Hyundai i20 2020 UK first drive

This is the all-new Hyundai i20, which is now in its third generation following the launch of the original in 2008. Previous Hyundai i20 models have played the value-for-money card, eschewing the style or fun of rivals in favour of eye-catching prices and a five-year warranty. Yet with this latest version, the Korean brand is being a little more ambitious.

For starters, it’s the first recipient of the firm’s bold new ‘Sensuous Sportiness’ (yes, that really is a thing) design language, which aims to inject desirability and glamour and continue Hyundai’s relentless push upmarket from its more bargain basement roots.

Sharp visuals aren’t the only elements of this ambitious attack on the extremely crowded sector of the market, because the i20 also promises a more roomy and upmarket interior that leads the way for technology and connectivity, plus there’s a huge list of driver safety aids and the now obligatory mild-hybrid engines, in this instance packing a big-car 48V supply plus Hyundai’s Intelligent Manual Transmission with its electronically controlled clutch.

Hyundai is also making a big play of its Smart Sense safety that’s standard across the range and runs to lane keep assistance, autonomous emergency braking, Driver Attention Alert, high beam assist and Intelligent Speed Limit Warning to name just a few features.

The range has been rationalised (there’s now SE Connect, Premium and Ultimate, with a sporty N Line to follow), while prices have been hiked, but there’s more kit and those 48V hybrid bits are claimed to boost fuel efficiency by up to 4%.

Style is obviously subjective, but in the near-range-topping Premium guise tested here, the i20 certainly stands out. There are sharp creases, bold lines and a two-tone roof treatment, plus LED signature daylight-running lights front and back - although the full-width rear lamp treatment already looks dated to these eyes.

This third-generation car is 30mm wider than before and has a wheelbase that’s been stretched by 10mm, which means there’s more space inside. Even taller adults won’t feel short-changed when riding in the rear, despite the roofline being 24mm lower than before.

The cabin looks the part too, with a curvaceous-design, easy-to-use 10.25in infotainment screen that’s backed by online services with a five-year subscription as standard. A full TFT instrument cluster is standard across the range, although the graphics have a very Mercedes look about them, particularly in Sport mode when the dials get a chequered backing that’s pure AMG. Speaking of similarities, the new four-spoke steering wheel wouldn’t look out of place in an Audi .