autos

Hyundai i10 is a doddle to drive and packed with tech young drivers will love


THIS is probably the first – and the last – time Barry White gets a namecheck on these pages.

But here’s the first and last car you’ll ever need. Yep, it’s your everything.

 THE all-new i10 is a tidy little motor that would suit a 17-year-old as much as a 77-year-old and vice versa

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THE all-new i10 is a tidy little motor that would suit a 17-year-old as much as a 77-year-old and vice versa

Allow me to explain.

The all-new i10 is a tidy little motor that would suit a 17-year-old as much as a 77-year-old and vice versa.

Young drivers will love it because it has Apple CarPlay, wireless charging, 8in touchscreen, two-tone paint and four wheels. And four wheels means freedom.

Parents will love it because it’s safe and reliable and not too fast.

 Young drivers will love it because it has Apple CarPlay, wireless charging, 8in touchscreen, two-tone paint and four wheels

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Young drivers will love it because it has Apple CarPlay, wireless charging, 8in touchscreen, two-tone paint and four wheelsCredit: 2019 MARTIN BRENT

Old people will love it for everything I’ve just mentioned plus the heated seats and heated steering wheel.

But above all that, it’s great value and costs pennies to run.

The 1-litre SE starts at £12,495. Finance from £165 a month.

I’ve just spent a week running about in the top-spec i10 Premium, powered by a 1.2-litre petrol.

Yes. It does good numbers in terms of fuel economy and CO2, as it should for a bantamweight with a small footprint.

 Have a smooth drive with Barry White on your speakers

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Have a smooth drive with Barry White on your speakers

No. It won’t get you to Nando’s or the village bowls club in a hurry because it’s not meant to. But it’ll keep your licence clean.

Other positives: Doddle to drive. Nice light steering. Easy to park. Chunky air-con dials.

New reversing camera to stop you backing into something you shouldn’t. Cornering lights that brighten the drive as you pull in.

Plus the i10 has all sorts of driver assistance tech — and something called eCall which automatically alerts the emergency services if the airbags go off.

WELL THOUGHT OUT

This little thing wants to love you like your own mother.

Negatives: There’s not enough steering wheel adjustment to get properly comfy and the parcel shelf is as flimsy as an egg box.

And, er, that’s it.

The rest of the cabin is well thought out, with lots of handy storage bins for phones, coins, drinks and so on, and the Premium trim has nice blobs of 3D honeycomb detailing on the dash and doors.

 Parents will love it because it’s safe and reliable and not too fast.

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Parents will love it because it’s safe and reliable and not too fast.

You will see little hexagon patterns dotted around the exterior, too. Sporty N-Line trim with punchy 1-litre turbo to follow this summer.

Now, I’m not going to say the i10 is as cool or as cutesy as a Fiat 500 because it’s not.

But it is more bubbly than the shopping trolley it replaces.

My son had the old i10 as his first car and I don’t remember him pulling any girls with it.

He might do now.

Especially with a bit of Barry on Spotify.

Key facts

HYUNDAI i10 PREMIUM

Price: £14,995

Engine: 1.2litre petrol

Power: 84hp, 118Nm

0-62mph: 12.6 secs

Top speed: 106mph

Economy: 55mpg

CO2: 108g/km

Rivals: Kia Picanto, Fiat 500, Peugeot 108

Out: Now

Hyundai kills off the car key by letting you unlock and start its new motor with a smartphone

 





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