Hyundai i30 Tourer (2012 – 2017) Review

By the time the Hyundai i30 Tourer arrived in 2012, the South Korean company had nailed down its recipe for mainstream models. A generous new warranty, good equipment levels, economic engines and solid build were all guaranteed. The estate also has plenty of space to take on rivals such as the Volkswagen Golf and big-selling Ford Focus. Read on for our full Hyundai i30 Tourer review.

Affordable to run, well made and practical, the Hyundai i30 Tourer is a sensible alternative to the default choices of Volkswagen Golf or Ford Focus when it comes to a smaller estate.

Running costs are low and owning one should be a painless experience as a used car.

The maximum load capacity is 528 litres with the seats up, and 1642 litres with them folded.

That means the Hyundai i30 Tourer has a larger load area than the Ford Focus Estate, but lags behind the Peugeot 308 SW and Volkswagen Golf Estate with the seats in place – both models have more than 600 litres of capacity.

That said, there isn’t much to separate them in real-world use. The Hyundai i30 Tourer has a low load deck, so getting items in and out is very easy, and the boot floor is largely flat.

It’s dog-friendly, too – the load height is low enough for most dogs to jump in the boot without any help. Plus, there’s plenty of storage for small items in the cabin.

Build quality is very impressive, with sturdy plastics that don’t creak or rattle. Up front there’s plenty of adjustment for the driver, so getting comfortable is easy, while the back row is big enough for adults.

Even the middle seat is usable, since there is no bulky transmission tunnel to eat into legroom.

The engine range features a 1.6-litre 120PS petrol engine and a 1.6-litre diesel with either 110PS or 136PS, paired to either a six-speed manual or seven-speed automatic transmission.

The Hyundai i30 Tourer is much better with a diesel engine, thanks to superior performance and economy. The most frugal variants are officially capable of 72.4mpg, with emissions of 102g/km.

Whether with 110PS or 136PS, the 1.6-litre CRDI is smooth and quiet, providing a healthy amount of low-down torque.

Refinement is very good and the controls are light, making the Hyundai i30 Tourer easy to drive on all kinds of roads. It’s especially good as a motorway cruiser and makes long journeys very relaxed.

As a family car, it’s extremely hard to fault the Hyundai i30 Tourer. It’s practical, comfortable, well-made, affordable and easy to drive.

A Ford Focus is more fun on a country road and a Volkswagen Golf feels plusher, but as a user-friendly, affordable estate the Hyundai i30 Tourer makes a great choice.

Fancy a second opinion? Read heycar’s Hyundai i30 review here.

The Hyundai i30 Tourer is good around town – the light clutch, steering and gearchange make negotiating stop-start traffic effortless.

Unfortunately, on a country road, the steering is a bit too light, giving little feedback even when the Flex Steer settings are changed to weight it up.

Despite that, the Hyundai i30 Tourer is predictable, stable and capable through bends. It’s just not much fun. For more engagement, you need a Ford Focus Estate.

On the other hand, if your priority is comfort and simply getting around without being jostled over every bump and rut, the Hyundai i30 Tourer is a car that should be on your shortlist, as it has supple suspension and good control.

The Hyundai i30 Tourer has a straightforward engine range. There is one petrol choice – a lacklustre 1.6-litre with peak power of 120PS – and two diesels.

Both are 1.6-litre units, with either 110PS or 136PS, paired to a smooth and accurate six-speed manual gearbox as standard or, optionally, to an even smoother seven-speed auto.

There was also a 128PS Blue Drive diesel that was superseded by the 136PS motor.

For the majority of buyers, a diesel will be the best choice, but even the most powerful 136PS variant is far from potent.

That said, for motorway cruising or overtaking, the Hyundai i30 Tourer is fine. We’d avoid the petrol altogether, though – it’s old-fashioned and lacks punch.

With a diesel, the Hyundai i30 Tourer makes a compelling case for itself.

The cabin is quiet, the controls are light and the suspension provides good ride comfort, even when the road surface gets lumpy.

Most versions have cruise control and a speed limiter, so average speed cameras and long trips pose no problems.

The Hyundai i30 hatch of the same era was tested by Euro NCAP and scored a top five-star rating.

You can reckon on the Hyundai i30 Tourer being every bit as competent, even though safety standards and testing methods have moved on in the intervening years.

All Hyundai i30 Tourers of this generation come with twin front, side and curtain airbags, ABS anti-lock brakes with brake assist, ESC traction and stability control, plus Hill Start assist.

There are two Isofix child seat mountings in the outer rear seats, plus an airbag cut-off switch for the front passenger seat, to allow for a rear-facing child seat to be strapped in there.

All but the most basic Hyundai i30 Tourer trim level also has reversing sensors fitted, while the top Style Nav features a reversing camera.

The upper two trims have front parking sensors, too.

The Hyundai i30 Tourer makes for a useful small tow car, as it can haul a braked trailer of up to 1500kg.

With an unbraked trailer, you can still pull up to 650kg.

The Hyundai i30 Tourer might be behind the Peugeot 308 SW and Volkswagen Golf Estate when it comes to outright capacity with the seats up, but in the real world, there’s nothing in it.

In fact, the Hyundai i30 Tourer is one of the most practical family estates around, with a wide tailgate and a low load deck.

That makes loading heavy items easier, plus it’s easier for dogs to get in and out unaided.

With the rear seats in place, the boot has a maximum capacity of 528 litres to the load cover. Folding them down frees up 1642 litres of capacity to the roof, so there’s plenty of room for trips away or visits to the garden centre or furniture shop.

Up front, the Hyundai i30 Tourer is very comfortable. There’s plenty of adjustment in the seats, while all of the controls are logically placed and intuitive to operate.

Back-row passengers are well served too, with ample legroom and headroom for adults. Even the middle seat is usable thanks to a flat floor.

Build quality is very good. The plastics are plush yet sturdy, while the dials and switches are robust.

There’s not much flair to the execution, though – and some of the styling, like silver-painted plastic details, looks low-rent compared to the cabin in the excellent Volkswagen Golf. 

The Hyundai i30 Tourer went on sale in 2012, just before infotainment touchscreens really took off in car design.

However, the top Style Nav trim comes with touchscreen navigation, and the display also doubles as a monitor for the reversing camera included with this version.

The screen is neatly integrated into the dash and has quite a large display for this age of car, plus there are shortcut buttons down either side to make it easy to move from one function to the next.

Around £6000 will see you drive away in a 60,000-mile 10-year-old Hyundai i30 Tourer equipped with the frugal diesel engine.

A 2016 car with 40,000 miles to its name will cost in the region of £9000. This will give you a pick of petrol or diesel power, and the latter will be capable of entering low emissions zones with no penalty.

There’s a lot to like about a diesel estate that can turn in a claimed 72.4mpg, which is what the 136PS Hyundai i30 Tourer 1.6 CRDI turbodiesel offers.

With the automatic gearbox, that drops to a claimed 67.3mpg. In the real world, we reckon you can knock 10mpg off those numbers, which is still going to be pretty easy on the wallet at the pumps.

The petrol 1.6 motor is also impressive, turning in a claimed 42.8mpg, which our Real MPG data shows owners routinely exceeding. That doesn’t happen with many cars.

With carbon dioxide emissions ranging from 110g/km to 150g/km, you’ll pay road tax between £35 and £200 depending on the exact model of Hyundai i30 Tourer you choose.

As an example, a Style model with the 128PS Blue Drive turbodiesel engine emits 115g/km. That means £35 each year in road tax at the time of writing.

That same model of Hyundai i30 Tourer is the most costly to insure, but as it sits in group 13 (out of 50), it’s not going to bankrupt you.

The range goes as low as group 9 for the 1.6 petrol in basic trim.

Reliability is very good, and servicing costs are pleasingly low, too.

Four trim levels were available. The range starts with the Hyundai i30 Tourer Classic, which comes with Bluetooth connectivity and voice recognition, a multi-function steering wheel and air-conditioning.

Body-coloured door handles and mirrors are standard on this entry-level trim, along with LED daytime running lights.

The Hyundai i30 Tourer Active adds alloy wheels, cruise control with speed limiter, rear parking sensors, electric rear windows and a leather steering wheel and gear knob.

Choose the Hyundai i30 Tourer Style and you gain dual-zone climate control, automatic headlights and front windscreen wipers, front parking sensors and electrically folding door mirrors.

The Hyundai i30 Tourer Style Nav has touchscreen navigation and a rear view parking camera.

Two option packs were available for the Style and Style Nav trims. The Hyundai i30 Tourer Convenience Pack brought keyless entry, engine start/stop button, chrome exterior door handles with illumination, puddle lamps and automatically folding door mirrors.

The Hyundai i30 Tourer Individual Pack added leather upholstery, heated front seats plus the supervision cluster with LCD Colour Display.

A panoramic sunroof could also be specified on the Hyundai i30 Tourer in Style and Style Nav specs.