Hyundai i20 reviews: what the critics say

“Sensuous Sportiness.” That’s how Hyundai describes the design philosophy behind the new i20, its answer to the Ford Fiesta, Peugeot 208, Volkswagen Polo and “leagues of other vastly popular superminis”. The new generation i20 is a more striking car than the one it replaces, Top Gear said, which is just as well as it was “a nice enough thing”, but “quite tedious to look at, sit in and drive”.

On the inside, the new Hyundai looks quite smart, though owing to ribbed strakes covering the door panels, it looks as though they’ve been “half-inched from a Marvel villain’s costume”, said The Daily Telegraph. And despite being a compact vehicle, it’s not at all cramped in either the front or the rear seats; in the back, the i20 is more spacious than most of its rivals, with plenty of headroom and legroom.

The i20 has been improved in every area, said Auto Express, including under the bonnet, where its “impressive” one-litre, three-cylinder petrol unit assisted by mild-hybrid technology is relatively economical, yet delivers “smooth and punchy power”. For the first time “we’d call the i20 a genuine Fiesta rival in terms of driver appeal” – as much an indication of how far the i20 has come as anything else. Prices start from £18,800.