Hyundai i40 Tourer 1.7CRDi

First impressions count, so Hyundai’s debut in the family estate car sector needs to look the part. And our initial thoughts are that the i40 is modern and smartly styled.

It effectively replaces the boxy and old-fashioned Sonata (which was never available as an estate), so it represents a quantum leap in terms of exterior design. Swept-back headlamps and a steeply raked windscreen combine with a pronounced shoulder line to give the Hyundai a taut and sporty appearance.

Video: watch CarBuyer's video review of the Hyundai i40 Tourer

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There’s a hint of Mazda 6 about the nose and a whiff of Honda Accord Tourer at the rear, but the end result is undeniably smart. It’s more showy than its pair of understated VW Group rivals, though, and we don’t like the overstated, slightly tacky Blue Drive badging on the front wings.

Successive new Hyundais have raised our expectations for interior quality, but the i40 still has the power to surprise. The firm has upped its game again, and the soft-touch plastics and tactile switchgear of the solidly constructed interior compare favourably with the class leaders.

The busy design mimics the sweeping shapes of the exterior, and places the standard touchscreen monitor high up on the centre console. Smartly designed and very easy to use, the cabin has a real feel-good factor – and this is enhanced by a long list of standard equipment.

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Sat-nav, a reversing camera, cruise control, Bluetooth, climate control and a multifunction steering wheel are all included. You also get an electric parking brake and plenty of stowage space.
 
Up front, the electrically adjustable driver’s seat has a wide range of movement. The driving position is excellent, although the A-pillars cause nasty blind spots as you approach roundabouts. Swap to the rear and there’s good news; the i40 boasts the longest wheelbase in the class, which ensures plenty of legroom. A flat transmission tunnel means it’s the best car here at accommodating three people across the back.

Folding the rear seat backs is easy, but fixed bases prevent them from lying completely flat. If you can live with that, the Hyundai’s load bay is the longest of our trio. However, with less height under the parcel shelf than its rivals, the 553-litre boot is the smallest in this test with the seats in place. And its maximum load capacity of 1,719 litres trails the gigantic Skoda by 146 litres.
 
The Korean brand won’t be offering customers a hatchback option, though, so if you think of the Tourer as a straight five-door, rather than an estate, it makes more sense. Driving the newcomer brings further good news. It only takes a few miles behind the wheel to realise that Hyundai has finally produced a large family car that isn’t dynamically outclassed by its competitors.

The 1.7 CRDi engine is a little flat below 2,000rpm but, once it gets into its stride, the throttle response is linear and in-gear acceleration is stronger than in both of the other cars here. Refinement in the mid-range is excellent, too.

As with the firm’s smaller ix20 supermini-MPV, the i40 has been treated to a softer chassis set-up for the UK, and the results are largely successful. It shrugs off large undulations with ease, and only coarse surfaces upset the suspension’s ability to cope.

Less polished is the light steering. It feels artificial at speed, and has a strong self-centering tendency. Still, the quick gearing provides positive responses, allowing the car to turn in sharply. Do this with a degree of enthusiasm, and the only major dynamic shortcoming reveals itself – there’s more body roll than in either rival.

This causes the inside front wheel to lose traction, and the nose washes wide sooner than in either the Skoda or Volkswagen. Finally, the ABS triggered early in our braking test, so the i40 failed to match the stopping distances of its rivals. So while it’s clearly an assured performer, it doesn’t quite manage to match the class leaders on the road.

On a more positive note, wind noise is impressively muted at speed, and the newcomer is comfortable, refined and easy to drive. It also returned a solid 40.9mpg during its time on test.

Consider the great five-year warranty, on top of the masses of standard kit, and the i40 is a serious contender – and a car of which Hyundai can be proud.

Details

Chart position: 2
WHY: All-new i40 Tourer is tested in generously equipped mid-spec Style trim, with the 1.7-litre CRDi Blue Drive diesel featuring stop-start.