This is a 1000 mile report. I took delivery of my new Hyundai i10 Active 1.2 5Dr on November 7th. The deal included the usual 5-year warranty but also 5 years’ of full, car-based RAC cover, 2 years’ free servicing, a larger than expected trade-in price for my i30 and the balance at 0% finance. I wanted a small car, mostly for 60 or so mile return day trips on country roads, with some town use and the occasional 100 to 150 mile-a-day tour.
Outside. Less sexy than a Panda or 107 Pug and with funny little 14” wheels, the car really needs a strong colour and I opted for solid Electric Red. The engine noise on fire-up, is startlingly loud, heard from outside. Even the locks are noisy and there is no automatic self-lock. The body design is such that the back picks up a lot of muck in dirty weather and that the car is buffeted a lot by side winds.
Inside. There is a good, deep glove box and a very useful tray under the front passenger seat measuring about 300mm x 220mm x 60mm, although it is rather flimsy, also a handy sunglasses-size horizontal slot under the dash. There are front door pockets and three cup holders. One contains a removable vessel which looks as if it is for drinking but turns out to be an ashtray for the dedicated smoker, to hold about half a pint of fag ends. The third holder is for the rear passengers who also share the tray space, which is part of the central unit. There is a power socket as well as a cigar lighter and ports for Aux/USB/iPod. There is a good big speedo with a red mark at 30 and a smaller rev counter. The instrument display is rather anorexic with odometer, fuel gauge and two trips but no fuel “miles to go” facility. All are blue in colour and impossible to read in bright light. There is an indicator showing when to change up but following it nearly always results in a laboured engine. There is no external temperature gauge. The ICE system is so-so. Oddly, the front parking sensor has to be activated by engaging reverse.
There are seat belts for five adults but I would say that this is three adults too many. Rear access is not at all easy for me (six feet, size 11s and 90 kilos) and I have to enter big end first. The driving position is adequate but with little extra slide-space for the driver’s seat, so this is not a car to nap in and any driver over 6’ will probably not fit anyway. The rear seats will fold flat. The illuminated boot (“rear cargo area”, or “luggage room” as the i30 handbook has it) has a lift-up parcel shelf that stays up without cords and can be removed. There is a flap on the floor which lifts up to reveal a deep, extremely useful compartmented tray, with another, smaller compartment having its own (flimsy) flap. This whole assembly can be lifted out, although not easily, to expose the well for the emergency wheel with some extra small storage spaces round it, but the wheel can be removed without removing the tray.
Driving. The is a recent face lifted model and many earlier criticisms seemed no longer to apply, hence it is entertaining in the gears around town or on winding, narrow roads. It is very easy to corner, park and generally manoeuvre. One problem that was mentioned was brake binding and hence high fuel consumption. This may be down to the fact that the handbrake lever must consciously be pushed all the way down, although a warning light will show if it is not. Vision is good apart from the intrusive A pillars. Wing mirrors and all windows are electric. The windows groan when made to work but wipe clear when lowered wet. The brakes are adequate and it is perfectly capable of 70 mph cruising at about 3200 revs, with good acceleration from the willing 3-pot, chain-cam engine. However, suspension and seats are firm (Hyundai features) so bad road surfaces make themselves felt in thumping and the engine stalls easily in low gears. On the other hand, onside potholes are dealt with surprisingly well. The small-car ride is a bit fussy, so very long cruises are probably not its forte. There is quite a lot of engine, aircon fan, wind and road noise in the cab. The front seat belts are likely to trail out on exit making it inadvisable to slam the doors shut without checking. Awkwardly, the keys are separate from the transponder units although they are linked with split rings: two full sets are standard. Fuel consumption is a disappointing 39 mpg: my heavier i30, with 400 more cc to feed, gave an easy 43. It has used no oil so far, a blessing at £12 per litre although a spare pack comes with a snazzy zipped, velcro-backed cover containing in addition dipstick wipers etc. Under the bonnet (in the “engine room”) it is hard to locate the bonnet lid prop socket, especially as the manual does not say where it is.
There is not the same feeling of quality as the i30 and overall nothing much to get excited about but it will do and, as it is my 29th car and I am knocking on, it will be my last (just like the previous three or four were).
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Hyundai - New Hyundai i10 new
Hyundai - New Hyundai i10 new