WHAT IS IT?
Developed in Germany and built in Turkey the i20 was specifically designed for the European market, ironically it is not actually sold in South Korea, Hyundai’s home market. The i20 was launched in 2008 and formed an important part of Hyundai’s meteoric rise to accepted modernity here in the first decade of the current century.
After the tiny i10, the i20 is Hyundai’s smallest model and falls into the five door hatchback “supermini” category. As such, for the majority of people, it would therefore be regarded as the smallest, yet still practical, car worth considering as daily transport.
As the driver of a much larger saloon car, in writing this review, I am, partly, setting out to answer the question as to just how practical a car this is to live with on a daily basis. In our cash strapped times downsizing is all the rage – is a Hyundai i20 a sensible car to downsize into?
WILL IT FIT YOUR GARAGE?
In short, yes it should do. At 3995mm long and 1710mm wide, it has similar proportions to a new Vauxhall Corsa, for instance, which is just 4mm longer and 27mm wider.
Whilst the car itself is compact enough, the door mirrors are particularly protrusive on the i20, I took a deep intake of breath the first time I eased it through our own garage door!
WHICH SPECIFIC MODEL?
Although the car that I am reviewing here is brand new – in the sense that, prior to my collecting it, only 122 miles had passed beneath its wheels – it is, in June 2012, being superseded by a face-lifted model. In days gone by, face lifts, in terms of cars at least, amounted to a mere cosmetic nip and tuck – we now live in changed times where mechanical changes are also made on an alarmingly regular basis, mostly in order to keep up with the latest technology in terms of fuel consumption and emissions control. The latest i20 models will be considerably more efficient than the one that you are reading about here, which, now, can only be considered as a second hand purchase.
Both old and new model i20’s are offered in three and five door format, the latest cars being offered with a choice of two petrol (1.2 and 1.4 litres) and two diesels – a super economical 1.1 and a more powerful, yet still very economical 1.4.
The model that is being reviewed here is the petrol powered 1.2, five door Comfort. The closest equivalent in the revised range would be the £12,345 1.2 Style. Incidentally my own Hyundai dealer is asking £9995 for the factory fresh car that you are reading about here – a bargain indeed compared to a “new” one.
IN WHAT CAPACITY AM I REVIEWING THIS CAR?
Once again, unless you haven’t already realised, hands up here, I do not own this Hyundai i20. Loaned to me, with grateful thanks to Gatwick Group – purveyors of Kia, Hyundai and Mitsubishi (service point for Subaru, hence my presence there) - I used this car for four days in exactly the way I would my own much larger four wheel drive Subaru saloon, in the city, and on just about every kind of road that the south east of England can dish up.
Adding extra spice to my period of ‘ownership’ was that it coincided with some of the most appalling weather conditions (rain and gales) ever experienced in June.
COSTS
New or second hand, a Hyundai i20 is going to make a sensible choice on cost grounds. The value offered by the very car that I am driving here is undeniable and, in my opinion, seeking out such almost new bargains is highly recommended.
The i20 1.2 Comfort’s Group 8 insurance rating is a surprise in light of Hyundai’s much vaunted five star safety rating for this car. By comparison, a comparable 1.2 Vauxhall Corsa falls into a more affordable group 4 – this could be a critical deciding factor, especially for the young or inexperienced inevitably drawn to this type of car in the first place.
PURCHASE COST 9 / 10
One of the big advantages of buying any Hyundai (or Kia) is that it will come very well equipped. No longer can the i20 be regarded as a “cheap” car, but compared to a similarly sized Japanese car, a Fiesta or Corsa, the i20 offers extraordinary value for money. It also bears mentioning here that Hyundai offer a fully comprehensive five year warranty which includes full roadside assistance for that period – not that an i20 is likely to let you down mechanically.
THE OPTIONS GAME: 10 / 10
Or “How much do I need to spend to make it habitable?”
You might be inclined to spend £425 on metallic paint, including the black on our car, apart from that, there is nothing that this car wants for apart from a set of floor mats. Hyundai even include the lead with which to plug your iPod into the standard USB and AUX power sockets. Fully integrated Bluetooth is also standard kit as are the more usual “luxuries” such as alloy wheels, four electric windows, electrically folding mirrors and air conditioning – the Comfort model name (in terms of kit count at least) is no idle boast here.
DEPRECIATION 8 / 10
Always the biggest running cost.My research for this section has led to some confusion – What Car magazine for instance describing the i20 as a heavy depreciator, whilst, partly thanks to that superb warranty, the hard statistics indicate that this is a safer new car buy than the more obvious European, if not Japanese, competition.
Taking into account the build quality, the image of these cars – attracts sensible drivers – and that warranty, personally I would purchase a second hand one – up to two years old with three years left to run on the guarantee.
FUEL ECONOMY 6 / 10
I recently, under identical circumstances, drove and subsequently reviewed the Kia Picanto, the whole review turned out to be highly influenced by that cars superb fuel economy. Why mention that here? Unfortunately, powered by a slightly smaller capacity, less powerful, version of the same engine it lead me to expect great things of the i20’s fuel economy. Sadly the i20 simply failed to deliver here, according to its own trip computer (notoriously optimistic devices at the best of times) around town it was only just cracking 30mpg, on the open road it got quite close to, but did not exceed 40mpg.
As the miles increase I would expect a small improvement in these figures, but compared to the particularly parsimonious Picanto, the i20 would prove far from a class leader in real world usage.
SERVICE & MAINTENANCE COSTS 8 / 10:
Are you going to make the dealer rich?
Cars like the i20 can only make the dealer rich by locking their owners into five years servicing at a franchised dealer in order to keep the warranty valid for that period of time. Whilst, legally, you only have to prove that the servicing has been carried out fully and competently, most owners will stick with the franchised dealer, who will prove class competitive in terms of service charge – although independent garages would offer a substantial saving.
The flip side is that Hyundai are no fools, they build their cars properly and have rigorous inspection standards, I would have absolutely no reason not to expect this car to run like clockwork for five years and 100,000 miles – probably beyond too, by which time its’ sale value would be next to nothing.
If all Hyundai dealers treat their customers as well I have been treated by Gatwick Group, then I can only say that the average Hyundai owner has little to complain about – indeed, I have not read about, or heard, any horror stories regarding Hyundai dealers in general.
Let the “fun” begin! You want to know what this car is like to live with and to drive and be driven in…….
THE EXTERIOR:
.
STYLING 9 /10:
A very subjective category here.The supermini sector, with one or two “premium” exceptions (Mini and Fiat 500 to name them) is not one that is particularly style lead. That having been said, even here style sells and, to my eyes at least, the i20 is a good looking five door hatchback. It has an unusual swage line running down the side which kinks down under the wrap around rear lights – a converse line runs along the bottom of the doors, kicking up the rear door, parallel to the rear wheel arch. Had I just read the last sentence I would assume this car to be “over-styled” – looking at the car and the photographs of it published below, personally, I think the styling works here.
The face-lifted model has re-styled bumpers and radiator grill, but all of the bodywork remains identical to the car reviewed here.
OVERALL BUILD QUALITY AND FINISH 9 / 10
Does it look as though it was slung together?In a word No. The factory workers in Turkey should be proud of their endeavours here. In terms of fit and finish – not to mention the bank-vault like thud of the doors closing – were this car to be wearing Audi badges it wouldn’t disgrace them.
SAFETY 7 /10
If it comes to the worst, how well are you and your family going to come out of it?
In terms of build integrity and active safety features, once again, Hyundai have produced a class leading product, I certainly felt far less vulnerable in the i20 than in the tiny Picanto.
However, there is a little more to safety than the right specification boxes being ticked and it passing a series of crash tests with flying colours.
There is one critical update that, if I were to buy one, I would make to an i20 (or any other Hyundai or Kia) and that would be to fit it with a set of “proper” European tyres. The improvements would be substantial in the all important areas of ride and handling, but, more critically here, in braking performance.
THE INTERIOR:
.
ERGONOMICS 9 / 10
Before I can start the engine and drive away I need to feel at home in the “working environment”. The relationship between the controls and how I, the driver, am able to instinctively operate those controls is, all important. This for me is make or break, before I drive a car, if it does not instinctively “feel” right in this department then I will never like it or ultimately buy it.
The i20 shows, when compared to the original Picanto, just how quickly the Koreans have caught up with their European competitors. All of my criticisms of the Picanto on this score are invalid in the case of the i20, indeed it is one of the most immediately user friendly cars that I have ever driven.
As well as a height adjustable drivers seat, the i20 is also equipped with a steering wheel which adjusts for rake and height. All shapes and sizes can be comfortably accommodated behind the wheel.
The main controls fall exactly to hand where you would expect them to and are incredibly light to operate. Better yet, they are superbly matched in weight which makes this a very easy and ‘natural’ car to drive. Having said that, I actually prefer a clutch with a discernible biting point, the i20’s is so light that this is absent.
The Hyundai i20 1.2 is the perfect car for those who really do not enjoy driving – or are just embarking on their motoring career.
VISIBILITY: 8 / 10
Those used to a much larger 4x4 or MPV type car with their “command driving position” will feel at home in the much smaller Hyundai i20. Partly thanks to the unusually high seating position, all round visibility is generally good, in combination with effective door and interior mirrors this is both an easy car to position on the road and to park.
The windscreen wipers, front and rear clear a good area of screen, usefully a variable delay intermittent setting is provided for on the windscreen wipers, sadly the rear wiper only washes and wipes or runs continuously.
The two points are lost here due the relatively heavy door and rear three quarter pillars which can sometimes create blind spots.
SPACE: 10 / 10:
One cannot fail but to be impressed by the extraordinary roominess of the i20, it is more spacious than many cars in the larger “Focus” class. Remarkably that feat extends to the boot too, which is large and square in shape – Hyundai achieve this near miracle by making the i20 taller than most in the class. As an added benefit, this extra height makes the i20 an unusually good choice for those of well above average height.
The i20 also offers extraordinarily wide opening doors which makes entry and exit for the less able bodied far easier than in almost any other car I have recently driven.
This particularly applies to the rear doors, which, apart from opening to almost 90 degrees are also much longer than most offering a very large space through which to access the rear seat. Conversely, if opening the rear doors in a narrow parking space you might struggle to enter or exit the rear seat..
As with most hatchbacks the rear seat offers a 30 / 70 fold, allowing four passengers and a long load to be accommodated. Unfortunately the rear seats do not fold flat, meaning that half of the extended floor space slopes up towards the back of the front seats.
Storage space for odds and ends is very good indeed, even the air conditioned glove box is far larger than most
STYLE 8 / 10:
The swoopy interior styling – especially of the dashboard and doors is well in keeping with the exterior styling and, with the exception of the lower centre console panel, is very attractive to look at. The cloth seats are attractively shaped – comfortable enough too – and have an unusual pattern embossed onto their centre panels, looking rather like a packet of dog bone biscuits scattered at random.
MATERIALS, FIT & FINISH 6 / 10:
Aspreys or Ratners?Unusually I would have to separate the fit and finish – which merits a 9 – from the materials, which sadly would only rate a 5.
Whilst the plastics on both the doors and dashboard look like soft touch, any contact with them shatters any illusion of quality here. Tellingly the face-lifted models are equipped with both a leather covered steering wheel and gear knob, the contact points on this car are cheap feeling, rather hard and rough grain finished plastic. By making the contact points leather, there will be a disproportionate step up in the “feel good” factor – as indeed there was in the Picanto.
The feel, rather than the look, of the interior manages to mark the i20 down as being built down to a price.
AUDIO & CLIMATE CONTROL SYSTEMS 10 / 10:
Strange grouping?
Whilst not offering a dual setting climate control system (rare in smaller cars), the i20 is the very model in how to lay out a simple, effective and intuitive to use heating and air conditioning system. In a day and age obsessed with digital controls and pushbuttons, the simple rotary controls are a breath of fresh air to use. The system that they operate is quick to respond, fast to warm up or cool down and is genuinely one of the best heater / air conditioning systems that I have used.
That can also be said of the audio system. Only lacking a DAB radio (car manufacturers really should be fitting those as standard now), the music system in the i20 was the best that I have come across – assuming that is that you have an iPod to plug into it. Radio reception was excellent and whatever media played, sound quality was particularly good – sadly, far better than in my own Subaru!
The ace card here though is the iPod interface. Hyundai provide a lead (power and data combined) to plug into a socket in the central console. Having done so, I was wondering why my iPod (a Classic) would not respond at all – merely having the Hyundai logo on its screen.
Quickly I twigged that total control of your music is taken via either the audio controls or, more conveniently, steering wheel buttons. The radio screen tells you all the information that the iPod screen would. Oh how I’d love to take out this system and install it in my own car!
In addition to, yet integrated with, the audio system is the standard Bluetooth hands free system. I didn’t actually bother syncing this with my phone, but again it offers you total control over your phone via the steering wheel controls and radio display screen set high up on the dashboard. There is a microphone set in the headlining above the driver’s head, whilst sound is passed through the cars very good speaker system.
ON THE ROAD……..
……Time to start it up and to offer you a driving assessment.
NOISE, VIBRATION & HARSHNESS 7 / 10
Silk purse or sow’s ear?
Having read that this car was specifically developed for the European market, I was surprised to discover that it shared the same trait as the previous Korean cars driven in that, at modest speeds it was very refined indeed, but at higher speeds it becomes a far less desirable companion.
Maybe Hyundai know their market and I am not their typical customer, but I see no reason why one should not expect a new car such as the i20 to remain quiet and comfortable a typical 80mph motorway cruise. Once again I think the original equipment tyres may be responsible here – but that is how they are supplied from the factory, so I can only judge the car so equipped.
At all speeds road noise is the predominant factor, impressive door seals effectively seal the car from the elements, particularly wind noise. The engine remains refined until about 4500rpm, the red line is at 6500, an engine speed that you will be put off approaching by the straining, wailing noise coming from under the bonnet. In a sense, my issue is not really with the volume of the noise but the quality of it – at higher revs the 1.2 i20 simply sounds underpowered.
PERFORMANCE 6 / 10
Sh*t off a shovel or a constipated tortoise?
For ordinary every day driving the 1.2 i20’s performance is adequate. Around town the car feels light and willing and you will not be holding up the traffic. However, it is when you ask more of it that the word “underpowered” again rears its head. Joining a motorway or overtaking a slower moving vehicle can prove a nerve wracking experience, the i20 seemingly taking an age to gain the required momentum. Consequently you find yourself driving the car far harder than feels natural, this is undoubtedly the cause of the disappointing fuel consumption and lack of overall refinement.
In this sector I would most definitely suggest trying the more powerful 1.4 or diesel versions before ordering this version of the i20.
RIDE & HANDLING 6 / 10
Again it is difficult to separate the mediocre tyres performance from the engineered qualities of the car here.
Unusually the ride was much better than the handling. Usually if a car rides well it also handles well, but in the i20’s case, sharpness of handling seems to have been sacrificed to lightness of touch and a smooth low speed ride.
The word handling may invoke in enthusiasts an image of hurtling down country lanes, aiming at the apex, understeer, oversteer and all the rest of the car magazine speak. Cut through all that, and in a five door hatchback like the i20, which has different priorities in life, you are looking for a car with predictable responses that is light to drive and goes where you expect it to when you want it to.
For me at least, here is where it all fell apart. The i20’s steering is very light, perfectly matched in weight to the other controls – a good thing. Not a good thing though is that it has a very strong self centering action, which can find the wheel snatching back in your hands as you want to gently unwind the lock. I found this particularly present when coming out of round abouts, the i20 simply not wanting to steer the course intended without me having to keep a very firm hand on the wheel. At lower speeds, when pulling out of a parking space even, this same trait is present – to such an extent that it will straighten the wheel before you have set off down the road sending you towards the curb on the offside.
At higher speeds when steering is less of an issue, both the ride and handling have an unsettling rubberyness to them. Again, I would like to try this car on a set of Michelin or Goodyear tyres to see if my theory about the tyres, rather than the car, being responsible for this lack of precision, is correct.
CONCLUSION
Would I buy one myself and would we want to drive it to Poland in a day?It’s a no and no again here I’m afraid.
The i20 would be a very easy car to fall for on showroom value alone. Indeed in terms of looks, equipment and static comfort, I was really willing this car to do well – it wanted me to like it.
However, dynamically, it fails to live up to class standards and is not a model that I would feel happy downsizing into after driving a larger, better engineered car.
Ironically it has sufficient space and seat comfort to drive long distance, but the deficiencies in performance, handling and high speed ride quality would not make the i20 a car that I would chose for a long journey. Yes it is large enough to use as the only car in a one car household, but it is not sufficiently well developed to meet my needs in the way that, for instance, a latest model Ford Fiesta or Honda Jazz would.
FINAL SCORE: 127 / 170
A fair overall score for a car that really does excel in some areas only to disappoint where it really matters – out on the road.
Putting that score into perspective are the following cars based on identical scoring criteria:
AUDI A4 2.0TFSi SLine – 71.1%
AUDI A6 2.0TDie SE – 74.4%
FIAT PANDA 1.1 ACTIVE - 70.6%
FIAT 500 1.4 LOUNGE – 68.2%
FIAT 500 TWIN AIR LOUNGE – 82.9%
FIAT PUNTO GRANDE SPORTING 130 Mjet - 75.9%
FORD KUGA 2.0 TDCi TITANIUM - 64.7%
HONDA ACCORD i-DECT EX GT (2008 Model) Saloon - 69.4%
HONDA CIVIC 1.8i VTEC SE - 78.2%
HONDA CIVIC IMA SE - 73.5%
HONDA INSIGHT IMA ES-T – 75.3%
HONDA JAZZ 1.4 SE CVT-7 (Automatic) - 74.7%
HYUNDAI i20 1.2 COMFORT (2010 model) – 74.7%
JAGUAR XF 3.0D PREMIUM LUXURY – 82.9%
KIA PICANTO 1.0GS – 78.8%
SUBARU OUTBACK 2.0D RE - 85.3%
SUBARU LEGACY 2.0D RE SALOON – 85.8%
SAAB 9-3 TiD Vector - 68.2%
TOYOTA PRIUS T-SPIRIT – 85.8%
VAUXHALL ASTRA TWINTOP 1.9 CDTi DESIGN - 78.8%
VW PASSAT TDi 140 S ESTATE - 71.7%
(c) RICHADA CIAO 20.06.2012
RICHADA, AN i20 AND HIS iPOD 
Excellent!