There is a real feeling of quality inside the Hyundai i30. The interior has had a major overhaul and the interior plastics are of a good standard. The dash is soft to touch and the switchgear feels well made. It may not be as classy as a Golf but Hyundai has definitely improved the interior. When it comes to quality and refinement Hyundai has turned a corner with the i30.

Up front you’ll find that the seats are quite comfortable but the side supports and lumbar supports could be better. There’s a decent amount of head- and leg-room for passengers of an average height and build. Interior space has been improved compared to the previous generation. Up front there is 30mm more headroom, 11mm more legroom, and 5mm of additional shoulder room, while rear passengers gain 5mm of shoulder room.

It is relatively easy to get a good driving position thanks to the electric front seat but the passenger seat is manual and can be a faff to get right. The ride is supple although the test route was super smooth so UK roads littered with potholes will prove a sterner test. Road and tyre noise was minimal but the i30 did suffer from quite a bit of wind noise – even though the drag coefficient has been reduced from the previous generation.