The Hyundai i30 Diesel has been honored with the Australian Car of the Year award. The Hyundai i30 Diesel was also voted CARSguide Green Car of the Year thanks to its small turbodiesel eco-friendly engine.
The Hyundai i30 Diesel was followed by the VW Golf GT TSi (86pts), the Mazda2 Maxx (75pts)
and the Mitsubishi Lancer VR.
Hyundai Press Release:
Hyundai´s i30 Diesel Picked as Australia's Car of the Year
Hyundai has scored a major coup, beating a field of the world's best cars to win the
2007 CARSguide Car of the Year award with its diesel-powered i30 hatchback. Praised by the judging panel for its style, handling and performance features, the i30 was also voted CARSguide Green Car of the Year in recognition of its small turbodiesel's frugal and eco-friendly performance.
Underscoring the i30 CRDi's eco-ability was its win last month in the Panasonic Solar Challenge Greenfleet category where it travelled from Darwin to Adelaide using an average of 3.2 litres per 100km.
It is the first time a Korean-made car has won a national car of the year award in Australia. The i30 CRDi secured its place in motoring history against a stellar field of finalists ranging from a $19,000 hatch to a $110,000 luxury sedan.
Finishing second in the voting was VW's Golf GT TSi ``twin charger´' just ahead of the second-generation Mazda2 Maxx.
Judged on criteria ranging from styling, safety, innovation, value, functionality, build quality and performance, the finalists were studied, dissected and scored in a variety of situations.
The cars were driven through a range of environments and road conditions, such as city, freeway, highway and country towns, to evaluate how competent they were in critical driving situations. Steering, handling, braking, and acceleration were also rigorously evaluated*.
Finalists were also put through their paces on Goulburn's Wakefield Park race circuit, enabling the judges to assess grip thresholds, tyre balance, chassis performance and suspension.
The winning i30 CRDi SX chosen by CARSguide judges featured Hyundai´s Protectz pack option, comprising electronic stability control (ESP) plus side and curtain airbags.
Kevin McCann, Director of Sales and Marketing, Hyundai Australia, comments "We're extremely proud that the i30 has received these two esteemed awards. With several class-leading innovations and our traditional outstanding value, we had no doubt that the i30 would succeed in giving all its competitors - including hybrids - a run for their money."
The journey to being voted number one:
The Hyundai i30 CRDi was determined the winner on
an overall points basis, receiving 94 out of a possible 99 points. The judges assessed the cars against 10 criteria, before ranking the finalists from 1-11 (1 being the best) to determine the winning Car of the Year 2007.
The i30 which was only launched in Australia last month is designed to excite the senses. Styled in Germany, manufactured in Korea and optimised around Australia´s unique driving conditions the i30 represents a new face for Hyundai in Australia.
Hyundai i30 stand-out features include:
- Savvy European design - sleek and clean exterior, distinctive new front `face´, curvaceous side line, rising beltline and integrated rear styling
- A choice of latest generation petrol and turbo-Diesel engines, the latter providing hybrid levels of fuel economy affordable to all Australians.
- Suspension and steering dynamics specifically calibrated to appeal to the sportier mindset of today´s - Australian hatchback drivers.
- Advanced safety equipment made affordable, including side and curtain airbags, Electronic Stability Program, `anti-whiplash´ headrests and seat belt reminders.
- Clean, functional and well-organised interior - built with the driver´s comfort and convenience in mind. Design highlights include flexible, space-efficient seating, blue instrument illumination, high quality finishes and a cool air-conditioned glovebox.
- Full iPod®/USB-compatible audio as standard, which allows the driver to operate an iPod® and other MP3 players through the i30´s dash and steering wheel audio controls.
"The new i30 is a reflection of Hyundai´s world-class design capabilities with its inspired European styling, innovative iPod®/USB-compatible audio and outstandingly frugal turbo-Diesel engine. The i30 offers a suite of intelligent safety features and Australian-optimised suspension and steering, together with the class-leading quality and reliability for which Hyundai is increasingly recognised," said Mr McCann
The Daily Telegraph motoring editor, Kevin Hepworth, says the strength of the result - the i30 scored 94 points out of a possible 99 - would not have been anticipated at the start of judging.
``I don't think there was any who doubted that the i30 deserved its place in the final field, what was most surprising was how impressive the car was when it came down to testing in each of the criterion.
``Quite simply, it impressed more of the judges in more areas than any other car at the finals.''
Nine motoring editors and senior motoring writers from The Daily Telegraph (Sydney), The Herald-Sun (Melbourne), The Courier-Mail (Brisbane), The Adelaide Advertiser, Hobart Mercury and Perth Sunday Times first voted to arrive at a list of finalists and then spent three days putting the cars through a gruelling testing program.
Good-looking, comfortable, well-trimmed and very well made, the i30 CRDi proved to be one of the biggest new car surprise packages of the year.
The Herald-Sun's Paul Gover says: ``Hyundai has made the final breakthrough to finally kill its cheap-and-cheerful approach to car making'', while The Sunday Telegraph's Paul Pottinger issued this warning: ``Europe and Japan beware - the Korean car has come of age''.
Mark Hinchliffe of Brisbane's Courier-Mail echoed the opinion of many of the judges with: ``The i30 should change Australians' minds once and for all about the quality, versatility and driveability of Korean cars and small turbodiesel engines''.
Final Rankings
1. Hyundai i30 CRDi (94pts)
2. VW Golf GT TSi (86pts)
3. Mazda2 Maxx (75pts)
4. Mitsubishi Lancer VR (71pts)
5. Mercedes-Benz C280 (66pts)
6. Holden Ute SV6 (56pts)
7. Ford Mondeo Zetec (37pts)
8. Subaru Impreza RS (32pts)
9. BMW X5 3.0d (31pts)
10. BMW 335i sedan (25pts)
11. Volvo C30 T5 (21pts).
