Good not so little cars . If it was diesel it would even better . The diesels in the are very efficient and work well above their weight . It's only the weight of the traller that going to limit you . Set up right ? You'll have no issues . Just change down on hills a little more if auto doesn't to it ., Same with manual as modern cars have wide ratios .
We have the Hyundai's 'sister' car a 2011 Kia Cerato - 115kw 2.0 litre motor 1200kg ATM and 75 kg ball weight. We tow an Avan Aliner 1100kg ATM and 70kg ball weight.
We have had the combination for nearly 5 years now without any problem - just keep an eye on the cars performance and don't push it to extremes. Over the time we've had it we have run up around 6400 towing klms only on sealed roads (never been off the bitumen). I tow at around 10-15k's below the limit (90 in 100 zone, 95 in 110 zone), and mainly on divided highways, using cruise control. We only venture for around 200-250 k's around Brisbane. A recent trip from Brisbane to Ballina achieved 10.7 l/100km towing the Aliner (6.5 without the van).
I do have a few restrictions - I once towed up over the St. Helena Hill to Bangalow (before the new tunnel opened) - I made the decision to never try that again. Similarly I won't go up the Toowoomba Range (but have come down it, very carefully). If I go west I use the Esk to Hampton road, same rise as the Toowoomba range, but over twice the length, so the road is not as steep. I haven't tried Cunningham's Gap yet, but for the moment don't have a need to go south-west over that road.
Your I30 SR has a tow capacity of 1300kg braked (not sure of the towball weight, as Hyundai didn't publish it on their website, but it should be in your handbook). Just watch your towball weight, the rear suspension of these cars is designed for handling, not towing - if you balance the camper loading properly you shouldn't have a problem.
I'm sure you'll enjoy your 'rig' as long as you don't push it too far.
Regards, Brian
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Wondering about ShortNorth ? - Short North is the railwayman's nickname for the NSWGR main line between Sydney and Newcastle
we don't have a off road vehidle, just a small car towing a camper trailer so we need to stick to sealed roads only. any advice would be helpfull
A camper trailer will go anywhere your sedan will go. The thing about going off road is you should de-rate the towing capacity depending of your vehicle. Very few manufacturers mention towind de-rating for off road conditions but if you break something on the vehicle they will be very quick to tell you that you were towing something that too big and refuse warranty claim. One manufacturer who does place limits is Land Rover, my D2 had a general tow limit of 3500 kg but placed a limit of 1500 kg in severe conditions. You will not be able to tow over those severe conditions, the vehicle ground clearance will stop you long before you get into those conditions. If you are sensible where you go then you should be able to 900 - 1000 kg on good tracks without deep wheel ruts, holes or jumpups. As your vehicle is FWD, don't attempt to tackle hills with a sandy or loose gravel surface. With that in mind you should be able to get into a lot of national parks and forestry areas with maintained gravel roads.
Regarding general towing, there is not one sealed main road hill that your I30 should not be able to pull a trailer up providing it does not exceed the maximum limit. There will be a lot of hills you will be down in low gears to climb them (just like trucks when fully loaded.) There are a lot of inexperienced travellers that consider that if you are forced down to low gears then the tug is struggling. This is not so, vehicle motors are designed and constructed to be able to work at maximum power for a reasonable time. Maximum power means running the motor at very high revs. There are hills like the Toowoomba range and Cunninghams Gap where you will have to back off in hot weather to prevent overheating but you will be able to back off and use a lower gear (perhaps even 1st) to climb the hill in any weather if the motor is in good order. Just because you are forced back to low gear does not necessarily mean the vehicle is struggling, it just means you are working it hard. Most of us seasoned drivers do not consider that the vehicle is struggling unless you are back in 1st gear and it is not coping very well. Most vehicles will not pull a load up the steeper hills in top gear, you just have to get used to the fact that some hills will be climbed slowly.
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PeterD Nissan Navara D23 diesel auto, Spaceland pop-top Retired radio and electronics technician. NSW Central Coast.
