Hyundai ix20 1.4 CRDi Active review
by David Finlay (25 January 2011)
I approached my test of the Hyundai ix20 with a certain amount of concern and apprehension. The reason for this is that the ix20 is, barring a few detail difference such as moderately different exterior styling, almost exactly the same thing as a Kia Venga, and if you've read my review of the Venga you'll know it's very far from being my favourite car of the moment.
If you haven't read it, here are my two principal problems with the Venga. First, it's a horrible thing to drive; and second, it's very difficult to see out of. As Tom Stewart's launch report of the ix20 explains, Hyundai made sure that the first of these didn't apply by setting up the suspension of the UK market cars for our roads (Vengas are designed to work best on German ones, which means they don't work at all over here).
The result is that the ix20, while by no means the best-riding small MPV you can buy - I'd vote for the Citroen C3 Picasso on that score - is nevertheless far better than the Venga. Hyundai hasn't entirely managed to quell the effects of combining a tall body with a short wheelbase, so there's a fair amount of body movement, but overall it's reasonably comfortable to drive.
The window design of the ix20 is exactly the same as that of the Venga, though, and it's not good enough. The view isn't bad if you're looking straight ahead or to the left - it's when you need to look to the right or behind you that the trouble starts, because the blind spots are absolutely colossal. Reversing is needlessly difficult as a result, and the way oncoming objects - vehicular or pedestrian - are hidden from sight behind the enormous windscreen pillar on the driver's side is nothing short of alarming. Again, Citroen has done a much better job, at least at the front (though the Picasso isn't much cop for rear visibility either).
Assuming you've not been put off yet, all ix20s - in fact all Hyundais - come with a five-year unlimited-mileage warranty, which is definitely a plus point, though not as impressive as the seven-year arrangement offered by Kia. The one tested here had the 1.4 CRDi turbo diesel engine; there's also a 1.4-litre petrol unit which produces the same 89bhp but uses a lot more fuel, namely 50.4mpg combined compared with 65.7mpg combined for the diesel. The diesel is also much better for CO2 emissions, and therefore costs nothing to tax in the first year and only £30 for each year after that.
The flipside is that the diesel engine adds £1730 to the list price, and unless you do a lot of miles each year the 1.4 petrol will probably save you money in the long run.
The diesel is no great performer. In fact, it feels rather sluggish a lot of the time, and aerodynamics probably have a lot to do with this because other Hyundais using the same engine seem a lot perkier. If you want more grunt there's always the 1.6-litre petrol version, which has a much higher power output of 123bhp, but since it's available only with an automatic transmission it's not a great deal quicker.
More importantly, it's very roomy inside considering its overall size. With all the seats in place it has a luggage capacity of 440 litres (much more than a Ford Focus or Vauxhall Astra) and with the seats down this increases to 1486 litres. It's important to bear in mind that this is largely because the ix20 is a tall car, but if you're more likely to carry boxy objects than long ones it should be fine.
The test car was in Active trim, which puts it in the middle of the ix20 range between Classic and Style. Standard equipment includes the ISG start/stop system (available on all 1.4-litre versions), 16" alloy wheels, reversing sensors, hill start assist, leather steering wheel and gearknob, Bluetooth and iPod connectivity, USB and auxiliary connections, a folding armrest, an underfloor storage tray and a cooled glovebox.
At the time of writing, Euro NCAP has not yet crash tested the ix20, but it has ESP (electronic stability program) and front, side and curtain airbags. Euro NCAP gave the Venga five stars - admittedly at the second attempt, after Kia attended to some issues that came to light first time round - and there's no reason to expect that the largely identical ix20 would perform any differently.
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