On the road: Hyundai i30 Turbo – car review

It’s the sportiest in the Hyundai range; it has sportier wheel arches, a sportier, more shapely grill, an all-round aura of sportiness.

But I wasn’t struck by it, not at first. Who reads a car’s personality in its grill? Then I got in and it all changed: the steering wheel is leather with red stitching. Visible stitching shouts “fun”, because it subconsciously reminds you of saddlebags and other horse paraphernalia. It shouts, speed for the hell of it, speed you didn’t know was coming; it has been yelling, “You are about to go much faster than walking” since the 1880s.

The sports-bucket seats have a leather effect, so feel like being held by a giant, determined glove. The pedals are silvery and dynamic, and gleam. The three-door design sends the message that you don’t want passengers if you can help it. The ignition is with a button, which I’ve come to prefer, and the binnacles protrude in an ironic, Back To The Future sort of way. It’s the kind of car you expect will start making arch remarks at you.

I didn’t get to the top speed of 136mph, but I had no doubt at all that it could make it. The 1.6-litre petrol engine tops the range, and is a blast. It swam into sixth gear with discernible enthusiasm; the torque could blow your cheeks back. It’s pretty unusual to be able to entertain children by going from first to second in a 20mph zone, but even its zero to 18 felt pretty sudden. Acceleration in the higher gear is not as good; the changes are smooth enough, but you’re not going to sail past an Audi on the motorway, which, let’s face it, is the car you habitually want to sail past. The Flex Steer system means you can choose between comfort, normal and sport: I couldn’t tell a huge amount of difference between them, but they’re all sharp and neat. Road imperfections are damped, the brake feel inspires confidence. Maybe the steering response is a bit jerky, but more in the service of mischief than by accident.

It’s not immediately clear what driver this car has in mind. It was, plainly, exciting enough for me, but it’s not the hottest of hatches. It’s roomy – the space in the boot is a surprise – but it’s not what you’d call a family car. The engine comes at a price for emissions and efficiency: 149g/km is a little bit last century, ditto 44mpg on the combined cycle. So it’s not emphatically one thing – family, sporty, titchy, eco, ergo – over another. But it’s fun, goddamit.

Hyundai i30 Turbo in numbers

Price £22,500
Top speed 136mph
Acceleration 0-62mph in 8 seconds
Combined fuel consumption 44mpg
CO₂ emissions 169g/km
Eco rating 7/10
Cool rating 7/10