The new 2018 Hyundai i30 is on-sale now and we’ve wrapped up the 5 things you need to know about it.

There are five variants to choose from

The five-tier i30 range starts with the entry-level Active and runs through Elite, Premium, SR and SR Premium variants. For the first time, alloy wheels are now standard across the i30 range, with 16- and 17-inch wheels on comfort variants (Active, Elite and Premium) and 18-inch wheels on sports variants (SR and SR Premium).

Engine and transmission choices start with the i30 Active’s standard 120kW/203Nm 2.0-litre petrol four-cylinder with either six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission. Also available in the i30 Active, Elite and Premium variants is Hyundai’s 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine mated to a 7-speed Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT) or six-speed manual (Active variant only). Available exclusively in i30 SR sports variants Hyundai’s 150kW/265Nm Gamma 1.6-litre Turbo-GDi petrol engine comes with a 7-speed DCT or six-speed manual.

All three engines are excellent with enough grunt for overtaking and flattening hills, but the turbocharged petrol in the SR is a pretty sweet powerplant with a good strong spread of torque that allows it to pull strongly from low rpm even when you find yourself in too-high-a-gear. Indeed, this engine line-up shows up the shortcomings of some of this car’s key competitors which only offer one engine and one transmission.