Hyundai Problems

The Hyundai i30 made quite a splash when it landed here in 2007. With appealing looks, impressive quality, good road manners and safety it swept the Cars Guide Car of the Year judges off their feet.The win in the prestigious annual award was historic in many ways. It was not only the first for Hyundai, but also the first for a Korean   carmaker and removed any lingering doubts about the legitimacy of the Korean brands as world-class carmakers.In winning the award the i30 beat a top-class field from established and respected carmakers like Mazda, Ford, Mitsubishi, Mercedes-Benz.Having won over some of the country's most respected motoring scribes, the i30 has since gone on to win over the toughest judges of all, the Australian motoring public.MODEL WATCHWinning the Cars Guide Car of the Year gong was no mean feat; it was particularly meritorious because the i30 was in the most competitive market segment of them all.It was a breakthrough model for Hyundai, one that finally cemented its position as a carmaker of substance and not just a maker of cheap   and cheerful cars people buy purely on price without worrying about too much else.The compact i30 was launched as a five-door hatch with a choice of three models - SX, SLX and SR - and petrol and diesel engine options.The i30 slipped right into the Australian market with barely a ripple, possibly because it was designed in Europe and sat  comfortably alongside other cars designed in that part of the world.It looked smooth and modern with neat clean lines and balanced proportions, and boasted a roomy cabin for its size along with good   luggage space.A 2.0-litre double overhead camshaft engine that had variable cam timing and fuel injection provided the power across all models.  At its best it boasted 105 kW at 6000 revs and 186 Nm at 4600 revs, enough to keep it comfortably stirring along with the pack.  Hyundai also offered the economical option of a 1.6-litre four-  cylinder turbo diesel engine, which came with the peaks of 85 kW and 255 Nm.Both engines could be specified with a five-speed manual gearbox, but only the petrol engine was available with the four-speed auto until   2008 when it also became available with the diesel.  The entry level SX model came with air-conditioning, power windows and mirrors, and four-speaker CD sound, along with iPod connectivity.Step up to the sporty SR and you also got alloy wheels and a body kit, plus cruise, auto air, trip computer, fog lamps and six-speaker   CD sound system.  Make it all the way to the SLX at the top of the range and you got even more.IN THE SHOPThe step up in quality of Hyundai cars is clear from the reduced number of complaints received at Cars Guide. It wasn't so long ago   that it was something of a laughing stock, but that has changed in recent years.Few complaints have been received about the i30 since its launch, which suggests owners are content with their purchase.Despite this potential buyers are well advised to check their possible purchases carefully and thoroughly, looking for evidence of abuse or lack of maintenance from uncaring owners.  Check also for crash damage and poor repairs.IN A CRASHDual front airbags were standard across the range, but the SR and SLX also had the added protection of head and side airbags.  Before 2008 the SX and SLX had ABS braking with electronic brakeforce distribution, while the SR also had stability control and traction control standard. After 2008 stability control and traction control became standard across all models.  ANCAP rated the i30 at four stars prior to 2008, but five stars after that.UNDER THE PUMPHyundai claimed the 2.0-litre engine would return an average of 7.2 L/100 km with a manual gearbox, and 7.6 L/100 km with an auto.Cars Guide reported an average of 8.2 L/100 km when it tested the 2.0-litre shortly after the launch, while reader Terry Cahill says his   2.0-litre SLX auto gets 8-8.5 L/100 km around town and 7-7.4 L/100 km on the highway. Reader Ray Beebe reports he gets 6.0 L/100 km on average from his SLX diesel auto, compared to 4.7 L/100 km claimed by Hyundai.OWNERS SAYRay Beebe went shopping for a car that would fit into his garage, take his golf clubs and buggy, and had five-star safety when he replaced his 2000 Ford Laser with an i30 SLX diesel auto wagon. After 3000 km he is impressed with its power and its economy.Terry Cahill has enjoyed 57,000 km of trouble free motoring in his 2.0-litre i30 SLX auto. He likes its positive road feel, cornering, comfort, braking and the smoothness of the auto transmission.  Wally Rockawin would happily recommend the i30 SX diesel auto to his friends. He says it's well built, is great to drive and economical to run.Dennis O'Brien also gives the i30 SLX diesel a big tick, saying it's got great power and torque. His only negative experience has been a   notchiness when selecting second gear from first or third, particularly when cold.  He suspects the problem is due to the gear   selector cables needing adjustment and not with the synchroes.LOOK FORAttractive looking hatchRoomy cabin for sizeEconomical diesel the best choice .Comfortable ride.Safe and sound handlingReliableTHE BOTTOM LINE Affordable, well built, well equipped, safe and economical compact hatch. 80/100

Hyundai reckoned there was money to be made in vans and why not after seeing the Kia Pregio cut a swathe through the market.  It didn't take a rocket scientist to work out that a value-for-money van could do to the light commercial market what the Korean carmakers had done to the passenger car business.The Koreans transformed the local car business with their value-for-money proposition and it stood to reason that the same could be done to the van market.  A quick scan of the monthly sales numbers is enough to show that the Hyundai has, indeed, had a major impact with its iLoad van.MODEL WATCH While the Kia Pregio had been a great sales success with its value-for-money proposition, diesel engine, and features like air, CD player and power windows it was a rather crude device that won few fans.  The Pregio's diesel engine was old technology and the exhaust emission laws of this country eventually caught up with it and Kia removed it from the market.But in the time it was in the market it shook up the van segment, racing to second overall behind the top-selling Toyota HiAce. Its departure left a gaping hole in the market, one that every van maker looked to fill.No one has actually filled the void left by the Pregio, but the Hyundai iLoad has come the closest to doing it.  It was always going to be difficult to take over from the Kia van where it left off because the Pregio was a very basic, even crude vehicle and no one was building anything similar.The only similarity between the Pregio and the iLoad was their country of origin; both came from Korea.  In reality they were poles apart. While the Pregio was rough and ready the iLoad was smooth, comfortable, refined and used modern technology.The iLoad was available in two models, the van and the crew van.  The van had seating for three in a well laid out, comfortable and modern, well-equipped cabin, while the crew van had an extra row of seats and could accommodate six.There was a choice of two engines, a 2.4-litre four-cylinder petrol engine putting out 129 kW at 6000 revs and 228 Nm at 4200 revs, and a 2.5-litre common rail turbo diesel producing 125 kW at 3800 revs and 392 Nm at 2000 revs.The petrol engine came bolted to a five-speed manual gearbox; there was no auto option, while the diesel could be had with either the five-speed manual or a five-speed auto.  In standard form the iLoad came with sliding doors on each side and a lift-up tailgate at the rear, but there was an option of barn doors that allowed it to be loaded using a forklift.The load space is cavernous. The iLoad van would take up to 5.3 cubic metres of cargo weighing up to 1100 kg; the crew van a little less.Both came with plenty of standard features including air conditioning, keyless entry, power windows and mirrors, iPod jack and MP3 integration.  The crew van also came standard with a fixed floor-to-ceiling partition with inbuilt rear view window for extra safety.IN THE SHOPHyundai's build quality has improved markedly in the years since the brand was first launched in this country, and owners have few  complaints about their vehicles.  Like the rest of the range the iLoad is well built and gives little trouble.When buying a commercial vehicle look for possible abuse through being driven by hired hands who could care less about the boss's investment.  Commercial vehicles also operate regularly in tight spots, like loading docks, yards, and back alleys, in the course of their work.  Bodywork can often be scarred when accidentally scraped on walls, bins and obstacles they encounter.  Check for servicing records, owners and drivers sometimes neglect servicing to keep their vehicles on the road and earning an income.   For them servicing time is downtime.IN A CRUNCH All models features dual front airbags, ABS anti-lock braking and electronic brakeforce distribution.  At launch the diesel models could also option electronic stability control and traction control.  ANCAP rated the iLoad at four stars when it was tested.UNDER THE PUMP Hyundai claimed the iLoad would do 10.1-10.6 L/100 km with the petrol engine and when tested by Cars Guide it returned 11.8 L/100 km.  Those with the diesel engine, it was claimed, would do 8.5 L/100 km with the manual gearbox and 9.6 L/100 km with the auto.LOOK FOR Modern looksVoluminous load capacityEasy to driveGood visibilityEconomical dieselFour-star safetyWell equippedTHE BOTTOM LINERefined, comfortable, efficient and well-built workhorse that gets the job done. 80/100