Hyundai i30: 2007 Green Car (and Car) of the Year
by Warren McLaren, Sydney 
on 01.23.08
If you can’t wait for the commercial arrival of Trev, the renewal energy vehicle, then roadsters in places like the UK and Australia may wish to consider the Hyundai i30, which picked up both the 2007 Car of the Year and 2007 Green Car of the Year in Australia.
Although claimed to have a fuel consumption of 4.7 litres per 100km, the i30 1.6-litre turbo-diesel managed to complete the 2007 World Solar Challenge conventional vehicle class (PDF) on a smell-of-an-oily-rag 3.2litres/100km (73.5 mpg!), while producing 97g/km of emissions. For comparision a Prius petrol hybrid averaged 5.6litres/100km with emissions of 146g/km.
So for Australians this means travelling from Melbourne to Brisbane on less than a tank of petrol, (Britons could do London-Paris return!) and with the cost of fuel on the rise this fuel economy should appeal to many.
The Hyundai i30 won the 2007 Green Car of the Year not only because of its spectacular fuel efficiency but because it matched this with pretty efficient pricing too. In Australia the i30 CRDi costs $21,490, while the Prius goes for about $37,400. (In the UK it looks like £12,995 on-road for the Hyundai i30 1.6 CRDi Manual.)
Apparently the judges arguments against hybrids like the Prius and Honda Accord were “the initial cost premium, the lesser benefits in long, open-road runs and the issue of battery life and disposal.” In the final analysis the Hyundai i30 won on real-world benefits. “The car is big enough and practical enough for a family, it provides the strength of diesel performance and strong torque that keeps gear changes and accelerator mashing to a minimum, and it offers its responsible carbon footprint on every drive.”
As one reviewer put it, “the well sorted Volkswagen Golf, Mazda 3 and Ford Focus are said to have served as the benchmark vehicles for the i30, but as far as I’m concerned, they threw in an A-Class and a 1 Series for good measure.”
Yet another report noted that Australians aren’t yet convinced about hybrids and are favouring diesels over them. Private hybrid sales grew by 16.3%, with the equivalent diesel up almost 63%. “It seems only government departments and corporations who wish to be seen to be green are buying hybrids,” observing that in the non-private passenger car hybrids sales increased nearly 61%.
The ‘i’ in the model name, according to Hyundai, signifies innovation, inspiration and intelligence, but it hasn’t been lost on most observers that the car also comes with equipped with iPod, MP3 and USB connectivity. Hyundai i30 Australia and UK.
And a quick note for a ultra green Hyundai i30 owners, when we last looked the Biodiesel Service Station in Sydney was offering B100 biodiesel for 130.9 cents AUD per litre. In the UK it appears to be going for about 98p per litre.
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Is there a car like that in the U.S.?
A four-door hatchback that gets 73.5 mpg? And why isn't this available in the US? It's exactly the car I've been looking for.
Why should I have to settle for a Honda Fit that's smaller and gets half that mileage?
Like I keep saying, the new diesels blow away the Prius. If you factor in their better fuel economy, in combination with the new Tier 2 BIN 5 US regulations, they are absolutely cleaner than the Prius as well.
Add to that more choices in biofuels since biodiesel can be made from all sorts of feedstock, including waste vegetable oil, and new diesel technology is the only way to go for the short term.
Diesel/Electric hybrids, in a Chevy Volt style system, seems like the holy grail.
When is this coming to North America??
Marc P.
Yeah, when is it coming? I am curious how it stacks up to the gulf TDI (really, the only decent diesel option in Canada right now). It's great to see that some of the mid-sized car companies are putting effort into improving the efficiency of their vehicles.
Wow! It won't be in the US anytime soon, since they'd have to meet the California emissions standards. But I'm excited! This would be the ideal car for so many people. It shows where the market is headed.
i have noticed a LOT of errors in your articles today. do you guys copy edit this stuff before you post it?
The Prius seems to get quite a bit of press for being so eco friendly, but there really are many more vehicles out there that do better then a prius for gas mileage. However, a Prius is also the first generation hybred and there is a lot more potential upside on this type of platform.
WooAh! Cool! This is better then the Prius, I think...
Atleast it`s less expensive, better looking, you get better gas milage out of the pricy gas... I hope it`s going to be a good bargain if it sells in Canada. GO GO GO COMPETITION! We want more fuel economie cars thank you.
Gab Pro-Environement (Student)
I want one.
Ya, bring it to North America. I'd trade my car in for this in a heartbeat. Anyone have a tentative date?
I'm pretty sure this is in imperial gallons, but that would still make it over 60 mpg (US).
It is amazing how fast developments are happing the last 2 years now when gas prices have risen so much.
Can't stop wondering what would happen if gas suddenly cost $8 per gallon?
Its true. i own one. The thing is sexy and amazing in fuel economy.its a joke really how good the economy is. this is City driving in Sydney(Aus) also.
But the real kicker for me is the ipod mp3 player integration.theres a cable for any mp3 player in the palm rest. Just plug it in and play/control any mp3 player.ive got a few.
The i30 is coming to the US as the 2009 Elantra Touring, but we are not likely to get the CRDi engine.
Hi
The pdf that gives the details on the cars running the Panasonic Challenge says:
Hundai i30 -- "Driven conservatively by motoring professional"
Prius -- "Everyday driving style"
This can make a huge difference, and this is not really even close to a fair way to compare the two cars.
If you compare the claimed 4.7 l/100 for the i30 to the 5.6 for the Prius, the difference is basically about equal to the difference in energy content between diesel and gasoline.
Boo US. In the US there are 2 cars that average over 40mpg. In Europe - there are 113 (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17344368/). Most of those in Europe are made by companies that sell a large qty of cars in the US. It's very possible to get them here - but there is too much buracracy.
I'd love to have that car here. Do they sell it in any countries that drive on the same side of the road as us?
-Jason
http://www.screamtobegreen.com
Don't forget the new Seat Ibiza Ecomotive too !
1.4 TDI
Listed fuel consumption 3.8l/100km (74.3 mpg) combined
99 g/km CO2 emissions
OTR £10995 for the 3door (half the price of the Prius)
I think Citroen were the first with a 70+ mpg diesel with the C1 or C2, but at least we're getting most car manufacturers taking energy efficiency/conservation seriously now. In the next 5 to 10 years I think we'll see mini flywheels putting spare energy back into powering road cars.
Those of you in the US, write to your representatives to let them know about this technology and to let them know that YOU know about it and want it. Contact the Hyundai dealerships in your area to tell them the same and include that you won't want it without the CRDi engine!
Surely Hyundai can suit this car to the American market and regulations, even with its most efficient engine/drivetrain, but it is sad that consistently, the Europeans (and now the Australians???) are getting the cutting edge transportation technology, from boats to cars to trails to airplanes. Meanwhile, we Americans get cutting edge gadgets. Our "market forces" are not the wisest.
These days, a good target to shoot for is 35 MPG. Anything above that is honorable these days, considering how many SUVs on the American road are still struggling at around 20 MPG. There ought to be a LAW! And that law ought to be: no sales of private vehicles that get less than 25 MPG.
ya very nice, but I still like the car that runs on AIR better!
Well done Hyundai, but why do you use South Africa as your dumping ground? Hyundai are selling new vehicles in South Africa without any emission control system what so ever. This is happening right now in contravention to our regulation which require Euro 2 standard. My 2007 Trajet runs at 16l/100km and CO2 emissions of 324g/km. Don't you realise that the environment is one, no matter if you are in Australia or South Africa?
the i30 1,6 diesel has the same engine over here in europe as the new 1,6 diesel accent. you guys drive accents in canada and us, as much as i know, right?
the i30 is almost the same with kia ceed, only the suspension is changed, and some minor pricy modifications.
but i think you won't get them in us/canada, because they were made mainly for europe (fancy the looks). for example: most european countries do not get hyundai models like: grandeur, the new elantra, centennial, veracruz, and any of the hyundai big trucks and buses.
in us/canada you don't get i10(ex-atos), getz (in future i20), i30. that is just hyundai.
the market with gasoline is too strong, and the government doesn't let diesels to be manufactured and sold in the us/canada. some exceptions are there (like the golf), and trucks of course.
someone asked whitch countries here drive on the right and which on the left side of the road. right: all other countries than england/uk.
so if you think you could import a car from here to there, and go through the burocracy, go for it. but you should know, that only transport would cost you about 2-5000 dollars american by ship.
i'm aming to buy i30 caravan in the comming years. i hope i succeed.
Have a good one
Saso from Slovenia,
central Europe
My i30 (2.0L automatic) runs only 13KM per Litre......why the discrepancy?
I have owned 2 prius cars for about 2 years, I have of course analysed these results. The prius I drive will repeatedly return 3l/100km, this is at an average speed of about 60 km/h.
I believe the I30 averaged about this speed over the solar chalenge. My prius would beet it, I am not a professional driver.