Hyundai ix20 review
by Tom Stewart (15 October 2010)
As a rule of thumb it's considered wise for us pampered motoring journalists to keep details of exotic press launch locations amongst ourselves. As a reader you're interested in the car, not the lobster we had for lunch or the luxurious chateau we stayed in overnight. But this time I'll make an exception by revealing that the dynamic UK press launch of the Hyundai's new ix20 was held both in Hampshire and Sussex (for the faster dual-carriageways and A-roads to be found there) and on the Isle of Wight.
Why the Isle of Wight? Well, partly because of its exceptionally pretty countryside, but mainly because its roads are as poorly-surfaced as anywhere in Europe. To be fair, many of the IoW's roads aren't any worse than can be found in dozens of other counties across the UK, but parts of the island, and through no fault of its own, suffer from chronic subsidence where the roads are slipping toward the sea (even some distance inland) and there's little that can be done to prevent it. Some of the most badly affected surfaces have been coned off, but there are some sections that are tantamount to driving on an asphalted motocross track.
And why is this relevant? Because although designed and developed at Hyundai's R&D centre in Rüsselsheim, Germany and manufactured at the company's newest European plant in the Czech Republic, Hyundai has tuned its new ix20's handling and suspension specifically for UK roads, in the UK, and so where better to demonstrate the new model's handling capabilities than on the IoW? In fact, so serious is Hyundai about our national plight that it is currently in the process of constructing its own UK-spec road-test facility in Korea based on data from its development engineers supplemented by photos of frost-damaged, unmaintained speed bumps and other such horrors that are unique in the developed world.
Without further ado I can report that the ix20 rides very comfortably on the smooth surface of the London-bound A3(M) from Portsmouth, it steers responsively and copes well with the less-than-perfect B-roads of either Sussex or the IoW, and gave a very good account of itself in extremis on the IoW when, despite forewarning, I hit a massive "yump" at about 45mph and the poor ix almost took off. In fact, it probably did take off, and due to an awkward combination of angles and cambers we landed all skew-whiff, but the gas-damped car regained composure remarkable swiftly (more swiftly than its gassy occupants) and without any particular skilfulness on my part.
So what is the ix20? Based on the existing i20 supermini, the ix is an all-new B-segment compact MPV with, in Hyundai's words, "the style of a supermini, the space of an estate and the economy and emissions of a city car". Personally, I'm not convinced by the first claim, but the latter two certainly hold water.
Priced between about £11,500 and £13,000 (exact prices to be confirmed at the time of writing), the ix20 will compete with cars like the Citroen C3 Picasso, Kia Venga, Nissan Note and Vauxhall Meriva. Going on sale in the UK on 11 November 2010, it will be powered by either an 89bhp 1.4-litre petrol with a five-speed manual gearbox or an 89bhp 1.4 CRDi with six-speed manual – both "Blue Drive" engines with fuel-saving Stop & Go technology – or a 123bhp 1.6 petrol mated to a four-speed automatic transmission, all with Hill Start Assist.
It's predicted that the 1.4 petrol manual will be the UK's best seller, but the 1.4 diesel as driven on press launch boasts the most impressive eco credentials with CO2 emissions of just 114g/km (currently £30 annual road tax) and a combined fuel consumption figure of 65.7 mpg. As we all surely know by now, official combined figures are usually unattainable, so expect actual mpg to be in the high 40s to low 50s, according to my 1.4 CRDi's trip computer while on the launch.
Claimed on-paper performance for the 89bhp 1.4 CRDi is far from spectacular with 0-62mph in 14.5 secs and a 104mph top speed, but the diesel's 162lb/ft of torque available at 1750-2750rpm is the figure that counts because there's useful power freely available when accelerating out of slower corners or roundabouts. It's a useful overtaker too, and I can confidently predict that the ix would happily maintain a cruising speed comfortably in excess of the UK national speed limit - though that might be handier on the Isle of Man than on the Isle of Wight.
Though I'm not particularly taken by the ix20's exterior styling – nothing wrong with it, but nothing much to write home about either – the ix's interior is impressive. With ample room in all directions, it's roomy and has 440 litres of loadspace (60/40 split/fold rear seats up, to top of seat back) extending to 1486-litres (rear seats down, loaded to roof). The ix's lower centre console and central tunnel are made from a less-than-top-grade hard black plastic, but the upper sections of the dash and instrumentation are very neatly designed, well-finished, tactile and user-friendly. I should also mention the attractive seat upholstery with its asymmetric pattern based on a leaf's skeleton – a novel theme carried through to the speaker grilles and indeed the ix's front air intake grille.
Speaking of speakers, the iX20 is remarkably well-equipped. Available in Classic, Active and Style trim levels, standard equipment on all includes aircon, electric front windows, a cooled glovebox, a six-speaker radio/CD/mp3 compatible audio system with USB and aux inputs (some iPod functionality), an eco-drive indicator as well as the aforementioned trip computer. There's a comprehensive list of standard safety and security equipment too, including ESP, but to all that the higher spec Active version adds alloy wheels, a leather-covered steering wheel and gearknob, electric rear windows, Bluetooth connectivity with voice recognition, reversing sensors, rear ISOFIX child seat mountings and more. The top-spec Style version also comes with front fogs, rear privacy glass, electric folding door mirrors and, perhaps most enticingly, an electric tilt/slide panoramic sunroof.
Now consider all this in a new car costing no more than about £13,000 on the road – a small MPV that drives well, is impressively frugal, is expected to achieve the full five-star rating in the Euro NCAP crash tests, has 20,000-mile service intervals and comes with Hyundai's five-year, unlimited-mileage warranty plus five years of roadside assistance and free vehicle health checks. The ix20 may not be fast or sexy, but it makes a pretty strong case for itself, especially on the beautiful but bouncy A3055 to Freshwater.
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