Can this second-generation hatch challenge for class honours?

摘要

Last time we road tested an i30, we approached it with understandable cynicism. It was 2007, pre-scrappage and Hyundai had made the common Pacific Rim mistake of promising a model that was the equal of its European rivals. Predictable disappointment was forecast. But we were wrong. The original i30, as it turned out, was a fine car. It was affordable, convincing and utterly credible. Prophetically, we said it was a wake-up call to Europe's slumbering mainstream, and we weren't wrong about that. Global recession may have given Hyundai a leg-up, but the Koreans have since produced a product range of consistent and remarkable quality. Consequently, we approach the all-new i30 with completely different expectations.