Hyundai Tucson vs Hyundai I30

What's the difference?

The updated Hyundai Tucson Elite Hybrid N Line offers families space, features and easy-enough handling for everyday stuff and the occasional weekend adventure pursuits.

The price point is higher than the previous non-hybrid model but you get a lot of bang for your buck and my family was comfortable this week.

The updated Hyundai i30 N Line doesn’t look like or perform like a base model.

You really do get bang for your buck here with its features. It’s a good-looking hatch that’s fun to drive in the city or open road and while the multimedia system is basic and occupants will be squished in the rear row, everything else is a big plus.

The Hyundai Tucson has seen a minor facelift on the exterior but most of the changes are in the cabin.

The N Line pack means that you get 19-inch alloy wheels over the standard 18-inch version as well as extended body panelling instead of black plastic trims. There is N Line badging across the car too, but N Line option pack does limit you to just four exterior colour choices.

The front features new stacked LED DRLs which tie in with the fang-like design of the rear LEDs. The origami-styled panelling looks more severe than the previous model which helps it stand out in a class that’s heavy on rivals. 

The cabin features a completely reconfigured dashboard and now sports a large curved display panel that houses those upgraded tech screens and a new 6.6-inch climate control panel.

The centre console has been redesigned to look like it’s floating and now adds an extra-large storage cubby underneath it.

The upgraded interior makes the Tucson a leader for the mid-sized SUV segment and is very pleasant to spend time in.

The design memo seems to be to make the i30 N Line look sportier and more purposeful.

They've nailed the design. The i30 is a good-looking hatch that looks like it has European styling.

The reshaped grille features new air intake vents, and stylish V-shaped daytime running lights. The rest of the body looks sharply dressed with new side skirts, reshaped bumper, black side mirrors, dual exhausts and 18-inch alloy wheels.

The cabin has been refreshed with a black headliner, upgraded leather and suede upholstery with contrasting red stitching and an N Line steering wheel and leather gear shifter.

The dashboard features new materials and additional soft touchpoints that make the interior feel like it's not a base model at all.

The cabin up front is spacious with plenty of head- and legroom on offer. You also won’t jostle for elbow room either when you have a passenger.

The seats are comfortable with their heat function but you might still get fatigue on longer trips as you only get adjustable lumbar on the drivers side and it's simple at best.

The back seat has really good space for the class and no matter the passenger, they were comfortable back there. The seats in the rear are well-padded and access to this row is good for sliding in a child seat as the door aperture is wide.

Other amenities are average with directional air-vents, a single reading light, and a fold-down armrest. My seven-year-old son found the window sills to be quite high, so he didn’t get the view he wanted.

The individual storage is excellent for the class with the redesign as you get a dedicated storage shelf in front of the front passenger and a massive cubby that easily fits a handbag underneath the mid-sized centre console.

There are two cupholders and two drink bottle holders per row but the rear storage bins are skinny. The rear row also gets map pockets but again, these are shallow.

The upgraded technology is a must have and the new multimedia system is easy to use once you spend time with it and looks great with its graphics. The system has built-in satellite navigation, over-the-air updates and wireless connectivity for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Connecting the CarPlay is simple and maintains a strong connection.

Charging options are great with two USB-C ports per row and the front also gets a wireless charging pad and a 12-volt socket to choose from. The centrally located position of the charging pad is handy and the liner grippy - so no phone movement.

Rounding out the practicality is the boot, which has a wide aperture and a loading space level with 582L of capacity available with all seats in use, which is good for the class.

The back row has a 60/40 split but don’t fold flat – they sort of spring up a bit, which might annoy when you do a big Bunnings run. 

There is a 12-volt socket, a space-saver spare tyre underneath the floor and you get a powered tailgate in this model – which I always like.

Like most hatches, the front row of the i30 benefits the most when it comes to leg- and headroom. Taller passengers will be most comfortable up front as the rear row doesn't offer all that much legroom. It's squishy behind my driving position and I'm only 168cm tall!

Access however is decent for both rows because of the wide door apertures, but it's a low car to get in and out of because of the 140mm ground clearance. Expect a couple of grunts after a gym session.

The seats in both rows are fairly well-padded and offer the most comfort on shorter journeys. Even with the new powered lumbar support on the drivers seat, fatigue can set in quickly on a longer trip.

Individual storage is excellent throughout the car with a large glovebox that can hold a thick manual, middle console, phone tray, four cupholders, a drink bottle holder in each door, two net map pockets and even a sunglasses holder!

Other than the Kia Cerato, the i30 has one of the largest boots compared to its rivals, at 395L, and it’s enough for road trips and a decent grocery haul. The taller boot lip means you can stack items too but you don’t get a spare wheel in this model, just a tyre mobility kit. The base model also doesn’t get a powered tailgate, but the lid is not heavy at all to operate.

The new digital instrument cluster looks great but the multimedia system is basic and there’s no satellite navigation, so you're reliant on the phone mirroring apps but these maintain a strong connection. The radio is a hit or miss but that’s typical for the grade level.

Charging options are great for a base model with a single USB-A port, three USB-C ports and 12-volt sockets, and a wireless charging pad to choose from.

There are two models for the 'regular' i30 and we’re testing the base model, the N Line. Its new price point of $36,000, plus on-road costs, means it's $8940 more expensive than the most affordable rival, the Kia Cerato hatch.

The Mazda 3 Pure hatch is the next at $30,470 and then comes the Toyota Corolla Ascent Sport at $32,110.

However, the base models differ greatly in terms of standard features and the updated i30 N Line delivers upgraded leather and suede upholstery as opposed to the standard cloth. There are now two-USB-C ports in the rear, and a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster that comes standard.

The driver also gets extendable under-thigh and powered lumbar supports to increase comfort.

Key features include wired/wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, keyless entry and start, rain-sensing wipers and dusk-sensing LED headlights. Anyone familiar with base models might know that a lot of those items are not standard features and it’s nice that you don’t have to go up a grade level or two to get them in the new i30 N Line, although you are paying more in the first place.

Other standard features include an 8.0-inch touchscreen multimedia system, dual-zone climate control, a USB-A port, three USB-C ports, three 12-volt sockets, a wireless charging pad, digital radio and a six-speaker sound system.

The Elite Hybrid N Line model features a hybrid powertrain that combines an electric motor with a 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine. They combine to produce 172kW of power and 367Nm of torque. Which is more than enough to make the mid-sized Tucson feel spirited.

This particular variant is AWD and uses a six-speed automatic transmission, which can over rev at times but is mostly smooth with its gear changes.

The updated i30 N Line has a new mild-hybrid powertrain that features a 1.5-litre 7 four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine and combines to produce 117kW and 253Nm of torque. This new combo means it has higher outputs than its nearest rivals and you get three drive modes, including Sport which makes those outputs feel even more prevalent.

Like its rivals, the i30 N Line is a front-wheel-drive, but it has a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission which can sometimes feel like it's confused in stop/start traffic.

The official combined cycle fuel consumption figure is a low 5.3L/100km, and my real-world usage came out at 6.0L after doing a lot of open-road driving where hybrids tend to be at their least efficient, so that is an excellent result.

The Tucson hybrid is the second best for fuel usage after the Toyota RAV4 hybrid, which sits at 4.8L/100km for combined usage. Overall, the new hybrid powertrain has proven itself to be pretty frugal. 

Based on the official combined fuel cycle and 53L fuel tank, expect a theoretical driving range of up to 981km, which is great for a family road tripper.

The new engine coasts in neutral when you’re not accelerating to improve efficiency and it works for that purpose as my real-world usage of 6.3L/100km isn't too far off the official combined fuel cycle figure of 5.6L.

Based on the official combined fuel cycle and 50L fuel tank, you should see a theoretical driving range of up to 893km, which is downright respectable.

The new hybrid powertrain offers respectable power delivery that makes the Tucson feel zippy in the city and a relaxed cruiser on the open road.

There can be some over-revving when you’re trying to get up to speed and the accelerator and brake feel touchy at first until you get used to them.

On the hybrid side of things the Elite Hybrid has regenerative braking and there are moments of pure EV mode but it kicks in seemingly when it feels like it. When it is on, there’s practically no engine noise but when it's off, the cabin still remains fairly quiet.

My family went off the paved stuff this week and hit muddy and gravel roads on our quest to find a cool picnic spot, and the Elite Hybrid impressed with how it handled the different terrains. It’s not an off-roader but you can still do mini adventures.

The Tucson is mid-sized and has a very clear reversing camera with front and rear parking sensors, so it’s not too hard to manoeuvre or park.

The real negative feedback is that on three separate occasions, our test car randomly shifted into neutral while driving and to clarify, this did not occur while trying to shift into or out of 'drive' but while on the road, already in drive.

The first time it happened, I thought I had somehow bumped the column shifter but on the other two occasions, I happened to be watching my husband drive and he didn’t touch the shifter.

This is probably just a fault on out test car and not indicative of the model in general but it wasn't fun.

The new powertrain is impressively punchy and you almost feel like you’re driving a hot hatch when you hit the open road because it’s effortless to keep up and overtake when necessary. 

The steering is firmer than what you’d expect and that makes the car feel heavier than what it is. Cornering is great – barely any roll – but the suspension is not finely tuned, especially for regional roads. But the overall feel is sporty, so it’s forgivable. 

At lower speeds, the cabin is delightfully quiet and although the exhausts are thrumming with noise, you don’t really hear it! It’s only once you get on the open road that the road noise creeps up but you can hold a convo without raising your voice, so that’s still good.

The i30 is pretty low to the ground and that makes it easy to scrape the bottom of it, especially when you have a full car load, so take ramps and bumps at a slight angle.

Hatches are always the best for parking because you can park ‘em anywhere! The i30 N Line has front and rear parking sensors and a decent reversing camera, so it’s extra easy.

The i30 has a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating from testing done in 2017 and features seven airbags but, like its rivals, it doesn’t have a front centre airbag yet. 

Safety features includes items which are often at cost extras for a base model, like blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert.

Other standard items include driver attention warning, safe exit warning, rear occupant alert, tyre pressure monitoring, DRLs, lane departure alert, lane-keeping aid, traffic sign recognition, intelligent seatbelt warning, adaptive cruise control, a reversing camera system as well as front and rear sensors.

The lane keeping aid and traffic sign recognition tech are a bit intrusive for daily driving but easy enough to adjust if need be.

The i30 model has two ISOFIX child seat mounts and three top tethers but two seats will fit best.

AEB with forward collision warning is standard but ANCAP does not stipulate it's operational km/h range.

Hyundai offers the Tucson with a five-year/unlimited km warranty and the battery is covered by an eight-year/160,000km warranty which is pretty standard for the class now. 

You can pre-purchase servicing for up to five years and the breakdowns are as follows.

Three years or up to 30,000km for $1240 (average $413 per service).

Four years or up to 40,000km for $1700 (average $425 per service).

Five years or up to 50,000km for $2040 (average $408 per service).

The five-year pricing is comparable to its rivals and not outrageous for the class.

Servicing intervals could get annoying if you put a lot of kilometres on your car as they sit at every 12 months or 10,000km, whichever occurs first.

Hyundai offers the i30 with a five-year/unlimited km warranty, which is a normal term for the class and you can pre-purchase three-, four- or five-years worth for servicing and the five-year option cost $1795, which is competitive. 

Servicing intervals are okay at every 12 months or 10,000km, whichever occurs first.