Alternative review of Hyundai i10

I might well be revealing myself as a bit of a grumpy old woman here but exactly who was it that decided small cars had to be 'funky'? It seems that every new city car that pops up on the market is either swathed in retro design themes, pursuing some futuristic styling concept or comes in the most lurid array of colour schemes imaginable. Sometimes it's a baffling combination of all three. Now, despite not quite fitting into the target demographic for such vehicles, I like to think that I appreciate a trendy little city car as much as the next person. I'll admit that properly executed, the fashionable small can work very well but do they all have to try so hard? Hyundai's i10 is refreshing in that it isn't a slave to fashion and that's why I always though that we'd get on famously. The i10 is a city car just like the Fiat 500, the Ford Ka, the Toyota iQ, the smart ForTwo, the Mitsubishi i and countless others. What's different is that it's a throwback to how city cars used to be. By that, I mean like a bigger car but small. Hyundai hasn't bothered creating a lifestyle statement with mountains of personalisation options, a viral marketing campaign and its own branded pop concerts. Hyundai has made a practical and well built small car that it's selling at an affordable price. What's not to like?

The i10 has one of the longest wheelbases in its class, helping with ride comfort while also maximising the amount of room in side this compact citycar. The i10's long wheelbase has been achieved by pushing the wheels right into the corners of the car so as not to increase overall length by too much. At 3,565mm long and 1,595mm wide, the i10 remains usefully compact. The i10's cabin might be slightly dull compared to citycar rivals but the design is simple and appealing. The vibrancy and ingenuity that characterises the best small car interiors doesn't appear to be in evidence but Hyundai looks to have concentrated on getting the fundamentals right. Build quality is strong and the clear design of the controls helps give the i10 a classy, mature feel. Getting childseats in through the wide opening rear doors is surprisingly easy and chocolate marks were relatively straightforward to wipe off the seat fabric. The designers have employed a dash-mounted gear-lever but it's mounted on a bit of the dash that extends down so low that cross-cabin access isn't really on the agenda. The rear bench is set-up to take three passengers unlike the pair of moulded seats you find in the rear of some of its rivals and the i10 is a five-door only model. Practicality is a strongpoint.

The i10 doesn't feel particularly lively on the road but it's easy to drive and manoeuvrable with better comfort levels than you'd expect in a car this small. A choice of 1.1 or 1.2-litre petrol engines is available. The 1.1 is available in the Classic and Comfort trim levels and gives the driver 66bhp on tap. It's a four-cylinder unit that produces its peak power at 5,500rpm and develops maximum torque of 99Nm at 2,800rpm. These figures make similar reading to those of the 1.0-litre three-cylinder powerplant that's used by the i10's Toyota Aygo, Citroen C1 and Peugeot 107 rivals but where that engine has fractionally more power, the i10's has fractionally more torque. The 1.2-litre petrol-unit offers an 18% power increase on the 1.1-litre engine and increases the i10's torque by 20% helping the i10 reach 60mph in 12.8 seconds, almost three seconds faster than the 1.1. Top speed for the 1.2 is 102mph compared to 94mph for the smaller engine size. The 1.1-litre is capable of average fuel economy in the region of 60mpg with emissions that dip under the 120g/km barrier at 119g/km. Despite an increase in power, the 1.2-litre engine doesn't increase the fuel economy or CO2 emissions.

Some people will bemoan the fact the i10 city car from Hyundai doesn't display the youthful vibrancy and stylish design found in some of the leading city car products. Others will love it for precisely that reason. This is a straightforward small car refreshingly lacking in gimmicks. It's good to drive, well-built and neatly designed without resorting to outlandish colours or gimmicky detailing. There are increasingly few small cars like the i10 and that can only play into Hyundai's hands.