Hyundai are increasingly able to offer drivers a product that the head can’t resist and the heart isn’t against. What? Let me explain…
A Hyundai offers you a 5 year warranty, all the key equipment you want (CD player, air conditioning, electric windows and air bags) for less than the prices asked by the big brands. They have been doing this for a while and presumably grey-suited tax inspectors and book keepers have been lapping them up. But for lots of people the styling and comfort levels, the plastics and trim finish were all just a bit nasty so the head was overruled by the heart and everyone bought Fords or Peugeots or whatever.
But since 2007, with the introduction of the i30, then the i10 and now the i20 that’s all changed. The ‘deal’ is still on offer but the cars look like Toyotas or Vauxhalls, the plastics and trims feel good and comfort is, for the most part, comparable too.
The i20 looks more expensive than it is both outside and in. The dashboard offers an attractive style, good quality materials and the aforementioned high equipment levels. It’s not 100%, the radio for example, keeps cutting out for a brief second here and there which is disproportionately irritating. The throttle is slightly sticky at the very top of its travel which means you either ride the clutch a bit with too many revs or judder away slightly as it nearly stalls.
But parking is very easy; the i20 offers good all round visibility and feather-light steering. On twisty country roads the steering was perhaps too light, but it still delivered enough feedback to allow me to know where we were going to be as we came out of each corner. I sailed about country roads contentedly in the i20 for an entire weekend.
On the motorway the i20 was a bit of a puzzle. It was both stable, cruising at impressive speeds in the right hand lane and yet it had the occasional lively moment: A few seconds here and there where, because of a gust of wind, or a surprise bump in the road, it felt like the car wasn’t going to quite stay in lane or was going to clip the rumble strip. At those times the car seemed to be suddenly out of its depth. But any student who has driven a small car too quickly will tell you that this is pretty normal. It is not really designed to hug the inside lane of the M1 for several hours.
The i20 is not my kind of car, but I would buy one for my Mum or. This is to say important people who you want to have a reliable, pleasant car. It is ideal for anyone who likes the styling of the new Vauxhall Corsa but not its price. Or someone who has had Fiat Puntos, loved the price, versatility and kit but wants the 5 years without surprise repair costs that Hyundai’s super long warranty delivers.
Who is buying them?
The Hyundai i20 will inevitably find a number of homes with elderly motorists who like the value, the long warranty and don’t care what the badge says. But with such European styling this car will follow the i30’s lead and widen the company’s appeal to younger motorists. Young families and even students will probably be seen in the i20 over the next 2-3 years as used numbers increase.
What’s the market like?
The very nearly stuff have just a token discount off the new price. But as the cars approach one year old we expect them to be about £1,200 cheaper with only a few hundred more miles on the clock. For a car that already boasted amazing value for money, those prices are nearly ‘giveaway’ territory.
What else can this budget buy?
£7,500 - £8,500 will buy a Nissan Micra, but not necessarily with the same specification, a Citroen C2 but not the more comparable C3. It will just stretch to a comparable Renault Clio if you negotiate hard and while you can buy a Vauxhall Corsa or Ford Fiesta, neither the kit list nor the warranty will compare. The Fiat Punto is often a little cheaper, and since about 2006 will have had increasingly high levels of equipment such as air conditioning. But again, reliability may be a concern on the Fiat in a way it won’t be with the i20.
Summary
At last there is a genuine rival to the Fiat Punto for economy driving that doesn’t feel cheap. An effective small car, with a high specification and long warranty. Stylish, solid and good value.
By: Matthew Tumbridge