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Sunday, 21st of March 2010

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Hyundai i10 road test report

Hyundai i10

The Hyundai i10 is yet another reason to consign jokes about Korean cars to the motor industry humour dustbin. A huge sales hit in 2009 – thanks in large part because of its attraction to buyers armed with cash from the government’s scrappage scheme – the i10 has taken on the dominant trio of the Toyota Aygo, Citroen C1 and Peugeot 107 in the city car market. It’s not the cutest of cars to look at, but it’s not something you’d be embarrassed to be seen in, either. However, it’s real attractions like under the skin and those, along with its fantastic running costs, make it a real contender if you’re looking to buy something small and economical.

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Performance

Hyundai launched the i10 with a 1.1-litre engine that was carried over from the Atoz, the model it replaced in the Korean carmaker’s range, but has subsequently replaced it with a slightly bigger 1.2-litre unit. This engine now squeezes out 75bhp and 87lb-ft of torque, which reduces the 0-62mph time by nearly three seconds, to 12.8 seconds. OK, this isn’t exactly lightning fast, but it’s quicker than the Aygo/C1/107 competition and about what’s reasonable to expect from an urban runabout. Indeed, the engine itself feels lively, if a little noisy when revved, and does a bang-up job of nipping about the urban jungle that is its natural environment. This peppy little unit is mated to an equally good gearbox, with the console-mounted gearstick making precise and pretty slick changes for a car of its type and cost.

Ride & Handling

The i10 has light, electrically assisted steering, which is direct and responsive to inputs, with a tight turning circle of just 9.2 metres. It is perfectly judged for a car that will spend most of its life in urban situations, coming into its own when parking in tight on-street spaces and supermarket car parks. The handling is also very accomplished for a car in this price range, without too much body roll and, with its compact size and short overhangs, it feels stable and safe when pushing it into corners on open, rural roads. In terms of its ride, the i10 is very comfortable and composed when making its way around town, its softly sprung suspension coping well with the speed humps, broken surfaces and potholes that it will encounter on a regular basis. Overall, it’s a well-balanced package that will prove a pleasant surprise to potential buyers, especially those who have had experience of older small Korean cars.

Build Quality & Reliability

The i10 will never exactly feel sturdy, as it’s a city car built to a budget: however, next to other cars in its class, Hyundai’s offering compares favourably and certainly holds its own. The exterior has consistent panel gaps, appears well engineered and feels noticeably sturdier than the Atoz it replaces. The interior is made from cheap materials, but they’re more cheerful than nasty. The plastics are hard and textured, but not brittle, so the cabin of the i10 isn’t an unpleasant place to be. The dials are well laid out, with the main speedometer having a classy cream-coloured background. The centre console is also easy to reach and straightforward to use, with the gearstick at its base. There’s nothing truly innovative about the i10’s interior, but it’s perfectly easy to live with. Any concerns about the i10’s reliability can assuaged by Hyundai’s five-year warranty, so if anything goes wrong, owners won’t need to pay a penny.

Safety & Security

EuroNCAP have crash-tested the i10 and found it to be fairly safe, especially in comparison with other cars in the segment. It achieved a four-star score for adult occupant protection, another four for child occupant protection and three stars for pedestrian impact – not a bad result. There’s the level of safety equipment you’d expect in a city car: all i10s have four airbags with a passenger side cut-off switch, allowing a child seat to be fitted in the front of the car if required, and seatbelt pre-tensioners on the front seats. An Electronic Stability Programme is available as an option (£355) on all trim levels. In terms of security, an immobiliser and central locking are fitted as standard.

Space & Practicality

There’s plenty of space in the i10 and the car should be able to accommodate four average-sized adults in adequate comfort, even over long distances. The boot has a 225-litre capacity, with the 60/40 folding rear seats expanding it for larger loads. There’s plenty of room for the weekly shop or a couple of overnight bags, but you’ll struggle to get anything bigger, such as child’s buggy, in there. The only criticism of the interior is the front seats: the seat bases feel as if they should go lower, but don’t. So although there’s potentially a decent amount of headroom, thanks to the high roofline, tall drivers might find themselves banging their heads against the headlining a little too often, especially if they take a speed hump too quickly. However, kit levels – especially on the upper Comfort and Style trim levels –are good, and include air conditioning, a six-speaker stereo with CD player and iPod connectivity, plus front and rear electric windows.

Ownership & Value

Quite apart from the low initial asking price (listed as £7,760 to £8,885), running costs for the i10 also make the car a great value proposition. The official fuel consumption figure is 56.5mpg and, while that is probably out of the reach in the real world, especially if most of the car’s on-road time is spent in town, a figure in the mid-40s is still pretty decent. Carbon dioxide emissions are also low, with the 119g/km figure meaning that, in addition to making owners happy that they’re not contributing too much to climate change, the i10 will cost just £35 a year to tax. Sitting in insurance group 3 will also be a boon to anyone looking for a car that’s cheap to own and run. And let’s not forget that Hyundai five-year warranty, which will mean owners only have to pay servicing costs in that period, which are very reasonable at official dealerships.

Submitted: 13/01/2010 11:32:05

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