Cheap But Good
by David Finlay (23 Apr 08)

One of the reasons that motoring journalists are loathed and despised and occasionally spat on is that we spend so much of our timing driving around in very high-spec cars. Manufacturers understandably like to show off as much equipment as they possibly can, and that's fine, but some of us occasionally wish we could try out a base model now and again.

Hurrah, then, for Hyundai, which supplied the entry-level i10 Classic for this road test. All i10s are mechanically much the same as all other i10s - a 65bhp 1.1-litre petrol engine is all that's available, and most versions use the same five-speed gearbox, though the mid-range Comfort also comes with a four-speed automatic.

The main difference is in how much equipment you get. The Classic has the least of all, but for £6495 you still get air-conditioning, electric front windows, central locking (but not remote - you have to use the key), front and side airbags and a radio/CD/MP3 player with an auxiliary port and six speakers - plus, of course, the five-year unlimited mileage warranty common to all Hyundais.

£6495 is hardly any money for a new car nowadays, and one of the main benefits of the i10 Classic is that it undercuts several smaller city cars while also offering decent interior room and, with the rear seat in its upright position, a healthy 225 litres of luggage space. The tailgate opening is fairly narrow and the sill is high, but you're unlikely to want to load anything particularly large and heavy so these are minor problems.

The i10 is most at home in urban environments, though it's also remarkably good fun to drive out of town. The performance figures may suggest that you'd be quicker walking, but the i10 can maintain a lot of whatever speed it has built up through the corners, and I found it was actually possible to keep up with an outstandingly more powerful Ford Fiesta ST on country roads (admittedly the Fiesta was being driven by a numpty, but still).

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