New Hyundai i10 roadtest

Given the economic climate the ‘supermini’ sector seems to be a sensible area of the market to look at models which are affordable, cost the minimum to run and get us from A to B’ without being too cramped. Perhaps ideal as a second car for a family or the main car for a cost conscious couple.

Drive forward the Hyundai i10 five-door hatchback. This is the second of Hyundai’s i models. Its bigger brother is the very good i30 lower-medium sector car, more Ford Focus size.

This i30 range was launched in September last year and the i10 a month or so ago. Both the i10 and i30 share the same Hyundai new family ‘face’ and mark the start of a new era for the company.

The i10 is Hyundai’s replacement for their un-loved Amica small car and instead of 5,000 annual Amica sales Hyundai expects the i10 to achieve at least 10,000 UK sales in a year.

As the press information quite smartly says the cost of an i10, priced from £6,495 and includes air-conditioning and a five-year unlimited mileage warranty as standard, costs little more than some new car buyers spend on extras for their more expensive cars.

Specifications

There are three levels of specification, Classic, Comfort and Style. The top Style model with manual transmission only costs £7,595 and incredibly the range also has the option of a model with automatic transmission which is ideally suited for commuters who undertake stop-start motoring on a daily basis. This version is the 1.1 Comfort priced at a reasonable £7,895.

The auto box, not the most modern on the market today but it does the job, adds just £800 to the price of a manual transmission Comfort model.

All i10s are powered by a 1.1-litre, 65bhp petrol engine which is capable of 56.5mpg on the combined cycle, and produces just 119g/km of CO2 for the Classic and Comfort models. This means it qualifies for a road fund licence (tax disc) charge of just £35 per year and the new 10 per cent benefit-in-kind company car tax level.

With the longest wheelbase in the class, the i10 has really good interior space too – and it’s a full five-seater with luggage room of 258-litres, small but perfectly formed.

That long wheelbase also gives the ride and handling characteristics of a far larger car, meaning the i10 needn’t just be confined to the city limits.

Combined with an all-new front and rear suspension design, electric power steering and all-round disc brakes, the i10’s specification will embarrass some cars in the class above. All in all it means that buyers who want a small car with small bills needn’t put up with big compromises.

Even as recently as a decade ago, the standard equipment levels of the i10 would be seen as generous on large family car. Air conditioning, electric windows, six speaker stereo and four airbags would have been seen as a class-leading package in a car costing £13,000. And now Hyundai is able to bring buyers all this in a car costing half this amount.

The fitment of air conditioning as standard across the range is a real highlight of the i10. It is increasingly seen as essential, not just to help you keep your cool in summer, but also to keep the windows free of mist in winter.

Hyundai hasn’t cut back in other areas either. There are four airbags, five seats, isofix mountings, electric windows, colour coded bumpers, central locking and an integrated radio with MP3-compatiable CD player and that all-important auxiliary port for your MP3 player. Compare that to rivals at the same price level and the i10 looks even better value.

This level of equipment is standard on the entry-level Classic trim, but for those who desire even more there are two steps up the range. The Comfort is available with a manual or automatic gearbox and gains alloy wheels, rear electric windows, front fog lights, a height adjustable driver’s seat, power outlet, electric door mirrors, remote central locking and colour coding on the exterior mirrors and door handles. At the top of the range, the Style has the addition of 15-inch alloy wheels, heated front seats, metal grain fascia, a rear roof spoiler and even an electric sunroof.

Autobox

I had been expecting to drive the i10 1.1 Comfort with a manual transmission, the best selling model, but a less careful previous road tester had managed to do some damage to the car. So the same type of i10 Comfort model arrived but with an automatic transmission.

Interestingly demand for automatic transmission models of all types is growing and they now account for 20 per cent of all new cars sold in the UK.

The ‘supermini’ class, in which the i10 sells, saw nearly 71,000 automatic transmission sales last year, the ‘lower-medium’ sector being the largest with nearly 102,000 registrations.

Whilst the auto transmission does dull the performance of the free revving but ever willing 1.1-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine under acceleration, once underway it makes driving very easy.

Driving

Around town the auto box works really well making light work of stop-start driving and on motorways once the car is up to speed it maintains the maximum legal speed easily.

Fuel economy from a manual version should average around 56mpg, good for a petrol engine. The auto box reduces this to 48mpg, official figures, but my test car fell short of that at 43mpg.

Apart from the interior space and excellent equipment levels what I liked about the i10 was its ability to cope with today’s traffic. On motorways it doesn’t under perform, it easily keeps up with other traffic and its remains firmly planted on the road. It feels safe and secure. It puts the new Vauxhall Agila to shame in most areas. It costs less, performs much better, has more space and is not as sluggish on motorways.

The i10 might not look so pretty or have the Agila’s youthful styling appeal but pound for pound it is the better buy by far.

MILESTONES

Hyundai i10 1.1 Comfort Auto

Price: £7,895 (Prices start at £6,495)

Engine/transmission: 1.1-litre, four-cylinder, DOHC, 65bhp, 99Nm from 2,800rpm, 4-speed auto gearbox

Performance: 90mph, 0-62mph 18.5 seconds, 48.7mpg (43.4mpg actual), CO2 139g/km, VED Band C £120

Benefit in kind tax: 15%

Insurance group: 2

For: Affordable no nonsense price, high level of equipment, excellent warranty, low running costs (manual models), easily copes with town or motorway driving conditions

Against: Auto transmission saps engine power during acceleration, reduces mpg and gives higher CO2 taxes, manual gearbox models are best overall and only cost £35 a year in road tax, but for those buyers who want a small auto car - it’s not bad

Hyundai i10 has new 1.2-litre point to make

Hyundai i10 city car welcomes new 1.2-litre engine to line-up. Available in UK from September, prices commence from £7,345 and save fuel, road tax and eco-concerns whilst still being 18% faster than before at no extra cost to driver health and wealth

Hyundai i10 NCAP safety ratings released

The Hyundai i10 scored four stars out of a possible five in Euro NCAP safety tests, with four out of five for child protection and three from four for pedestrian protection.

Hyundai i10 makes more money and sense

With more than a watchful 'i' on economy, environment and residuals already in hand, Hyundai leaves more monthly cash in the palms of i10 customers looking at PCP.

Hyundai i10 - small car, small price, big sales

The Hyundai i10 - available to buy from April - packs a huge amount of standard kit into a small car at a low price.

New Hyundai i10 review

The new Hyundai i10 is a cheap-and-cheerful city car at bargain basement prices and a surprising amount of kit as standard.

Name

Comments

Validation	Please enter the text to the left (case sensitive)
Reload