i20 Ultimate MHEV 48v Stop & start 5 door

The right car for us at the time.

Tested this car at my local dealership who offered a great trade-in price for my old Civic and the PCP terms were good for me so I ended up buying the demo car !
I find it great to drive but somewhat bumpy over poor road surfaces on the 17" wheels and low profile tyres, it handles well except for a slight disconnect in the electric assisted steering from the central position, loads of kit on the Ultimate but some omissions that I can live with. Performance is surprisingly good for a 1.0 litre 3 cylinder engine especially in 'turbo nutter electric assist mode' yet economy is averaging 53-55mpg overall on a reasonable drive, lots of useful features and the infotainment system works well for my needs.
Rear hatch space could be bigger but the 2 level boot floor is very useful. The trim could be better in places and the pale grey parts mark easily especially the front door bins when exiting the cat in tighter spaces, comfort level on a long drive is good and rear seat passengers have good leg and head room.
I would have like a sunroof but it wasn't available as an option on my car also the lack of mud flaps / spats for front and rear wheel arches as an accessory is an oversight.
My car has so far had no faults just an annoying rattle from the glove box area and has regular dealer
servicing and updates to the 10.25" touchscreen controls plus it still has proper switches for certain control items and functions meaning I don't have to find these buried somewhere in the touch screen system, a bonus for me.
Heated seats and steering wheel are good but the limited backrest angle adjustment for the drivers seat is poor and could be made to be step less and so more variable to get comfy with.
For a top of the line car I would have liked leather seats and auto closing windows when locking the car , as on my old Civic, but I'm sure these could easily be added with an update to this model.
The 7 speed auto is good plus the ability to change gear manually is welcomed however the auto stop / start system seems to have been disabled on the last software update along with the auto / neutral cruising feature but the electric assist also helps with slowing before having to apply the brakes.
The 48v battery pack takes up most of the lower boot space so it has to have an emergency tyre repair & inflator kit as there is no spare wheel space.
Overall it has been a great car for me and has now covered 18,500 miles and was very good to drive on a long journey to Northumberland with a passenger, luggage and a dog on board, returning 58mpg over 250 miles of A roads and motorway driving.
I wait to see what options I have with this car when the PCP deal comes to an end this June , maybe I'll buy it all depends on costs.
I certainly have another one however I might change brands and look for a small car that I could drive around town on only electric power which the i20 can't offer.

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