Wtf !!!! Hyundai Wins Car Of The Year !!!!!!!

[csv8]

Hyundai i30 wins Car of the Year



Hyundai i30 wins the 2007 carsguide Car of the Year! See how the rest of the cars stacked up.

As with any ultimately subjective award there is going to be heated discussion about the merits of the carsguide Car Of The Year winner.

The simple fact is that, in the opinion of the judges, the best car won. What the Hyundai i30 did was to impress more judges, more often.

When it came to final voting the little Hyundai scored five top votes out of a possible nine, three second place votes and one third place.

It was a comprehensive result under any criteria.

Set aside your prejudices then, take your hands from the childrens' eyes...the i30 CRDi is not only stylish and excellent value, it is a grand drive. Pretend it's not Korean and you will love it.

Good-looking, comfortable, well-trimmed and very well made - there is little not to like about what has been one of the biggest surprises of the year.

And when you get to looking under the bonnet the story only gets better. The 1.6-litre common rail direct-injection turbo diesel is a treat and the match with the five-speed manual is one made in engineering heaven. Raw figures of 85kW and 255Nm do not tell the full story, as it punches above its weight and drives like a far more expensive car.

There will those who rightly point out the i30 doesn't come with an automatic gearbox option; true enough, and although one is on the way early next year that was not given consideration in the judging.

There are others who will say, again quite rightly, that the car does not have nor offer cruise control. That was assessed in the judging and weighed accordingly.

Some may even point out that side and curtain airbags and stability control are not standard. True again, but the car voted into the finals was specified as one fitted with the Protecz Pack and the $1790 price of the option was factored into the value equation - as it was with the Mazda2.

There were also a few points lost through the steering, its shortcomings in feel more than performance. Still not class leading but staggeringly better than anything Hyundai has offered before.

In the initial voting, when 45 different cars were nominated, the i30 performed just well enough to get into the final field. It sat closer to the bottom of the qualifiers than the top and many of the judges - while accepting that the Hyundai was one of the better cars released this year - did not believe it would feature when the whips were cracking.

Then came the testing. As each of the criteria were applied the Hyundai first surprised then delighted as time after time it more than held its own against an extremely strong field.

There were some hicoughs - handling, particularly on the track, marked it down slightly - but any ground lost there was quickly regained in other areas.

Ride on both track and road was well satisfying. The bumps soaked up with alactricty while poise and balance were maintained with the aplomb of a ballet dancer.

Few touched it for build quality. Fit and fitment was excellent and over the course of three days over some extremely rough country roads the i30 let out nary a squeak or rattle of protest.

On the safety front the Protecz Pack lifted the i30 to where it needed to be - no better than most of the finalists but at a safety level that every manufacturer should aspire to and no new-car purchaser should accept less than.

On the subject of innovation the i30 scored not only for the quantum leap it made for Hyundai in general but for some of the small things that will endear it to a generation of owners.

iPod, or MP3 player, connectivity is not unique - several high-end brands offer it and others can be adapted to accept it - but in the i30 it is built in to the core of the car.

Integrated USB ports in the centre storage bin mean that either a memory stick or an iPod connection cord can be plugged in to the car's sound system. The device is tucked away out of sight while song selection, volume and general controls are easily at hand.

Still, in the end regardless of how functional, safe or reliable a car may be it is the ability to draw people to it with styling that determines its commercial success.

That has never been a Hyundai strong point ... until now.

Look at the i30 from any angle and you will see shadows of styling cues from all the smartest of the Euro hatches. That is not to say Hyundai's stylists have simply lifted ideas - they are no more guilty of styling by assimilation than most car designers today.

What they have done is blend the bits they wanted into a very attract whole. A very functional whole.

And all of this comes at a value equation impossible to ignore.

Congratulations to Hyundai. :togo:

The i30 is better than the MONDEO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'll go and cry in my JD's !!!

[RavenLS1]

Its Only Cars Guide. WHOS TAKES any notice of what smithy's got to say

[|||]

korean cars were crap until the 00's just like japanese cars were crap until the 80's. the next ones to pass the US based cars will be the chinese

[Deadman]

Hyundai also wins Green Car of the Year

Hyundai i30
Green Car of the Year.
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22 November 2007

Kevin Hepworth

Hyundai has cleaned up in the carsguide Car of the Year with not one but two major awards.

The Hyundai i30 CRDi captured the main prize (the countdown to the winner starts on the page opposite) and then backed up to win the Green Car of the Year award.

The latest generation 1.6-litre, common-rail turbodiesel in the i30 became the poster child of the push for small diesels by leading the Greenfleet field home in the Panasonic Solar Challenge last month with an economy of 3.2 litres per 100km and a class-leading emission level of 97g of CO2 per kilometre.

That result was gained by concerted driving for economy.

But it's good even under normal day-to-day conditions.

The i30 has an official ratingof 4.7 litresper 100km. Voting for the Green car was spirited and widespread, with all the usual suspects in the mix along with a couple of left-fielders.

Toyota and Honda both featured strongly in discussions with the Prius and Civic petrol/electric hybrids, which thrive on a stop-start environment in the heart of the city when the harvesting of regenerative energy from braking and use of the electric motor at low speeds is best utilised.

In the arguments against were the initial cost premium, the lesser benefits in long, open-road runs and the issue of battery life and disposal.

Lexus earned consideration forits new hybrid pair, the RX400h SUV and the super-luxury LS600hL. While both utilise Toyota's knowledge of hybrid technology, there were questions about whether they _ and the environment _ would not have been better served by smaller hybrid engines and focused weight-saving.

Also thrown up as a possible contender was the Fiat Punto 1.4 with the Dualogic gearbox. The little Punto is rated to deliver 4.5 litres per 100km _ an outstanding figure for a petrol-engine automatic. The secret to the Punto is in the Dualogic's full fuzzy logic programming, which has the box constantly seeking the best match between driver characteristics, road condition and performance.

Another that caused some discussion was a nomination for the Mercedes-Benz C-Class as a whole-of-life ecological exercise.

In the end the decision for the i30 came down to 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.

[csv8]

FORD MONDEO ZETEC

Has been earning rave reviews in Europe and shows every indication of being a winner for the Blue Oval in Australia.

Ford's trump card in the mid-sized market comes in four variants, with three engines and two body shapes to pick from but the auto Zetec sedan, tested at COTY, is expected to be the volume seller.

However, life is not going to be a walk in the park for Mondeo with some serious competition in its segment - not the least of which will be the all-new Mazda6 which is just over the horizon.

What the judges liked about the mid-sized Ford were excellent driving dynamics, edgy style, a willing engine, refined comfort and value for money thanks to a generous list of features and safety equipment including seven airbags.

Areas where the red pen came out and scores were marked down were objective form over function niggles and some subjective dislikes.

The Mondeo's Euro lustre was dulled by issues of vision through the heavy front and rear pillars, a dashboard that allowed more than acceptable reflection on the windscreen and switchgear on the fiddly side.

Several of the judges also felt that the seating was too low with not enough adjustment.

On the road the Mondeo won plenty of ticks with nice balance, a reassuring tautness and excellent steering feel. The cabin is spacious - it feels almost as roomy as a Falcon - and the boot is cavernous, although shortish drivers may find it a stretch to close the high-rise lid.

[ClevlndStemer]

Recently Hyundai have drastically improved their product range in terms of quality, style and the range itself. I am not surprised this won. Well done to them, it is a pity that the Mondeo didn't win, it is a kick *** car. Wonder how it will do when the new Mazda 6 comes out, which in my opinion looks substantially better.

[blueoval]

Im impressed. Good on Hyundai to step up to the mark and deliver.

[AndyZH]

Originally Posted by |||

korean cars were crap until the 00's just like japanese cars were crap until the 80's.

I wouldnt say that Japanese cars were crap until the 80's. The Corolla was born in the 60's and was going damn strong through the 70's, the Honda Civic was a kick ar$e little car immediatly from inception in the early 70's, the Toyota Celica was an awesome piece of kit (5 speed manual standard!) that was a hit when born in 1970, etc.

Remember how many excels were on the road 10 years ago? They were all over the place. You dont see very many of them about now at all as they have mostly fallen apart. The ones you do see on the road usually have no clear coat left, blow smoke, and are (often) driven by junkie looking folks..

Its great that Hyundai they has won these prizes as it shows they are improving, but a bit of time will tell... hopefully this model and future Hyundai models will hold together a bit longer. I see more old Celica's, Civics and Corollas on the road than mid-late 90's excels!

[Deadman]

Originally Posted by blueoval

Im impressed. Good on Hyundai to step up to the mark and deliver.

I agree. Good on em. From what I've seen, the i30 looks like a pretty sweet car. There's more to a car than the badge

[ebxr8240]

Ever driven a good diesel car like these??
You wouldn't know it was a diesel !!!
Good on them..
The power plant etc was designed in their German factory...

[vztrt]

Originally Posted by ebxr8240

Ever driven a good diesel car like these??
You wouldn't know it was a diesel !!!
Good on them..
The power plant etc was designed in their German factory...

I also believe they are owned my Daimler Chrysler.

[boss-290]

OMG WTF!!!!!!!!!!! ROFL


:rolleyes:

[Ives]

I'm not surprized. I30 is a great car.

[[Tonko]]

Originally Posted by Deadman

There's more to a car than the badge

Smartest thing said in a long time on here...

[RG]

Originally Posted by Ives

I'm not surprized. I30 is a great car.

Looks tops too IMO, great car for my mrs I reckon.

[SirJuggsalot]

well done. ALOT of people bag out Korean cars for being crap, but I don't see why. I used to own a Getz and it was a bloody good car.

[Bossxr8]

I have a slight suspicion that they were trying to pander towards the green vote here. If there wasn't all the recent talk of CO2 emissions and fuel economy I think it might have slipped down a place or 2.

[Polyal]

Originally Posted by SirJuggsalot

well done. ALOT of people bag out Korean cars for being crap, but I don't see why. I used to own a Getz and it was a bloody good car.

No they are crap, its just taken this long to sort themselves out. Look out for the rwd tibreon!

[SirJuggsalot]

Originally Posted by Polyal

No they are crap, its just taken this long to sort themselves out. Look out for the rwd tibreon!

If you say so, but in the 2 years I owned the Getz it never had ANY electrical or mechanical problems....

...such as broken door actuators, noisy handbrake, faulty handbrake, faulty bonnet release, diff whine, stuffed battery, cracked wheels or faulty interior compartments.

EDIT: I knew I should have bought a MkII lol

[RapidBF]

Hyundai have come a long way. Most people probably associate the name Hyundai with and Excel. I for one was very surprised to see what they've done recently.

[kremmen]

Speaking of Korean Cars I bought the misses a Kia Sorento as she liked the look of them. I though bewdy, got away cheap there! Bought new 2005 for under 30k. Its no BMW X5 but hasn't missed a single beat and has been regularly driven off road (beach/track) to places I never thought it would get to, a few surprised cruiser and patrol people have been very surprised when i get through as easily as them. Only mods were new tyres and old man emu suspension kit.

Funnily enough the diesel model won a few 4wd of the year awards in UK/Europe.

[Ives]

Originally Posted by RapidBF

Hyundai have come a long way. Most people probably associate the name Hyundai with and Excel. I for one was very surprised to see what they've done recently.

Yes, newer Hyundai cars are sooo much better than the Excels in every way. Even the X3 model Excels are alright for wat they are.... till the diff blows. :

[nitroman]

We just started selling hyundai at work and well... they're impessive! They all seem to be well put together and drive very well. The I30 diesel gets 3.6l 100k on the highway!
I wouldn't be afraid to have my mum buy one! The workshop info hyundai supply is very impressive with clear photos of parts of the vehicle and what and how to test to solve a problem, instead of the cryptic scrawls and vague diagnostic information ford supplies in it's manuals!

[Nostalgia]

Bwahahahahahahahahahahahah. Can anyone say "TupperWare". :

[Gobes32]

I remember reading not long ago that the company Toyota fear the most is Hyundai. They also provide 5 year unlimited km warranty. I would expect big things in the next few years.

[MYWPN]

I like how everyone bags out hyundai, i work for hyundai as a Master tech and own a ford but they are a very good car and only getting better, some of the models they have in Korea are far beyond what we have over here, The I30 is a great little car and the diesel is awesome to drive, and more fuel effecient and better fuel emmisions than any other car including the hybrid Prius. I would not hesistate to buy one if they bring there turbo charged varients over here. As for cheap Korean crap, Hyundai have the 2nd least amount of warranty claims per car behind Toyota in the world.

[Abacus]

If they can sort out the dynamics on the next Grandeur it might give Falcon/Commodore/Aurion/380 a bit of a run for their money.

[MYWPN]

The grandeur is aimed at the j31 maxima etc. they will never compete with for/holden purely because they are front wheel drive, they do have a rear drive version in Korea but marketing chose to stay away. i dont believe the grandeur is quite up to it's market, not as quiet road noise wise and maybe interior quality not quiet up to it, engine is great though. It's a step forward from the XG grandeur which was a disaster but still needs work

[RG]

Originally Posted by MYWPN

The grandeur is aimed at the j31 maxima etc. they will never compete with for/holden purely because they are front wheel drive, they do have a rear drive version in Korea but marketing chose to stay away. i dont believe the grandeur is quite up to it's market, not as quiet road noise wise and maybe interior quality not quiet up to it, engine is great though. It's a step forward from the XG grandeur which was a disaster but still needs work

Being a front wheel drive doesn't mean that it won't be aimed at Ford & Holden. Toyota and Mitsubishi's challengers have always been front drivers.

[vztrt]

It also has a 4 star ANCAP rating.