much of a struggle) it’s not particularly cheap, but it does come with an awful lot of kit for the money, and the safety stuff is a real bonus.

It’s not a car the driver looking for a real back road blatter would choose, but for the majority of drivers looking for a car which does what it says on the tin, does it well, is comfortable, well-equipped, easy to drive and reliable, the i30 Tourer is a great choice.

And, for an extra £500 over the Hatch, is a bit of a no-brainer too.