One of the reasons that motoring journalists are loathed and despised and occasionally spat on is that we spend so much of our timing driving around in very high-spec cars. Manufacturers understandably like to show off as much equipment as they possibly can, and that's fine, but some of us occasionally wish we could try out a base model now and again.Hurrah, then, for Hyundai, which supplied the entry-level i10 Classic for this review. All i10s are currently much the same as all other i10s - a 65bhp 1.1-litre petrol engine is currently all that's available, and most versions use the same five-speed gearbox, though the mid-range Comfort also comes with a four-speed automatic.The main difference is in how much equipment you get. The Classic has the least of all, but for £6495 you still get air-conditioning, electric front windows, central locking (but not remote - you have to use the key), front and side airbags and a radio/CD/MP3 player with an auxiliary port and six speakers - plus, of course, the five-year unlimited mileage warranty common to all Hyundais.£6495 is hardly any money for a new car nowadays, and one of the main benefits of the i10 Classic is that it undercuts several smaller city cars while also offering decent interior room and, with the rear seat in its upright position, a healthy 225 litres of luggage space. The tailgate opening is fairly narrow and the sill is high, but you're unlikely to want to load anything particularly large and heavy so these are minor problems.The i10 is most at home in urban environments, though it's also remarkably good fun to drive out of town. The performance figures may suggest that you'd be quicker walking, but the i10 can maintain a lot of whatever speed it has built up through the corners, and I found it was actually possible to keep up with an outstandingly more powerful Ford Fiesta ST on country roads (admittedly the Fiesta was being driven by a numpty, but still). Nevertheless, city driving is the best bit, since all the controls are light and easy to use, though without the feeling of fragility that has blighted city cars in the past.This is a car made of light stuff, and it's hard to imagine that there will be enough survivors to justify having a Hyundai i10 Owners Club in, say, 30 years' time, but there's also no suggestion that the thing will fall apart the day after that five-year warranty runs out.Where the i10 fails as a city car - and it's not the only one to do this - is in the matter of visibility. The rear side windows are small to the point of daftness, and the windscreen pillars are far too large and obstructive; at one point I completely lost sight of an entire Vauxhall Vectra behind the one on the driver's side, and it's all too easy to miss part of an adult or a whole child at what might be a crucial moment.That's the worst aspect of what is otherwise a nice piece of design. It's very easy to make city cars look daft, but Hyundai has come up with a style which is cute without being silly. With a more suitable amount of glass area it would be very good indeed.Running costs should be very low, partly because of the Group 2 insurance and partly because the i10 is one of a remarkable number of cars these days with a CO2 rating of 119g/km, thereby putting it just below the upper threshold of Band B car tax (you'll pay £35 this year, £30 next year and £35 again in 2010-11) and into the London congestion charge exemption category.You probably won't use much petrol either. Hyundai quotes 56.5mpg on the EU combined cycle, and although by a rough estimation I didn't do a great deal better than 40mpg that was because I was having too much fun chasing Fiestas. In more sensible and appropriate use the car should go quite a long way between fill-ups, even though the tank holds only 35 litres. Engine 1086 cc, 4 cylinders Power 66 bhp @5500 rpm Torque 72 ib/ft @2800 rpm Transmission 5 speed manual Fuel/CO2 56.5 mpg / 119 g/km Acceleration 0-62mph: 15.6sec Top speed 94 mph Price From £6191.00 approx Release date 01/04/2008
Our Rating
