Spending a few days motoring around Auckland in the Hyundai i40 may not be the best way to get an idea of how economical its 1.7-litre four-cylinder diesel engine actually is.
It is still relatively decent, returning mid-to-high 8’s in terms of litres per 100km, but after a bit of typically shit Auckland traffic and a lot of short trips, it crept up to 9.0L/100km…
However, the fuel consumption quickly dropped to an impressive 5.9L/100km after a bit of time on the open road. And that even includes some serious pressing-on through the twisty bits on the back road between Auckland and Otorohanga!
This is the start of the mighty Oversteer Road Trip to Queenstown in the Hyundai i40 Elite and so far it has impressed.
After brimming the tank in Otorohanga, adding an extra person and the associated luggage, fuel consumption crept up 6.5L/100km through the hills of the King Country and National Park.
We still made it to Wellington on only half tank of diesel and the fuel consumption steadily sank all day until locking down on 6.2L/100km. Where it has stayed welded ever since.
The best thing about the Hyundai i40 through the middle of the North Island though? Other than the strong,frugal diesel engine, the comfortable ride and the superb seats, it had to be the speed limiter function!
After a friendly policeman flashed his lights and waved frantically at us coming through National Park, we decided the wisest course of action was to use it for the rest of the day… and, to be honest, the rest of the trip so far…
We really appreciated the heated seats in the i40 after an early start in Wellington, and a magnificent strait crossing followed, which was topped off with a relaxed lunch in Picton.
Fuel economy now seems pretty much immovable on 6.2L/100km no matter how hard or gently you drive it. Which is good, because the throttle is starting to be used more generously on the brilliant South Island roads…
The i40 just seems to get more impressive every day, with the only real niggle being the slightly vague steering that lacks much in the way of feel and is particularly dull just off centre. Not awful, just a slight let down when you consider how good the rest of the package is.
More than 940km later and we fill up the i40 with diesel at Rakaia, for the first time since Otorohanga. The readout on the dash still claimed 85km until empty, so it is clearly very easy indeed to get over 1,000km out of a tank.
The odd thing is, at no time did the Distance to Empty readout ever claim more than 800km was available… Even after 69 litres of diesel went in, it was still claiming well short of the 1,000 mark, despite proof of what was actually capable just below it!
After a very pleasant night in Oamaru and several hundred kilometres further and we reach Queenstown after passing through some of the most beautiful countryside in the world! Central Otago is simply stunning and the i40 has so far proven to be the perfect way to see the incredible scenery.
Still consuming diesel at the rate of only 6.2L/100km the four-cylinder 1.7-litre engine is smooth and muscular, with a broad band of torque right where it is needed, making it ideal for the open roads of Central Otago.
Road noise is evident on the coarse chip seal, but this is largely due to the wagon body style and the Korean OE tyres. Still, it’s no worse than any other wagon in its segment and getting rid of the standard tyres is something that improves virtually every Korean car anyway…
Relaxing in a Queenstown hotel – with a magnificent view of the lake – drinking a cold beer, the i40 seems particularly impressive. We have covered the vast majority of the length of the country in the last five days and we have done it in a remarkably relaxed and comfortable function.
So far the few niggles we have with the Hyundai i40 Elite are extraordinarily minor and the overall package is is just so damn impressive and attractive that it would be a very hard one to go past indeed.
Check back for updates from Queenstown, on the road up the West Coast on the trip back and a final road test when we return to the drudgery of normal, non-holiday life!
You must be logged in to post a comment.