KEY POINTS:
During MY week with Hyundai's new i30 hatchback, a friend asked if it is a "cool" car. Maybe that question falls into the "if you have to ask" category, but it did set me thinking.
My eventual answer was: "Yes... in a car-aware kind of way."
Everybody knows Hyundai now makes genuinely good cars and it's obvious that the i30 looks quite sexy - if you can accept the design team was just a bit too focused on creating a cross between the Mazda3 and BMW 1-series.
But you'd have to be a real car-person to know that the i30 has been created specifically with export markets in mind, that the build quality is top-notch and the European press, which is normally a fairly inward-looking bunch, has rated certain models above the likes of the Ford Focus and (gasp) the Volkswagen Golf.
In an i30, you'll only get knowing glances of appreciation from people who really know their motors, which is what makes it cool.
Not to mention the fact Hyundai New Zealand is leading the way in the local market with i30 in many respects.
Our i30 CRDi test car has the tempting combination of a torquey turbo-diesel engine and automatic transmission.
How many Japanese or Korean small-car rivals offer that?
Precisely none. In fact, the diesel/auto combo puts the i30 in the company of some highly respected European cars.
Mind you, so does the price. The 1.6-litre CRDi is available in a basic specification for $33,490, but our Elite test car - with leather upholstery, climate air and cruise control - tops out at $37,490.
So, it's a relatively expensive machine, but from inside the cabin the price feels justified.
The ratio of soft-touch plastics to the hard stuff in pleasingly high, and the quality of build is beyond reproach.
There's some nice attention to detail, too, but the Volkswagen-like searing blue instrument illumination is a bit much.
There's plenty of minor storage, a chilled glovebox and a brilliant auxiliary dock/charger that allows you to access everything on your iPod through the car's audio system, including the steering wheel-mounted controls.
On the road, too, the CRDi is a class act. The diesel engine is a bit gruff under load, but its combination of responsiveness and thrift is impressive.
The automatic transmission really completes the package because a self-shifter is the ideal conduit for the low-down pulling power of a diesel - and even if it's only a four-speed unit.
The CRDi's steering and handling is competent, but somewhat limited by a lack of suspension control at open-road speeds and the standard Kumho tyres.
There's nothing unsatisfactory about it, but nothing special either, which is where the Hyundai doesn't measure up to rival machines from Mazda, Ford or Volkswagen.
So the i30 is not quite the groundbreaking car it could be but it is an eminently desirable one. In CRDi form, it succeeds in offering a specification that makes it unique in the class. It's a pretty cool car.
