Driven: Hyundai i10 SE Review

Driven: Hyundai i10 SE Review

Following a week-long test drive of the Hyundai i10 SE here is our verdict on the car.

What is the Hyundai i10 SE all about?

The Hyundai i10 is the smallest car you can buy from Hyundai. You can purchase the i10 in six variations of trim, and the model we had on test was the middle of the range SE variant.

Hyundai i10 SE Review

The test car was fitted with the 1.0-litre three cylinder 65bhp engine, matched with a five speed manual gearbox. This means the car can get from 0-60 mph in 14.9 seconds and will give a top speed of 96mph. However, and most importantly for some, the car can achieve a combined fuel efficiency figure of 60mpg.

How does it drive?

From the driving seat of the Hyundai i10 you can instantly tell the car is fully dedicated to being a super-efficient city car. All the controls have been lightened as much as possible; this car has the lightest steering setup I have ever seen. You could actually spin the steering wheel with one finger without moving the car forwards to release resistance. The reason for making the control so light is that its helps with manoeuvring the car in car parks and tricky driving situations that you may find yourself in in your city car. The light steering in a small city car is a good match for those who are after a car that won’t take much effort to drive.

Hyundai i10 SE Night (20)

The power from that 1.0-litre 3 cylinder engine was a lot more effective than I thought it would be and it even had a great little raspy sound when you got the car up the rev range a bit. 65bhp is actually as much power as you will ever need in this car, even with a couple of people on-board the car doesn’t feel sluggish. The best thing about this small engine and the Hyundai i10 overall is just how well the car uses its fuel, or doesn’t use it as the case may be. The car can return up to 60mpg combined driving and I was able to achieve just under 50mpg, even after doing a lot of in town driving.

Hyundai i10 SE Day (44)

What is it like inside?

Inside the car is relatively basic, you have everything you will need, but it’s clear that the car was built to a low cost point. The media centre and driver instruments are lit up with a nice shade of blue in the dark. And although the instruments and controls are minimal in design, the blue light actually gives the car a great quality look at night.

Hyundai i10 SE Day (27)

Being a four door means that you can easily get people in the back, and there is surprisingly more room than you may think. The parts of the car that you touch, steering wheels, gear stick, hand brake and door handles all feel of a decent quality and are better than most in the sector.

Hyundai i10 SE Day (31)

The Experience

The Hyundai i10 driving experience is actually quite empowering, despite being in a super small city car you still feel very capable in the i10. The light controls give the car a super agile feel that make the car come to life and feel really reactive on the road.  The Hyundai i10 SE has a great feeling about it that is hard to pin point, because of the effortless control you feel jumping into the car and going on your next short journey has no stress or strain any more as the car just makes driving easier.

Hyundai i10 SE Night (4)

Verdict

The Hyundai i10 SE is a very affordable car at only £9,610 on the road. There aren’t many cars out there that you can buy under £10,000, let alone ones that do there jobs as well as this one. It meets all the basic requirements of a small city car and goes on to exceed expectations with its functional interior and lightweight fun driving style.

Hyundai i10 SE Review

Video Highlights

Specification

Hyundai i10 SE
  • Price: £ 9,610
  • Engine: 1.0-Litre
  • Power: 65bhp
  • Torque: 95 Nm
  • Transmission: 5 Speed Manual
  • 0-62mph: 14.9 Seconds
  • Top speed: 96mph
  • Weight: 993kg
  • Economy combined: 60mpg
  • CO2: 108g/km

Full Gallery7 Day Diary

Author: Paul Hadley