Nearly thirty years ago I owned an old Ford Fiesta XR2, and really enjoyed it for its bucket seats, rasping exhaust and stealth. It was lower to the ground than the standard Fiesta, with a bigger 1.6-litre petrol engine. I am reminded of my youth when I find myself behind the wheel of the Hyundai i20 N Line, the modern-day equivalent of my old hot hatch. Although the N Line can be quick, it is also possible for it to return over 50mpg, thanks to the choice of three driving modes: standard, sport and eco. It has a tiddly, one-litre turbocharged GDI petrol engine coupled to a 48-volt mild hybrid system, but despite this, if driving in sport mode, the range drops like a stone. With its 98bhp, there is a little more oomph under the bonnet than the 84bhp I enjoyed with my XR2 all those years ago.
With its purposeful styling, it’s an appealing hot hatch for today. It’s interesting that this model is fitted with a seven-speed DCT gearbox and a traditional handbrake. OK, I would prefer a traditional five or six-speed manual gearbox (which would really enhance the experience for me), but this automatic box can be driven like a manual, just by pushing it to the right and then up and down. This reminds me more of a computer console, however I do enjoy the sound emanating from the exhaust as we go along, even at the slowest of speeds.
My son Henry (9) has discovered that the driver’s window can be opened and closed using the key fob. This seems to be a growing trend, because we’ve just driven a VW Golf whereby all the windows and the sunroof could be opened or closed by the key fob.
We all liked the black cloth trim, and found the seats to be comfortable and supportive. The front seats are heated, as is the steering wheel. There’s air conditioning, power folding wing mirrors, a sat nav and a good quality radio. The boot is of a reasonable size and the detachable flooring is easy to clean when, for instance, you’ve returned from the tip…
I put it through its paces on a trip to the Isle of Wight. “There’s a motorbike behind us,” says my wife as I slow down in a 30mph zone.
“Uh, no that’s us,” says Henry (9), who enjoys the boy racer tone of the twin exhausts.
The island provides a variety of roads and there are some sharp inclines. The i20 holds the road well and corners nicely, but I do find that, despite being advised that the car is returning 48mpg, the range drops quite sharply, showing that during the day we seem to have driven 100 miles, which doesn’t ring true.
Facts at a glance
Hyundai i20 N Line S 7 speed DCT
Price from £24,780
Top speed: 118mph
0 to 60mph: 11.9secs
Power: 98bhp
Watch the video on www.testdrives.biz
By Tim Saunders
Tim Saunders is a travel writer and photographer regularly contributing to publications with a combined audience exceeding 100,000 readers. You can read more from Tim on his website travelwriter.biz and www.testdrives.biz.
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