On looks alone Hyundai's i40 Tourer is a winner.

It is arguably the best looking wagon on the market and is part of a revival of the traditional family station wagon.

The i40 is suave and joins other sport wagons such as Holden’s Commodore, the Mazda6, the BMW 5 Series Tourer, the Mercedes-Benz C-Class and the Volvo S60 in putting sex into family motoring.

Suddenly it’s cool for yummy mummies to be tootling around the suburbs in a family wagon instead of a higher-riding, boxy, thirsty and cumbersome SUV.

The i40 is also Hyundai’s best car by far. It won’t knock off the ix35 SUV from its sales perch but gives buyers a credible family alternative.

It’s a better drive than the bigger i45 flagship and the rest of the Korean troupe too.

THE DETAILS

The review car was the base model Active, which is $38,290 drive away.

It’s a well integrated design with all angles flowing together. The long rear overhang and cab-forward design emphasise the functionality of a load lugger, while lowering the visual height of the car.

The glasshouse is classy and the D-pillar is unique. This must be one of the least boxy wagons ever built.

Inside is quite similar to other recent Hyundais, including the i45 and Elantra, tasteful and far from the previous Korean cheapness.

There is high quality in all the materials and they tastefully combine.

There is nice cohesion between exterior and interior design. The dash is modern with nice soft-touch plastics and a tidy centre stack arrangement.

There’s plenty of room front and rear. The packaging is superb. Thankfully, the rakishly descending roofline does not sacrifice headroom.

There is plenty of room for luggage. With the rear seats folded flat there is room for 1719cu m of luggage and even with four or five occupants you can still carry 553cu m.

The Active in six-speed automatic form is priced between Ford Mondeo’s LX wagon and Mazda6’s Classic.

There’s a long list of standard gear, including nine airbags, special suspension dampers, ABS brakes with Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist System (BAS), automatic and cornering headlamps, Cornering Brake Control (CBC), Daytime Running Lamps (DRL), an Electronic Park Brake (EPB) and Electronic Stability Control (ESC) incorporating Traction Control System (TCS). It rides on 16-inch alloy wheels with low-rolling resistance tyres and has a full-size spare wheel.

Inside is Bluetooth (hands-free telephone and audio streaming), cruise control and speed limiter, one touch triple turn indicators, paddle shifters, power windows, leather gear knob and steering wheel, remote keyless entry, AM/FM tuner, single CD player with MP3 capability, four speakers, two tweeters, USB/auxiliary input, steering wheel audio controls and a trip computer.

The elaborately designed daytime running lights, an emergency braking alert system which flashes the brake lights and switches on the hazard flashers when you suddenly stop, an electric handbrake and cruise control/speed-limiter also are standard across the range.

The i40 Tourer has rich and lustrous paintwork, with flawless fit and finish and great quality materials both inside and out.

THE DRIVE

The 2.0-litre petrol unit features direct fuel-injection and creates 130kW at 6500rpm. Peak torque is adequate at 213Nm but it arrives too high in the rev-range at 4700rpm.

What this means is that initial acceleration is modest and overtaking power is disappointing.

You need plenty of revs showing on the tachometer to experience much vigour. A bigger engine would be appreciated.

It gets a bit raucous and is similar to a Toyota Camry.

Around town the i40 was fine but it did not have enough urge on steep hills. This wagon is so balanced that it cries out for more performance, perhaps another 10kW of extra power and maybe an additional 40Nm.

The automatic transmission is quite slow-shifting but is quicker if you use the neat steering wheel paddles.

At low speeds the electric power steering is very light but it firms up nicely with speed and at 100km/h delivers good road feel.

The i40 Tourer is delightful to drive. Its suspension tune has been calibrated for local conditions, the importer having learnt a tough lesson from the media launch of the soggy i45 sedan.

It is far more dynamically competent and feels much better tuned to suit tough country roads, yet the ride comfort remains supple.

It’s a lovely balanced handling car and was a joy up and over the Gillies Range and on the winding, undulating sections of the Walkamin-Dimbulah Rd.

The car ultimately understeers but the roadholding is great, the ride smooth and the steering light.

The i40’s full-size spare wheel is another plus in the careful packaging and noise, vibration and harshness levels are low.

I was disappointed with the fuel consumption. Despite a spirited run up the Gillies and across the Walkamin road I drove it normally, smoothly and quietly the rest of last weekend.

Despite the six ratios, the i40 averaged 11.1 litres per 100km when Hyundai says it should achieve 7.5. The 1.7-litre diesel will be much better, promising average economy of 4.7L/100km, which is outstanding.

The penalty will be a 70kg weight over the front wheels, which means the diesel variants lack that edge of dynamic crispness which contributes so much to the i40’s appeal.

Another bugbear was the cruise control.

It would not maintain speed when climbing hills, even moderate rises such as the Cairns Western Arterial Rd at Park Ridge, but then would race away when travelling down the other side.

It really needs re-calibration.

THE DECISION

Buyers will find the i40 an excellent wagon in virtually every respect except outright performance and economy.

The i40 Tourer’s clever design, high equipment levels and superb quality put it right at the top of the medium car segment, but it deserves considerably more power which, funnily enough, should improve the economy.

You have to wring it out to get some oomph and that means more fuel use.

Even so, the i40 is not only the most stylish and best Hyundai sold here, but the most suitable for Australia too.

>> TEST VEHICLE COURTESY OF TRINITY SOUTHSIDE, MULGRAVE RD, EARLVILLE, PH: 4081 5000

Share this article