Hyundai i20 Hatch First Drive Road Test

It continues to be a busy year for Hyundai, hot on the heels of the ix35 SUV and i45 sedan, comes another all-new model. A replacement of sorts for the Hyundai Getz, and in keeping with Hyundai's latest nomenclature, it's called the i20.

The ageing Getz will continue to be sold here in Australia until the middle of 2011, and Hyundai sees the buyer profile for the two cars being distinct enough to avoid any confusion in the marketplace in the short term.

Hyundai's market research suggests buyers for the Getz are predominately 50 years of age or older and very price conscious. The marketing focus for the new i20 on the other hand is the under 35's. For these buyers, music, style and looks are more important than the bottom line or running costs.

Like the Getz, the new i20 is available in three or five doors and with the choice of either a 1.4-litre or 1.6-litre engine.

Designed in Germany at Hyundai's Russelsheim design studio, the i20 precedes Hyundai's latest design philosophy, called 'Fluidic sculpture', first seen with ix35 and i45 sedan.

I can see some elements of it in the side profile of the new i20. With two distinct crease lines starting from behind the front wheel arch, one low, the other just under the window sill, it reminds me of some of the busier elements of the ix35's design.

The i20 is a German-designed small car wearing a Korean brand's badge that's built in India - for Australia - or Turkey for other global markets.

There are three equipment levels - Active, Elite and Premium. Prices start at $14,990 for the three-door Active manual and climb up to $21,490 for the flagship Premium with manual transmission.

The new i20 has big shoes to fill as the Getz continues to sell its socks off and the light market is crowded with fantastic choices.

Drive impression

Keen to avoid negative criticism with the new i20 Hyundai's product planners were quick to point out the i20's suspension settings have been specifically calibrated for Australian conditions.

Firmer springs, softer dampers and a power steering system that has been remapped to provide better feel are the key components of the 'Australianisation' of the i20's chassis. I liked the ride of the base Active model, it sits on more compliant 60 series 15-inch tyres, and they're better at insulating the driver from poor road surfaces. In the Premium five-door model, fitted with low profile 50 series 16-inch tyres, you felt more of the irregularities in the road and it was more hard-edged. The trade-off is that there was more precision from the i20 Premium when cornering at quicker speeds. Driving around town didn't showed up any nasty vices.

Under the bonnet sits the latest 'Gamma' series of engines - either a 1.4-litre unit which delivers 73.5kW@5500 rpm or the 1.6-litre which delivers 91.1kW@6300 rpm. Initial impressions are that the 'torquier' 1.6 is the pick of the two and was the most responsive on the hilly roads we drove on around the northern beaches. The 1.4 lacked any real punch.

Despite their high (compared with their rivals) claimed outputs, both engines felt lacklustre but that might be more to do with gearing and final drive ratios than a lack of power. That could also be a reason why the claimed fuel consumption figures are so good.

The manual 1.6 i20 returns a commendable 6.1 litres per 100kms, equalling the smaller-engined Toyota Yaris and bettering the Mazda2 and Honda Jazz's 6.4L/100kms.

The all-new i20 has a higher level of safety and standard features than the Getz, although there is still a safety glitch of sorts that will be remedied from the September build.

The base model Active doesn't receive the full complement of airbags. The result is that the Elite and Premium models receive a five-star NCAP safety rating and the Active only four. The Active will gain side/curtain airbags and achieve a five-star rating from the September build and I'd advise to wait till then. Stability control is standard on all models.

The new i20's exterior design is sharp and contemporary.

Inside, the best piece of news is that the seats are much more supportive than the camp chairs in the Getz. There's more side bolstering and you feel as though you sit in them rather than on them.

In the rear it's also good news as seat comfort, head, leg and foot room are all generous. A cargo net is standard to secure objects from moving around.

The quality of the leather trim in the Premium models varied. The car I drove looked as though it could have done with a restretch on the rear seats.

Besides that, first impressions are that quality is as at least as good as its major competition, and the i20 doesn't suffer from being built in India.

My initial feelings are that the new i20 is a more complete package to compete with its contemporary rivals.

I didn't get the sense of any real 'wow' on the brief drive and it was less engaging to drive than expected, but I'll save final judgement until we conduct a more comprehensive test.