Automotive

Hyundai continues to charge with i30 Tourer

Hyundai continues to charge with i30 Tourer
The i30 Tourer is longer and taller than the hatchback it's based on
The i30 Tourer is longer and taller than the hatchback it's based on
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The i30 Tourer is longer and taller than the hatchback it's based on
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The i30 Tourer is longer and taller than the hatchback it's based on
The Tourer will debut at the Geneva Motor Show
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The Tourer will debut at the Geneva Motor Show
Hyundai has gone through a busy few months, launching a new i30 in Paris and then following up with the wagon
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Hyundai has gone through a busy few months, launching a new i30 in Paris and then following up with the wagon
The i30 Tourer will come with a range of three engines initially
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The i30 Tourer will come with a range of three engines initially
The grille on the new i30 Tourer will underpin the design language of Hyundai for years to come
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The grille on the new i30 Tourer will underpin the design language of Hyundai for years to come
The tail of the i30 Tourer hides a boot with more than 600 liters of space
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The tail of the i30 Tourer hides a boot with more than 600 liters of space
The quality focus of the i30 hatch's interior has carried over to the Tourer
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The quality focus of the i30 hatch's interior has carried over to the Tourer
The quality focus of the i30 hatch's interior has carried over to the Tourer
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The quality focus of the i30 hatch's interior has carried over to the Tourer
The seats in the i30 Tourer can be moved to suit big, awkward objects
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The seats in the i30 Tourer can be moved to suit big, awkward objects
The boot of the i30 Tourer can be expanded to more the 1600 liters
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The boot of the i30 Tourer can be expanded to more the 1600 liters
Practicality is the order of the day in the i30 Tourer
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Practicality is the order of the day in the i30 Tourer
View gallery - 11 images

Hyundai has been busy over the past few months, unveiling the new i30 in Paris and announcing its plans to take on the Golf GTI with a hotted-up i30 N Performance, but that isn't all the team in Seoul has been working on. The new i30 Touring, which will debut at the Geneva Motor Show this March, shares only a badge with its predecessor, running with a new chassis, design and engine lineup.

Amid the huge number of four-wheel drives and high-riding hatchbacks hitting the market, it's reassuring to see some love for good old-fashioned wagons. After all, ground clearance is necessary for tackling the Rubicon wilderness, but it's not what you'd call essential for the school run. Putting a regular car on taller suspension also has a catastrophic effect on handling, something wagons don't have to worry about.

As you'd expect of a long-roofed family hauler like the Tourer, a real focus has been placed on practicality. Thanks to a longer, taller body than the hatchback, boot space has grown from 395 liters (13.9 cubic feet) to a whopping 602 liters (21.3 cubic feet) with the rear seats upright. Folding them down expands the load space to a capacious 1,650 liters (58.3 cubic feet).

Just like the hatchback, the i30 Tourer comes loaded with a suite of active safety features to keep inattentive (or lazy) drivers on the straight and narrow. Along with the requisite active cruise control, which now works at speeds up to 180 km/h (112 mph) on the highway, blind spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-keeping assist and auto-dimming headlamps are all available. It'll even warn you of changing speed limits by monitoring road signs.

The quality focus of the i30 hatch's interior has carried over to the Tourer
The quality focus of the i30 hatch's interior has carried over to the Tourer

Not all the tech in the long-roofed i30 is focused on keeping you on the road; some of it is aimed at making the trip more enjoyable too. An eight-inch touchscreen on the dashboard offers Android Auto and Apple CarPlay functionality, and drivers can wirelessly charge their phones using a pad in the center console.

Power will come from a range of compact turbo engines, starting with a three-cylinder petrol making 118 hp (88 kW) and stretching to a 138 hp (103 kW) four-cylinder petrol. A four-cylinder turbodiesel making 109 hp (81 kW) is also available, although that engine is unlikely to make it to America, even if the wagon does.

The Hyundai i30 Tourer will make its debut at the Geneva Motor Show, where New Atlas will be on the ground covering all the action. While the price hasn't been announced, the current Tourer retails for £16,795 (US$20,900) so the new version should roll in somewhere in the same neighborhood.

Source: Hyundai

View gallery - 11 images
2 comments
2 comments
navmed
Nice looking wagon, I wish it had a higher horsepower variant.
Suggestion: When doing car reviews/articles add a table with specs like HP, cost, 0-60 time, handling (skidpad), gas mileage, etc. So, it's easy to find.
notfromthisplanet
Not interested in ICE cars at all but the word "charge" in the title led me to believe it might be an EV.....what a let down.