- Hyundai has updated the Europe-market i30 lineup with new styling.
- The i30 is offered in hatchback, fastback, and wagon body styles, and all are now available in sporty N-Line trim.
- The Elantra GT hatchback we get in the U.S. is identical to the i30 hatchback, so we’re likely to get this facelift for the 2021 model year.
We should probably be grateful that Hyundai sells the Elantra GT hatchback in the U.S. with an available turbocharged engine and manual transmission. But we can’t help but look across the pond at the Elantra GT’s European counterpart, the i30, with some degree of envy, as the Europeans get even more variety in the form of the appealing wagon and fastback variants.
The i30 lineup is getting a comprehensive update with sharp new styling, and it’s quite possible that we’ll get this facelift in the U.S. sometime soon, possibly when the 2021 model-year Elantra GT arrives. But unfortunately, we’re not likely to get the i30 wagon, which is now available with the sporty N-Line treatment, or the i30 fastback, which has a quirky shape that we’re weirdly into.
Although we’re giving up on seeing the wagon or fastback here, we do hope that several of the i30’s new features will make their way into an updated Elantra GT for America. The new larger touchscreen would be a nice addition, as would the brown interior upholstery option and the cool-looking LED accents in the headlights.