Hyundai i40 review: a handsome executive sedan Hyundai gave up on
motorssouq Editorial Team
The i40 rides better and looks smarter than most cars in its segment ever did, and used prices in Bahrain reflect a model nobody remembers Hyundai still made. Buy one for comfortable, quiet highway cruising at a bargain price, but go in expecting to rely on independent Hyundai specialists rather than dealer-stocked parts, since Hyundai's own network has moved on to the Sonata.
Pros
- Fluidic Sculpture styling still looks genuinely handsome, not dated
- 178 hp 2.0-litre GDI engine has enough low-down torque for a fully loaded car
- Ride quality and cabin isolation beat the segment average of its era
- 505-litre boot is genuinely large for a mid-size sedan
Cons
- Discontinued since 2019 with no direct replacement in Hyundai's current lineup
- Independent workshops encounter it less often than an Elantra or Sonata
- Hyundai dealers no longer actively stock i40-specific parts
- Resale value is weak, reflecting how overlooked the model has become
The i40 arrived with Hyundai's Fluidic Sculpture design language at its most confident, and more than a decade later the shape still reads as genuinely handsome rather than dated — long bonnet, low roofline, and proportions that borrow more from European executive saloons than from the Sonata it shared a showroom with. The 2.0-litre GDI four under the bonnet produces a healthy 178 hp through a smooth six-speed automatic, driving the front wheels with enough torque low down to never feel strained carrying a full complement of passengers.
The ride is the car's strongest suit for Bahrain: firm enough to feel composed through a roundabout, soft enough to absorb the patched sections of the older highways without complaint, and the cabin isolation at 120 km/h on the causeway is better than the segment average of its era. Rear-seat space is generous for a car this length, and the 505-litre boot is genuinely large.
Why it disappeared, and what that means now
Hyundai quietly discontinued the i40 worldwide around 2019, folding its ambitions into an ever-improving Sonata rather than replacing it directly. That decision left Bahrain's used i40s as something of an orphan model: still fully supported for routine servicing by any Hyundai dealer, but no longer a car the brand actively promotes parts stock for, and one that independent workshops encounter less often than an Elantra or Sonata of the same age.
None of that makes it a bad used buy — reliability of the core drivetrain has been solid in owner experience, and running costs are comparable to a Sonata of the same era. It simply means budgeting slightly more patience for anything beyond an oil change, and checking with a specialist before committing to a car with a known fault.