Hyundai i40

Some say that a Korean car manufacturer created a vehicle that would take on the likes of other Eurasian cars such as the Toyota Avensis and the Honda Accord Tourer. Some say that this car was been designed at Russelsheim, Germany and manufactured at Ulsan, South Korea. All we know is that car is called the Hyundai i40.

2012 Hyundai i40

Hyundai Motor Company's European Premium sport wagon, the i40, is designed to take on the likes of other European designed sport wagons from Japan such as the Toyota Avensis and the Honda Accord Tourer. Originally that car would have been sold only to European countries but South Korea wants a slice of this station wagon. By demand, Hyundai began pre-orders of the European premium i40 since late August before the i40 officially went on sale at South Korea this September 1.

The Hyundai i40 is the wagon cousin of the Hyundai YF Sonata and according to Hyundai, the i40's design was penned from the Genus concept car as seen on 2006 Geneva Motor Show. Because wagons play an important role in Europe, the Hyundai i40 is designed to be more sophisticated and sporty to bring more "European Elegance" in the eyes. This design stays true to its "Fluidic Sculpture" design philosophy.

2012 Hyundai i40 interior

The i40 European Premium sport wagon features a European Premium interior that is beyond compare against the Honda Accord Tourer and the Toyota Avensis. Once you're sitting in the driver seat of the i40, you will experience a whole new romance this car company would like to know about. The Super Vision Cluster with 4.2-inch TFT LCD provides the driver a clear view of what's happening around the i40. A Dual Full-Auto Air Conditioner is added on the Hyundai i40 that makes it more essential to the passengers who wanted a cool interior at hot summer days and a warm interior at cold Autumn days at Seoul but this was just an option to replace the standard Manual Air Conditioner. An available DMB Navigation System with AM/FM radio and CD/MP3/DVD player gives a whole new meaning to the word "infotainment" and there is also a feature that allows you to slot inside your SD Memory Card for more. There is also a feature that brings more luggage convenience to the i40, something that its rivals failed to achieve, is called the Luggage Rail System. This rail system comes with the self-retracting adjustable straps for cargo stability.

 

2012 Hyundai i40

Despite being a sports wagon, the Hyundai i40 drives more European than being Korean thanks to its European-tuned suspension for agile cornering that is more likely to be beyond compare than the Toyota Avensis and the Honda Accord Tourer. A new Sports Mode System provides the driver three different modes to choose from depending on fuel economy, balance, and power. What's more that there are two different engines available for this sport wagon such as the newly-developed 1.7L VGT diesel engine and the newly developed Nu 2.0 GDi (Gasoline Direct Injection) engine. The 1.7L CRDi-VGT engine provides 140PS of power output and 18.0km/L of fuel economy while the Nu 2.0 GDi engine comes with 178PS of power and 13.1km/L. Both are equipped with the 6-speed semi-auto transmission with paddle shifters, necessary to bring more "fun" to this European Premium sport wagon.

European cars need to be more advanced with safety features and the Hyundai i40 gets the memo. First off, the Vehicle Stability Management takes advantage of the driving aids such as the Cornering Lamp, Vehicle Dynamics Control, Electronic Parking Brake and MDPS. The Full Adaptive HID Headlamps takes advantage of lighting on cornering for enhanced safety on nighttime driving. What's more interesting is the self-parking feature called SPAS (Smart Parking Assist System) that allows the car to park itself. We call it "cheats" but this system never cheats on the driver. The i40 has 7 airbags equipped outside and it will be triggered in an event of the crash scene. 

Four different variants are available on the i40 such as the 1.7 VGT Modern, 1.7 Smart, 2.0 GDi Modern, and 2.0 GDi Premium. There are nine color variations available on the Hyundai i40 such as White Crystal, Sleek Silver, Titanium Silver, Stone Gray, Red Merlot, Eco Beige, Blue Spirit, Blue Passion, and Total Black.

  

My comment: If you are relying on HARI, well sorry because HARI cannot bring you the Hyundai i40 because the diesel engine is unfit on the Euro 2 compliant country like the Philippines and the GDi engine is unfit for the Philippines' dirty fuel. But for some relying on Grey Market imports, is there a possibility that our friends from Pitstop Motors or Hancars got the memo about the Korean-spec Hyundai i40? Let's wait... Anyway, as I can see from this Euro Style Wagon, the Hyundai i40 will be served as the replacement to the slow-selling i30CW (Elantra Touring). While the i30 5-door hatchback will be receiving a Full Model Change soon, the i30CW will be replaced by the i40 although both have no resemblances from each other. A Korean sports wagon with European Elegance really brings envy to its rivals such as the Toyota Avensis, Honda Accord Tourer, Renault Megane Estate, Peugeot 508 SW and Volvo V60. This is European Premium at its best.

Photo: Hyundai Motor Company