Designed specifically to appeal to European markets, i30 looks neat and contemporary. Judging from the mature designs of i30 and the smaller i10, there is no denying that Hyundai's new design philosophy is looking very good indeed. While the styling brings a touch of blandness, Hyundai must be praised for their solid efforts, which extends to the fine-looking cabin. Hyundai has obviously spent the most time and effort on the area of ride-and-handling. Like Ford Focus and Volkswagen Golf, i30 uses the complex multi-link suspension on the rear. The end result is impressive because the handling is not far behind either Focus or Golf. The chassis deals with corners confidently, with surprising agility and good mechanical grip. Body control is firm, too. The steering is accurate, quick and communicative, although it feels a little too light for confidence at speed. The ride quality is impressive, being smooth, supple and well-controlled. The suspension smoothes out most surface irregularities, and remains composed no matter what we threw at it. Refinement is likewise good, with little wind and road noise at cruising speeds. The 1.6-litre engine can sound boomy when pushed, however. The steering column adjusts for reach and height, while the seats adjust for height. But both are limited in the range of movements; Taller drivers may want for either a steering that could go higher or a seat that could go lower. To compete against the best European offerings means having a quality cabin. And that Hyundai did—very well, in fact. One glance tells you that the era of unattractive Hyundai cabins is over. In addition to the attractive design and excellent ergonomics, i30's cabin feels solidly put together using plenty of appealing, soft-touch materials. It just falls short of Volkswagen Golf's standards, but only just. Hyundai has built their reputation on producing hassle-free cars, so i30 should prove reliable in the longer term. Two engines—1.6-litre and 2.0-litre—are available. The smaller 1.6-litre can be paired to either a five-speed manual or a four-speed automatic, whereas the 2.0-litre only comes with the automatic gearbox. Thanks to the quick, slick manual gearchange, the 120 bhp 1.6-litre puts in an adequate performance, even if it needs working hard—which is when it becomes noisy. The automatic gearbox goes about its job with little fuss. The 141 bhp 2.0-litre is reasonably strong, allowing for more relaxed driving in start-stop city traffic or high-speed cruising. Having one of the longest wheelbase in its class means i30 is also one of the most spacious. As is the case for most rivals, the driver and front passenger enjoy plenty of room. But it is the generous amount of rear legroom that impresses, along with no lack of headroom, too. The bulky multi-link rear suspension set up eats up space, resulting in a boot that is neither as large nor well-shaped as some rivals'. Still, the boot has a useful 340 litres and expands to 1250 litres when the 60:40 split-fold rear seats are folded almost completely flat. The 1.6-litre manual, 1.6-litre automatic and 2.0-litre automatic have official fuel economy figures of 16.1 km/litre, 14.5 km/litre and 13.2 km/litre, respectively—all of which are reasonable, if not class-leading. Servicing and repairs should be highly affordable. Hyundais used to depreciation more than Japanese/European rivals, due largely to the undesirable Korean brand image. But the newer crop of Hyundais, starting from i10 and now i30, should elevate Hyundai's brand image, and hence residual values, in time. Decidedly more contemporary than all previous Hyundais, i30, along with i10, represents the new crop of cars from the Korean automaker. With good looks, impressive ride-and-handling, a quality cabin, plenty of room and a generous equipment list, i30 is a car that so nearly equals the best European offerings, namely Ford Focus and Volkswagen Golf. This is the most credible Korean car we have ever sampled, and at such attractive pricing, there is plenty of value to be had. Ignore i30 at your own loss. The amount of standard kit you get is generous, including alloy wheels, front fog lamps, air-conditioning, electric windows and mirrors, audio player, parking sensors, remote central locking, steering wheel-mounted audio control, ABS with EBD and dual airbags. The 1.6-litre and 2.0-litre automatic adds automatic climate control, while only the latter comes equipped with leather seats and stability control. Hyundai's has paid much attention to making the engines, both 1.6-litre and 2.0-litre, “greener” than before. In fact, each of the two engines delivers better fuel economy and lower carbon dioxide emissions compared to similar engines found in rivals. Bear in mind that choosing the manual over the automatic gearbox will lower both fuel intake and emissions.