You’ll probably see the Hyundai i40 Tourer – flagship of the Korean car-maker’s fleet – doing the business, carrying up to five people and luggage with the peace of mind of a five-year, unlimited mileage warranty.
The Hyundai i40 Tourer, which outsells the saloon, doesn’t have the most image-conscious badge but is a good-looking estate with bold, swoopy curves, strong angles and a sleek profile.
The 115PS unit is fine for hacking up and down motorways, but the 141PS version has more urgency, especially in sport mode, but still needs to be worked before it feels lively and gets gruff under hard acceleration.
The new seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox, optional with the 141PS engine, is super smooth and relaxed and you can shift it manually via paddles on the steering wheel if you want to take control. It’s more efficient than the old automatic gearbox but dents fuel economy and emissions although it returned a respectable 45 to 50mpg.
The Hyundai i40 Tourer is biased towards comfort, another plus for high-mileage drivers, so it’s more cruiser than bruiser but handles competently with good steering feel.
When it comes to comfort, the low-speed ride is sensitive to pock-marked roads but the supple suspension and supportive seats take the sting out of poor road surfaces once cruising but you can’t miss the tyre noise.
The Hyundai i40 Tourer is larger inside that you’d expect and that’s a big bonus for business users and taxi and private hire car operators.
There’s a huge rear leg and headroom in the well-finished cabin but the back doors taper at the bottom so take care not to brush your clothes against the narrow opening in dirty weather.
It’s not at the expense of load space though with a huge 553-litre boot going back a long way with some underfloor storage compartments, ideal for hiding small valuables or the odds and ends that tend to roll around in our boots. Rear seat backs split 60/40 and fold flat from the boot to create a 1,719-litre load bay.
The fascia features large dials, with soothing blue back lighting, the high-level infotainment touch screen is well placed, but not the most intuitive to use, and there are a lot of buttons on the steering wheel which also take time to master.
An auto hold function for the electronic parking brake in stop-start traffic is useful but you have to activate it every time you start the car rather than set it as the default.
The i40 is loaded with kit – even entry S model includes alloy wheels, Bluetooth, air conditioning, auto headlamps, height-adjustable driver’s seat with electric lumbar support, front fog lights, electric windows and heated door mirrors steering wheel controls and a host of safety features designed to keep you out of trouble or protect you if the worst happens.
Big-selling SE Nav gains sat-nav and rear parking camera, a heated steering wheel and front seats, auto wipers and self-dimming mirror, dual-zone climate control, cruise control with speed limiter, power folding door mirrors, DAB radio and front and rear parking sensors. Above that are SE Nav Business and range-topping Premium.
The Hyundai i40 Tourer is a lot of car for the money but it’s not a car that’s on many people’s radar.That’s a shame because, if you try it, chances are you’ll find a lot of like.
Price: Hyundai i40 Tourer SE Nav 1.7 CRDi Blue Drive auto £25,645 (manual £23,745; range from £20,945)
Engine: 1,685cc, 141PS, four-cylinder turbo diesel
Performance: 0-62mph 11 seconds; top speed 124mph (manual 10.5 seconds, 124mph)
MPG: Urban 50.4; extra urban 61.4; combined 56.5 (manual 58.9, 68.9, 65.7)
CO2 emissions: 129g/km (manual 114g/km)
Warranty: Five years, unlimited mileage
Will it fit in the garage? L 4,770mm; W (excluding door mirrors) 1,815mm; H 1,470mm
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