Hyundai‘s ix20 is the latest entrant to the supermini-MPV sector, joining the likes of the Nissan Note, Citroen C3 Picasso and Kia Venga.
The car comes with a choice of 89hp 1.4 petrol or diesel models, or the auto-only 1.6 petrol, and in three trim levels.
We’ve sampled the 1.4 CRDi diesel, which offers emissions of 114g/km, to slot into the lowest BIK banding, and an official fuel economy figure of 65.7mpg.
The engine offers good real-world economy, and the six-speed gearbox means motorway cruising is frugal, although performance and refinement are certainly no better than average. However, there’s a school of thought that at this level the petrol may be a better bet, offering the same power for £1400 less, plus emissions and economy of 130g/km and 50.4mpg respectively.
The looks are fairly anonymous but the cabin is well laid-out, and there’s plenty of rear passenger space, both in terms of head and legroom, without stealing boot space. At 440 litres the ix20 is unbeaten by rivals, with the C3 Picasso only offering 385 litres.
The level of equipment is reasonable, with ESP standard across the range, while the mid-spec Active trim has Bluetooth, rear parking sensors and alloys as standard. The only benefits of going up the £1000 to top-spec Style are full-length panoramic sunroof, front fog lights and electric-folding door mirrors with mounted side-repeaters.
The ix20 stacks up well in whole-life cost terms, recording a cost per mile of 37.3p in this top spec, according to KwikCarcost. That’s better than the equivalent Venga from subsidiary Kia and Nissan’s Note, although both are within 1.3p, while Citroen’s C3 Picasso is on 41.3p.
The ix20 is a good all-rounder that will serve well the kind of person looking for a flexible, small MPV.
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