For many years now, Hyundai has been making vehicles that cut across the range for decades and they are doing it well. One of such attempts to meet the needs of every customer no matter the size of their pockets is the mass-market Hyundai i10.
For 2014, Hyundai has ditched the trim names of Classic, Active and Style in favour of S, SE and Premium, but standard equipment is still decent, with all models getting central locking, a USB connection, and ISOFIX mountings for a child seat.
If you are someone with knowledge of trends in the four wheel market, you would appreciate the fact that Hyundai has bold ambitions for the new i10.It is longer, wider and quite a bit lower than its predecessor. This is the car the company hopes will trouble the class-leading VW Up.
The i10 is much classier inside and the dashboard is still mostly hard to the touch, but it is textured in such a way that makes it look pretty upmarket. Unlike the interior in rival cars, including the VW Up and Skoda Citigo, there are no exposed areas of bodywork in the cabin; Hyundai views that as a sign of cost-cutting.
Inside, Hyundai’s grown-up appeal continues inside, where you’ll find a smartly designed dash, top-notch materials and excellent build quality.
On the road in the new i10 and it’s clear that Hyundai has learned lessons from the Volkswagen up!. The city car now sets the standard for refinement, thanks to its smooth, unobtrusive three-cylinder engine, minimal wind noise and well insulated suspension. In fact, on the motorway you could be tricked into thinking you’re in a much larger car.
Occupants will also find some soft materials where competitors have hard and unappealing plastics, such as on the door-mounted armrests. It feels more grown up than the previous model. Occupants are much more isolated from noise and mechanical vibration vibration, and there is far less body sway through tight corners.
In the area of styling, Hyundai has worked hard to boost the i10’s kerb appeal, providing it with some of the same head-turning styling cues as the brand’s i30 hatchback and Santa Fe SUV. That means the coming of a bold trapezoidal front grille, swept-back headlamps and eye-catching creases set into the car’s flanks.
Compared to the VW Up, the steering doesn’t weight up as naturally,
but the carmaker said, this is being worked on. The i10 engine is exactly the same engine found in Kia Picanto, but it has been improved for the i10, with quicker throttle responses and improved lowdown torque.
There are still noticeable steps in the power delivery, which is something the more powerful 1.2-liter version does not suffer from and both engines are expected to emit less than 100grams/km of carbon-dioxide. There was a fair amount work done before the i10 was introduced in the market. It will be more spacious than the current model. Rear space and boot capacity will be roughly at par with the VW Up.
Hyundai has come on leaps and bounds in the past few years when we talk about relaibility, and the brand scooped a respectable 14th-place finish in our Driver Power 2013 satisfaction survey. The company’s cars scored particularly highly for reliability, with the ix35 crossover taking fourth place in this category.
Safety has been given top priority in the new i10, meaning all cars get six airbags, electronic stability control and tyre pressure monitoring. However, unlike the Panda and Citigo, there’s no option to add hi-tech low-speed collision-avoidance kit.
For a car with such compact dimensions, the i10 boasts considerable cabin and boot space. Up front, all models from SE and above get a height-adjustable driver’s seat, and all cars have a steering wheel that adjusts for rake but not reach. All cars are five-door only.
For instance, the doorbins are handily shaped, with room for a 1.5-litre bottle of water, plus there’s a deep cubby ahead of the gearlever that also contains the USB and aux-in connections. The well shaped boot offers handy 252-litres of space, which increases to 1,046 litres with the 60:40 split rear bench folded.
MIKE OCHONMA
