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2017 Honda Civic Sport and Hyundai i30 Turbo Acceleration and Sound Comparison

So you're just out of college and sitting on a big pile of debt. Even with a good job, you might not be able to afford a Focus RS or even a GTI. The Hyundai i30 (Elantra GT) and Honda Civic Hatchback could be your best substitutes.
2017 Honda Civic Sport and Hyundai i30 1.6 Turbo Acceleration and Sound Comparis 5 photos
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2017 Honda Civic Sport and Hyundai i30 1.6 Turbo Acceleration and Sound Comparison2017 Honda Civic Sport and Hyundai i30 1.6 Turbo Acceleration and Sound Comparison2017 Honda Civic Sport and Hyundai i30 1.6 Turbo Acceleration and Sound Comparison2017 Honda Civic Sport and Hyundai i30 1.6 Turbo Acceleration and Sound Comparison
Nowadays, compact hatchbacks are for people who are about to retire. Most are becoming less and less exciting with each generation. But Hyundai and Honda haven't given up on the Gen Y dream and are selling mildly hot machines.

Both these cars have a bunch of different names, depending on where you buy them. For example, the Civic RS is just the fancy name for the top hatchback trim in Australia. But it's identical to the Civic Sport bought in America, right down to the body kit and gray paint.

Likewise, this particular Hyundai is called the i30 SR Premium in the Land Down Under, i30 Turbo in Korea (Europe to join soon?) and Elantra GT in the States. In both cases, the engine specs are exactly the same. The "Japanese" car packs a 1.5-liter VTEC Turbo with 182 HP and 220 Nm of torque (162 lb-ft). In this case, it's fitted with the CVT, but a stick is also available.

As for the i30, its 1.6-liter turbo delivers 204 HP and 265 Nm of torque (195 Nm of torque), sent to the front wheels via a seven-speed DCT auto.

The Civic Sport looks a lot sportier, thanks to all those fake air intakes. It's also got a sleeker, less conventional overall shape and twin exhaust mufflers (yes, each pipe has a muffler) in the middle of the diffuser. Meanwhile, the i30 appears a little tamer, but its engine sound is noticeably raspier, reminiscent of a Golf GTI.

It's also faster in these independent tests, taking 7.19 seconds to reach 100 km/h (62 mph) compared to 7.48 seconds for the Civic. The quarter mile drag time and 100-0 km/h brake distance both favor this surprising underdog.

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About the author: Mihnea Radu
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Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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