Some of our friends on the email list will know already that Pam and I have taken delivery of a new car. To cut a long story short, after considerable investigation, the i30 was the one that stood out from the crowd. On many criteria it had to be a good choice for a new car. For me the legroom and headroom was an enormous positive.  Many cars just don’t cater for people who are 6 foot plus with a large body frame. The i30 beats most others except some of the  SUV class vehicles in this department.

Height adjustable drivers seat, tilt and telescopic steering wheel make it a decisive win. Also the outstanding fuel economy are certainly not hard to bear. It’s early days yet but we returned 5.44l/100k for the first tank of fuel. Bonus at the moment is that diesel is a little cheaper than petrol.

The small diesel engine is a willing performer with its variable rate turbo charger and inter-cooler. (This ensures cooler air delivery) Some of the car writers claim that the diesel is better to drive than the petrol. I have not driven the petrol model, however I have no complaint about the performance of the diesel power plant. Only small thing I am adjusting to is the sudden acceleration if care is not taken to drive gently from a standing start.

In town driving it is an easy car to drive. Nice roadholding that I have not pushed in any way. Firm suspension and sporty feel. It is a pleasent car to drive. Sort of makes you feel like going hard. Must watch the speed as there is little outside noise below 80kph. There is a bit more noise at 100 kph but still better than most mid size cars. Its hard to believe you are powered by diesel. Only when stopped there is the reassuring tremble and quiet chatter of the common rail power. Its full of technology which is why it is so economical. It might take a while to get used to a Brisbane trip with no fuel stops until we are ready to return. $48 get us round 800K. This is quite different to the Maxima.

We have now run up over 4,000K and still all going nicely. Pam love driving and prefers to take it to the older Excel of her mother’s. I enjoy the drive to Rocky once a week or so.

Really the only bad thing about the car is the dirty looks you get as you drive past 20 servos before you need to stop for fuel. I use the trip meter to measure around 700K before  I fill the tank. Cost for a fill is around  $60.

If there is a better car around for the usage we have, then I have not heard about it.

10,000 kays and not a single problem. Just get in every time and away we go. The only small annoyance is fuelling. Since diesel froths so much the last 5 litres takes quite a while to slowly dribble in. If the car was used mainly around town it would probably be recommended to stop filling as soon as the flow stops the first or second click. This would be around 45l usable fuel, sufficient for most people. I usually get around 50l per fill. This is a range of round 800k.

We are just about up to 20,000 kays now and there has not been any problems at all. The fuel economy is sitting very close to 6.3L/100k which is exactly what is claimed for this car. We have achieved as little as 5.8 on a trip. This is all with no special effort to use least fuel, just normal driving at the speed limit. On our last Brisbane trip we found the fuel light activated at 930K.

Since I last wrote we have actually used the tow option to tow a box trailer. It really seems not to make a difference to the drive apart from the obvious planning needed for where you park. Here I just reverse into the carport, but it gets a bit tricky when you are out and about.

Overall we are still very happt with the car in all respects. The power is very good, especially whilst overtaking. It is astounding how much power can be produced by a small turbo diesel engine.

Stay tuned for more updates on this page.