Stylish i20 offers style and value

IT’S quite hard to buy a three-door supermini these days as many manufacturers don’t offer this body style. But Hyundai does,with its i20.

This revised i20 three-door model gets smarter looks, a sevenspeed dual clutch auto gearbox option, upgraded safety and extra media connectivity. Plus it remains one of the more affordable players.

For all the pumped-up wheel arches and attitude, the i20 threedoor lacks a bit of firepower. There are only two engines on offer, both petrol-powered and mated to manual transmission. There’s a relatively old-tech 1.2-litre 84PS unit, or a more desirable 100PS 1.0 T-GDi turbo option.

But there’s a lot that’s very right about the styling.

The looks of this improved model are slightly more eye-catching, the rear featuring updated bumpers and smarter combination lamps, while the tailgate has been reworked to integrate the licence plate. There are smarter 15in and 16in alloy wheel designs too.

The interior remains quite smart. Previously, a major omission on lower-order variants was the kind of centre-dash infotainment screen. To put that right, the 7in monitor that was previously limited to the priciest derivatives is now fitted across the range.

The i20 three-door carries on where the previous near-identical i20 Coupe model left off, priced from about £14,000 for the base SE model with an old-tech 1.2-litre petrol engine; you’ll need £1,000 more for the more modern 100PS 1.0 T-GDI petrol unit.

Even the base SE trim comes with some decent equipment such as 16in alloy wheels, bluetooth, cruise control with speed limiter, rear parking sensors and a rear spoiler.

Hyundai has gone to some length to improve the efficiency of the latest i20. The company’s Idle Stop and Go engine stop/start system is now a standard feature across the range. And the popular 1.0 T-GDI turbo three cylinder petrol engine is now equipped with a built-in particulate filter to enhance environmental performance.

Of course, the five-year unlimitedmile warranty is also a huge plus.

The i20 three-door is a goodlooking car that ought to do much to build a more dynamic image for the Korean brand among younger buyers. It’s a cost-effective way for younger drivers to land a really sharp-looking hatch that’s not going to cost the earth to run.