Hyundai's slicker city car

Introduction

Hyundai no longer trades solely on low budget offerings, and though the i10 sits at the bottom of the Korean manufacturer's range, it compares well to its rivals in the tightly fought city car sector.

What is it?

Hyundai has always had small cars in its line-up, but they've generally been about as desirable or stylish as dental braces. The i10 turns that on its head and instantly mixes it with the best in class thanks to its compact shape, generous interior space and decent drive. It's also one of the cleanest models in the city car sector thanks to its frugal, low emissions engine, yet delivers reasonable performance for this segment. It's also affordable and better equipped than most of the competition.

Tall sides mean there's plenty of headroom in the front and back of the i10 and it can carry four adults with surprising ease thanks to decent rear legroom. Three abreast, however, might be a crush. At the rear, the boot is big enough for a week's shopping, though the plastic sides of the boot are all too easily scored and scratched. The rear seat splits 60:40 and folds to allow for larger cargo, although the seat backs don't fold completely flat.

How does it drive?

City cars by definition are designed to cope with the rigours of urban traffic conditions. This means they should be easy on the legs when pumping the pedals in heavy traffic, have good all-round visibility and simplicity itself when it comes to parking. The i10 is all of these things and even manages to be a useful companion on forays beyond the city limits. Its 65bhp 1.1-litre petrol engine is happy to zip the Hyundai up to 30mph without fuss or much in the way of noise. On faster roads, there's some wind and road noise and the engine can be harsh if wound all the way round the rev counter and through the five-speed manual gearbox, though there's little advantage in this as it delivers its best well before the limiter is reached. Hyundai also offers a four-speed automatic gearbox option, but this knocks performance, economy and emissions.

There's just the right amount of give in the i10's suspension to cope with battle scarred city streets, though it introduces a fair degree of body lean on roundabouts and in quicker corners. The steering doesn't deliver much in the way of feel, but then the i10 is a city car and not a hot hatch. More importantly, it's light to turn at parking speeds and the turning circle is tight enough to make the Hyundai a serious contender should parallel parking ever become an Olympic event.

Planet hugger or planet mugger?

The Hyundai i10 tips the scales at a little less than one tonne, so is relatively light compared to most rivals. This helps with economy and emissions, which register at 56.5mpg combined consumption and carbon dioxide output of 119g/km to qualify for low-rate road tax this year and next. These are not class-leading figures, but they're enough to keep your wallet from a good kicking. It's also worth bearing in mind the i10 doesn't compromise on equipment, as even the basic 1.1 Comfort model comes with four airbags, CD stereo, electric front windows and air conditioning as standard.

Verdict

There's a simple honesty to the Hyundai i10 that makes it an appealing small car. It may not be a driving sensation or the last word in compact luxury, but it's good enough in both areas for the price to be competitive. The i10 is also a good looking small car that's easy to park and provides reasonable interior space for four along with a decent boot. With good (if not great) economy and emissions, the i10 is worthy of being on any city car buyer's shopping list.

Alisdair Suttie

Monday August 18