Road test: Hyundai i10

Hyundai's i10 small city car, on sale since the start of the year, is already a winner having clocked up more sales in its first six months than was anticipated for the whole of 2014, writes Trish Whelan.

The i10 shows how well the Korean carmakers now appeal to so many buyers here. Hyundai cars are designed in Europe, for Europeans.

The i10 has to be up there with the top of the crop of new cars launched this year. It represents value for money, comfort, quality and is quite a practical small car.

It is also well styled, offers good refinement and comes with a very good level of specification.

The car is bigger than its predecessor with 40mm more legroom and 160mm of extra shoulder space. This extra space also allows for more flexibility, including a bigger boot, increased by 27 litres to 252. Hyundai are also to be applauded on another achievement, as with the car's small footprint it still found proper space for a skinny spare, unlike some larger and much more expensive family cars which just carry a sealant.

This latest car has been given a more expressive design, inside and out. With its white exterior, my review car looked cute from every angle. The blank canvas really showed off all the car's lines and features.

There's plenty of space up front for even the tallest. While it has five seats, the middle rear seat is far smaller than the outer two. Used as a family car with children in the back, this won't matter much. Just don't expect to seat three adults there, or three teenagers, in much comfort. But four adults will enjoy their own good space in the car. Seats are nice and comfy.

A blue interior pack on my test car gave a cheerful look and feel to the cabin. The dash is nicely designed and everything close to hand.

Dials are plain and clear with 100km/h at the top of the big central speedometer which dominates the instruments. Numbers are well spaced, white on black. Individual radio buttons are beneath the small screen on the dash.

Visibility is very good all round but there's no blind spot cover on the driver's wing mirror.

There are good cubbies onboard including a very good glovebox, as well as decent door bins but you can't put anything tall in them as the door arm rest gets in the way.

The i10 is powered by a 1.0 petrol engine which surprised me with its sporty and gutsy performance. This is the same engine as in the Kia Picanto - a close relation from the brand's sister company. The 5-speed gearbox is a real gem. Being the size it is, you can park the car in the tightest spot and it turns in a very tight circle, ideal for congested city streets. While billed as a city car, I drove it mostly on country roads and motorways, and through local towns, so it is really a car for both urban and rural customers.

Three trim are Classic (€from €11,995), Deluxe (from €13,495) and Deluxe automatic (from €15,495). Prices exclude delivery and related charges. The Classic and Deluxe are in Tax Band A3 of €190p/a while the automatic is in B2 of €280.

 Classic and Deluxe trims get ESP, six airbags, a tyre pressure monitoring system, seatbelt reminder for all passengers, and power steering on demand.

Additional standard features on the Classic trim include driver side anchor pre-tensioner, body colour bumpers, tinted windows, 14-inch steel wheels with cover, central locking, a height adjustable steering wheel, folding rear seats, trip computer (which shows your average fuel consumption and how many kilometres are left in the tank - mine showed an average fuel return of 5.3L/100kms which equates to 53.2mpg).

The Deluxe version changes to alloy wheels, and gets Bluetooth, air conditioning, LED day time running lights, cornering lights, front fogs, door moulding blackout tape, front and rear assist Grip, keyless entry, a height adjustable driver seat, USB aux connectivity and the blue interior pack in my review car. The top spec also gets rear parking sensors.

Both Classic and Deluxe trims are in Tax Band of €190 while the Deluxe Automatic, with 137g/km C02 is in B2 of €280.

The i10 received 4 stars out of a maximum 5 in Euro NCAP safety tests.

It comes with the brand's own 5-year unlimited mileage warranty as well as 5 year free vehicle health checks and 5 years AA Roadside Assistance.