HYUNDAI'S i30 may not be the most glamorous of family hatchbacks but it is well worth consideration even although it is up against some very tough opposition.

This latest model was launched earlier this year and it features a clean neat style that will not offend anyone.

It may not be striking to look at but it is very well equipped and carries that valuable five-year warranty.

Visually it features a smart front grille, nice headlights, a large Hyundai badge and LED running lights as well as nice 16-inch alloys and a tidy rump.

The profile may be a bit bland but that will not deter Hyundai customers.

I tried out the mid-range SE Nav model which costs £19,805 and features all the toys and spec that you could want.

The well-designed interior features a tidy dash dominated by an eight-icnch colour touchsreen infotainment system. This features a DAB radio, and offers Apple CarPlay and Android auto - allowing you to access music from your Smartphone as well as traffic information.

A wireless charging pad enables you to keep your phone charged at all times without untidy cables.

The i30 also features all the latest safety equipment and this model has a camera to assist parking, emergency braking, lane departure warning and a tyre pressure warning system as well as hill-start assist control.

There is room inside the cabin for four adults to travel in comfort - five for short distances - and climate control helps keep occupants happy.

The instruments and controls are easy to read and use and buttons on the leather steering wheel allow you to control some functions.

The materials are decent quality and the seats provide good support and allow bags of adjustment.

Boot space is more than adequate and can be increased by folding the split rear seats flat while the height of the boot floor can also be adjusted. There are also several storage areas inside the cabin as well as cup holders.

Buyers can choose from a number of petrol or diesel engines but my car came with the 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol linked to a nice six-speed manual gearbox.

The unit is good for 120ps - and as special steel has been used to make the i30 lighter - it offers decent performance.

It reaches 62mph in 11.1 seconds and can apparently reach 118mph. It cruised comfortably at motorway speeds and only struggled on really steep gradients.

The claimed combined figure is 48.7mpg but as usual you struggle to get that in the real world. Thanks to the stop/go technology I averaged just over 40mpg and more on longer runs.

The i30 provides a smooth ride and the handling is predictable and the steering light and accurate.