Hyundai i20 hatchback (2009 – ) expert review

Hyundais used to look cheap and awkwardly proportioned. Not so the Hyundai i20, which is one of the best-looking cars in its line-up. The chrome strip and badge at the front look smart, and the fog light housings are especially neat – pity our fog lamp-free model sported some unattractive blanks in their place. The creases in the flanks of the car work well, giving it an eye-pleasing shape. The worst thing you can say about the i20 is it’s rather plain – particularly in the case of our silver test car.

If you’re expecting a cheap-and-nasty interior you’re in for a (mostly) pleasant surprise. The centre console is well laid out with clearly-labelled buttons in easy reach of driver and passenger. A few carefully-chosen silver highlights break up what would otherwise be an uninteresting slab of plastic. Our model came with two-tone fabric in a mix of blue and dark grey. There are a few duff notes: the gear lever looks and feels cheap, and we kept catching our fingers on a rough join between two pieces of plastic on the steering wheel.

The boot offers 295 litres of storage space with the seats upright. Folding them flat is a somewhat onerous task which involves wrenching the headrests free of their bases and tugging a pair of stiff pullers to unlock the seats. Once that’s been accomplished an excellent 1,060 litres of storage is available. Loading it up is made straightforward by a decent-sized boot opening. Head and legroom for rear passengers is decent and the rear bench splits 60:40.

The i20 is neither defective nor exciting in how it drives – it’s thoroughly average. Its suspension gives a comfortable ride, tuning out bumps acceptably well. It grips nicely and tackles corners without too much body roll. Drive around a corner too quickly and the front tyres squeal in protest, as the car predictably runs wide.

Hyundai offers a choice of two petrol and two diesel engines for the i20:

1.2-litre petrol: 78bhp, 103mph, 12.9s 0-62mph, 54.3mpg, 124g/km

1.4-litre petrol*: 100bhp, 112/107mph, 11.6/12/9s 0-62mph, 50.4/45.6mpg, 133/146g/km

1.4-litre diesel: 75bhp, 100mph, 16.2s 0-62mph, 64.2mpg, 116g/km

1.4-litre diesel: 90bhp, 106mph, 13.6s 0-62mph, 64.2mpg, 118g/km

*manual / automatic

The more powerful diesel engine is a decent buy. It falls in the same tax bracket as its smaller sibling and gets the same good fuel economy, easily returning more than 70mpg on motorway drives. However this engine is only available with the most expensive specification pack, ‘Style’. One of the strongest parts of Hyundai’s offering is its long warranties – the i20 comes with a five-year guarantee. Its car repair rates are also among the most competitive.

Some Hyundai buyers have reported problems with leaky tyre valves, and a few early models were recalled due to a fault which allowed water to get into the footwell area – but that problem now appears to have been sorted. Should anything else go wrong, there’s that generous warranty to fall back on. Impressively the i20 has never been subject to a manufacturer recall.

All i20s come with active head restraints to minimise whiplash in an accident, and a total of six airbags. It achieved an impressive full five-star score in Euro NCAP crash tests, with 88 per cent for adult occupant protection and 83 per cent for child occupant protection.

Electric front windows, an adjustable steering column and glove box cooling are some of the features standard across the range. The radio has a line-in socket which is suitable for most MP3 players. Upgrade from the base ‘Classic’ specification to ‘Comfort’ or top-of-the-range ‘Style’ and you get USB and iPod connectivity as well. These two higher trim levels also offer a six-speaker stereo, steering wheel-mounted audio controls, electrically heated, adjustable and folding door mirrors, and a trip computer. Fog lights and leather trim are limited to the ‘Style’ specification only.

Although the i20 is a cut above the ‘budget’ market, it carries a price tag which represents excellent value. The i20 may lack that driving magic and it’s nothing special to look at. But it’s decently equipped, pleasant to drive, roomy and above all cheap to run.