Hyundai I30 vs Toyota Corolla

What's the difference?

Obviously we’ll reserve definitive judgement on the Elantra/i30 Sedan Hybrid until we drive it in Australia but our early preview was very promising. Adding the i30 Sedan Hybrid to the local line-up is a smart move from Hyundai. It gives the i30 Sedan range a wider appeal and will allow the company to try and lure customers away from Toyota and its popular Corolla Sedan, even if it can’t quite match it for fuel savings (at least on paper).

As you, the Australian new car consumer, look for more fuel efficient options the i30 Sedan Hybrid should be arriving just in time.

After several years in market, the Toyota Corolla Ascent Sport Hybrid stands up well. Late 2022 upgrades have helped keep the hybrid powertrain on the pace and the multimedia system competitive. The sedan layout is better than the hatch for carrying people and cargo, it’s a refined and comfortable drive, and the ownership package sets the pace in this category. That said, safety is good but could be better, the CVT’s a bit drony, there are some small things we’d like to see on the standard equipment list (adjustable rear ventilation, extra USBs) and there’s room for improvement in terms of in-cabin storage. But overall, it’s hard to go past this small sedan proposition.

One of the reasons Hyundai Australia has decided to introduce the new hybrid at this stage is the i30 Sedan is due for a mid-life upgrade and facelift.

The company has already previewed the design out of South Korea, with a more dramatic front-end appearance, including a larger, more embellished upper grille and wraparound light bar across the front end.

What’s notable about the Elantra Hybrid we drove in the US is the fact it didn’t look any different from the rest of the Elantra range.

The concept of a hybrid has become normalised these days, so much so that there’s no need for a unique design as customers don’t want something different that stands out - like the Toyota Prius - and instead just want the fuel-saving benefits in a standard-looking car.

The current Corolla sedan arrived in late 2019, a bit over a year after the hatch, and the car’s dramatic face with long angular headlights and huge lower grille has held up well.

Always a subjective call, but I think it still looks fresh and distinctive, in the case of the sedan, balanced by a less complex rear treatment, no doubt applied with a four-door buyer’s typically more conservative tastes in mind.

Worth noting for an entry-grade model our Ascent Sport looked particularly classy in ‘Atomic Rush’, a sedan-only body colour, and overall the car’s ‘three-box’ proportions are well balanced, helped by the base car’s step up from 15- to 16-inch alloy wheels in the 2022 upgrade.

The interior is simple without crossing over into plain, the dual-level dash design accommodating an 8.0-inch media screen standing proud in the centre, and a compact instrument binnacle sitting under a curved brow.

The grey fabric seat trim looks tough but doesn’t feel it, with some squiggly quasi-quilting in the centre panels adding visual interest. The only other hint of flashiness being gloss black finish panels in the centre console, around the ventilation controls and media screen.

Like the design, the interior of the i30 Sedan Hybrid is the same as the non-hybrid model, highlighting how far we’ve come in terms of normalising the technology.

That means there’s no downside of buying a hybrid, in terms of batteries or electric motors eating into cabin space.

Instead, you’re greeted with the same well laid out cockpit you find in the rest of the i30 Sedan range.

In the rear the space is good and there’s a fold down arm-rest with a pair of cupholders. 

Importantly, the boot is the same 400 litres as the petrol-powered Elantra models in the US, once again proving there’s no practical penalties for the different powertrain.

At just over 4.6m long, close to 1.8m wide and a fraction over 1.4m tall, the Corolla sedan is a ‘big’ small car. And at 2700mm, the sedan’s wheelbase is 60mm longer than its hatch equivalent.

There’s plenty of breathing space up front and storage runs to generous door bins with space for large bottles, two cupholders in the centre console, a lidded box (which doubles as a centre armrest) between the seats, a decent glove box and the wireless charging tray in front of the gearshift. That’s all fine, but some extra oddments space in the centre console would be nice.

Move to the rear and the sedan’s extra wheelbase length manifests itself in the shape of noticeably more room than the hatch.

In fact, power and connectivity options number just two; a USB-C socket in the front for charging and media connection as well as a 12V outlet in the front centre storage box. 

Modest boot space is an Achilles Heel for the Corolla hatch, but the sedan’s 470 litres of cargo volume is way better.

It swallowed our three-piece luggage set or the bulky CarsGuide pram with room to spare, and the 60/40 split-folding rear seat lowers to liberate extra space. Just bear in mind that the relatively tight aperture is a large-load disadvantage relative to a wide-opening hatch door.

Interestingly, there aren’t any tie-down anchors in the boot to secure loads, but there’s a space-saver spare under the floor.

Also worth noting the Corolla Hybrid a no-tow zone. If you need to hook up a boat or campervan, the 2.0-litre non-hybrid Corolla sedan is rated for a 1300kg braked trailer (450kg unbraked).

As mentioned, small sedans aren’t exactly thick on the ground in the Aussie new-car market, but there are three similarly-sized four-doors in close range to this Corolla Ascent Sport Hybrid’s $32,110 (before on-road costs) asking price.

Namely the Kia Cerato Sport+ ($31,440), Mazda 3 G20 Pure Vision ($32,320) and Subaru Impreza 2.0i-S ($32,590).

There’s also climate control air (single-zone), a 7.0-inch information display in the instrument cluster, keyless entry and start, wireless phone charging, active cruise control, an electro-chromatic rear view mirror, 16-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, tail-lights and DRLs as well heated door mirrors.

The seat trim is fabric and for things like rain-sensing wipers, side and rear privacy glass, as well as a ‘Premium’ steering wheel, you’ll need to step up the SX Hybrid Sedan at $33,780. But the Ascent Sport lines up well relative to its direct competitors.

In the US the Elantra Hybrid is powered by a 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol engine paired with an electric motor coupled to a 240-volt lithium-ion battery.

The electric motor generates 32kW and helps the non-turbocharged engine produce 103kW and 265Nm of total performance.

This compares to 150kW/265Nm from the 1.6-litre turbocharged engine in the N Line model.

The engine is paired to a six-speed dual-clutch transmission and sends its power to the road via the front wheels.

This is expected to be the same powertrain in the facelifted model that arrives in Australian showrooms in the not-too-distant future.

The Corolla hybrid is powered primarily by a naturally aspirated 1.8-litre four-cylinder petrol engine operating on the ‘Atkinson Cycle’, which adjusts cam timing to maximise the effective cylinder expansion ratio (compression stroke vs power stroke) for greater efficiency and reduced emissions.

But the downside of this combustion cycle is a relative lack of power, which is where the car’s primary AC synchronous, permanent magnet electric motor comes into play.

Upgraded in late 2022, the motor now features double the number of magnets (per pole) inside the rotor.

At the same time a lighter lithium-ion battery was added, featuring greater input and output power compared to the nickel-metal hydride unit it replaced.

A compact starter/generator (effectively a second electric motor) is powered by the engine (it also starts it) in turn sending energy to the main drive motor and battery. 

The end result is combined outputs of 103kW (+13kW) at 5200rpm and 142Nm at 3600rpm, although it’s worth noting Toyota has a strange habit of not including the torque output from the electric motors in its overall numbers for hybrid models.

With the primary motor alone producing more than 160Nm of pulling power, you’d have to imagine the actual combined torque figure is somewhere in the region of 250Nm, with drive going to the front wheels via a CVT auto.

This is the bit that really matters with the i30 Sedan Hybrid and while we drove a US model there’s a lot we can learn for the cars we’ll get in Australia.

The US Environmental Protection Agency official fuel economy rating for the US-spec Elantra Hybrid is 4.3 litres per 100km for the Blue model and 4.7L/100km for the Limited.

Combined with the 41-litre fuel tank the Blue model has a range of approximately 950km and the Limited roughly 870km.

For comparison, Hyundai Australia’s current i30 Sedan line-up manages 6.8L/100km for the 1.6-litre turbo models and 7.0L/100km for those powered by the 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine, so adding the Hybrid would be a big step forward in terms of efficiency.

But it can’t match the on-paper claims of the Toyota Corolla Sedan Hybrid, which uses just 3.9L/100km on the combined cycle.

In the real world the Elantra Limited we drove in the US started with a claimed 750km range on the car’s trip computer and returned a figure of 5.0L/100km on the dash after our two-day test drive.

That’s impressively close to the claim over such a short period and one that bodes well for long-term ownership, particularly for those who primarily have an urban commute that is best suited to the advantages of the hybrid.

Toyota’s official combined cycle fuel economy number for the Corolla’s hybrid powertrain is 3.9L/100km, the 1.8-litre engine emitting 81g/km of CO2 in the process.

That’s up slightly from the pre-upgrade model’s 3.5L/100km claim, but over a week with the Ascent Sport we covered around 250km of urban, B-road and some freeway running, returning an average of precisely 3.9L/100km (at the bowser), which is an outstanding result for a close to 1.4-tonne four-door sedan.

Of course, the super smooth stop-start system (controlled by the starter/generator) plays a part, plus the bonus is the 1.8-litre four is happy to accept ‘standard’ 91 RON unleaded, and the fuel tank holds 43 litres, which translates to a range of just over 1100km. Pretty great.

We’ll ignore the ride and handling aspect of the Elantra Hybrid, as the US suspension and steering tune is different to the Korean-sourced models we receive in Australia.

Instead, we’ll focus our assessment on the powertrain as it’s the key differentiator.

In effect, the electric motor replaces the turbocharger on the 1.6-litre engine, but while it does provide a power boost it also changes the dynamic of the driving experience - focusing on efficiency rather than performance.

The extra boost from the electric motor isn’t overwhelming but it does provide a noticeable kick when you keep your right foot hard on the accelerator.

The regenerative braking is very subtle, too, much harder to notice than what you find in a full battery electric vehicle.

The decision to opt for the six-speed dual-clutch transmission means the Elantra Hybrid does feel sporty at times, shifting quickly and with only an occasional clunk that’s a trait of this type of gearbox.

The Corolla Ascent Sport Hybrid is a comfortable, stress-free driving experience. Toyota’s series parallel hybrid set-up means the wheels can be driven by the internal-combustion engine, electric motors, or both. And the transition happens seamlessly.

Start-up is silent with the motor(s) doing the driving at low speed, the petrol engine kicking in as the power requirement rises.

As the engine operates it’s also charging the battery and under braking the front wheels turning causes the motor and generator to send power to the main battery pack, as well.

Toyota doesn’t quote acceleration figures for the Corolla but you can expect 0-100km/h in around 12 seconds, which is hardly neck-snapping, however this hybrid combination provides enough torque for nimble acceleration in the city and suburbs as well as easy freeway cruising.

Then there’s the Continuously Variable Transmission. I’m no CVT fan, largely because of the disconnect between road speed and engine speed it creates. The transmission is always trying to keep the engine in its efficiency sweet spot and the most noticeable byproduct is an incongruous droning sound.

Developed by transmission specialist (and Toyota subsidiary) Aisin, the Corolla’s unit is ‘tighter’ than some but the sluggish ‘slipping clutch’ effect is still there from time to time.

Underpinned by Toyota’s TNGA platform, precise handling and excellent ride comfort are dynamic hallmarks of this 12th-generation Corolla. And the Ascent Sport Hybrid Sedan is no exception.

Suspension is by struts at the front and multi-links at the rear, and compliance is super impressive, especially for a car of this size.

The electrically-assisted steering is responsive and road feel is good, the car remaining planted and predictable, with only modest body roll if the red mist descends and you decide to ‘push on’ through your favourite set of corners.

This kind of response is especially noteworthy given the car’s low-rolling resistance Bridgestone Ecopia rubber (205/55) is primarily designed for efficiency rather than race-circuit grippiness.

Braking is by 255mm ventilated discs at the front (slightly smaller than the 2.0L non-hybrid’s) and 265mm solid rotors at the rear. They’re progressive with good pedal feel. Not always the case when regenerative braking is part of the picture.

In terms of general comfort and ergonomic efficiency, the seats remain comfortable, even over road-trip-style stints, while the mix of physical and digital controls is sensible and works well.

The Corolla Ascent Sport Hybrid Sedan boasts a maximum five-star ANCAP rating, although the assessment was in 2018 and the criteria have been dialled up since then.

That said, active (crash-avoidance) tech includes AEB - operating from 10-180km/h (with pedestrian and cyclist detection from 10-80km/h), active cruise control, lane trace assist, lane-keep assist, emergency lane keeping, road sign assist and auto high beam. 

‘Active Cornering Assist’ and a reversing camera are also standard, but sadly, blind-spot monitoring (with ‘Safe Exit Assist’) and rear cross-traffic are optional.

If a crash is unavoidable, there are seven airbags on board (front, front side, full length curtain and driver’s knee). No front centre bag, though.

There are three top-tethers across the back seat for baby capsules or child restraints with ISOFIX anchors on the two outer positions.

Also fitted is a manually-triggered, roof-mounted SOS button for a back-to-base call that can direct emergency services to the vehicle's location if required.

Hyundai offers lifetime servicing and pre-paid servicing plans that are transferable from one owner to the next, so you can know how much you’ll be paying up front to keep your car maintained.

Again, we don’t know precise details for the i30 Sedan Hybrid, but using the new Kona as a reference we can see that Hyundai’s hybrid models cost the same under the pre-paid program.

Toyota covers the Corolla with a five-year, unlimited-km warranty, which is the industry standard these days. But significantly, the hybrid battery is included and if you follow the annual servicing schedule for those five years, your engine and driveline warranty extends to seven years and the battery to 10 years (if the latter is also inspected annually). Impressive.

Seven years emergency assistance is provided (expenses related to car hire or towing), and corrosion (to the point of perforation) is covered for seven years.

On top of that ‘Toyota Connected Services’, accessed through the ‘myToyota’ app, is complimentary for 12 months, offering everything from vehicle data and member discounts to driving insights and multimedia profiles.

Servicing is recommended every 12 months or 15,000km, and ‘Toyota Service Advantage’ capped pricing is available, with the number sitting at $245 for the first five visits to the workshop. 

That’s up from $175 when the current generation Corolla launched here in 2019, but it’s still a sharp price.