Hyundai i40 interior
The Hyundai i40’s interior won’t get your pulse racing but at least there are plenty of soft plastics dotted around and most models get satellite navigation as standard
Style
The Hyundai i40‘s interior isn’t particularly exciting to look at, but all the controls you’ll use regularly are within easy reach and most of the surfaces you touch on a day-to-day basis feel reasonably soft and squidgy.
Sure, it doesn’t feel quite as posh inside as a Skoda Superb, but most of the Hyundai’s hard plastics and brittle trims are hidden down by the door bins and under the dashboard.
All i40s get a seven-inch touchscreen infotainment system but you’ll have to pick an SE Nav model or above if you want satellite navigation and smartphone mirroring for Apple and Android devices.
Entry-level S cars come with some glossy black dashboard inserts, a leather-trimmed steering wheel and some ambient lighting to help you find smaller items lost deep inside the Hyundai’s cubby holes.
Go for an SE Nav car instead and (alongside satellite navigation) you get smarter chrome dashboard trims, upgraded heated seats and a heated steering wheel. SE Nav Business models add partial leather seats and extra lumbar support to help prevent back ache on long drives while range-topping Premium cars come with metal pedal trims and even heated rear seats – no wonder the i40 is so popular with minicab drivers…
The i40 does its best to keep pace with more techy alternatives but there’s no disguising the fact its infotainment system feels a bit more Amstrad than Xbox…
Infotainment
All i40s get a seven-inch touchscreen infotainment system mounted on the dashboard. It’s easy to glance at on the move and you get a selection of shortcut buttons to help you switch between key features as you drive along. Unfortunately, these are quite small so it’s all too easy to accidentally switch to the sat-nav when you really wanted to mute the stereo.
Speaking of stereos, every model gets a USB input and Bluetooth connectivity as standard so you can play music and make calls through the car’s built-in speakers. Frustratingly, you’ll have to pay extra for an SE Nav model if you want DAB digital radio.
If you do go for an SE Nav model you also get satellite navigation. It’s reasonably easy to enter a post code and it gives concise, easy-to-follow directions, but the maps look much more dated than those you’ll find in a Skoda Superb. If you don’t like the look of Hyundai’s own maps you can always use Apple CarPlay and Android Auto to mirror your phone’s navigation apps on the i40’s screen instead.
These features also let you play music from streaming services such as Spotify through the car’s stereo. Sadly, there’s no option to upgrade the i40’s standard-fit speakers to a big-name brand, so you’ll just have to get used to its slightly tinny sound instead.