DESPITE its Fiesta like dimensions, the i20 is the big one for Hyundai. A replacement for the ageing and hardly mourned Getz, the i20 is expected to become Britain's best-selling Hyundai.
Several days driving the car proved Hyundai's expectations are well founded. Designed and developed in Europe, the i20 should meet the demands of a European market that expects stylish, high quality cars that are good to drive.
The i20 is small and family-sized, doesn't gulp petrol, comes with a five-year warranty and with resale values that fare better after three years' use than those for many of its rivals. the VW Polo, Vauxhall Corsa, Toyota Yaris, and even the outstanding new Ford Fiesta.
The Getz did not do well in customer satisfaction surveys. Reliability was never the issue, it was poor interior quality and exterior styling that let it down - both issues that have been addressed with neater styling and better cabin quality.
Things have improved a lot but the i20 still disappoints. The centre console still looks and feels a bit cheap.
Two petrol engines - a 1.2 and 1.4 plus a 1.4-litre diesel with two power outputs - are available and all are fuel and CO2 efficient.
Most people are likely to opt for the 1.2-litre petrol. It's a handy 77bhp four cylinder workhorse that is totally devoid of thrills yet delivers a reliable performance through the standard fit five-speed manual gearbox.
Top speed is 103mph, which hardly sets the world on fire, and it takes a pedestrian 12.9 seconds to get from 0-62mph but behind those headline figures is a fuel consumption of 54.3mpg and CO2 emissions of 124g/km. Hyundai is working hard to bring that figure down to under 119g/km so that - as the diesel units do - it can drop into the £35 a year road tax bracket.
There's a lot to like about the actual drive - good road manners, no nasty habits, jolt-free - and it is done in reasonable comfort.
The car's no-fuss attitude carries through to the dash's instruments and minor controls, it's a sit-in, drive-off experience.
The front two passengers get the lion's share of the cabin and seat rake, with adults in the rear getting the same space as they would in any rival supermini.
Trim and padding on all seats is very good and there's a supportive pair of front chairs for drivers with longer legs.
Every i20 has air-con, a CD/MPS audio, cooler-glove box and at least two electric windows, but moving up from the basic Classic into the Comfort trim is a must, it has a lot more to offer.
The supplied i20 1.2 Comfort five-door adds wheel-mounted audio controls, iPod/USB ports, powered, heated, and folding door mirrors, trip computer, alloy wheels, and electric rear windows.
The flagship Style adds a few more bits like front fogs, climate control, and 16-inch alloys.
A three-door version is due next month with prices from £8,195.
Good money for a crowd-pleaser of a car.
- Alistair Coull
KOREAN owned, designed and developed in Europe and built in India, the Hyundai i20 is well equipped to take on the might of the supermini segment.
It is longer, lower and wider than the Getz range it replaces, and is between £500 and £1,000 cheaper than mainstream rivals such as the Ford Fiesta, VW Polo, Vauxhall Corsa and Toyota Yaris.
As if the Getz name wasn't awkward enough for British motorists to come to grips with, Hyundai have burdened us with even less user-friendly number identifiers.
But strange names and labels didn't seem to cause a problem for the Getz which become the best-selling Hyundai in Britain.
And the Hyundai 'i' range of cars is well established with the first of the breed, the i30, followed by the sell-out success of the i10 city car as well as the larger i800 model, so it seems British and European buyers are not fazed.
Designed at Hyundai's European headquarters in Russelheim, the i20 is designed to be the safest car in the supermini class: all models have six airbags and anti-whiplash headrests as standard. And cars built from this month will have ESP as standard across the range, a first in the supermini sector.
Together with the extensive use of high-tensile steel in the chassis, and ISOFIX mounting points in the rear and seatbelt reminders for all five occupants, the Korean company is confident of a top points score in Euro NCAP adult occupation and child protection crash test results, even under the new stricter rules for 2009.
These unrivalled levels of active and passive safety are certainly impressive in a small car where occupants may feel more vulnerable than in a larger hatch or saloon.
The 1.2-litre petrol test car felt nimble and alert on the flat and around town but you have to change down regularly for open-road motoring to make it sing and especially when encountering gradients.
The engine has decent power, but needs encouragement. Most of the time the 77bhp unit performs willingly and does so in a fairly subdued manner.
The 1.2 engine provides a 0-62mph sprint in a respectable 12.9 seconds and reaches a top speed of 103mph.
It boasts an official combined fuel return of 54.3mpg, slightly more than the 52mpg achieved on its northern test.
Steering is light and breezy in town and firms up, but not enough, on the open road.
There is height and reach adjustment to ensure a comfortable driving position, not always possible in a small car.
Controls are well laid out in a cabin which is modern, but more functional than pampered, even in this, the Comfort, middle trim model.
The ride is fairly firm, which is OK when you are driving, but as a passenger it seems less forgiving.
Style-wise, the i20 is neat and perfectly formed but seems to lack personality.
Nevertheless, it is one of the cheapest cars in its class and offers far more safety features than rivals.
All models come with air con and remote central locking.
- Val Jessop
FAST FACTS
Hyundai i20 1.2 Comfort 5dr
Price: £9,445
Mechanical: 77bhp, 1,248cc, 4cyl petrol engine driving front wheels via 5-speed manual gearbox
Max speed: 103mph
0-62mph: 12.9 seconds
Combined mpg: 54.3
Insurance group: 3
CO2 emissions: 124g/km
BiK rating: 15%
Warranty: 5yrs/ unlimited mileage