THE wearing of the hair shirt has always had a special significance in the world of religious penitents where abstinence from worldly comforts is the philosophy.
Similarly, when I am about to test drive one of the more basic models of a car range, I do tend to anticipate the likelihood of a somewhat chastening experience.
As a motoring scribe you get used to being cossetted by air conditioning, electric windows all round, powered and heated door mirrors and even simple pleasures such as a trip computer and outside temperature readings can be taken for granted.
So it can be something of a turn-off to get into a car in which you have to manually adjust the door mirrors, wind-up the back windows and make do with just one set height for the driver's seat.
Such was the case when I drove the latest member of the Hyundai Getz family, the CRTD GSi. But I swiftly discovered that there is still a great deal to applaud in this little car.
And "deal" is definitely the operative word here.
At under £9K, the Getz CRTD is one of the cheapest oil-burners in the marketplace and, in terms of family motoring, it promises one of the major prerequisites of a diesel - the thick end of around 60mpg over combined driving route conditions.
But you pay the price in performance terms. This engine's maximum power of 80bhp delivered at 4000rpm, propels the Getx from 0-62mph in a leisurely16.5 seconds, en route to a top speed, where legally allowable, of 106mph. On the plus side, the slow sprint time is moer than made up for by this engine's mid rang pulling power which provides in a comfortable cruising performance and good round town fllexibility with 44mpg achievable on the urban trawl..
Add on the benefits of an agreeable 5A insurance grouping, ultra-low CO2 emission levels, plus Hyundai's standard five-year unlimited mileage warranty and you begin to get the picture of a decidedly budget-conscious supermini.
This five-door model is user-friendly in supermini terms with the high roofline providing good all-round headroom, although legroom in the rear and the luggage bay are not over generous which, in fairness, is about par for the course for members of this particular genre.
However, the inside story is one of a tidy, well put together, nicely finished cabin in which there are a number of storage spaces including a front centre console with drinks holder, a glove box, seat back and door pockets plus a handy storage tray beneath the steering wheel.
Despite the absence of air con, powered door mirrors, rear electric windows and the like, the Getz is still quite well kitted out, although I do feel that shoppers laden down with bags would prefer the central locking system to include remote release as they approach the car.
On the tarmac, it is a well behaved performer. The Getz's wheel-at-each corner stance plus the well worked chassis and power steering provide responsive handling with competent stability and grip when linking together a series of twisty bits.
While the 1.5-litre, three-cylinder diesel engine doesn't quite manage to hide its oil-burning heritage, even allowing for some extensive insulation work by the Getz design team, I didn't find it too intrusive.
Safety, too, has been quite well addressed with twin front airbags, side impact bars and Isofix child seat anchorage coming as standard while ABS braking with Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD) is also on hand to arrest progress when required.
The Korean car maker has enjoyed a long history of small car production, opening its account in the UK marketplace back in 1982 with the Hyundai Pony.
This was followed by the Atoz and Amica city cars in the Nineties, and the Getz is actually Hyundai's first foray into the hotly competitive world of the supermini.
But, with this impressive diesel version having been added to the six-strong line up of three and five-door models, the Getz is now even better equipped to compete against the likes of the Vauxhall Corsa, Ford Fiesta, Renault Clio, Nissan Micra and Peugeot 206.
FAST FACTS
Hyundai Getz 1.5CRTD GSi 5dr
Price: £8,695
Mechanical: 80bhp, 1,493cc, 3cyl diesel engine driving front wheels via 5-spd manual gearbox.
Max speed: 106mph.
0-62mph: 16.5 secs.
Combined mpg: 58.9
Insurance Group: 5
CO2 emissions: 127g/km.
BiK rating: 18%.
Warranty: 5yrs/ unimited mileage; 6yrs anti-rust