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| The all new i20 makes a compelling offer against contending hatches. |
Hyundai introduced the all new i20 hatch to motoring hacks in KwaZulu-Natal on Monday and Stanley Anderson, sales and operations director of Hyundai Automotive South Africa, is confident the latest little car in the Korean stable will just add to the small hatch’s reliable reputation.
He said since the launch of the first-generation i20 in South Africa in 2009, Hyundai dealers have sold 106 712 units and over the past 11 years, the average “burn rate” has been only R32 per unit per month. The burn rate shows how fast funds that were set aside for an expense — in this case paying out claims on the manufacturer’s warranty — are being spent. The i20’s average burn rate amounts to $2 a car, which shows exceptional reliability.
A virtual roll cage
An even more impressive feature is hidden deep under the glossy paint.
Like Tata in India, Hyundai has its own integrated steelworks plant. The Korean giant has invested heavily in the development of proprietary, ultra-high strength steel that gives Hyundai vehicles a crucial advantage.
Just 10 years ago, the tensile strength of steel used to make car frames measured in at around 500 megapascals. The new Hyundai frames are close to 1 500 megapascals and over a third of the new i20’s body (36%) has been reinforced using this very high-strength steel.
To put 1 500 megapascal in perspective, Hyundai likes to say a hook the size of a an adult’s pinky made with this steel can dangle four 54-seat buses without tearing apart. In the i20 this means that the steel frame around the occupants, together with the crumple zones, inertia seat belts and front airbags, will give a dazed driver the best odds of opening the door and getting out after a crash of up to 70 km/h, instead of being injured or killed on impact.
On South Africa’s unsafe roads, this is a very reassuring thought.
Passive safety systems in the new i20 include six airbags (driver, front passenger and two curtain airbags) in the Fluid variants, and driver and front passenger airbags in the Motion derivatives.
Two spec levels, three engines, one fantastic DCT
Anderson is a past master when it comes to specifying and importing models that South African drivers want.
Hence the wider, higher third generation of the i20 will be sold in only two specification levels, Motion and Fluid, but a new turbocharged 1-ltire petrol takes the engine options to three, with a 7-speed dual clutch transmission (DCT), or a 6-speed gearbox in either manual or auto.
The little 3-cylinder 1.0 T-GDi punches way above its weight, making 90 kW and 172 Nm peak torque from 1500 to 400.
With the manual gearbox, Hyundai claims a top speed of 190 km/h, which drops a little to 187 km/h in the 7-speed DCT. Not that one can, or even want to drive at those speeds on any road other than the straight, high speed test road outside Upington in the Northern Cape.
A valve system that is part magic, part science
Instead, the little 1-litre’s Continuously Variable Valve Duration (CVVD) technology makes the most of its Newtons in city traffic. There, the valve control technology regulates the duration of the valve opening and closing according to driving conditions in what is for this humble scribe, part magic, part science. This is the only valve system that can change the duration of the valve opening during a ride, depending on conditions. Equally impressive is the DCT transmission, which snap changes precisely the right gear faster than any driver can.
For the non-gearheads who just want a safe, reliable hatch, the 4-cylinder, 1,2-litre Kappa engine is available in both the Motion and Fluid derivatives.
This petrol engine, coupled to a 5-speed manual transmission, makes 61 kW and 115 Nm, and clocks a top speed of 169 km/h.
And for non-gearheads who don't drive stick, the 1,4-litre 4-cylinder MPi engine slots in between the other two, matched to a 6-speed torque converter automatic gearbox. It delivers 74 kW maximum power and 133 Nm peak torque, with a top-speed of 173 km/h. It is linked to either a 7-speed (DCT) or a 6-speed manual.
Fuel consumption for the 1,2-litre engine derivatives came in at 5,9 litres per 100 km, while the 1,4-litre engine scored 6,9 litres/100 km.
The top-end 1-litre turbo derivatives carded 6,5 litres/100 km for the manual version, and 6,9 litres/100 km for the DCT.
Ride and handling
Driving at the launch with racing correspondent for The Witness, Colin Windell, corners were approached with a certain amount of verve to verify Hyundai’s claim of a “sporty and firm, yet comfortable” suspension.
If anything, they did not boast enough. Suffice to say the i20 likes fast, with the Motor Driven Power Assisted Steering (MDPS) adding stability and a nicely weighted feel to the very handsome steering wheel through the bends.
Competition among the small hatch is fierce, but the top-selling VW Polo, as well as Suzuki Swift, Kia Rio, and Opel Corsa better look out. At the prices below, the i20 makes a compelling offer that is easy on the eye and fast through the bends.
i20 pricing
1.2 Motion manual — R275 900
1.4 Motion automatic — R305 900
1.2 Fluid manual — R289 900
1.2 Fluid manual 2-Tone — R294 900
1.0 TGDI Fluid manual — R330 900
1.0 TGDI Fluid manual 2-Tone — R335 900
1.0 TGDI Fluid DCT — R355 900
1.0 TGDI Fluid DCT 2-Tone — R360 900
