The i40 could be Hyundai’s best mainstream car yet and it's likely to make proper inroads into volume sales in the segment in Ireland.

In the metal 4/5

The decision to offer the new Hyundai i40 as an estate car initially is no accident or marketing ploy. In mainland Europe the segment is made up of 54 percent estates so it made sense to start with this version.

Here in Ireland there is a slow uptake of the estate car, but Hyundai Ireland feels that there may perhaps be a move to this version. On looks it might be right, as it is a handsome and substantial car.

While the Hyundai isn’t quite at Skoda Superb levels in terms of dimensions there is generous space front and rear and the luggage capacity of 553 litres is impressive - and this can expand out to 1,719 litres with the rear seats folded. The car hides its bulk quite well.

The styling is bold for what has become a quite staid segment, but what is perhaps most significant is how far Hyundai has come in terms of fit and finish to its interiors. The test cars were early pre-production examples, yet they felt really well screwed together. With cabin style not too dissimilar to the Hyundai ix35's, there are good quality plastics used throughout and generous levels of standard equipment that are likely to continue through to Irish specification cars.

Driving it 4/5

We tried two versions of the Hyundai i40 on our drive. The petrol version we drove was powered by a 2.0-litre 177hp engine (which we won’t get in Ireland) and the diesel was the 136hp 1.7-litre - it felt much better.

The cars we tested had two suspension settings, with what seemed like a slightly firmer and more poised set-up on the diesel - it felt very good. We had expected this car to be quite soft with steering to match, but it is quite taut.

Gear changes are smooth and wind noise, which was evident, is likely to have been sorted by the time full production rolls around. Hyundai expects a 50/50 split between fleet and private sales in Europe and this would be an ideal car for anyone racking up high mileage, especially given the car’s five-year 'Triple Care' warranty.

What you get for your money 4/5

Standard equipment for the Irish market has not yet been confirmed, but we are promised a high specification from entry-level. Expect to get air conditioning, Bluetooth and alloy wheels amongst the standard kit and there are likely to be three grades, with the top spec models getting all the bells and whistles including a heated steering wheel and reclining rear seats.

Worth Noting

Hyundai's i40 saloon arrives in Ireland in September and this will most likely make up the main volume. Hyundai is predicting 1,000 i40s in a full year of sales.

Summary

Hyundai's i40 is further proof, not that is was needed, that the Korean company is now a serious contender in the marketplace and the i40 is every bit good enough to compete at the top of the sales charts with the likes of the Toyota Avensis and Ford Mondeo.