New Hyundai i30 revealed ahead of Paris Motor Show debut

Hyundai has unveiled the third-generation i30 premium hatchback, ahead of its official debut at the 2016 Paris Motor Show next month. The new i30 is expected to go on sale in the European markets in early 2017.

In terms of design, the new i30 is a departure from Hyundai's fluidic design philosophy, something that the previous gen model employed. Hyundai designers claim to have used natural flowing lines to give a timeless design to the car.

The prominent change at the front is a Cascading Grille, which will now be carried forward in all Hyundai cars of the future. This grille is surrounded by a pair of full LED headlamps, while the LED Daytime Running Lights (DRLs) have been vertically placed in the front bumper. The side profile too looks plain, and gets a couple of character lines, one that runs from the headlamps to the taillamps, and the other placed subtly at the lower portion of the doors. The rear end features an upright windshield, and a new pair of taillamps.

The 2017 Hyundai i30 gets an all-new dashboard that appears to be inspired from the Ioniq hybrid. It features a horizontal layout, while an 8-inch floating screen takes care of the infotainment needs. The three-spoke steering wheel is also similar to the one offered with the Ioniq, and features all necessary steering mounted controls. The i30 gets a boot space of 395 litres.

The new i30 will be offered with three petrol engine options - a 1.4-litre MPI naturally aspirated unit, a 1.0-litre T-GDI turbocharged unit, and a turbocharged 1.4-litre T-GDI engine. These engines are available with a 6-speed manual gearbox as standard, though a 7-speed DCT is also on offer with the 1.4L T-GDI variant.

Additionally, a 1.6-litre turbocharged diesel engine is also on offer that is available in three states of tune: 94 BHP, 108 BHP and 131 BHP. Similar to the petrol models, the diesel engines will also be offered with a 6-speed manual as standard, while a 7 speed DCT will be on offer with the 131 BHP variant.