Hyundai i30 wagon gets European flavour

Keen to give its vehicles a European image, Hyundai is calling the new body style a Tourer rather than a station wagon. The Tourer was designed in Germany and it comes as no surprise it uses what Hyundai calls its Fluidic Sculpture theme. This shape has been greeted with enthusiasm in many countries, with buyers saying it stands out from the crowd.

Unlike the about to be superseded i30 wagon which had a longer wheelbase than the hatchback, the new Tourer will share the i30 hatch's 2650 mm wheelbase. That’s already a long wheelbase so there shouldn't be any compromise in interior and luggage space.

The i30 Tourer is 185 mm longer overall than the hatch and has 528 litres of stowage capacity with rear seats up, an increase of 150 litres over the hatch. This increases to an impressive 1642 litres with the rear seats folded flat. Additional underfloor storage compartments add to the i30 Tourer’s versatility

Again following the European way of doing things, the new Hyundai i30 Tourer wagon will be sold with both petrol and turbo-diesel powertrains. The 1.6-litre direct-injection petrol engine puts out 99 kW of power and 164 Nm of torque. The latter at a very high 4850 rpm – the sort of engine revs seldom, if ever, achieved by most drivers.

Presumably the torque will be offered at much lower revs, we are yet to drive the new wagon and will comment on its performance as soon as we have done so. Sounding much more practical, the 1.6-litre turbo-diesel engine has peak power of 94 kW at 4000 rpm, with top torque of 260 Nm being produced between 1900 and 2750 rpm.

Both engines will be offered with either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic, the latter having a sequential manual mode. The new Hyundai i30 Tourer has a sophisticated range of active and passive safety technologies. Standard across all models are Vehicle Stability Management (VSM), Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Traction Control System (TCS), and ABS with EBD and Brake Assist. 

Safety during a crash will be assisted by ultra-high-tensile steel within the body shell and seven airbags on all models.

The local importer tells us the Hyundai i30 Tourer will be sold in Australia in two trim levels, Active and Elite, and that standard equipment will be similar, but not identical, to the i30 hatchback. Full specifications will be announced closer to the launch of the Tourer. We will attend the press launch of the new i30 wagon and report on it immediately afterwards.

The complete Hyundai i30 Tourer range is:

GDI Active 1.6-litre petrol five-door wagon: $22,990 (manual), $24,990 (automatic)
CRDI Active 1.6-litre turbo-diesel five-door wagon: $25,590 (manual), $27,590 (automatic)
CRDI Elite 1.6-litre turbo-diesel five-door wagon: $31,190 (automatic)