Island Life Magazine Ltd October/November 2011 | Page 61

MOTORING

Hyundai so impressive

During recent years Hyundai have
gone from strength to strength, and
the release of the new i40 sees that
trend very much continuing.
Hyundai cars are well designed, well
built, good to drive and relatively
inexpensive to buy. What has been
missing from its range is a larger
competitive car. But that has changed
as the i40 hits the road, a vehicle
clearly aimed at the executive fleet
market.
The i40 Tourer certainly looks the
part with its rounded body shape
making it look very dynamic. Inside,
there is evidence that Hyundai
have made the i40 practical and
comfortable. The i40 has a smart
cabin, with a nicely textured
soft-touch dashboard and clearly laid
out instruments and dials.
TEST DRIVEN ON
THE ISLAND
By Peter White

Space is in abundance on the inside.
There are 553 litres of luggage space
on offer with the rear seats in place,
which can be extended by dropping
the seats - in a simple one-movement
operation - to an extremely impressive
1,719 litres.
The i40 Tourer I drove, courtesy
of Wight Motors, College Close,
Sandown was the 1.7 CRDi 136 PS
auto, and there was simply nothing
to fault it for looks, performance or
design. It has the power to compete
with some other manufacturers'
2.0-litre units, and rivals them on
CO2 emissions at 159g/km, or just
119g/km for the Blue Drive.
A six-speed automatic transmission,
with paddle-shifters, is optional on
the two most powerful i40 engines.
The ride is smooth, which is enhanced

by the i40’s long wheelbase and feels
stable and firmly planted on the road.
It has a host of standard features on
the Active entry level model. They
include air-conditioning, alloys,
stability control, Bluetooth, four
electric windows and LED daytime
running lights as standard. No wonder
it’s hard to fault the i40.

Wight Motors
College Close, Sandown PO36 8EB
TEL: [phone] www.wightmotors.co.uk
www.visitislandlife.com

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