Hyundai i10

It's a very underrated car the i10, probably due to brand snobbery. Hyundai doesn't have the street cred that a Ford, Fiat, Citroen, Peugeot etc have so it's only natural.

And that's a shame because I recently got a go in one and found something that resembled a gold mine. Not in terms of performance in a straight line so much. It's not a quick car by any stretch of the imagination and nor is it meant to be. Having said that the torque band is wide which means you get useful acceleration for a lot of the time. This torque surge prevents this car from being a slow one, if not very fast. Let's call it moderate.

What isn't moderate is the handling. When I got to the corners and turned that wheel, oh man, it was fantastic. Turn in was sharp and the car responsive as anything. Out and out grip isn't monumental like it is in a proper sports car but the little Hyundai is as communicative as any of them. It's that communication that's important because it gives you the confidence you need to push on and whiz down country lanes. Surprising is how I'd choose to sum it up.

The styling isn't what I'd call ground breaking. To be honest it's very ordinary and I'm struggling to think of anything more to say. I can't find anything overtly wrong and nor can I find something that stands out. It blends into the background this car, perfect then if you want to remain inconspicuous.

The interior is a little bit better by comparison. You will need a two tone dash to bring the best out of it but even without you have to love the functionality of it all. I happen to like the way the air vents angle in to create a bit of a triangular shape for the dash. The other thing note worthy about the interior explains the rather dull exterior. If you could get inside a hollowed out Mt Everest you'd have less room than you do in the i10. I didn't sit in the back at any point but for me in the front there certainly was no issue.

In terms of running costs I wouldn't expect much pain. Economy is absolutely brilliant, way up in the 50s even with Mr Leadfoot behind the wheel. It's also very cheap to tax and insure, then again it is a small Hyundai. It's cheap to buy too as it costs as little as £8160. After looking at that it's hard to come up with a reason why you'd buy any other city car.

Thankyou for reading, and I do hope you'll return to read again.