I drive the Hyundai Elantra GT as my daily driver so I know my way around the vehicle. I have the 2013 model fully loaded up and I love the car except for the power department. It’s a 1.8-liter putting out only a 150 horsepower although the newer models do have an available 2.0-liter in North America. The lucky folks over in Europe now get a new Hyundai i30 (Elantra GT) featuring a 1.6-liter Turbo which puts down a respectable 183 horsepower.
It’s great to see Hyundai putting a small displacement engine with a turbo to cater to a new market but I personally would love to see this motor in the Hyundai Accent to rival the Ford Fiesta ST while the Eltantra GT or i30 with a 2.0-liter turbo to challenge the Golf GTI and Focus ST. But considering this is Hyundai’s first attempt at something sporty in the C Segment, we’ll try to understand.
Hyundai used the 1.6-liter GDI petrol engine from the discontinued Veloster Turbo into the newly facelifted i30. The updated look for the i30 includes a hexagonal grille, 18-inch wheels, LED rear lights, and an sporty body kit. Hyundai also took the time to take the vehicle out to the world-famous Nurburgring road course to develop the suspension settings.
The 183hp on the i30 is available at 5,500rpm and the 195lb-ft of torque is available between 1500-4500rpm allowing the vehicle to complete the 0-100km/h (0-62mph) dash in eight seconds flat. The vehicle is also capable of a top speed of 218km/h (136mph) which is to be expected from a 1.6-liter car. The vehicle also returns a pretty decent combined fuel economy of 7.3L/100km (32.2mpg US).
The vehicle still has all the bells and whistles like navigation, bluetooth connectivity, power locks/windows, keyless entry, push start button, backup camera, and even three different steering modes such as Comfort, Normal, and Sport. On the inside, you will also find red stitching and accents, leather steering wheel, and two-tone sporty seats.
The Hyundai i30 Turbo will will be in the same category as the vehicles such as the Kia Cee’d GT, Peugeot 308 GT, and the Seat Leon FR 1.8TSI. The vehicle is available in a three-door hatch or a five-door hatch making it quite a practical car.
