• 

  At $29,890, the CW diesel auto is $1500 more than the same-engined hatch and weighs less then 30kg over the smaller model. Photo Gallery

Ah, carefree and commodious motoring has arrived once more.

Having whined at the end of the recent Kia Soul sojourn that everything would henceforth seem just a bit too much like hard work – that auto diesel was a snip to drive and amply adequate for just about any small family deployment – Hyundai’s i30CW CRDI promises more of the same.

As indeed it should. As befitting cousins, much DNA is shared, not least beneath the bonnet. Ignoring its irrelevant 85kW, the 1.6-litre turbo diesel brings its 255Nm from a handy 1900rpm, albeit with discernable lag through the optional four speed auto fitted to our mid-spec SLX example.

On the basis of fairly recent experience, this diesel (especially when teamed with standard five-speed manual – but how many of us go that ways these days?) simply wallops the other i30 engine choice, a respectable enough 2.0 litre four pot atmo petrol jobbie.

At $29,890, the CW diesel auto is $1500 more than the same-engined hatch and weighs less then 30kg over the smaller model. So that engine is more than engine enough. Urban fuel use of less than six litres per 100 km should be achievable.

It’s becoming almost impossible not to read a piece on a family car in which it is isn’t described as “Tardis-like”, ie: the interior space belies the car’s relatively diminutive appearance. But it’s tough to find a more apt cliché for the CW – it really is cavernous, immediately and noticeably more so than the hatch.

In back, the offspring are seated, seemingly, far, far away. Hyundai very kindly included an i-Pod cable, but I’m wondering if a loudspeaker mightn’t have been more useful.