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THE i HAS IT
The 1.2-litre engine adds more power to Hyundai’s i10 city car with few discernable drawbacks. Steve Walker reports

Hyundai’s i10 is a well-rounded city car product and city car products look likely to become increasingly popular in the future. With its nimble driving experience and low costs, the i10 is well suited to the modern urban environment and the extra power of the 1.2-litre engine only adds to its appeal.

In the current climate, it doesn’t take a psychic to predict a motoring future that’s very different to the one we know today. Even the briefest bout of crystal ball gazing will show small, economical cars playing a larger role in years to come and we’re already seeing the initiation of that trend. Hyundai’s i10 city car seems to capture the zeitgeist rather well but with a 1.2-litre engine installed, is it enough to paint the future in a positive light? There’s no question that a 3.5-metre-long car with a 1.2-litre engine isn’t everyone’s idea of automotive nirvana but in the real world where motorists are shedding increasing amounts of cash on the way between A and B, such vehicles are looking more of an attractive option. Hyundai’s traditional strength of producing affordable, uncomplicated cars married to the brand’s more recent strides on the perceived quality front are embodied by the i10 and the 1.2-litre models at the top of the range are tasked with boosting desirability further. The 1.2-litre 76bhp engine is the powerhouse of the Hyundai i10 range which doesn’t say a great deal for the 1.1-litre engine that sits below it in the hierarchy. Needless to say, performance is not blistering but the 1.2-litre i10 can cover the 0-62mph sprint in 12.8s which is almost three seconds faster than the entry-level car and respectable in the context of the wider city car market. Torque of 118Nm puts the i10 ahead of most equivalently-powered rivals and this, more than its 60mph sprinting ability, makes the i10 1.2 a flexible and lively companion for driving around town. A top speed of 102mph is also well up on the 94mph where the 1.1 tops out and the 1.2 is well capable of keeping up with traffic on motorway jaunts, even if the experience will be on the loud side.

"Hyundai is a brand that’s on the up and the i10 1.2 demonstrates that very succinctly…."

Despite its ability to venture further afield should the need arise, the i10 is definitely at its best around the houses. The modern urban motoring for which the car was designed places a very specific set of demands on a vehicle and the i10 rises to the challenge very well in 1.2-litre form. The manual gearbox which you get plenty of practice with in city traffic is a slick piece of work, with a punchy action to complement the car’s impressive agility. The optional auto ‘box provides the opportunity to rest your left leg but is sometimes slow to respond when faster progress is called for. The steering is quick and well-weighted for urban use while the i10’s 9.2m turning circle will help get you out of (or into) many a tight spot. The disc brakes on all four wheels means the i10 can stop, if not on a sixpence then on a manhole cover. The interior is the area of the i30 hatchback that most impressed observers. Not because it achieved anything particularly new or groundbreaking but because it managed to ape its leading European rivals so effectively. The i10’s cabin looks to do the same and the design is simple but appealing. The vibrancy and ingenuity that characterises the best small car interiors doesn’t appear to be in evidence but Hyundai looks to have concentrated on getting the fundamentals right. There’s plenty of room inside and the majority of the materials used are of a good quality. There are still elements that hark back to Hyundai’s less salubrious past but in a car of the i10’s price, it would be wrong to complain too vociferously. The i10’s long wheelbase has been achieved by pushing the wheels right into the corners of the car so as not to increase overall length by too much. At 3,565mm long and 1,595mm wide, the i10 remains usefully compact. It’s actually 166mm shorter than the Toyota Aygo and around 25mm longer than a Fiat Panda. The exterior design is appealing in an unadventurous kind of way. The city car market was once riddled with non-descript wheeled boxes whereas modern offerings tend to lay on the cheeky style as thick as possible and the i10 falls somewhere between these two stools. The gentle curves around the front end work well and the rear is a little sharper with its angles but the overall shape is neatly integrated. Prices start at £7,545, a premium of around £800 on the entry-level 1.1-litre model. It’s possible to buy the 1.2-litre i10 in Comfort or Style trim and the optional automatic gearbox tags £800 onto the price if you tick that particular box. In typical Korean style, the equipment list is generous whichever trim level you choose. All i10s have air-conditioning and Hyundai’s appealing 5-year warranty but the Comfort models also feature14" alloy wheels, electric door mirrors, remote central locking and front fog lights. Upgrade to the Style model and the alloy wheels are 15" in diameter, there’s an electric sunroof and a rear spoiler makes and appearance. In addition, there’s leather trim for the handbrake, gearlever skirt and steering wheel at this level. Safety equipment in the i10 is also generous for a city car. Front and side airbags are standard as is an advanced anti-lock braking system and the 1.2-litre cars can also be specified with ESP stability control. Buyers deciding to step up from the entry-level 1.1-litre i10 benefit not only from the improvement in performance but from fuel economy and emissions that are identical to those of the less powerful car. Combined cycle economy is measured at 56.5mpg and the emissions creep under the 120g/km barrier at 119g/km, making this an extremely affordable vehicle to run. Hyundai has another major trick up its sleeve in its bid to break into the European market mainstream – a five-year unlimited mileage warranty. This is a major USP in a market where keeping costs down is of paramount importance for the majority of buyers. Only Hyundai’s sister company Kia can match this package and if you’re after peace-of-mind motoring, it will prove a tough one to pass up on. As time goes on, it seems likely that more and more motorists are going to be forced into smaller and smaller cars. In urban areas particularly, compact, low cost vehicles are better able to ease the growing problems of a congested road network and a rising cost of motoring. For drivers who have become accustomed to larger vehicles, this might seem a nightmare scenario but vehicles like Hyundai’s i10 1.2 should be able to allay some of those fears. The Hyundai may be small but it’s safe and spacious enough for four adults, the running costs are low, there’s a lively driving experience and build quality is good. The Hyundai’s design is short on flair and there are more fashionable options out there but on capability alone, the i10 1.2 is tough to beat at this price. Hyundai is a brand that’s on the up and the i10 1.2 demonstrates that very succinctly. The car feels well engineered with a fine gearbox and a very competitive engine. It’s also packaged well with a good amount of interior space considering its size. Add in Hyundai’s generous specification as well as the attractive warranty and you have a neat but low key solution to the perils of modern motoring.

Facts At A Glance

i ON THE ROAD
Hyundai has a sound reputation for affordable small cars but the marque’s new burning ambition means the i10 must do better than what went before. Steve Walker reports…

The big names in the automotive manufacturing industry once had the luxury of being able to dismiss Hyundai pretty much out of hand. The Korean marque’s workmanlike products would mop up a respectable number of sales on a value for money ticket but challenge for a place at the European car market’s top table? Pull the other one. Eyes were taken off the ball, laurels were casually reclined upon and now Hyundai is the sixth largest car manufacturer in the world. What’s more, it has set its sights firmly on the lucrative European big time. The i30 gave us initial confirmation that this was no joke and the i10 aims to underline Hyundai’s ambition.

The i10 is the replacement for the Amica, a car that was retired from the UK market in 2003 before being brought back from the grave for a 2006 swansong. It wasn’t particularly appetising during its first stint and rather like last night’s mackerel carbonara, it hadn’t improved much the next time we saw it. The i10, however, is a thoroughly different proposition. Hyundai was at pains to remind us that its i30 family hatchback was designed and is built in Europe around European tastes. The i10 city car is targeting the top performers in its sector in a similar way, except it’s screwed together in India. A choice of 1.1 or 1.2-litre petrol engines is available. The 1.1 is available in the Classic and Comfort trim levels and gives the driver 66bhp on tap. It’s a four-cylinder unit that produces its peak power at 5,500rpm and develops maximum torque of 99Nm at 2,800rpm. These figures make similar reading to those of the 1.0-litre three-cylinder powerplant that’s used by the i10’s Toyota Aygo, Citroen C1 and Peugeot 107 rivals but where that engine has fractionally more power, the i10’s has fractionally more torque. The 1.2-litre petrol-unit offers an 18% power increase on the 1.1-litre engine and increases the i10’s torque by 20% helping the i10 reach 60mph in 12.8 seconds, almost three seconds faster than the 1.1. Top speed for the 1.2 is 102mph compared to 94mph for the smaller engine size. These figures make similar reading to those of the 1.0-litre three-cylinder powerplant that’s used by the i10’s Toyota Aygo, Citroen C1 and Peugeot 107 rivals but where that engine has fractionally more power, the i10’s has fractionally more torque. Compared to the 1.1-litre four-cylinder engine in Fiat’s Panda, the i10’s unit looks stronger by quite a margin. The little Fiat can only manage 54bhp and 88Nm of torque.

"The car… looks like putting a definite tick in the boxes marked quality, practicality and value."

The i10 has one of the longest wheelbases in its class. At 2,380mm, it’s 65mm longer than the Aygo/C1/107 trio, which are largely identical bar the badges, and over 80mm longer than the Fiat’s Panda. This should aid ride comfort and handling in the i10, while also maximising interior space. The i10’s long wheelbase has been achieved by pushing the wheels right into the corners of the car so as not to increase overall length by too much. At 3,565mm long and 1,595mm wide, the i10 remains usefully compact. It’s actually 166mm shorter than the Toyota Aygo and around 25mm longer than a Fiat Panda so parking shouldn’t be too problematic. The exterior design is appealing in an unadventurous kind of way. The city car market was once riddled with non-descript wheeled boxes whereas modern offerings tend to lay on the cheeky style as thick as possible and the i10 falls somewhere between these two stools. The gentle curves around the front end work well and the rear is a little sharper with its angles but the overall shape is neatly integrated. The interior is the area of the i30 hatchback that most impressed observers. Not because it achieved anything particularly new or groundbreaking but because it managed to ape its leading European rivals so effectively. The i10’s cabin looks to do the same and again, the design is simple but appealing. The vibrancy and ingenuity that characterises the best small car interiors doesn’t appear to be in evidence but Hyundai looks to have concentrated on getting the fundamentals right. The safety-first approach should help maintain the brand’s steady forward momentum. The designers have employed a dash-mounted gear-lever but it’s mounted on a bit of the dash that extends down so low that cross-cabin access isn’t really on the agenda. The rear bench is set-up to take three passengers unlike the pair of moulded seats you find in the rear of some of its rivals and the i10 is a five-door only model. Practicality should be a strongpoint. Before they lurched up-market, Hyundai products always came with a lot of equipment for the price. However, rather than relying on subtle improvements in quality to break the ice with buyers, the i10 adheres to its roots with an equipment list that’s suitably Korean in length. All models get air-conditioning as standard and not many city cars can say that. There are also four electric windows plus central locking, power steering and a CD stereo with MP3 compatibility. There are four airbags, the bumpers are body coloured and the glass is tinted, not bad for an affordable city runabout. Affordability will be crucial to the i10’s success. Although it has the healthy specification you always got with Hyundai models of old, it will need to be priced at the level of less luxurious rivals to get the benefit. European buyers still aren’t quite ready to see Hyundai products on a level-playing field with those of more established brands. To get itself picked ahead of the funky small cars like the Aygo, C1 and 107, the Panda, the Ford Ka and the Smart ForTwo, the i10 will need a compelling value proposition. The wisdom of offering diesel engines in city cars is always open to question. They bump the price up by quite a margin and this extra outlay isn’t easily recouped through an oil-burner’s superior fuel economy because of the short distances that city cars typically travel. To buy a diesel city car, you’ve got to really like the extra torque and way it drives. Fortunately, the i10 doesn’t even give us the option and both engine sizes should be well up to taking care of business single-handed. The 1.1-litre is capable of average fuel economy in the region of 60mpg with emissions that dip under the 120g/km barrier at 119g/km. Despite an increase in power, the 1.2-litre engine doesn’t increase the fuel economy or CO2 emissions. Hyundai has another major trick up its sleeve in its bid to break into the European market mainstream – a five-year unlimited mileage warranty. This is a major USP in a market where keeping costs down is of paramount importance for the majority of buyers. Only Hyundai’s sister company Kia can match this package and if you’re after peace-of-mind motoring, it will prove a tough one to pass up on. City car buyers aren’t going short of choice at the moment. Small, economical vehicles that can help motorists sidestep the worst of the environmental taxation burden are very much in vogue and if they can do so with some design flair and a little bit of cheekiness thrown in, well, so much the better. Hyundai’s i10 rides into this arena on the wave of optimism that’s building around Hyundai products. The car might be lacking the sparkle to seduce the nation’s urban trendies but it looks like putting a definite tick in the boxes marked quality, practicality and value. Hyundai’s designers have worked to maximise the interior space on the i10 city car while retaining the micro exterior dimensions that are all important in the urban jungle. It also looks like displaying the step up in build quality that won so much acclaim for the i30 family hatch. Things are looking up for Hyundai but the work of breaking into the mainstream can’t be done by a couple of new models. It’s a long term effort and while buyers get used to the idea, the i10’s hefty equipment quota and five-year warranty won’t go amiss.

Facts At A Glance CAR: Hyundai i10 PRICES: £6,945-£8,245 – on the road INSURANCE GROUP: 2 CO2 EMISSIONS: 119-124g/km PERFORMANCE: [1.1] Max Speed 94mph / 0-60mph 15.6s FUEL CONSUMPTION: [1.1] (urban) 46.3mpg / (extra urban) 64.2mpg / (combined) 56.5mpg STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: four airbags, ABS WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: length/width/heightmm 3565/1595/1540