Hyundai i30 (GD) vs Opel Astra (J) - 3 of 3 - the battle

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The looks

I must admit that if I was to be a judge in a car beauty contest and these two were to participate, probably neither of them would get to the final. 

The Hyundai i30 could however do well in "Miss Anonimity" 2014. It has this sort of dynamic head lights and sort of bulky black front grill. There are also sort of accented wheel arches and sort of predatory shape of rear lights. But if you put it all together in one car, it sort of blends in when on the street. I don't know what cool name of their styling guys at Hyundai have, but if they for some reason don't, I'll have one for them. "Invisibility wrapped in steel."

Astra on the other hand at least looks as though someone was trying to sketch a pretty car. The definition of "pretty" might have changed since the car was launched, but some details still look fine. Sharp shaped LEDs at the front and the same shape repeated in rear lights are the most prominent examples of that fineness. Unfortunately the car as a whole looks a bit outdated. Lines are very soft and curvaceous showing signs of last decade styling. 

Deciding which of these two is prettier wasn't easy, especially that neither of these was. Never the less This one goes to Hyundai. I know it may seem at first like a surprise, but the i30 looks more up to date with its sharper styling. As pretty as Astra is in some details, the whole car lost its charm some time ago.

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Interior

An engineer at Hyundai holding a sheet of paper walks into a room full of interior designers (all three of them to be exact) .

- OK gyus, this is the list of functionalities that must be fitted into new i30's dashboard. Nothing more. No fireworks. - he says

- But if we could only... - one of designers tries to present his artistic idea.

- No! - says the engineer.

- So how about a curvy, carbon-fibre-like... - the other designer tries to have his say.

- No! Nothing more. - he says again and walks out of the room leaving the paper on the table.

This is how Hyundai came about designing this car's dashboard. All function and if there is any form it's there only because function requires it. Everything works, everything makes sense. Nothing catches your eye or attention for longer than six seconds required to use a particular button or dial.

An engineer at Opel holding a sheet of paper walks into a room full of interior designers. Looks around only to see there aren't any. Takes his paper with the list of functionalities that new Astra is going to have and comes back to his colleauges at engineering department. Together they decide to transform a car dashboard into a "da Vinci code" puzzle, by fitting into it thirty nine buttons, four dials and a joystick. From that moment on, they are the only three people alive who know how to operate Astra's infotainment system. This is how Opel came about designing this cars's dashboard. Or not designing to be precise.

This one goes to Hyundai as well. 

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The drive

Neither of these cars was built to be sporty, so there's no point in judging them for that or complaining about it. Their purpose is to be a decent daily driver also capable of taking a family to the seaside once in a while. i30 with its naturally aspirated engine lacks power and flexibility. I drove it alone and the car seemed well underpowered. If anyone was to put three or four more people on board I dare to doubt if it moved at all. So it is a decent daily driver for your commute or shopping, but if you want to go with your family on vacation, you'd better take a train, bus or a plane.

Astra has much more potent turbocharged petrol unit. It's not a rocket either but at least is has some torque and gives promise. Suspension is also softer than the one of i30, so longer trips are going to be that much bearable. Comparison of these two engines is good exaple of the fact that an era of small, naturally aspirated engines is gone. Asian car makers still stick to them but it won't last long.

This comparison goes to Astra for much more driver friendly product of these two.

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Summary

Neither of these cars will steal your heart because of its look or driving experience, but at least one of them has a chance of winning your reason for the way it goes about its duties and that is Hyundai i30. Yes, it's not pretty, but at least it's not as outdated in terms of styling as Astra. Yes, it's boring inside, but at least you don't need four months to learn a hundred page user manual before you connect your phone via Bluetooth or find your favorite radio station, like you do in the Astra. Yes, it drives like a bicycle with a fitted engine, but at least... well, you can't defend that. The drive is lousy, but this is not what this car was build for. The i30 will get you to work and back, will take you shopping and if you have mountains of patience it will take you and your family on holidays. Maybe without  fireworks but surely without inconvenience. And so - somewhat unexpectedly - the winner of this car was is Hyundai i30.

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Check back for more

Please check back next week for the first part of a completely new car war. This time around it's going to be Skoda Octavia vs Renault Fluence.

The gallery

It's always worthwhile to have a look at some cool car pictures, isn't it.

All pics are clickable to view them as biiig ones

All pics are clickable to view them as biiig ones

All pics are clickable to view them as biiig ones

All pics are clickable to view them as biiig ones

All pics are clickable to view them as biiig ones

All pics are clickable to view them as biiig ones