Hyundai Australia has bolstered its performance car range with the launch of the Hyundai i30 SR hatchback.
First previewed in concept form at the 2012 Sydney motor show, the new Hyundai i30 SR is priced from $27,990 plus on-road costs and comes equipped with a 2.0-litre naturally aspirated direct-injection petrol engine.
The engine is borrowed from the i40 range and produces 129kW and 209Nm of torque, which is 19kW and 31Nm more than the current 110kW/178Nm 1.8-litre multi-point injection engine, previously the most powerful engine in the i30 line-up.
Hyundai also claims the new powerplant makes at least 200Nm more between 4000rpm and 5500rpm.
Available with either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission with sequential mode, the i30 SR accelerates from 0-100km/h in 7.7 seconds in manual guise and from 0-400m in 15.6 seconds. These times are 1.4sec and 0.7sec quicker than the standard 1.8-litre i30 Elite manual.
The i30 SR also gets revised gear ratios (taller) to those in the 1.6-litre diesel and 1.8-litre petrol versions.
Hyundai claims the combined fuel economy for the i30 SR manual is 7.2L/100km, while the automatic’s figure is 7.5L/100km (compared with 6.5 and 6.9L/100km respectively for the standard 1.8-litre engine).
There’s also a unique suspension tune for the i30 SR, developed locally for Australian conditions. Hyundai’s engineers tested 43 separate suspension component combinations resulting in re-valved dampers from shock absorber manufacturer Sachs, together with unique front springs – four per cent stiffer than those in the rest of the petrol i30 range.
Based on the mid-spec i30 Elite, the i30 SR comes standard with 17-inch machine-faced alloy wheels, a unique sports grille with piano-black insert, HID Xenon headlights, rear diffuser and SR badges.
Inside, there are sports alloy-faced pedals, leather/leatherette upholstery, powered driver’s seat and an auto-dimming rear-view mirror.
The i30 will be available from dealerships later this week and is available in four exterior colours; Creamy White, Phantom Black Mica, Brilliant Red Mica and Hyper Silver Metallic (unique to the SR model).
