Hyundai i20 a lot of car for not much money

Road Test

byMarkSlack

WITH the imminent demise of Ford’s Fiesta, the choice of small hatchbacks continues to diminish in favour of an SUV style. Thankfully there are still manufacturers with tempting offers in the sector and Hyundai is one of them.

The diminutive i10 might conceivably be a little small for some, but the larger i20 slots in nicely size‐wise for those wanting maximum space in compact form.

A smart looking car, if com‐ments on my test model are anything to judge, the i20 range starts at €22,270/ £19,725 and encompasses the entry level through to the luxury and sporty and finally the very sporting i20N.

My Ultimate model sits at the top of the normal tree with a €27,633/£24,475 price tag and seven‐speed auto‐matic transmission.

Standard fare across the line‐up is very good with alloy wheels, air conditioning, high beam assist, powered and heated door mirrors, cruise control, rear parking sensors and camera, Apple Car Play and Android Auto.

My Ultimate added climate control, heated seats, privacy glass, rain sensing wipers, wireless charging, navigation, keyless entry and start, pow‐er fold door mirrors and a

Facts at a Glance

• Model: Hyundai i20 Ultimate

Bose sound system.

The range uses a three ‐cylinder, 1.0 ‐ litre tur ‐bocharged petrol developing speeds and automatics a sev‐en‐speed double clutch type of automatic. It’s a very effec‐tive power delivery ing a 60/40 split folding rear seat and good rear legroom when the rear seats are in po‐sition. Cer‐ being a second quicker to that benchmark speed and arguably allows you a bit more control. That said the automatic isn’t bad and provides a more re ‐fined change than many pseudo au‐tomatics.

• Engine: 1.0-litre, 3-cylinder, turbocharged petrol electric 48V mild hybrid

• Gears: 7-Speed DCT automatic

• Price: €27,633/£24,475

• Performance: 0-100 kph (62 mph) 11.4 seconds/Maximum Speed 185 kph (115 mph).

• Economy: 5.3l/100km (53.3 mpg) Combined driving.

• Emissions: 122 g/km

Model tested was UK-specification and equipment levels and prices may vary in other markets aided by a 48v battery to make a mild hybrid that ben‐efits emissions, power and economy.

It’s a practical car too with even the lead‐in version hav‐

TRAFFIC lights will soon have a fourth signal ‐ a white light for self‐driving cars.

Transport engineers at the University of North Carolina (USA) have devised the new symbol that will help control traffic when autonomous ve‐hicles become common on the roads.

The aim is to facilitate the tainly not a performance model though when 62 mph takes 11.4 seconds, but in normal use the i20 doesn’t feel pedestrian. The manually geared versions fare better

Most i20s will spend their life pottering around towns and cities with the occasion‐al long run. Which is a shame as it handles rather well on cross country roads and especially with the nicely slick manual gearbox that would be my recommendation on the gearbox choice. Overall the i20 is refined, comfort‐able and very well equipped. It offers rather a lot of car for not a lot of money.

White after red, green and amber

processing of data of these cars to guarantee safety, as well as improving crossing times at intersections and re‐ducing fuel consumption.

According to the re ‐searchers, when a certain number of self‐driving vehi‐cles arrive at a crossing, the white light will come on to alert drivers of conventional cars that if the vehicle in front of them stops or continues to cross, they must do the same.

No date has yet been set for the introduction of the new signal in Spain.