Czech Hyundai from Nošovice. Czech Hyundai. It's not quite so easy to say. I recently watched an Oscar-winning film about a Chinese company's American factory. The conflict between Asian and American nature reminded me a bit of Nošovice and Hyundai.
Now here in front of us is the new Czech Hyundai i30 Fastback. Again, it's not very Czech: There's no holder for a pint of beer, you can't play Ordinance on the screen, there's no place to hang a waist bag, and there's no engine marking on the back, or a big TURBO sign to make the neighbors jealous. The next CZECH EDITION will surely solve these minor transgressions.
Last year, the i30 model underwent a facelift, which, in addition to design, also brings micro-hybrid technology, just like the recently tested Kia Xceed . It is with this technology and the most powerful 1.5 160 hp gasoline engine that we have the honor in our test. Although he didn't take too much Czech nature (that's a good thing), he has everything a modern European hatch should have… a lift… FASTBACK!
BMW X6 FOR THE POOR
The main design change after the facelift is a new, much more dynamic front grille. It looks best with the sporty N-line equipment, but it also suits regular models in standard colors. Otherwise, not much has changed on the outside, new are dynamic full-LED headlights that shine well even when cornering, the design of the discs and other body colors.
Who is such a Fastback intended for? It took me all week to figure it out. It might seem that the liftback body is clearly aimed at the domestic Skoda Octavia , but it is not. The recipe for the Fastback is similar to that of the BMW X6 . Making a worse, yet uglier car, whose only, very fiddly, added value is the cool factor. You'll see how cool they are every day when you meet twenty of them on their way home from work in basic white and on tin wheels.
The sloping roofline does exactly what it's supposed to. Although the trunk has increased by 50 liters, its usability has deteriorated considerably, and the rear seats cannot fit an adult man. Bravo. However, I definitely acknowledge the diversification of the offer, the i30 model series is starting to resemble American cars from the 60s. Everyone can choose from a wide range of options. I don't see a single reason not to make the i30 a sedan straight away. He would have an even bigger trunk. For some reason, sedans are not currently in vogue ( look at the new Elantra , it's absolutely divine). In any case, I would like the desired sporty N performance as a fastback.
What did I come up with? There are only two members in our family, we don't take any extra luggage with us, but a car smaller than the lower middle class would be too uncomfortable. We like to show off to the world that we're not that old and can have fun, er, be cool. There are certainly enough of us, moreover, if we were seen in Octavia, there would already be rumors that we are expecting an addition.
ROUND SPACIOUS INTERIOR
A big surprise for me after sitting behind the wheel was the ergonomics. It rarely happens that I drive in a car for the first time and immediately everything is in its place. What I noticed later, there is almost no horizontal line in the interior, everything is nicely round, round, oval, rounded, not a single edge. However, the design maintains its level and is not unnecessarily crazy (that will come in the next generation, see for example the interior of the new Tucson ), it is actually quite simple.
After the facelift, the interior has basically not changed. Although the materials look cheaper, the surfaces that come into contact with your skin are pleasant to the touch, and standard places where the sun shines are also softened. Compared to its sister Ceed , the interior is an order of magnitude more ordinary and two orders of magnitude more boring. Traditionally, I will dwell on the slightly gloomy atmosphere of the black interior, but from the second Smart equipment, you can choose a light gray (rather white) design, at no extra charge. It's just a shame that most warehouses won't have it.
As for the space for the crew, I don't have a special methodology with millimeter measurements, but I can say that there is enough space in the front, perhaps only the central tunnel puts a little pressure on the knee. I can sit behind me without any problems, I have enough space for my legs, but if you are taller than 180 cm, you have no room for your head. Well, that's a tax, for a more cool look.
It is very pleasant to sit in the soft seats, which refutes the German falsehood that highlights stone hardness as the only way to rest. In the Hyundai, you will fit into them like a glove, the lateral guidance will comfortably surround you, thanks to well-managed ergonomics and probably also orthopedics, but you will not get tired, you will not fall asleep. My back didn't hurt even after eight hours behind the wheel, and my legs didn't hurt even after a week. It's an excellent score for an actually quite ordinary means of transport!
The biggest change after the facelift is actually infotainment and the "digital cockpit". It is the same system as the previously tested Xceed , but with slightly different graphics. On the 10.25-inch screen, you will enjoy a fine grid as well as fast redraw and high-quality navigation. It is definitely worth the extra 25,000 (the highest version of Style already has it in the base). It also adds to the goodness of a digital cockpit, as they would call it at VW, we would say something like "digital alarm clocks" with a color screen with a slightly fine grid. Here you can see the color change depending on the driving mode with the all important driving averages and an almost useless power flow indicator. If you haven't forgotten, we have a hybrid.
AGILE COMFORT ON THE ROAD
One of my own cars is an old Mazda. Back in the days when fun behind the wheel was not just a marketing slogan, but a common feature of every small car. Somewhere deep down, it's still clear at Hyundai that they once learned from the Japanese, perhaps even surpassing them in many ways.
The ease with which it moves down the road, even if it leans a bit, is exemplary. Thanks to the multi-element rear axle, it seems much lighter than it really is, it filters out bumps as befits any Czech car, but despite all this, it is very unobtrusive and safe. He is calm. There is no point in looking for its limits, this is not a Caterham .
And it is agile and fun even at lower speeds. You feel what is happening to the car, you know where it is going. Everything is quite mechanical and intense, almost like a vintage Mazda, minus the safety with emissions and the stupid clutch. (more to come here). It is the same discipline in which the new Mazdas also excel. More expensive and more sophisticated Mazdas, which are obviously better. But not by that much. I really want to try the N Performance, really.
ALMOST 200 HORSES
The famous Civic Type-R had 200 horses, the Integra Type-R had 190, the Focus ST adored by petrolheads had 170. We are slowly getting to our i30. The 1.5 T-GDI engine, naturally with a turbo, has 160 hp. It's not a 200, but you have to realize that it's the second weakest engine in a completely ordinary car at a reasonable price. Acceleration to 100 km/h in 8 seconds was also achieved by the first Octavia RS, also tested by Hyundai. The maximum speed of 210 km/h is relatively easy to reach even without an inclined plane.
Every engine, with the exception of the new base atmosphere 1.5 (hopefully we will see a test soon) and the liter turbo , is seconded by a mild-hybrid system, just like the Stonic . The relatively simple system operates with a 48V battery with a capacity of 0.78 kWh and basically covers power peaks when needed, even allowing it to "sail", but only in ECO mode, thus reducing fuel consumption and emissions together. The engine itself is very refined and quiet, at higher revs it has a pleasant rich sound, but it is not at all disturbing. Dispensing power with the gas pedal is very linear, the turbo hole is artfully hidden, as if it were not there, unfortunately the electric "kicker" faithfully simulates it.
How you drive also depends on the mode setting. It always switches to ECO mode after starting. It gives you about 80 horsepower, brakes more with the engine and is generally somewhat suffocated. You have to extract power from it, on the other hand, in this mode it is pleasant to drive according to the regulations. Normal mode is the most pleasant of all, it's just annoying to have to reset it after every start. Here he already shows you his 160 horses, but it is still good to drive slowly. I always switched to it when traveling outside the city.
Finally, there is SPORT, which both sharpens the response of the gas pedal and also makes more use of the help of the electric motor. It gives you a real feeling of power and speed. Only the chassis is sometimes not enough for him… I would almost say that the i30 is too fast for SPORT, a board and hard N-line chassis would certainly come in handy here. But the biggest bombshell is that the "thirty-something" puts on the intermediate gas on SPORT when downshifting. Good engine, good modes, also good chassis. When everything is so great, how about we kill it completely with something ? The mild-hybrid has moved in with an intelligent iMT manual transmission, with what should be an electronic clutch and that's a bit of a problem.
We all know that, right? Release the clutch, step on the gas, you can feel everything working and moving, it's the mechanical symphony that makes us love manual transmissions so much. do you have Fine, then forget about it here. The electronic clutch feels a bit like a clutch pedal simulator from some video game. On the one hand, there is a lack of mechanical connection, on the other hand, it still has the same resistance, zero feeling. Again , even after a thousand kilometers, I did not manage to get off completely smoothly. But worst of all, it was poisoning. It is possible to get used to the strange behavior of the clutch pedal, it is possible to start smoothly, but it will never be mechanical fun again, as it should and should be. You can't get a normal clutch, so all that's left to do is recommend an extra 50,000 for a dual-clutch DCT automatic. I wrote in Stonic that he is very good. How will such a strange clutch ever change? How much will it cost? Is it worth the saved two deci per hundred? I don't think so…
I had an average fuel consumption of 7.1 l/100 km in dense city traffic in Prague, which seems to me to be an excellent result, what if the diesel Xceed used diesel a little more. You can drive outside the city for 6.5, the highway for 7. Fooling around with the sport mode is for 9.
A GREAT CAR FOR EVERYONE
A lot of Hyundai i30s drive on Czech roads. No wonder, this is a very versatile car with many qualities. Although I was skeptical at first, because if everyone has it, it must automatically be bad, he convinced me too. It may not be the best in any measurable spectrum, but as a cocktail it is excellently mixed, it has just the right amount of everything. At the same time, there is no discipline in which he lags behind.
I haven't experienced such pleasure from the ordinary in a long time, while the Fastback can also be extraordinary. Everything he has, he does excellently. Maybe a little simple, but only in a good way. It does its job, pleases and doesn't cost much, just look. For just 330,000 you can get a hatchback with metal discs and heated mirrors. For 450 thousand there is a Fastback with a tested engine, for half a million you can also get an automatic with metallic… That's a good offer, don't you think?
Basic price: CZK 329,900 (hatchback) CZK 399,900 (fastback)
Base price of the tested version: 449,900 (1.5 T-GDI iMT fastback SMART)
Price for tested configuration with extras: 545,890 (1.5 T-GDI iMT fastback STYLE)
Photo: Author
