2011 Hyundai I20 Reviews

Competent rather than thrilling, the i20 is a popular town commuter car. New With our cities becoming more and more clogged with traffic it's not surprising that smaller cars, such as the Hyundai i20, are gaining favour with buyers Hyundai launched the i20 in 2010, following in the small car tracks of the Excel and

It's a measure of the transformation of small cars in the last couple of decades that the new Hyundai i20 boasted features reserved for high-end luxury cars a tick over 20 years earlier. With a large number of buyers downsizing from the traditional larger models small cars have had to offer the sorts of things only their bigger cousins once did.NEWIn the case of the i20 it was things like auto on-off headlamps and auto door locking, unthinkable in a 1990s model.The i20 was an attractive little hatch with pleasant styling and neat proportions with good all-round visibility. It was available as a three-door model that opened the range as well as a number of five-door models.Inside it boasted comfortable accommodation for four with a boot of decent proportions to carry their gear. The range was made up of three models beginning with the Active, which was available as a three-door and a five-door hatch that had standard air-conditioning, remote central locking and fold-flat mirrors.In the middle of the range was the Elite, which was only available as a five-door hatch, but added a trip computer, leather-wrapped steering wheel and alloy wheels to the list of features.If you took another step up the range you arrived at the Premium five-door, which got you such previously undreamt of luxuries as automatic air, bigger alloy wheels and a smattering of leather trim.Two engines were offered. The entry level Active was powered by a 1.4-litre engine that produced 73 kW and 136 Nm and delivered performance that was modest, but adequate for the class. Had you chosen the Elite mid-ranger you were given the choice of the 1.4-litre or a larger 1.6-litre engine that gave you the extra punch of 91 kW and 156 Nm.All models offered the choice of five-speed manual and four-speed auto transmissions, and drive went through the front wheels.NOWAfter a rocky start in Australia when a serious chassis flaw in early Excels threatened to ground the brand for good Hyundai has had a largely trouble free run and has built an enviable reputation. Quality has improved markedly, reliability is on the up and the model offerings are more attractive.It's mostly good news for the brand in general, which should give buyers confidence when out shopping for a used car. The i20 is one of the latest generation of models and is showing no signs of having any major flaws that should be of concern to potential used buyers.There was one recall to replace a label on the jack, but that's a relatively minor issue that has no bearing on the car's reliability.Something buyers need to be aware of is that the first Active cars to arrive here were only equipped with front airbags, which meant it was rated at four stars by ANCAP, but later models had a full complement of front and side airbags and was rated at five stars.Importantly all had electronic stability control, as well as ABS brakes, traction control and electronic brakeforce distribution, all of which contributed to an impressive safety level. As with any used car purchase make sure your potential choice has been serviced as per Hyundai's recommendation.SMITHY SAYSGood value-for-money, solid performance, top safety and it's reliable, check it out.Hyundai i20 - 2010-2012Price new: $14,990 to $23,490Engine: 1.4-litre 4-cylinder, 73 kW/136 Nm; 1.6-litre 4-cylinder, 91 kW/156 NmTransmission: 4-speed auto, 5-speed man, FWDEconomy: 6.0 L/100 km (1.4), 6.1 L/100 km (1.6)Body: 3-door hatch, 5-door hatchVariants: Active, Elite, PremiumSafety: 4/5-star ANCAP 

Shopping trolleys aren't renowned for steering, ride quality or comfort or features. Neither are the cars that share - rather unkindly - the title, but recent offerings have raised the bar.Ford and Mazda contribute models that show dynamics aren't beyond the reach of light car buyers. Hyundai's i20, the Indian-built five-door hatch model, certainly looks better than the company's previous efforts. It's teen-priced A-to-B transport - a little hatch that's all about ...VALUEThe i20 we've been piloting is the 1.4-litre five-door Active manual, the entry-level five-door priced from $16,490.For that, the features list is surprisingly good - automatic (just after take-off) remote central door locking, an alarm, two-way adjustable steering, airconditioning, a 60/40 split-fold rear seat and a four-spear sound system with 3.5mm auxiliary jack and a USB port. The sound system also offers a Bluetooth phone link, something many cars twice the price have yet to manage.TECHNOLOGYThis end of the market isn't going to offer high-end technology like night vision or active cruise control, but the safety list below and the aforementioned connectivity will appeal to the younger first-car buyers who are shopping in this segment.The i20 didn't like to have the iPhone plugged in to the USB, refusing to acknowledge the presence of a music player within the phone - it's not the only car to baulk at the double-act either.DESIGNIt's a little shopping trolley so it's not going to set new standards for exterior design, but it shows more flair than the little box that i20 is replacing - the Getz. The cabin is on the plasticky side - but we're south of $20,000 so that's to be expected - but overall it's not an unpleasant interior.There's storage pockets for all sorts of paraphernalia and - even for a driver at 191cm and broad - it's reasonably comfortable cabin, although the bar across the base of the driver's backrest made its presence known and detracted from the seat comfort. Bootspace at 295 litres is good enough to take a folded stroller and baby bag, which is something a couple of contenders in the (larger) small car market could not manage due to restricted load bay width.SAFETYSlowly this is becoming more of a selling point and Hyundai - which previously offered viable safety option packs not tied to upgraded trim or features - have put useful levels of safety in the i20, with cars since September last year getting six airbags, making it one of the cheapest five-star NCAP cars available.The safety features list now has traction and stability control (something absent from the standard features list for much of its opposition), dual front and front-side airbags, full-length curtain airbags and anti-lock brakes.DRIVINGA little prettier than the some of the reps in this segment, it falls short of knocking the Fiesta out but could match the Yaris for aesthetics. We're in the manual, which has only an average shift action and a light and dead clutch pedal - if it were our long-term test car there would be a risk of regular over-revving which would mean a short clutch lifespan.The three-door i20 was a Carsguide COTY finalist last year and impressed with its honest efforts and the four-door has carried on that theme. The engine works hard but is no sparkler - there's little to like about the noise when it's called on to work hard, or the outputs. It can be kept humming with the manual gearbox to maintain a reasonable rate of knots within traffic - but anyone looking for an automatic would definitely need to head for the 1.6.The ride quality is on the poor side, particularly on the smaller bumps and ruts, the blame for which can perhaps be attributed to the tyres. The suspension isn't heavily skewed towards handling either - the ride quality is acceptable without shining and a little more localisation is needed. The driver's seat was marred by a cross-bar that sat at near the base of the backrest, which detracted from an otherwise comfortable seat.VERDICTAs a suburban get-about, the i20 gets reasonable space, class-leading safety gear and a decent number of features for the asking price; dynamically it falls short of the class yardsticks from Ford and Mazda but as A to B transport it more than does the job.HYUNDAI i20 ACTIVE 5-DOORPrice: $16,490Warranty: 5 years, unlimited kilometre Resale: 61%Service interval: 15,000km or 12-monthsEconomy: 6 l/100km; 142g/km co2, tank 45 litresSafety: Six airbags, stability control, ABS & EBD.Crash rating: 5 starEngine: 73kw/136Nm 1.4-litre DOHC 16-valve four-cylinderTransmission: five speed manual, front-wheel driveBody: 5-door, 5 seatsDimensions: 3940mm (l); 1710mm (w); 1490mm (h); 2525m (wb)Weight: 1117kgTyre size: 185/60R15 steelSpare: tyre full size