It’s something of a gamble for Hyundai … the release of a new wagon in Australia that is yet to be produced as a sedan … but that’s the gamble that Hyundai have chosen to take for the Hyundai i40 is now on sale in Australia but you won’t be able to buy anything but the wagon for some time to come.
For many years Australians seemed to have had a love affair with the station wagon but over the last few years that love affair has cooled as more and more buyers who may have bought a station wagon in the past have opted for an SUV.
Of course station wagons do still sell and Holden’s Commodore Sport Wagon does quite well but will the Hyundai i40 wagon … aimed at a slightly different market to the Commodore … attract enough buyers?
The all new i40 was released in Europe earlier in the year and now it’s here in Australia. The new i40 Tourer comes in three trim levels with a choice of a 130kW 2.0-litre petrol or a 100kW 1.7-litre CRDi turbo-diesel engine with a price point that may be appealing and fuel consumption figures that will definitely attract people to the diesel model.
Petrol variants
The entry level i40 Tourer is the Active with the 2.0-litre petrol engine coupled to a six-speed manual transmission and a starting price of $32,490 plus government and dealer charges.
For that price you get range of standard safety features including Vehicle Stability Management, Electronic Stability Control, nine airbags, LED daytime lights and emergency stop signal. For another $2,000 dollars you can have automatic transmission.
The Elite and Premium petrol variants both come with a six-speed automatic transmission as standard and prices start at $39,490 plus government and dealer charges for the Elite and $44,490 plus government and dealer charges for the Premium.
The 2.0-litre petrol engine coupled to the manual transmission has a fuel economy rating of 6.8L/100km on a combined cycle
Diesel Variants
The entry level diesel i40 is the Active with the 1.7-litre CRDi engine coupled to a six-speed manual transmission for $34,490 plus government and dealer charges. You can add a six-speed auto transmission for another $2,000.
The Elite and Premium diesel variants both come with the six-speed automatic transmission as standard and prices start at $41,490 plus government and dealer charges for the Elite and $46,490 plus government and dealer charges for the Premium.
The 1.7-litre CRDi diesel coupled to the six-speed manual transmission has a fuel economy rating of just 4.7L/100km on a combined cycle
The i40 Tourer with it’s sleek lines may just grab a reasonable share of the market but it’s definitely a gamble and may impact on sales of the sedan when it’s finally released.