If you are one of those people who who still believes Hyundai and Kia are making the worlds most bland and terrible cars then you are honestly pretty stupid, backwards thinking and stuck in 2004. The car that started a revolution for the South Korean brands in Australia and the rest of the world was the 1st generation, FD i30. A car I didn't really respect until my brother bought one as his first car a few months ago. It's, a 2010, mid-spec SLX model with the 2.0L petrol engine and 5sp manual gearbox. The little i30 makes for a rather perfect car for everyday life with good fuel economy of around 7-8L/100km, enough power to not feel sluggish, a 5 star ANCAP safety rating, plenty of space in a totally reliable package (as long as it has a service history and the timing belt is changed on time).
It drives well too, with nicely weighted steering, stable handling and easy to use clutch, my only problem being the plastic feeling gear change in the manual. The interior also feels a tad cheap but so did most other hatchbacks in 2009.Overall the 1st gen Hyundai i30 is definitely a car to consider if you're looking for a second hand hatch that around $8000-$10,000 depending on year, condition and kilometers. It's a rock solid choice and was one of the first genuinely good Korean cars that people actually wanted to own.
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