Premium manufacturers like Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz might have been first to get in on the four-door coupe act, and it was inevitable that others would follow. So a few years after the third-generation Hyundai i30 made its debut in 2016, the brand launched the i30 Fastback - effectively the same car underneath, but with a longer profile and lower, more sloping roofline.
It gives the i30 a little more style than the regular hatchback for only a small penalty in terms of usability - the boot is actually bigger than that of the hatch, but the sloped roofline does restrict rear seat headroom.
Not many other carmakers have launched a four-door coupe-style car like this with a car this compact, but if you’re prepared to pay a little more (or look for a slightly older model to even out the pricing), then the BMW 2-Series Gran Coupe and Mercedes-Benz CLA are both similarly swoopy. Neither has a proper hatchback like the Hyundai though, making the Korean car more practical.
If you’ve been eyeing up a regular Hyundai i30 but feel it isn’t quite stylish enough, then the i30 Fastback was probably designed for someone like you. The first half of the car looks pretty similar to the hatchback but after that point, it’s longer, a little lower, and a little more rakish - and while it doesn’t turn the i30 into a true beauty, it helps it stand out among the dozens of other family car options on the road.
The great thing about the Fastback though is that being based on the i30 it’s still a thoroughly sensible, head-over-heart family car too. It’s even got a little more boot space than the regular hatchback, though the lower roofline is less dog-friendly and less rear-seat friendly too.
A relatively wide engine lineup means most buyers should find a combination of performance and economy that works for their needs, and that includes hot hatchback buyers, as Hyundai offered the Fastback in i30 N Performance form - like the conventional five-door, it’s one of the most entertaining modern hot hatches you can buy.
The regular cars aren’t quite as joyful to drive but they’re not bad, and do feel a little sharper than the hatch. The ride is firm but not to an uncomfortable degree, but all the engines are pretty refined and the straightforward cabin design is well-built and pretty comfortable, the caveat about slightly less rear headroom aside. Hyundai’s infotainment system is pretty easy to use, too.
The two closest alternatives to the i30 Fastback are actually from premium brands, with the BMW 2-Series Gran Coupe, and the Mercedes-Benz CLA. The Merc is the most stylish of the pair (and more so than the Hyundai too), but both German options have two drawbacks: they’re more expensive, and they’re also not hatchbacks, meaning the i30 remains more practical. While both have performance options too, neither can match the fun factor of the i30 N Performance Fastback.
A Hyundai i30 Fastback not for you? We've got 1000s of used cars for sale to suit all budgets and needs
There’s no bad selection as such in the i30 Fastback range, though we think the slightly better performance of the 1.4 and 1.5 T-GDi models suits the car’s rakish shape better than the relatively modest performance of the 1-litre car. In terms of specification, your hands are tied with later cars since only N Line trim and the full i30 N were available, but among earlier models, we’d look for Premium and above, thanks to their heated seats, LED headlights, and parking sensors at both ends of the car.
Early on the i30 Fastback was offered in three trim levels, SE Nav, Premium, and Premium SE. an N Line model was introduced later and the previous trim lines disappeared, while in 2018, Hyundai added a high-performance i30 N Fastback to the range, with a specification similar to that of the conventional hatchback i30 N. Later models are distinguished by a slightly higher standard of specification, but the most obvious change is a 10.25-inch touchscreen rather than the 8-inch unit of earlier cars.
The Hyundai i30 Fastback’s dimensions are:
The Hyundai i30 Fastback’s boot size is:
As it was launched in 2018, all i30 Fastback models attract the same flat rate of VED or ‘road tax’, of £180 a year. That includes the N Performance, which thankfully cost under £40,000 brand new so avoids the surcharge for vehicles over this point.
The bulk of the i30 Fastback range sits between groups 8 and 18, which is pretty standard for a hatchback from a mainstream manufacturer, and means the Fastback should be a fair bit cheaper to insure than premium alternatives like the BMW 2-Series Gran Coupe and Mercedes CLA. The i30 N Performance Fastback leaps up to group 29, but this again is level with other hot hatchbacks like the Ford Focus ST and Volkswagen Golf GTI.
Read our full Hyundai i30 Fastback review
What is the most popular colour for Hyundai i30 Fastback ?
What is the most popular gearbox for Hyundai i30 Fastback ?
What is the most popular fuel type for Hyundai i30 Fastback ?
What is the most popular engine for Hyundai i30 Fastback ?
What is the average mileage for Hyundai i30 Fastback ?
38000