test drives

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By Tim Saunders

Nearly thirty years ago I owned an old Ford Fiesta XR2 and really enjoyed it for its bucket seats, rasping exhaust and its stealth. It was lower to the ground than the standard Fiesta with a bigger 1.6-litre petrol engine. I am reminded of my youth when I find myself behind the wheel of the Hyundai i20 n-line, the modern day equivalent of my old hot hatch. Although the n-line can be quick it is also possible for it to return over 50mpg thanks to the choice of three driving modes: standard, sport and eco. It has a tiddly one-litre turbocharged GDi petrol engine coupled to a 48 volt mild hybrid system but despite this if driving in sport mode the range drops like a stone. With its 98bhp there is a little more oomph under the bonnet than the 84bhp that I enjoyed with my XR2 all those years ago.

With its purposeful styling, it’s an appealing hot hatch for today. It’s interesting that this model is fitted with a seven speed DCT gearbox and a traditional handbrake. Oh I would prefer a traditional five or six speed manual gearbox, which would really enhance the experience for me but this automatic box can be driven like a manual just by pushing it to the right and then up and down. This reminds me more of a computer console. However, I do enjoy the sound emanating from the exhaust as we go along, even at the slowest of speeds.

My son Henry (9) has discovered that the driver’s window can be opened and closed from the keyfob. This seems to be a growing trend because we’ve just driven a VW Golf whereby all the windows and the sunroof could be opened or closed by the keyfob.

We all like the black cloth trim and the seats are comfortable and supportive. The front seats are heated as is the steering wheel. There’s air conditioning, power folding wing mirrors, a sat nav and a good quality radio. The boot is a reasonable size and the detachable flooring is easy to clean when for instance you’ve returned from the tip…

I put it through its paces on a trip to the Isle of Wight. “There’s a motorbike behind us,” says my wife as I slow down in a 30mph zone.

“Uh, no that’s us,” says Henry (9), who enjoys the boy racer tone of the twin exhausts.

The island provides a variety of roads and there are some sharp inclines. The i20 holds the road well and corners nicely but I do find that despite being advised that the car is returning 48mpg the range drops quite sharply showing that during the day we seem to have driven 100 miles, which doesn’t ring true.

Facts at a glance

By Tim Saunders

“There’s no charge in it,” reveals the delivery driver of the VW Golf GTE plug in hybrid. “You’ll need to charge it. I’d do it on a three-pin plug in your home and it’ll take ten hours or so. Much better and more cost effective than using one at a petrol station or supermarket.”

Interesting, I think while at the same time thinking damn, driving isn’t as easy as it used to be. It’s an inset day for my son Henry (9) so I haven’t got time to mess about charging the car up. I’ve got to entertain, so we drive it to Gosport, have a picnic, go to the park and then play tennis as it’s a glorious day. We keep watching the dials on the dash for the battery which reads 0% charge yet it seems to still be driving on electric mode because we actually gain range, so I can’t quite fathom it all out. So I do some research and find that it can travel up to 81 miles on electric power alone, and gains range by charging from the mains or using the petrol engine to recharge the battery. Ah, so that’s what’s happening then.

I can see though how if the car is regularly charged then the fuel in the tank will stay there for some time. I don’t get round to charging it up before I go on a journey to Essex, about a hundred miles from my Hampshire home. Now, it’s interesting to note that nothing actually happens to the battery charge other than the occasional reading of 99.99mi/kwh on the screen but the percentage charge doesn’t alter from 0%. However, on the way back and I’m driving in the same manner, in eco mode, while crawling along in endless queues on the M25 the car’s battery records a 4% 4 mile charge. I do think the car should automatically start in eco mode rather than the less efficient comfort mode.

I have a confession to make, I leave the charging kit at home during my trek to Essex. Why? Space. The boot simply isn’t large enough for my family’s luggage. I have to remove the parcel shelf, too. We stay at Lee Valley Caravan Park where we discover that residents qualify for free EV battery charging. Yes, I kick myself but there’s enough fuel in the tank for it not to really be a problem. If it were a long-term loan, I’d be fed up.

Over the course of the test we all warm to the GTE. It can pootle with the best of them or it can outperform many a car at the traffic lights or on the motorway. You’ve got to be careful because this front wheel drive hatch has so much power going to those front wheels that the tyres won’t last long if you’re not careful. Personally, I would prefer a completely manual gearbox but instead there’s a DSG automatic one that can be driven like a manual thanks to the paddleshifts on the steering wheel. The driver gets a head up display where the speed is projected onto the windscreen in front of them.

The build quality on this the Mark 8 is excellent, as you might expect. Here is a car that feels that it can go on and on without complaint. The seats are supremely comfortable and the front ones are heated, which I really appreciate after I’ve been kayaking and am a bit cold and wet. Henry discovers that you can push all the windows down using the keyfob or indeed back up while shutting the sunroof. He’s a clever boy.

There’s rear privacy glass and a contemporary look to this, the latest Golf. We like the red brake callipers and the special grey/blue finish. “If I was flash,” says my wife Caroline, “I’d like the rear IQ lights that shut down one by one as the car is locked and light up as it is unlocked. That’s quite flash, I think and I haven’t seen other cars do this. I also like the VW hologram that is cast down on the ground at night, which is very cool.”

Facts at a glance