2017 Honda Civic vs Hyundai I30

What's the difference?

If you know your performance machinery, you know that Honda’s Type R badge is deservedly held in high esteem. Sure, the NSX is the pinnacle of Honda, but the Type R has long shown the company can also bring performance to the people.

After a prolonged gestation period, the Type R badge has resurfaced in Australia, affixed to the rear end of the 10th-generation Civic. Does it hold true to the values of the Type R philosophy of a ‘well engineered but exciting driving experience’, or has it morphed into something different?

Hyundai claims its Ulsan car production plant is the world’s largest. Located 300km south east of South Korea’s capital, Seoul, this monstrous automotive sausage machine spits out a new set of wheels every 10 seconds. Yes, one car every 10 seconds. You can't even make Big Macs that fast.

I first visited the main Ulsan factory in 1988, and a contemporary OH&S rep would have collapsed in shock. Even then, it felt close to medieval; hot, loud, dirty, and frightening. The Excels flying off the end of the line were unsurprisingly ordinary.

But a second visit, in 1995, was a revelation. The clinically clean shop floor was full of quietly efficient robots, producing cars that were already giving the established players something to think about in terms of design and build quality.

Then a third tour (oh yes, I know how to have fun at work), in 2012, revealed a showcase of modern manufacturing technology. Hyundai’s long-held ambition to be the world’s largest and most successful carmaker was clearly in the process of being realised.

Which brings us to the recently released third generation i30, Australian examples of which are built in Ulsan. The new model is already fighting toe-to-toe with the Toyota Corollas, Mazda3s and VW Golfs of this world, setting a course for global domination in the process.

The i30 Premium sits at the top of a five-model range. Does it have what it takes to knock over the big guns, or will Hyundai’s New World Order have to wait?