What's all this about?

It's Hyundai's take on the five-door coupe version of an existing, practical car; rather like choosing an Audi A5 Sportback, as opposed to an A4 Saloon. This is the i30 Fastback and it's the third body style for the Korean company's C-segment challenger, after the hatchback and the elegant Tourer estate launched earlier this year.

Is it just an i30 hatchback with a different roofline? Not at all. The Fastback is lower and longer than the hatch, measuring 1,425mm at its tallest and 4,455mm from tip to tail; those figures being 25mm lower and 115mm longer than the regular five-door. Coupled to that, the Fastback's chassis is also 5mm lower, which means it has sportier suspension too - said to be 15 per cent stiffer than the hatch's set-up.

Can you elaborate more on the design?

Hyundai has given the i30 Fastback a lower, wider 'Cascading Grille' at the front and the car also has a broader stance. Details like spoilers front and rear, LED headlights with a dark bezel and pronounced shoulder lines help to emphasise the Fastback's rakishness, while the obvious detail to note is that tapering roof. Considering the standard i30 is a handsome if rather reserved creation, the Fastback has a bolder look for a Hyundai.

And how about within?

Full details to come soon, but expect all the safety assist systems you'd find on the other i30s - that is to say, Autonomous Emergency Braking, Driver Attention Alert, Advanced Smart Cruise Control, Blind Spot Detector, Rear-Cross Traffic Alert, Speed Limit Information Function, High Beam Assist and Lane Keeping Assist System - and top-level connectivity, all courtesy of an eight-inch touchscreen navigation system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support. Wireless Qi smartphone charging will also be available.

What powers the i30 Fastback? The i30 N's engine?!

We wish. Althooough... it's not beyond the realms of possibility that the 250/275hp engine will one day make it into the Fastback, given its sportier chassis set-up. Anyway, we digress; from launch, choose from the 120hp, 1.0-litre three-cylinder or 140hp, 1.4-litre four-cylinder T-GDI petrol powerplants, which'll return anything between 51.4- and 56.5mpg, with CO₂ emissions ranging from 115- to 125g/km. Soon after that, 110- and 136hp versions of a newly developed 1.6-litre turbodiesel four-cylinder lump will be added. All units will come with a six-speed manual gearbox as standard, with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission (DCT) an option on every variant bar the 1.0 T-GDI.

And when can we expect to see this on the road?

The Hyundai i30 Fastback should go on sale in the early part of 2018 following its public world debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

Matt Robinson - 13 Jul 2017