Road test: Hyundai i120

When Hyundais first appeared in Britain they were all about cheapness. Now the company reckons what people want is style.

So its new second-generation i20 supermini gets style by the bucketful, and that should protect it from the last car’s fate, which was to be the unfairly overlooked model in Hyundai’s range.

Two petrol engines and two diesels will be available from launch, and we started with the baby of the bunch, a 1.1-litre three-cylinder diesel with 75PS. The first thing to strike you is the quietness of the engine, which doesn’t have a lot of punch but propels the car with an almost eerie calm. The cabin has two-tone trim and plenty of soft-touch surfaces that give it a classy feel.

The body is also longer, wider and lower than before and feels almost as big as its sibling from the category above, the i30. Head and legroom are well up to the mark for a supermini, and there is a generous 326-litre boot. The six-speed manual gearbox is smooth and pleasant to use and the only discordant note is struck by the sat-nav system. The screen is too small to be easily read, and if navigation is a priority you might be better spending more on the optional factory-fitted system. Other engines include 1.2 and 1.4-litre petrol units with 84 and 100PS, which share the 1.1’s excellent refinement, and a 1.4-litre diesel with 90PS, which I didn’t get a chance to drive.

With prices starting at £10,640 and rising to £16,670 the new i20 can mix it with the best. It rides well on smooth Spanish roads, and it will be interesting to see how it fares with the rutted nightmares that pass for British roads.

Hyundai i120
1.4 100PS SE
Price: £13,325;
Top speed: 114mph;
MPG: 51.1 9 (claimed);
CO2: 127g/km