15 June 2012
New Car Review: Eurozone architecture pushed to the limit
Hyundai’s new eye-catching wagon is aimed at attracting company fleets as well as families looking for an exceptionally well packaged, good looking large car.
With the design and engineering teams being based in Europe, the new addition to the Hyundai family has been heavily loaded with the European treatment. This is clearly evident from the flashy design cues, with fluidic lines and sculptured body panels not dissimilar to the current i45. Much use has been made of high strength steels produced at the company’s own steel manufacturing plant which is the focus of their recent television marketing campaigns.
The i40 impressed the motoring world at the end of last year when it received the golden award for its exceptionally engineered body at the EuroCarBody conference held in Germany. With a total of nine manufacturers from Europe and Japan competing for this prestigious title, Hyundai managed to come out on tops with their i40 while Audi’s A6 clinched a close second place and Mercedes B-Class completing the podium in third.
Following the trends
Car manufacturers around the world have been motivated to produce smaller engines with increased efficiency in a move that has seen them reducing their carbon footprints. Hyundai seems to be doing its bit for the environment and has introduced the latest edition 1.7 litre common rail turbo diesel engine to the market in the new i40 wagon. Designed and built by Hyundai Motor Company, it produces 100kW of power and 320Nm of torque for the manual model, with an added 10Nm in the auto, taking torque to 330Nm.
Also available is a 2.0 litre GDI (Gasoline Direct Injection) motor with power outputs of 130kW/320Nm. The GDI consumes 7.5l/100km and emits 176g/km CO2. Both engines have been coupled to smooth shifting six speed automatic transmissions with paddles, while the 1.7 litre diesel can be optioned with a six speed manual transmission.
The suspension is made up of McPherson struts up front and a Multi-link system in the rear, which soaks up the road bumps effortlessly and provides a comfortable drive. It rides on sixteen inch alloy wheels for the entry level models and eighteen inch alloys for the Elite Limited models. While there is room to improve the muting of some mechanical noise intrusions on the diesel version the overall NVH levels have been kept to an acceptable level.
The true blue theme
The steering wheel incorporates audio, Bluetooth and cruise control switches. For those nippy days the Elite Limited models adds three stage seat warmers to the fronts and two stage warmers at the rear, while the steering wheel can be upgraded to incorporate an internal heating element. Boot space is a healthy 550 litres and folding the rear seats flat gains a further 1166 litres of loading space.
Active safety features include ESC, ABS, TCS and CBC (Cornering Brake Control). Passive safety features come in the form of nine airbags while the car manages to achieve a five star ANCAP safety rating. The electronic parking brake has been complemented by an auto hold feature, when activated on an incline allows the driver to release the foot brake without the trouble of having the vehicle roll backwards.
The rear seats have been given a 60/40 split for extra loading convenience while the dual panoramic sunroof brightens up the interior for the Elite Limited model. The dashboard gadgetry has been radically illuminated with an ultra blue colour that brightens up the cabin area. This spirited colour theme has flowed through to their stop/start technology named as the “Blue drive” system which has the customary fuel saving benefits and is available in the 1.7L diesel manual derivative only. The gains are clearly noticeable when comparing the 1.7L manual’s fuel usage of 4.5l/100km and 119g/km CO2 emissions against the automatic’s 5.6l/100km and 149g/km CO2 emissions.
The i40 wagon is set to rival the likes of Ford’s Mondeo, Mazda’s 6, VW’s Passat and Toyota’s Avensis wagons. It provides six options to choose from, starting with the 2.0 litre GDI auto at $44,990 all the way up to the 1.7 litre CRDI auto Elite Limited at $59,990.