1.2 Active 5dr Hatchback

Nice little Korean city car with good interior space and running costs

I have just bought a 14,000 mile 2011 example from Dicksons in Inverness in January after my previous Fiat Panda 100HP had developed a horrendous thirst for oil (surprised not to see this problem featured in review). Chose it on account of its warranty period still left until December 2016 and £20 road tax, along with good miles per gallon (im not sure about 61.4 combined like Hyundai says though) and finished in metallic silver (which doesn't show the dirt like the black Panda I had). The car has coped very well throughout my daily commutes and long journeys with a fantastic gearchange, good turning circle, incredibly supple ride for such a small car and its great wee 85bhp 1.25 chain driven 'kappa' engine which is remarkably refined round town as well as quite rorty when revved. Mercifully, it hasn't used one drop of oil in 4,000 miles either and (thank god!) has its indicator stalk situated on the left side and NOT the right side, like older Hyundais such as my Getz which took quite a bit of getting used to. Interior space is also very impressive for a city car, with more than enough headroom on account of its lofty stance and 5 seats, although I wouldn't want to travel a great deal of distance in the middle rear seat. Visibility isn't bad but still not great on account of being a new car with slightly large A and B pillars for safety protection in mind (hence its 4 star EuroNcap rating) The door mirrors are fantastic though, they are huge for such a small car giving a great view behind. Equipment shames almost all of its city car rivals, with electric windows all round, alloy wheels (which are remarkably easy to clean) ipod and USB sockets and front and rear foglights, as well as a host of cupholders and storage for odds and ends. There is also a very handy button for dimming the instrument panel when driving at night. Air con is also standard on all i10's and a very effective blower at that- instantly cooling the cabin much faster than the air cons I have come across in VAG group cars. This really is the appeal of Hyundais- they provide so much equipment and ownership peace of mind that would otherwise be optional on many other cars in their class. The seats are also very comfortable as well, with well sided head restraints (in slightly tilted typical Hyundai fashion) and height adjustment on the drivers side. It is worth noting that the seats do crease quite easily however. What not to like about my i10? The pedals (like a Getz I previously owned) are much too light and lifeless, with not enough feel through the clutch and an overly sensitive accelerator pedal. Over revving and stalling can easily occur if you haven't got used to them. Another concern is the steering (which funnily enough, was also a shortcoming of the Getz I used to own). It feels too heavy for a city car and always seems to pronounced to the right. I've had the tracking checked time and time again but it still feels like its pulling to the right too much (don't know if other i10 owners have had similar problems?). I just hope this is ultimately normal of the car as I don't want to have to replace unevenly worn tyres through no fault of my own. I'm also not too keen on the slightly light weight feel to the doors and panels and a digital display for fuel level instead of the old fashioned gauge but that is just my personal opinion. Anyway, despite this I have really enjoyed owning my i10 so far despite these minor foibles. It may not have the street cred of a Fiat 500 but I really am not bothered about that considering just how much a better car the i10 is. It suits all my needs and wants perfectly from a small car and intend to keep it for another couple of years or so. The only other city car I may consider buying would be the Volkswagen Up in High Up specification. After testing one a few weeks ago, it seemed like a tough rival for the i10 because of its classier interior finish and more light, more feelsome steering along with heated seats and a nifty sat nav that clips out of the dashboard. It looked a wee cracker too and had a very refined (albeit slightly slow) 3 cylinder 75bhp lump as well. Depending on how good a deal I can get on my i10, time will tell whether I will make the purchase or not :)

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