I decided between the two yesterday. A local Kia salesman made the choice much easier for me. I telephoned and said I was interested in a C'eed and asked how long an unaccompanied test drive I could have (recently Kia were offering a whole week). Reply, "We don't give cars for free hire"! I was reminded of a sales training film I used to use titled "Don't Worry, it's only a Customer" and found his response as offputting as his grammar, so rang off.
I then called the Hyundai dealership about an i.30 and was told "Take it all day if you want". When I got there the salesman said "Now, I've put a nice lot of petrol in the car. You just take your time on making your mind up." So off I went in the basic "Comfort" petrol i30 1.4. The engine seemed very powerful for its size and the weight of the car. It was spacious enough for five adults (although the boot is more a 3- or 4-adult size) and very comfortable, with some nice little touches, like steering wheel audio controls. Aircon is standard whereas it costs £500 on the basic new Focus. Alloys are standard across the range. It was a relaxing motorway cruiser but be warned that, for a back sufferers, the ride on lesser A roads and below is a bit harsh and an extra cushion might be advisable. Comfort models have 15" wheels and the ride would doubtless be worse on the 16" and 17" ones of other versions. It took tight curves well at speed. The build quality seemed very high. Free breakdown cover is full with the RAC for three years, not just "roadside assistance" for the final two, as with some cars.
I could only spare 1 1/2 hours but the problems came when I tried to buy , since the supply shortage emerged. The 1.4 petrol seems to be the star and I was told there would be none available in the entire country till late April at the earliest. I had to break off negotiations and went home disappointed. The following morning I began again over buying the 1.6 petrol. This is said to be less good although, oddly, its petrol consumption is about the same. I settled for this for delivery in two weeks and got the best trade-in price I could have expected plus about 8% discount and 0% finance over 3 years on the balance. I believe 0% over 4 years is offered on some models.
The comparisons are with the C'eed, Focus and Golf so ideally you should be try all four. The i30 will probably come top on a cost/value basis. Also check out HJ's comments and those of What Car?, Autocar, Top Gear etc. Or check if Hyundai will bring out their version of the Pro-ceed.
Incidentally, savvy marketers know that there is a good chance people will like products if they get a chance to sample them at length. Half and hour on the bypass with a saleman simply won't do.
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