Hyundai i30 vs Peugeot 308 - Which one to buy?

The Korean carmaker, Hyundai has been already experimenting with the Hyundai i30 series, since its inception in 2016. It features an aggressive look for what was-and-is still considered to be a warm sporty hatchback. As aggressively the Korean company is moving to pounce on the past laurels, we have another automobile giant Peugeot who shakes the things up with 308. 

Although, there has not been much recent development that has surfaced about french counterpart. But the new Peugeot 308 GT features some distinguishing changes both look and performance-wise. 

Here, we are comparing the two to make sense of- what’s what- and more importantly who has an upper hand. 

Dimensions

The numbers relating to physical dimensions are not very starkly different. Yes, Peugeot 308 GT has an upper hand when we talk about things like width and height, but that is anyway a marginal win. On the other hand, i30 Premium is longer than Peugeot by a decent margin. But amongst the thing which counts the most in terms of comfort - is the boot capacity and the numbers are even-stevens. Further, the wheelbase of both four-wheelers are identical and fails to be a differentiating factor.   

Exterior

The exterior of the sturdy four-wheelers speaks a lot about them, and the way they are designed. Right, from the grill designs which is referred to as a good indicator of the design cue of the cars. The i30 Premium has a more purposeful grill design. Things are not much different for the grill design incorporated in the Peugeot 308 GT also. Though the exterior look of this classy four-wheeler may feel bulgy. But the stylish inclusion of a grille with LED light covers up well as it looks magnificent from the front-on view. Other exterior features, like a rearview auto mirror with dimming light feature, are present in both. Not surprisingly, both have alloy wheels setup and ventilated disc brakes at the front.

Interior

There is a decent difference, which on the outset may be menial, in the touch screen size incorporated in both the cars. But this aspect of interiors can be done away with. However, the real deal, here, is comfort for the drivers. In the case of the Peugeot 308 GT, the steering wheel is lower than its previous showings. On the other hand, the steering wheels are comfortably placed in the i30 Premium. The interior design cue for the french act of class is based on the VW benchmark and it lives up to it to a certain extent. But the plastic materials used in the Peugeot could have been better. In comparison, the materials used in the Hyundai Premium are of better quality. But it does have its limitations in other sections. For instance, the multi-functioning steering wheel used in Hyundai is not on par with the Peugeot 308 GT. Also, the programmable cruise control and limit detector included in Peugeot makes it even better.

Engine

The difference is clear as even though the i30 Premium has two different powertrain options, both of these fail to bet in terms of power output. If we compare both petrol engines, then the mileage is also better for the 308 GT. Clearly, the Peugeot 308GT is the winner in terms of the engine department. 

Safety

When it comes to the safety features, the Peugeot 308 GT is inch ahead of its counterpart with the addition of new features like blind-spot monitoring, speed sign recognition, and driver-fatigue detection system. The basic features like airbags and parking sensors are available in both the four-wheelers. 

Price

Here is a comparison between the Hyundai i30 price and Peugeot 308 price:

The Peugeot 308 GT surely is priced a notch higher, but the aggressive pricing seems to be easily matched with the performance and other features that are on offer. 

Summing up

Both models have their ebbs and flows. If you consider Peugeot, the high price strategy does not seem to deter the demand, and if you are looking for class akin to the VW benchmark, then i30 may be the best option for you.  

Also read: Hyundai’s Prophecy EV concept revealed ahead of Geneva debut