Makes Sense
by Richard Dredge (28 Feb 08)

I wish the Chinese would hurry up and start bringing their vehicles over here, because it's getting ever harder to find rubbish cars to take the mick out of. Until relatively recently you could often count on the Koreans to offer cars inferior to their European rivals – but no longer.

I never drove the Amica, so I don't know how much of a leap forward the i10 is over it, but the Hyundai chaps are pretty excited about it. Exciting isn't a word I'd use to describe this bargain-basement city car, but for just six and a half big ones, the i10 is a cracking machine, regardless of how capable or otherwise its predecessor was.

The i10 makes sense on so many levels, that Hyundai's target of doubling its sales in this sector seems entirely plausible. Whereas 5000 Amicas were shifted annually, Hyundai reckons twice as many punters will be happy to sign a cheque for an i10 - and going by the five-year warranty, generous kit levels, low selling prices and decent dynamics, such a target doesn't appear over-ambitious.

All i10s will come equipped with a 1.1-litre petrol engine; a 1.2-litre unit will follow towards the end of the year while continental European buyers can choose a diesel if they want. This latter engine won't make it here, though, because it would add around £800 to the sticker price, and that's simply too much of a premium at this end of the market, especially as it's barely any more economical than the petrol unit.

With all i10s featuring that 1.1-litre engine for now, the only thing to differentiate one from another is the transmission (auto or manual) plus the trim level (Classic, Comfort or Style). Choose a slushmatic and you have to settle for range-topping Style trim, which means the cheapest i10 is £6495 while the most costly is £7895 - highly tempting prices.

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