SA Road Tests

Welcome

This is the home of automobile road tests in South Africa. We drive South African cars, SUVs and LCVs under South African conditions. It also just happens that most of the vehicles we drive are world cars as well, so what you read here probably applies to the models you can get at home.
*To read one of our road tests, just select from the menu on the left.
*Please remember too, that prices quoted were those ruling on the days I wrote the stories.
 

Hyundai Motor SA has released a new sister for the Getz. We went along for the ride

This is a launch report. In other words, it's simply a new model announcement. The driving experience was limited to a short drive over a prepared course chosen to make the product look good. We can therefore not tell you what it will be like to live with over an extended period, how economical it is, or how reliable it will be. A very brief first impression is all we can give you until such time as we get an actual test unit for trial. Thank you for your patience.

Published in The Witness Motoring on Wednesday 15th July 2009

Pics supplied by distributor

European flair at Korean prices

If you want to sell to Europeans, it helps to know what they like. Hyundai’s new i20 is a case in point. Pitched slightly upmarket from the Getz, the i20 was developed at Hyundai’s engineering facility at Rüsselsheim in Germany. “But isn’t that where Opels come from?” you ask. It is and the fact that this baby looks disturbingly like a Corsa, may just be coincidence. You decide.

The point is that it goes and handles nicely, is well finished and well built and it’s equipped with toys one usually finds at higher price levels.

The i20 was designed from the ground up, using a new platform created specifically to facilitate Hyundai’s assault on Europe's fiercely competitive supermini segment. Built on a 2525mm wheelbase, the i20 has a generous passenger cabin to go with its style and packaging. Cabin treatment is very good for this class of car and for Europe at least, trim and equipment levels are certainly class-matching. This translates to good value, considering its pricing in comparison with its main European rivals.

The handiwork of Hyundai's European technical centre at Russelsheim, the car has been endowed with Euro-spec dynamic ability and tuned for decent handling and ride. The rigid new structure is key to this, with MacPherson strut suspension up front coupled with a torsion beam rear end.  Speed-sensitive, electrically assisted rack and pinion steering aids precise handling, while NVH levels have been greatly improved.

Output levels, at 74kW and 136 Nm for the 1,4 and 91 kW/156 Nm for the 1,6 Gamma generation engines, are in line with or slightly above those of the i20’s natural competitors.  The built-for-life, self-adjusting and silent cam chain is a bonus.

Apart from the kit one expects, such as single channel air conditioning, a single-disc CD player/radio with MP3 capability, ABS/EBD brakes, two airbags and power windows in front, the i20 adds power windows in the rear, foldaway outside mirrors, keyless entry, entertainment controls repeated on the steering wheel, height adjustable front seats (both sides) and a comprehensive on-board computer.  The steering wheel adjusts for both height and reach and the rear seats fold and tumble to create a nice big load area when needed.

The i20’s design philosophy is more than skin deep, with the body shell engineered to combine high strength and low weight. This is immediately apparent in the sense of solidity it imparts and there’s a big-car feel that is definitely more C- than B-segment. Said rigidity is borne out by the i20’s Five Star result in all four categories of the Euro NCAP crash tests.

Seatbelt warning buzzers and lights, a passenger airbag that can be rendered inoperative via the ignition key, three-point seatbelts for all three rear seat occupants, and head restraints designed to provide additional support to the upper body and neck in a rear end collision, add to the i20’s safety credentials. Needless to say, crumple zones and door impact beams are unseen, but very much present.

1,4 litre models are priced from R149 900 while 1,6 litre versions start at R159 900. An a/t option is expected in October. At this stage, no diesel models are in the pipeline.

Warranty: 5 years/150 000 km
Service plan: 3 years/60 000 km

What We Do

Comments?

Want to ask a question, comment or just tell me you thoroughly disagree with what I say? That's your privilege, because if everybody agreed on everything, the world would be a boring place. All I ask is that you remain calm, so please blow off a little steam before venting too vigorously. Contact me here

Back to Home page