If the new Hyundai i20 can do for the supermini what the Hyundai i10 has done for the city car it could be one of the quiet stars of the 2014 Paris motor show. The proof will be in the driving, but the new i20 certainly looks good in pictures. Although we do wonder if Peugeot’s designers will be having a word about the front end.
Designed, developed and engineered in Europe, the i20 will also be the first model to get Hyundai’s new 1.0-litre T-GDI turbo petrol engine, representing the first of a new generation of small turbocharged petrols from the Korean brand.
2014 Hyundai i20: more space
As per current trends, the new i20 is longer, lower and wider than the car it replaces; more significantly, there’s an extra 45mm in the wheelbase so it should be roomier for passengers, too. The 326-litre boot is bigger than that of the Ford Focus, and the tailgate opening is 1027mm across.
If that doesn’t get your blood pulsing perhaps you’re more interested in the segment-first opening panoramic roof, the availability of a reversing camera and Hyundai’s first integrated satnav in a supermini. If not, we don’t suppose you’ll be interested in the high-grade ‘Thermal Plastic Olefin’ interior surfaces either…
Hyundai T-GDI: turbo power!
Still, the 1.0-litre turbo sounds promising: 118bhp and 127lb ft of torque should get the little i20 moving along quite nicely. Sadly, this isn’t due until 2015, so when the rest of the range goes on sale in November 2014 you’ll have to make do with the conventional 1.25-litre (74bhp or 83bhp) and 1.4-litre (99bhp) petrols or a 1.4-litre (74bhp or 89bhp) turbodiesel.
Hyundai is also showing a new 1.4-litre T-GDI turbo petrol at Paris. However, since this is ensconced in an i30 powered by compressed natural gas at the show, it only produces 115bhp. The same car’s showing off a seven-speed dual clutch gearbox, too.