Hyundai i20 Turbo Edition
FIRST DRIVE Mid-level addition to supermini range scores on value
New addition to supermini range is a great-value buy
BEFORE anyone gets ahead of themselves, the new Hyundai i20 Turbo Edition is not some firebreathing hot hatch, nor a rival to the lavishly equipped Ford Fiesta ST Line. The Turbo Edition sits comfortably in the middle of the i20 line-up and its appeal is based around value rather than searing performance or a lengthy kit list.
The Turbo part of its name points to the 1.0-litre, three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine under the bonnet that develops 99bhp and emits just 104g/km of CO2, giving a tax bill of only £20 a year.
Prod the accelerator and you’re met with a characterful thrum and punchy acceleration when you’re in the right gear.
The downside to the downsized unit is a lack of power below 3,000rpm, so you have to work the smooth-shifting five-speed manual gearbox a little harder than you might expect. After we tested the hatch on country roads and suburban streets, giving all the gears a thorough workout, we were averaging around 45mpg – roughly 30mpg less than claimed. Extremely light steering makes town driving a doddle, though, and body roll is well controlled around sharp country bends.
The i20 is safe and composed rather than overtly sporty if you take a back road home, but this means you can place the car with confidence when the road gets twisty. Visually, little separates the Turbo Edition from other i20 models, other than a horizontally-slatted front grille. There are also rotor-style 16-inch alloy wheels, which are standard fare on the more expensive i20 Premium models (regardless of the engine you choose).
Inside, the dashboard is simple and well laid out, if a little bland, and material quality is good enough for a car in this class. The touchscreen sat-nav is the biggest benefit of all the additional kit; you’ll now spend around £1,700 less than before if you want your new i20 to come with GPS guidance.
Add all of this together and you have a car that is well worth its sub-£13k price tag. If you want a small turbo petrol Fiesta with a similar amount of equipment, you’ll have to fork out around £3,000 more for a 1.0-litre Ecoboost Titanium model. On that basis, the i20 Turbo Edition is worthy of consideration.