New Hyundai i20 revealed: tech-heavy small car to rival Ford Fiesta

Published 20 February 2020

A new Hyundai i20 will go on sale in May 2020 with fresh technology, bold looks and prices expected to start from around £14,500.

Set to compete against the popular Ford Fiesta as well as value alternatives like the Skoda Fabia and Kia Rio, the new i20 will be sold in the UK solely with a 1.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine producing 100PS.

This uses a 48-volt mild-hybrid system to provide an improvement of fuel economy of around three per cent, says Hyundai - although official MPG figures are yet to be confirmed.

As standard, the petrol engine will be paired with a new six-speed manual gearbox capable of decoupling the engine from the transmission when the driver lifts off the accelerator, allowing the car to coast and save fuel.

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Wider proportions means there's more room for passengers, while boot space has increased by 25 litres.

UK specifications are yet to be announced, but high-spec models are expected to feature LED ambient lighting, as well as two 10.25-inch digital displays. One of these will be in place of the conventional instrument cluster, while the other is a touchscreen navigation system.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are offered wirelessly, combined with a charging pad meaning you won't need to plug your phone in. A premium Bose sound system will be offered as an option.

We don't know how much the Hyundai i20 will cost when it arrives in dealerships around May time, but expect a small increase over the current £14,175 start price.

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Comments

paul reeve on 20 February 2020

Uglier than the existing car and why make it lower? we have a current I20 and this car is far too low making access unnecessarily difficult. Our car often also bottoms out over speed bumps! also hope they have improved build quality Hyundai used to be good and the product from the Korean factories is far superior to the Indian and Turkish plants (where the current car is built). Our car has suffered corrosion issues (boot replaced), water ingress issues and the DAB radio has now gone wrong..Hyundai UK customer services is also shocking. Hyundai need to concentrate less on adding unneeded gadgets on the card and go back to being the value orientated reliable products that they once made.. We will not be buying Hyundai again...

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stojom on 21 February 2020

Always thought coasting was an inadvisable driving technique frowned upon by expert instructors.

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hissingsid on 21 February 2020

I thought coasting was now illegal as well as inadvisable. I enjoyed coasting over 50 years ago by using the transmission freewheel on my 1955 Rover 60, but I would not like to try it in today's traffic.

The Hyundai i20 used to be a sensible reliable budget priced car which appealed to the older driver, people like myself, who will be alienated by the latest version loaded with too much "tech" which they do not want or understand.Presumably Hyundai are hoping to attract younger buyers, but many image obsessed young people would not be seen dead in a Hyundai.

The 120 is just another example of a manufacturer producing complicated cars which they think we ought to buy, rather than uncomplicated cars which we actually want. I predict that many older drivers will hang onto their existing cars in protest.

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