[bumpkin]

Well got me an i20 courtesy car while the dealer fixes the scratches they put on my beloved during service and thought I could give you first impressions.

Bear in mind this is a garage courtesy car and despite being an 09 model with only 8500 miles on the clock, has obviously had a pretty hard time already, there are a couple of ripple dents above the drivers door handle and one of the gas struts for the hatch is rattling around in the boot and not actually connected to the hatch, one strut does not allow the lid to remain elevated BTW

It is a 1.4 Comfort model and I noticed that in town driving the econometer was showing less than I can get with the i30, overall consumption on an urban trip looks about the same.  Acceleration seems similar to the 1.6 petrol i30, the dash is clear and functional with switchgear in sensible places, although I am not convinced it needs a button the same size as the hazard warning switch just to cycle through the trip modes!  The dash attempts to be like a soft touch, but in reality is a pretty hard dismal black plastic, which as we all know is bound to fog up your windscreen regularly as the sun heats the polymers.  I think that the audio controls on the steering wheel look and feel like an afterthought, however they are of similar type and quality to those found in other cars in this segment.   A few of our members have had issues with the quiet indicators on the i30, this is not an issue with the i20, they CLICK and for me makes it sound a bit cheap in comparison.

This model comes with 15 inch allloys and I feel gives a firmer ride than the 18 inchers on an i30, more kart like which I expected due to the shorter and narrower wheelbase.  This I feel is made worse however by the completely non supportive seating which you sit ON rather than IN.  You kind of feel perched on it, there is no leg or body bolstering which gives it the impression of sitting on a bar stool whilst driving.  The car itself however feels secure on the road and is quite agile for city driving, the steering has a good solid feel and yet is assisted nicely making it easy to nip into that elusive parking spot.

I am not a tall person by any stretch of the imagination, but I feel that the distance I had to lift the clutch pedal to find a bite was excessive, certainly much further than the i30 and this also has the effect of applying a bit much throttle as you are expecting to start moving, yet you are still sitting there.  I suspect this could be problematic for taller drivers with knees coming in behind the steering wheel............

I like the styling of the car and it has that important large cabin feel, it is actually quite roomy in there considering the size of the car which is in similar vein to the i30 of course.
I think the amber information area for the tripmeter and audio is quite nice and quite like the sliding bar feature which is hidden in there which graphically shows your current fuel consumption.

These are only initial observations of the car, current thinking for me is that if I had the money for a second car then it would be worth a look, however I would not want one as the primary car, it is not as refined as the i30, however this would need balanced against the price bracket, for a car in the £10,000 region it is competent and of course comes with that all important 5 year unlimited mileage warranty.

[Shambles]

Splendid review

I also had an i20 recently. I was equally impressed with the bits that mattered. Yes. It's aircon was working

[Dazzler]

Nice Review Brian.. You are in the wrong job..

Cant believe how they would let a courtesy car out in that condition (not a good advert for them or the car)

[2i30s]

Nice Review Brian.. You are in the wrong job..

Cant believe how they would let a courtesy car out in that condition (not a good advert for them or the car)

most loan cars are trashed,if they fixed it, it probably would happen again. 

[clackerz]

I don't know why people trash cars that are loaned/rented.....

I always treat a car as if it were mine.

[clackerz]

Oh BTW that was a really good review.
Def in the wrong job!

[bumpkin]

I don't know why people trash cars that are loaned/rented.....

I always treat a car as if it were mine.

Yeah me too, first thing I did when I got it home was clean the inside of the windscreen so I could actually see out properly

Thanks for the replies, glad you enjoyed my journalistic attempt

[2i30s]

 

[Mike SX]

I always treat a car as if it were mine.

Yeah me too, first thing I did when I got it home was clean the inside of the windscreen so I could actually see out properly

[Mike SX]

That is about it, an accurate picture; we bought an i20 1.4 CRDi, simultaneously with the i30.
My Wife drives it, She just loves it, I liked it until I drove an i30.
I only use it, if parking is to be tight. Not had one problem though, but the i30 is streaks ahead.

[eye30]

I've driven the i20 and the i10 and both really good "town" cars.

The i30 has that extra comfort which is sadly missing from the other 2 cars.

I know they are both selling well here in the UK but if it had that extra comfort and a few refinements  it would be a best seller in its respective market.

[snowcherry]

thanks bumpkin! i had searched but obviously not well enough 

i've seen a few around town now and the styling looks pretty good (not as good as i30 though) and had been curious. sounds like it's more a short trip city car than anything more.

i wonder how long it takes til the small car market gets comfort and styling worthy of larger cars? [rhetoric  ]

[rustynutz]

sounds like it's more a short trip city car than anything more.

I believe there's hardly a car on the market that's not capable out on the open road..... 

I had a 1990 Holden Barina which most would consider a "city" car and it performed admirably out in the country, due in no small part to the high fifth gear.
I once did a trip in it (fully loaded with 2 adults, 1 teenager and a massive amount of luggage...bloody women!) up to Townsville covering something like 7000
kilometers and other than lacking an air conditioner, I found it performed faultlessly, even cruising illegally at 140kph in the more desolate parts.

Anyhow, I guess the point I'm trying to make is that the i20 would run rings around the Barina in just about everything so it shouldn't necessarily be discounted for use in the country... 

[Dazzler]

I had a 1986 ML Barina and that was like Rusty's 1990 model (Probably better) 

Only got rid of it when 1st Daughter born because had to cart lots of baby stuff..

I remember driving it to Hobart and passing everything in sight Including lots of prestige cars.. 

Our 2006 Getz .. reminded me of it (fondly) and was amazingly capable on the highway 

[rustynutz]

I had a 1986 ML Barina and that was like Rusty's 1990 model (Probably better) 

Ok mate, you've reeled me in, why was it better? 

[Dazzler]

The 1986 ML was so good the 1990 couldn't have possibly been better 

and mine was made in Japan.. not sure about yours..

[rustynutz]

 

The MF had larger wheels and a bigger body.......

But, they did downsize the engine a whisker...26cc if I remember correctly........

Mine also came from Japan.... 

[Dazzler]

Sorry for the Off Topic folks.. but..

My Auntie in Hobart has a slightly later Spanish built Barina that has a good reputation (and my Daughter Ashley had one of those too until the hail wrote it off)

Back on Topic .. I quite like the look of the i20 (would look great tarted up a bit) 

[rustynutz]

My Auntie in Hobart has a slightly later Spanish built Barina that has a good reputation<

Really??? 

Good reputation for what?

[Doggie 1]

My Auntie in Hobart has a slightly later Spanish built Barina that has a good reputation<

Really??? 

Good reputation for what?

Taking a siesta when you least expected it? 

[Dazzler]

The Spanish built barina have a good reputation for driveability, performance and economy and I thought their reliability was ok too.. as far as i am aware.. (Maybe not as good as the earlier Japanese built (Suzuki) ones .. BUT much better than the Korean built (Daewoos) that followed 

Ash had a Spanish built GSI and my best mate at work drives a Spanish one too and she loves it (and has no problems.. except the odd huntsman spider  )

[bumpkin]

thanks bumpkin! i had searched but obviously not well enough 

i've seen a few around town now and the styling looks pretty good (not as good as i30 though) and had been curious. sounds like it's more a short trip city car than anything more.

i wonder how long it takes til the small car market gets comfort and styling worthy of larger cars? [rhetoric  ]

Remember that when I wrote this I was driving the i30 and so the comparisons are made against that car, in retrospect I would say that there is nothing wrong with the driveability of the i20 outwith city limits, it will do the job just fine, just don't expect i30 levels of comfort and luxury.  In reality it will be the same as any manufacturer, the lower cars more suited to city but capable enough in the country, possibly flipping as you go up the range, therefore I (and eye30??) would both recommend the i10 for purely city with occasional longer trips, the i20 more suited to longer trips, the ix20 better than the i20, the i30 better (and possibly the optimum for both??), the ix35 is certainly very good for longer trips but is adept in the city also, whilst the i40/45 is really comfy for lengthy drives.

Thinking hard about this there is probably not much to choose from between the i20, ix20 and original i30, it is down to personal preference, the i30 is more luxury than the ix20 for example but in my experience slightly offset by the dead leg which I suffered from in longer drives with the i30 and have never experienced in the ix20.....

I think Hyundai have upped the game with the new i30 and as I have said elsewhere the new model is a serious consideration for me when I change the next time, the ix20 is probably a couple of years away from getting a new model and I actually wonder if the step up in the next model i20 is equivalent to the step change we have seen with the new i30?  If so then the i20 may well then be above the current ix20 when we continue to discuss this going forward.

In summary, I reckon that small cars are getting better with every release, they have to as people are less enthusiastic about bigger luxury cars than they were, depreciation gets bigger, even with established marques the higher up the range you go and folks are too unsure about the financial climate to take that risk at the moment, manufacturers know this and so have to increase the luxury further down the model range in order to sell their vehicles.