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Review: Hyundai i20 2015

Image of James Fossdyke
Author: | Updated: 24 Apr 2015 17:46

Hyundai is in the middle of refreshing its whole range. Both the i30 and i40 are being facelifted in 2015, while the i10 and Santa Fe were renewed last year and the ix35 will be replaced in 2016.

One of the key model updates, though, is the i20. Competing with the Ford Fiesta (the UK’s favourite new car) and the VW Polo in the supermini market (the UK’s favourite segment) puts the newcomer under pressure to perform. We went to find out how it compares.

Hyundai i20 Front

All new

A quick look at the exterior will tell you that the new i20 is definitely all new. The rounded, cutesy-but-somehow-not-at-all-cutesy looks are nowhere to be seen, replaced by a much sportier, more modern design.

The narrow grille below the bonnet does give away the Hyundai’s rather cosy relationship with the Kia Rio (they’re effectively the same car underneath), but it’s still quite smart. The huge lower grille is a design feature being phased in across the Hyundai range, as are the flat, wide tail lights, but the ‘floating’ C-pillar seems to be a model-specific addition.

Inside, it’s much less individual, with an interior clearly inspired by the i10. The two-tone cabin is a feature of the smaller city car, and the infotainment systems in the two cars are nigh-on identical.

One feature the Hyundai appears to have nicked from the Germans, rather than sister cars or brands, is the plug-in infotainment mount.

Using a VW Up/Seat Mii/Skoda Citigo-style socket atop the dash, you can mount a smartphone to act as a satellite navigation and infotainment system. We’d love to tell you how well it worked but none of the phones in our office fitted the mount properly.

Hyundai i20 Boot

Although the phone mount is a good idea poorly executed, build quality is perfectly decent. There are a few hard bits of trim and some naff switchgear knocking about, sure, but it’s all put together pretty well, with minimal panel gaps and no squeaks or rattles.

Cabin space is also a plus point, and there’s enough space in the back for adults while the boot is a commodious 326 litres – just four litres behind the segment-leading Skoda Fabia. No, that doesn’t make it the car we’d recommend for a grand tour, but it’s more than capable of shopping trips and school runs.

Solid drive

The i20 hasn’t just changed on the surface, either, with a new platform offering a solid driving experience.

Grip is abundant, and although the steering is light and vague at speed, it’s predictable and prompts a fairly sharp response from the front wheels. Body roll isn’t too horrendous either, and that makes it a reasonably enjoyable car to throw around on country roads.

A word of caution though; the suspension is generally firm, and while it isn’t especially uncomfortable, hitting a pothole at speed will cause a rather loud bang and unsettle the car.

That won’t be an issue on the motorway, though, and while we maintain that the i20 is no GT car, it’s surprisingly capable on a long run. It’s planted and stable in the cruise and with the punchy 1.4-litre diesel engine relatively subdued, a couple of hundred miles can be dispatched with comparative ease.

It’s just as happy in town, where the light controls make dealing with stop-start traffic and tight parking spaces a doddle.

Hyundai i20 Rear

Doesn’t sound great

Our test car came with the 1.4-litre diesel engine, which sits above a smaller 1.1-litre diesel and three petrol engines (a 1.4 and two versions of the same 1.2) in the range.

From the outside, it doesn’t sound great, but those inside the car are blissfully detached from the bag of nails up front and they can also make use of its power – all 89bhp of it.

It doesn’t sound like much, granted, and nor does the nondescript 12.1-second sprint to 62mph, but thanks to the torque and the turbocharging, it feels much more punchy than that.

Unfortunately, the fuel consumption isn’t that much less unremarkable. Officially, the 1.4-litre i20 will manage 68.9mpg and emit 106g of CO2 per kilometre.

That’s nowhere near as good as competitors like the 89bhp Skoda Fabia, for example, which is road tax-exempt thanks to its 88g/km CO2 emissions and 83.1mpg official fuel consumption.

Hyundai i20 and Skoda Fabia

Going for the 1.1-litre diesel won’t help much either, with 103g/km emissions and 70.6mpg the reward for taking a 15bhp power hit. Only the basic S Blue trim will allow the 1.1 to come down below the magic 100g/km, hitting an impressive 84g/km and 88.3mpg.

As for the three petrols, all are naturally aspirated and consequently lag behind smaller, turbocharged rivals both in terms of fuel economy and performance.

Sub-standard residual values

Trim levels range from the basic S, which costs £10,695 (just £95 more than the basic Fabia) and comes with a USB port, tinted windows and an awful lot of nothing much. There isn’t even a CD player.

Pay an extra £1,750 and you’ll get the diesel-powered S Blue, but that’s a hefty premium to pay simply to swerve the already-cheap road tax. A better investment is the £700 upgrade to S Air, which gives you air conditioning.

Better still, go for the SE model on test and get 16in alloys, cruise control, rear parking sensors, a CD player, Bluetooth and lane departure warning, all for £12,725.

Hyundai i20 Interior

If you’re really into your gadgets, though, there’s the top-of-the-range Premium SE, which starts from £14,725 and offers automatic lights and wipers, front parking sensors, a panoramic glass sunroof and climate control.

This pricing is competitive compared to the competition, but slightly sub-standard residual values mean that leasing deals won’t be as attractive as for other, more established cars in the sector.

Business leases start from around £110 per month, but the cheapest Fiesta deals come in at about £95. Personal deals show even more of a disparity, with cheap i20 deals costing about £140 per month compared to the Fiesta’s £105*.

The verdict

Although the Polo and Fiesta are in the same segment as the i20, they’re so far ahead of everything else that they populate a class of their own.

If, for whatever reason, you’ve discounted the Ford and VW though, the i20 is well worth consideration. Modern looks, good practicality and decent driving dynamics are sizeable ticks against the Hyundai’s name, but high lease prices and below-par fuel economy in all but the equipment-free S Blue variant might hold it back.

Hyundai i20 at a glance

For:
+ Smart, up-to-date looks
+ Practical
+ Decent to drive, steering excepted

Against:
- Sub-standard residuals mean lease prices are high
- Fuel economy not up to that of rivals in all but S Blue model
- Fidgety at speed on bumpy roads

Vital stats

Length: 4,035mm
Width: 1,734mm
Height: 1,474mm
Wheelbase: 2,570mm
Boot space: 326 / 1,042 litres
Kerb weight: 1,158-1,280kg
Petrol engines: 1.2 75 (74bhp), 1.2 84 (83bhp), 1.4 100 (99bhp)
Diesel engines: 1.1 75 (74bhp), 1.4 90 (89bhp)
Trims: S, S Air, S Blue, SE, Premium, Premium SE
Cheapest: S 1.2 75 (£10,695)
Priciest: Premium SE 1.4 90 (£16,725)
Fastest: SE 1.4 100 (0-62mph 11.6s, 114mph)
Greenest: S Blue 1.1 75 (84g/km, 88.3mpg)
Rivals: Ford Fiesta, VW Polo, Skoda Fabia, Vauxhall Corsa, Kia Rio, Seat Ibiza

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