Persuading someone to part with £14-15,000 of their money on a compact estate car is a serious business.

But the Hyundai i30 Estate is a serious car with earnest aspirations.

If you whipped off the badges and sat anyone behind the wheel, I would bet that most people would guess this was a car made in Japan, not in South Korea.

Hyundai has been keen to shake off its cheap and cheerful image and even though the price has risen, the jump in quality has moved Hyundai up a league.

That shift in build quality has been matched by improved engine technology and the 1.6-litre, 113 horsepower diesel engine fitted in the test car proved a real gem.

It combines the performance of a 2.0-litre, emissions which beat some other companies' 1.3-litre diesels and 50-plus miles per gallon in real-world driving. Two versions of the diesel engine are available — a high power with 113 horsepower or a 90 horsepower version producing 119g/km of CO2 — as well as two petrol engines.

Quiet, nippy and delivering a solid little drive, the estate, which is built in three trim levels, has an extra 50mm added to the wheelbase. That helps to give not only extra luggage space, but a real boost in rear passenger room, allowing taller adults to get properly comfortable in the rear.

Longer rear doors open on to the larger rear interior space, and a large tailgate opens to reveal a neatly-trimmed interior.

Smart and practical roof rails are fitted and extra chrome strips define the front corners of the car, and neat LED side repeater lamps are built into the door mirrors, which fold electrically on all i30 estate models. An electronic stability program is fitted as standard to all models in the i30 range, providing a real improvement in safety. Other safety features include active front head restraints to reduce the risk of whiplash injury; passenger, driver and full length curtain airbags, seatbelt reminder system and ISOfix child seat fixing points in the rear.

Added comfort and equipment features fitted to all i30 models include front fog lights, remote locking, glovebox cooling, electrically heated door mirrors and a trip computer. Mid-range Style models have larger alloys, automatic lighting, part leather trim and Hyundai’s new tyre pressure monitoring system.

An iPod or USB port connection is built into the stereo system. Plug it into the car and you can control the volume and track selection via steering wheel controls, and the track name is shown on the car’s central display. Hyundai aims to change the way people think about Korean-built cars and the i30 Estate will certainly go a long way to help it achieve that aim.

Auto facts Hyundai i30 Estate 1.6 CRDi Style

  • Price: £14,855
  • Ins group: Five
  • Consumption (Combined): 57.6mpg
  • Top speed: 117mph
  • Length: 447.5cm/176.2in
  • Width: 177.5cm/69.9in
  • Luggage capacity: 14.6 cu ft
  • Fuel tank capacity: 11.7 gallons/53 litres
  • CO2 emissions: 128g/km
  • Warranty: 5 years/unlim mileage