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The 1.1-litre petrol unit is mostly the same as the old engine with just a few metaphorical screws tightened in to slightly boost the power to 66bhp and to bring its emissions into line with Euro IV regulations. The fact it takes 16 seconds to reach 62mph is less important than the knowledge it will do over 51mpg and cost, in basic three-door form, just under £7500.

Okay, that's the tech-speak out of the way. What's it like? Well on first approach it's almost as anonymous as the last model. The headlamps look a bit more organic and are drawn up over the wing a little, the grille is less angular and the airscoop under its chin is a bit more smiley. In profile the only difference is the new seven-spoke alloys, while at the back the most obvious change is that the foglight has moved in from the offside corner to the centre.

Hyundai says the sum of all this makes the Getz look "sportier and more sophisticated". I say something substantially different.

Inside it's functional and cheery enough, particularly with the bright blue or red fabric inserts in the seats on some models. The Getz has always had a reputation for being well equipped so there are few changes in here other than to the layout of the instrument panel and the addition of air-conditioning to every model.

The launch event was in and around Barcelona where left-hand drive cars were taken on a variety of motorways, and mountain twists. I was extremely impressed by the way all of the cars handled themselves, being better than some much more expensive cars in dealing with the real-life mix of bumpy straights and sharp bends. The suspension was faultless on this test route and my only reservation was over the steering which felt vague at speed on the straights.

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