Test drive: the new Hyundai i10 2020, a city car for more than just the city

In terms of size and engine range, the new Hyundai i10 remains a city car, but in terms of space, safety and dynamic behaviour, it can still give you plenty of satisfaction well beyond the city.

Hyundai continues to focus on the city car segment. And it does so in the most classic way. The third generation of the Hyundai i10 offers an attractive design, a spacious cabin, agile and safe driving and a modest price.

However, despite being a city car, the new Hyundai i10 has no kind of electrification, and there are no versions with the ECO or ZERO DGT environmental label. Including solutions of this type in cars in this category considerably increases the price. And for this reason, many brands are withdrawing from this segment.

But not everyone looking for a city car needs the advantages that DGT environmental labels provide. And if that is your case, the new Hyundai i10 may be a good alternative. For example, as a second car in a household where there are other larger vehicles. Or as a first car for a novice driver.

Here you can see the new Hyundai i10 in video.

https://youtu.be/QyGWqUlW_dM

Small outside, big inside

Slightly lower but maintaining its main proportions, the new Hyundai i10 sharpens its lines to offer a younger and more aggressive design. There are now three types of grille associated with each trim level, and 3 new body colours are added, which can be combined with two roof tones (red and black), resulting in more than 20 possibilities.

But the most notable changes are inside. For its 3.67 metres in length, 1.48 in height and 1.68 in width, the cabin makes very good use of space. It has grown by half a centimetre in length and 2 in width, with a wheelbase 4 cm longer. It is even homologated for five seats (except the basic trim version), which is not common in this category. But don’t expect to fit three adults in the back, except in an occasional emergency.

The dashboard is very well organised and the materials, for what you would expect from an affordable car (not “low-cost”), also offer good appearance and feel. It stands out for its practical spaces for emptying your pockets and for visibility that makes driving easier.

As for the boot, it keeps the 250-litre capacity of the previous generation, with improvements such as a loading lip about 3 cm lower, and a floor that can be placed at two heights. In any case, this figure places the i10 among the city cars with the largest boot capacity in its category.

Connected thanks to Hyundai Bluelink

One of the novelties in the i10 is the Bluelink technology, which Hyundai is gradually incorporating across its entire range. It allows you to connect the car to your mobile phone through an app that adds attractive features.

Through Bluelink you can, for example, enjoy services for searching points of interest or parking spaces, as well as petrol stations with fuel prices. It also lets you schedule a route from your phone and send it to the vehicle, or find where you parked the car. Other functions include diagnostics (tyre pressure), and remote locking and unlocking of the vehicle.

In addition, the touchscreen of the multimedia system now reaches 8 inches, and is compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Wireless charging for mobile phones is also offered.

Two engines, petrol only

The mechanical range includes two choices: a 1.0 three-cylinder with 67 CV and a 1.2 four-cylinder with 87 CV, both naturally aspirated. They are simple and reliable engines, with chain-driven timing, and do not need a particulate filter. The gearbox is always 5-speed.

During our first contact in Madrid, the Hyundai i10 pleased us for the agility and driving enjoyment it provides, especially the 1.2 four-cylinder version. For about 1,000 euros extra, the automatic gearbox option is worth considering, a robotised gearbox that requires you to anticipate a little and modulate with the accelerator so as not to floor it and so that the shifts are smooth, but which always allows much more comfortable driving than having to press a clutch.

For purely urban use, or if you do not want to reach the higher equipment levels, with the price increase that entails, the 1.0 engine can be a minimum more than acceptable. You get it with the second trim level, the Klass, from 13,770 euros with the discount applied.

The one we were able to drive the most was the 1.2, which costs less than 16,000 euros in the full Tecno trim. It allows good cruising even when loaded (it claims a top speed of 171 km/h, compared with 156 for the 1.0) and recovers and accelerates noticeably better than the 1.0, always running very smoothly. The average homologated WLTP consumption in the combined cycle ranges from 5.1-5.8 l/100 km, compared with 4.9-5.5 for the 1.0, although in real use they are very similar.

Prices and discounts for the new Hyundai i10

The following list shows the configuration of the range and the recommended retail prices of the Hyundai i10. The 1.0 three-cylinder engine is combined with the Essence and Klass trims, and is available with an automatic gearbox only with the latter. The 1.2 four-cylinder is combined with the higher versions, Tecno and Style. In the Tecno trim you can choose between the manual gearbox or the automatic, which comes as standard on the Style.

RRP Price Discounted price
1.0 MPI Essence: 14,250 € 12,350 €
1.0 MPI Klass: 15,670 € 13,770 €
1.0 MPI Klass Auto.: 16,570 € 14,670 €
1.2 MPI Tecno: 17,745 € 15,845 €
1.2 Tecno Auto.: 18,645 € 16,745 €
1.2 MPI Style Auto.: 20,245 € 18,345 €

In addition to the launch discount, which is 1,900 euros for all versions, you can add a further 1,000 euros of discount by financing the purchase with Move plans from Hyundai. This financing option is chosen by 70% of buyers of a car from the Korean brand. Finally, there is also a 600-euro trade-in bonus when you hand in a car towards the purchase of the new one.

All versions come with a 5-year warranty as standard, and Hyundai maintains its so-called “return commitment”, which allows you to return the car if it does not convince you before the first month or before covering the first 2,000 km.

Among the alternatives to the Hyundai i10 are cars such as the Peugeot 108 or the Toyota Aygo.

Hyundai i10 N-Line: the sporty version

The sporty version, the i10 N-Line, will join the new i10 range in the summer. A city car that promises fun, with its 100 CV 1.0 Turbo engine. Among other things, it will stand out for its specific exterior and interior styling, with 16-inch alloy wheels, exclusive grille and bumpers, sports seats and metal pedals.

Photo gallery of the Hyundai i10 2020

Technical specifications of this car

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