2017 Hyundai i30 Tourer: prices, specs and release date

This is the 2017 Hyundai i30 Tourer – one of the more sensible cars on sale today. With a lower starting price than the Skoda Octavia Estate, a larger boot than some cars from the class above and a genuinely impressive roll call of standard safety kit, the i30 Tourer makes an excellent case for itself.

Hyundai’s answer to cars like the Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer, Volkswagen Golf Estate and Renault Megane Sport Tourer comes as standard with lane-keeping assistance, auto-dipping headlights, autonomous emergency braking and a fatigue warning system. Those are state-of-the-art systems, which are optional extras on some cars from the class above.

New Hyundai i30 Tourer: design

The i30 Tourer shares its front end with its hatchback sibling, so sports Hyundai’s latest ‘cascading’ radiator grille, together with a pair of sleek, swept-back headlights. At the rear, the tapered roofline minimises the chances of the i30 Tourer looking ungainly, while sharp creases along the doors and wings prevent any sense of slab-sidedness from developing.

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Engines

The i30 Tourer is available with the same engines as are found in the i30 hatchback, so there are 118bhp 1.0-litre and a 138bhp 1.4-litre petrol engines – both turbocharged – as well as a 1.6-litre diesel, available with 108 or 134bhp.

Most models come with a six-speed manual gearbox, although the 138bhp 1.4-litre petrol is also available with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox, which is mandatory if you choose the more powerful of the two diesels. Economy ranges from 51.4mpg for the 138bhp petrol to an impressive 74.3mpg for the less powerful diesel.

Practicality

A real strong point, this: at 602 litres, the i30 Wagon has a larger boot than some cars from classes above, including the Ford Mondeo and Audi A6 Avant estates. Things are still respectable – although not quite as impressive – with the rear seats folded, where the i30 Wagon’s 1,650-litre capacity trails the Octavia Estate’s by almost 100 litres – and it’s here where the tapering roofline is likely to be felt.

Safety

High praise here, too: the i30 Wagon gets the same standard and commendable roster of safety kit as the hatchback. This includes:

- A fatigue warning system (known as ‘driver attention alert’) to monitor your behaviour behind the wheel, encouraging a break if symptoms of weariness are detected.

- Lane-keeping assistance that, unlike a simple lane-departure warning system, will intervene as well as sounding alerts if it detects you straying from your designated lane without indicating.

- High-beam assistance: this automatically switches between dipped and full-beam headlights depending on whether it detects oncoming vehicles or vehicles in the same lane further ahead.

- Autonomous emergency braking (AEB): it won’t be long before this becomes mandatory on all new cars, as experts reckon it reduces rear-end collisions by 38%. The i30 Wagon (and hatchback) gets AEB as standard; the system uses radars to scan the road ahead, slowing or stopping the car for you if you fail to take action when a potential collision is detected. Like most AEB systems, the i30 Wagon’s can brake for pedestrians as well as larger obstacles.

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Those four impressive items are in addition to the i30 Wagon’s mandatory protective technologies, which include an electronic stability programme, anti-lock brakes, tyre-pressure monitoring and ISOFIX child-seat anchors. The Honda Civic’s active cruise control system may mean it trumps the i30 Wagon for the number of standard safety systems but, as we recently revealed, Honda won’t be making an estate version of the latest Civic.

Trim levels

Hyundai is offering the i30 Tourer in five trim levels. Entry-level S cars come with 15-inch alloy wheels, air-conditioning, LED running lights, cruise control, all-round electric windows, Bluetooth connectivity and all the safety systems mentioned above.

Step up to SE trim for 16-inch alloys, chrome exterior and interior trim details, a leather steering wheel, rear parking sensors, a reversing camera, foglights and a central armrest, while SE Nav adds sat nav and wireless phone charging.

Premium packs in power-folding door mirrors, an electronic handbrake and hill-hold assistance, all-round parking sensors, part-leather heated seats, keyless entry and go, and even more safety technology, including rear cross-traffic alert, and a blind-spot detection system. Top-spec Premium SE adds full-leather upholstery and a heated steering wheel.

Hyundai i30 Tourer price and on-sale date

The Hyundai i30 Tourer goes on sale from 6 July, and prices start at £17,495 – this will secure you the 118bhp 1.0-litre petrol engine and S trim. SE Trim is available from £19,355, while the Premium model brings an upgrade to the 1.4-litre 138bhp petrol engine, and starts at £22,855.

For those after a diesel, the i30 Tourer range starts at £20,315, which will secure you SE trim and the 108bhp 1.6-litre engine. The range tops out with the 134bhp 1.6-litre diesel engine and Premium SE trim, at £25,155. Metallic paint is £585.