Hyundai I20 Car Lease

The Hyundai i20 has evolved in second generation guise. No longer merely a budget choice, it now has the quality, the efficiency, the technology and the looks to square up against the supermini class leaders. Plus it's still got one of the best after-sales packages anywhere in the car industry - and pricing hasn't got too ambitious. In other words, if you’re shopping in this segment, here’s a car you shouldn’t leave off your shortlist.

For a stronger showing in this regard, you’d be better off choosing one of the CRDi diesels. Possibly the 75PS 1.1-litre unit, though the performance here really is quite leisurely, 62mph from rest occupying 16s on the way to a two-figure maximum. It’s better if you can to find the small premium Hyundai asks for the 90PS 1.4-litre CRDi variant, which delivers a far more acceptable sets of stats – 62mph in 12.1s en route to 109mph. And, more importantly, 240Nm of torque – so double the pulling power you get from the 1.2-litre petrol model.

Enough on the engines, though before leaving this subject, we will make one more important point, you struggle to hear them. Off hand, it’s hard to think of a supermini in this segment that’s better than this one in suppressing noise, vibration and harshness. The bottom line is that all the effort has handsomely paid off – which is one of the things that makes this one of the few superminis in which you’d feel confident in undertaking a really long trip.

The revised suspension set-up helps here too, the revised shock absorber valve system enabling the somewhat nervous ride quality of the first generation i20 model to be replaced by a more grown up, supple feel.

The Korean brand calls the design of this car ‘a study in elegant simplicity’. We’re not sure we’d call it that but there’s no doubt that this time around, the looks of this i20 give the car a bit more personality. Here, we’ve got the volume-selling five-door version, but Hyundai is also offering a three-door Coupe model that's got a bolder rear wheel arch design and a very slick rear C-pillar, smart touches that create quite a desirable shape. The five-door version can’t quite match that of course, but Hyundai’s usual ‘fluidic sculpture’ design theme has brought with it confident curves, a low wide stance and a sloping roofline that gives the whole shape a bit of energy.

Lift the hatch and you’re greeted with one of the most accommodating luggage areas in the segment, capacity having increased by 10% with this Mk2 model to a class-leading 326-litres in this five-door variant.

Move to the rear seat and space remains a strongpoint. Those familiar with the previous generation version of this car will appreciate the additional room freed up by 45mm of extra wheelbase length this time round.

It’s quite pleasant up-front too, where a two-tone colour scheme adds a bit of character to what might otherwise be a rather featureless design. Depending on the exterior paintwork you’ve chosen, this upper section can come either in beige, a dark grey, a ‘Cappuchino’ brown or in the ‘Grey Blue’ shade. All of these finishes smartly set off an intuitively laid-out dash that features what Hyundai calls ‘functional clustering’ of the key technologies - a grouping together of key instrumentation items like the audio, heating and ventilation systems to create a cleaner-looking fascia.

In terms of efficiency, 1.2-litre petrol-powered i20 motoring gives you the choice of either a lower-powered 75PS model that manages a 58.9mpg combined cycle showing along with emissions of 112g/km, or an 84PS version which delivers 55.4mpg and 119g/km.

On to diesel power which, you won’t be surprised to learn, is the cleanest and most economic way to run an i20. Go for the eco-orientated 75PS 1.1-litre CRDi Blue variant and, thanks to low rolling resistance tyres and a stop/start system, this car’s right up there with the class leaders, delivering 88.3mpg and 84g/km of CO2. The standard 1.1-litre CRDi i20 model can’t quite match this of course, but it still delivers 70.6mpg and 103g/km. If you need a little more punch, there’s a 90PS 1.4-litre CRDi variant that manages 68.9mpg and 106g/km.

One statistic tells you a lot about this i20: 88% of existing users get another, a figure almost double that of typical rivals in this segment. Evidently then, people like it once they’ve tried it. You can see why.

Overall though, if you can find a car in this class that makes more sense when you add together all the really important attributes that families look for in a supermini in this segment, then you’ll be doing very well.