If you’re young and on the lookout for a new set of wheels that aren’t going to cost you a fortune, the Hyundai i20 Coupe is a very desirable motor that sports some impressive good looks.
Based on the standard 5-door Hyundai i20, the Coupe variant is aimed squarely at the 18-30 age group. Performance is good enough, on the whole the suspension setup makes for a comfortable ride. And although it’s not as much fun to drive as, say, the Ford Focus, it’s got a bit more sex appeal.
OSV takes a closer look with our Hyundai i20 Coupe review.
Overview Of The Hyundai i20 Coupe
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On The Road
The petrol range is derived from the i20 hatchback, which means that you get to choose between a 1.2-litre 83bhp and a turbo 1.0-litre unit that is available in either 99bhp or 118bhp guise. Neither is especially powerful, but Hyundai are marketing this car at youngsters who want something sporty and stylish, but can’t afford high insurance and fuel costs. It’s basically a budget coupe with budget engines.
The 1.0-litre 118bhp is the quickest in the range, and comes with a throaty three pot note. Acceleration is good, but to draw out most of its power you’ve really got to rev it hard. It’s also not as quiet as some of its rivals, and once you get up to speed, all units are actually quite noisy. Refinement is worsened by the presence of tyre noise.
Although it’s not rapid, the car is comfortable. The suspension setup is such that the ride quality is also smooth, and you won’t be wallowing around bends either. Body lean, meanwhile, is minimal, while the direct steering is pleasing.
The i20 coupe isn’t much fun, but it’s not a bad drive at all.
Interior, Design & Build
[vc_column_inner width=”1/3″]The coupe’s interior layout is not strikingly different to the one in the 5-door i20. It’s well laid-out, and everything looks neat and tidy. In terms of out and out quality, it can’t compete with some of the bigger boys in this sector, but you get what you pay for. In this price bracket, the interior is impressive.
There is an optional dashboard trim available which treats your coupe to lashings of orange here and there, with the idea being that it adds colour and vibrancy to an otherwise conservative and bland dash. It’s an option worth adding.[vc_column_inner width=”2/3″][vc_single_image image=”38096″ img_size=”article-image”]There is a touchscreen satellite navigation also available as an optional extra. Priced at £575, it gives your interior a more contemporary vibe, and it’s also found across the Hyundai range. It’s user friendly, and is again another option well worth adding.
Legroom upfront is good, but in the back it’s a bit more cramped. The lower roofline will also restrict headroom, while smaller windows won’t do any favours for anyone who suffers from claustrophobia.[vc_column_inner width=”2/3″][vc_single_image image=”38100″ img_size=”article-image”][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″]Surprisingly, the coupe has a bigger boot than the i20 hatch. There is a caveat, though: The boot has been extended to accommodate a spare wheel. As such, you only get to use 311-litres for luggage space, which is less than you get in the standard hatch.
Still, the boot is large for this class and it sports an accessible shape. Fold the rear seats down and you can increase its size to 986-litres. If practicality is important to you, the hatchback makes more sense.
Equipment
There are three trim levels to choose from:
- SE
- Sport
- Sport Nav
Stick with the cheaper SE trim and you get 16” alloys, halogen headlights, air conditioning, cruise control, USB, front fog lights, rear parking sensors and Bluetooth connectivity.
The Sport trim adds 17” alloys, climate control, automatic lights and wipers and LED rear lights, while the Sport Nav model treats you to a 7” touchscreen and a DAB digital radio.
As a youngster (or a parent), you might be concerned about the safety of this car. Safety kit includes half a dozen airbags, hill-start assistance, electronic stability control, and tyre-pressure monitoring. You also get a spare wheel.[vc_single_image image=”38101″ img_size=”article-image”]
Costs Of The Hyundai i20 Coupe
Prices for the new coupe start out from £13,000 and rise to just over £17,200. If you want to private contract hire the car over three years, you’d be looking at paying somewhere between £160 and £220 per month + VAT depending on trim.
Because of the youthful market this car is aimed at, it isn’t going to cost you an arm and a leg to run. But although Hyundai claims that their turbocharged 1.0-litre three pot petrol engine is capable of returning 58.9mpg, we only managed 41.3mpg off our test drive. Any keen driving enthusiast will struggle to match the brand’s official figures, but 41mpg is not too bad.
The1.2-litre petrol unit, though, is capable of returning 55.4mpg, while costing you £30 per year to tax thanks to 119g/km of CO2.
The Hyundai coupe is cheap to insure. The 1.2-litre petrol sits in group 5, while a fixed-price 3-year service plan will set you back jus £349. Opt for a 5-year plan, and it’ll cost you £649. If you prefer a diesel, you will have to pay an extra £100 on top of either plan.
Pros And Cons Of The Hyundai i20 Coupe
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Pros:
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Looks Smart
Coupe’s live and die by their looks. But if you were concerned that a fairly inexpensive coupe from Hyundai wasn’t going to look the part, we can ease your fears. It looks smart, and although looks similar to the five-door from which it’s derived, the smaller windows and the high-set tail serve to give it a racier appearance.
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Five-Year Warranty
Most cars in this sector offer the bog-standard three-year warranty. Even the likes of Skoda who are known for their amazing value for money offer just a 3-year plan. Hyundai offer a five-year warranty, which is super pleasing and is one of the many things to like about the i20 coupe.
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Cheap To Run
It’s hard to complain with the running costs of this sporty coupe, even if it’s hard to achieve the official figures. From the most frugal engine, Hyundai claim returns of 68mpg. And while it’s going to be very hard to achieve that magic number in the real world, returns of around 55mpg are still pleasing and won’t damage your wallet too much.
Put it this way: You can have a ball in this coupe without worrying about the cost. And that’s what matters, right?[vc_column_inner width=”1/2″]
Cons:
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Not The Sportiest To Drive
Although this is a coupe, it doesn’t feel particularly sporty to drive. In fact, it feels almost the same as the 5-door. Whether or not that’s a bad thing will come down to personal discretion, as the comfy suspension setup adds composure and will certainly please some of you. Body roll is at a premium, while the steering is direct.
At speed, the i20 coupe is safe – but not very racy.
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Lacks Practicality
If you’re buying this coupe because it’s measured and composed out on the open road and drives like the 5-door, you might be keen for some practicality, too. It disappoints in this respect. Thanks to a spare wheel, boot size is shrunk so that it’s smaller than the hatch. The lack of extra doors makes access to the rear troublesome, while back seat space is cramped.
Hyundai i20 Coupe vs Ford Fiesta Hatchback vs SEAT Ibiza Sport Hatchback
Hyundai i20 Coupe vs Ford Fiesta Hatchback
[vc_column_inner width=”2/3″][vc_single_image image=”38102″ img_size=”article-image”][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″]At the time of writing this Hyundai i20 Coupe review, the Ford Fiesta Hatchback is the most popular new car in the UK. For a supermini hatch, it has a lot going for it.
One of its biggest strengths is its drivable: The Fiesta is fantastic to drive, and neither can any other car in its class rival it for fun behind the wheel, but the i20 Coupe can’t, either. You don’t need to be a boy racer to appreciate the way the Fiesta moves itself. The direct steering helps you connect with the road, and its nimbleness is pure joy.If the coupe can’t outwit a small hatch in terms of drivability, where can it outmatch its rival? The Hyundai looks smarter – but only just. Because its exterior aesthetics are derived from the five-door hatch, the coupe looks kinda like a hatch itself. But it does have a sportier, racier prowess that should satisfy keen driving enthusiasts who are on the lookout for a budget racer.
The Fiesta, despite its erstwhile contemporary good looks, lacks a coupe’s sexual magnetism.
But it really isn’t much use if a coupe looks the part but fails to deliver the goods. Not only does the i20 lack a bit of bite and menace on the road, but it’s also not got the best fuel economy. While 55mpg isn’t too bad, it can’t compete with the astonishing 88mpg returned by the most frugal unit in the Fiesta’s armoury. This 1.5-litre TDCi diesel engine is also free to tax.
In fact, Ford claim that all their diesel units can return at least 75mpg.
The Fiesta, though, is just as impractical as the Hyundai. The boot is small, the rear seats are cramped, and headroom is suspect. Practicality really does let it down.
Price:
Hyundai – £13,000 – £17,200
Ford – £10,000 – £18,500
Hyundai i20 Coupe vs. SEAT Ibiza Sport Hatchback
[vc_column_inner width=”1/3″]As ever with a SEAT, the SEAT Ibiza Sport Hatchback is stylish, handles like a dream, and is easily one of the best superminis on the market right now.
Let’s start with its exciting handling. Second only to the Ford Fiesta in terms of its on-the-road dexterity, ride and handling are two of this car’s biggest strengths. It drives how you’d ideally want the Hyundai to drive, with gaiety and thrills and spills the order of the day. It’s comfortable too, thanks to a suspension setup that offers balance.[vc_column_inner width=”2/3″][vc_single_image image=”38104″ img_size=”article-image”]The SEAT is also incredibly cheap to run – if you opt for the entry level engines, that is. While these units are good for 80mpg, they’re slow and not especially exciting. For one of the more performative petrol engines, you’d be looking at returns of around 58mpg, which is competitive with the i20 Coupe. The Ibiza Sport Hatchback comes with a three-year/60,000 mile warranty as standard, while the Hyundai comes with a five year/100,000 warranty.
The SEAT, like the Hyundai, is good to look at. It’s stylishly designed, and hints at a sporty drive – a promise it delivers on. But like the Hyundai and the Ford, it isn’t particularly practical. The 292-litre boot is decent but nothing special, although this can be extended to 847-litres when you fold the rear seats down. Storage throughout the cabin is poor, while rear-seat space is a major weakness. Adults in the back will tire on longer journeys.
The driving position in the Ibiza Hatchback is good, though. The seat is height-adjustable for maximum comfort, but rear visibility is not so great. The interior is adorned in high quality for the most part, with only a few dull plastics here and there.
Price:
SEAT – £10,000 – £17,500
Verdict Of Our Hyundai i20 Coupe Review
[vc_single_image image=”38105″ img_size=”article-image”]You might have a decision on your hands with this one. Do you go for the relatively inexpensive i20 and spend the golden years of your youth in a coupe? Or do you wise-up slightly and opt for a hatchback that probably drives better, is more practical – but lacks that killer look?
It’s a tough one. The Hyundai i20 Coupe will have its moments, but you need to decide whether it’s moments or substance that you need right now.[vc_separator color=”custom” accent_color=”#00625a”][vc_row content_placement=”middle” bg_type=”image” parallax_style=”vcpb-default” bg_image_new=”id^51445|url^https://www.osv.ltd.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/MercedesGLE0915.jpg|caption^null|alt^Mercedes GLE Front View|title^MercedesGLE0915|description^null” css=”.vc_custom_1581605058065{margin-right: 10px !important;margin-bottom: 10px !important;background-color: #f4f4f4 !important;}”][vc_column width=”1/6″ css=”.vc_custom_1581605012017{margin-top: 20px !important;margin-right: 10px !important;margin-bottom: 20px !important;margin-left: 30px !important;border-bottom-width: 10px !important;padding-bottom: 10px !important;}”]
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