2010 Suzuki Grand Vitara JLX-L V6 Review

The Suzuki Vitara is old news. Introduced in 1988, it’s in fact a contemporary of the Jeep Cherokee, the grand daddy of all SUVs. The Vitara has become known as « Grand » over the years, both figuratively and literally. As it has grown in size and gained muscle mass since the days of the first Vitara's, so too has its equipment considerably improved. However, one thing never changed: the Japanese machine has always remained a hard-core SUV, ready to tackle the deepest, darkest woods. This is one book you can judge by its cover.

Contrary to the Nissan Rogue, the Honda CR-V and the like, the Grand Vitara is a TRUE off-road machine. Its generous ground clearance and short front and rear overhangs are proof of this.

Of course, most Grand Vitara buyers will rarely venture off the beaten track.

They’ll have chosen it instead for its reasonable size, its decent towing capacity and its average overall fuel efficiency, as well as its sturdy build and spacious, versatile cabin.

In Canada, the Grand Vitara family is of a simpler nature. The four-wheel drive system with low mode and the automatic transmission are both standard equipment, effectively eliminating the rear-wheel-drive and manual models seen in the US lineup. On the other hand, who’d be interested in a pseudo off-roader like that?

4-banger or V6, that is the question
In this light, when you go for the Japanese SUV, your choice basically boils down to the type of engine. Shall we make it a 4-cylinder mill or a V6? Endowment-wise, JLX and JLX-L (the mid-range, most opulent version) variants exist for these two engines. The entry-level JX, a somewhat “lighter” version, can only be powered by the 4-cylinder number. Which is only logical, as it banks above all on affordable pricing ($27,995).

So the choice of engine should be made according to the use the Grand Vitara will be put to. If towing prowess is a priority, again, in Canada all the Grand Vitaras are similar, featuring the same towing capacity of 1,360 kg or 3,000 lb. Yikes! That’s enough to haul a trailer laden with a small boat, an ATV or a motorcycle.

The answer to the question above is found in the engines’ output. The V6 has a dual advantage over the 4-banger, churning out 230 hp instead of 166 and 213 ft-lb of torque at 3,500 rpm instead of 162 ft-lb at 4,000 rpm. Translation: the V6 has more towing grunt to offer.

Source From : http://www.auto123.com

Ford Fiesta 2010 Review

New car report; Extended Fiesta range.

Ford’s funky little Fiesta hardly seems to have been around long enough to warrant a facelift, but to complement the numerous engineering enhancements for 2011 the exterior has been given a makeover too.

Exterior modifications are kept to a minimum, with subtle changes to the lower grille, new wheel designs, body-coloured bumpers, new paint colours and some changes to interior trim materials.

But the real changes are those that are more than skin deep, with the useful technical upgrades enhancing an already very capable car.

When launched in 2009, Ford offered two Zetec models; a 1.6 litre manual and a 1.4 litre automatic. We found the 1.6 manual particularly impressive, but while the 1.4 automatic was a very good city car, we felt it struggled a little on the open road, not only due to the smaller engine capacity, but we would have preferred a five speed auto over the four speed unit Ford had opted for.

But for the latest round of enhancements, Ford has gone one better and given us two more ratios in the form of a six speed Power shift automatic, as well as upgrading the engine capacity to 1.6 liters. All manual versions retain a 5 speed ‘box.

Zetec models continue with the sporty theme, with sport suspension, a sport body kit and more bright work for the new model, with chrome accents around the front fog lights on the outside and bright highlights in the cabin.

The new Powershift automatic transmission is of the new dual clutch design we’ve raved about in other vehicles previously, and its fitment in the 2011 Fiesta gives us yet another box to tick on the positive side of the ledger for Ford.

More models to appeal to more buyers.

The Fiesta range has also been extended to include a wider model range, giving buyers a greater number of options to choose from.

In addition to the manual and automatic Zetec models, Ford has introduced a pair of lower priced petrol powered LX models, one manual and one auto, as well as a manual LX diesel, added to the previously announced range-topping ECOnetic model, also with diesel power.

As the name suggests, the Fiesta ECOnetic is the environmentally friendly, greenest model in the range, returning a claimed 3.7l/100km, making it New Zealand’s most fuel-efficient vehicle according to Ford. The ECOnetic has many of the usual array of fuel saving enhancements, including low rolling resistance tyres and a re-mapped engine management, although there’s no stop/start system as with many of the ECO competitors.

The 1.6 litre petrol engines for both manual and Powershift automatic versions produce 89kW of power and 151Nm of torque and regardless of transmission Ford quotes a fuel consumption figure of 6.1l/100km. Pricing starts at $23,990 for the LX petrol manual and $25,990 for the automatic, while the Zetec models command a $2,000 premium at $25,990 for the manual and $27,990 for the auto.

The LX 1.6 diesel manual with a 66kW/200Nm 1.6 litre power plant achieves a quoted 4.4l/100km and retails for $25,990 while the ECOnetic diesel with the same engine capacity produces 70kW/200Nm, with a retail sticker of $30,990.

Ford's global car plan realised.

Ford told us at the original Fiesta launch that their new baby was to become a truly global model, and with the introduction of the enhanced model range, most models for our market are now no longer coming from Europe, but are built at a plant in Thailand.

While every bit as good on the road as the European built Fiesta we had before, the soft touch dash top material has gone and made way for a harder plastic moulding and the spare wheel has been replaced with a Tyre Mobility Kit (TMK). Also, we're used to seeing double clutch auto's having a manual mode and paddle shifters, but no such gadgetry for the Fiesta.
A spare wheel can be ordered as an accessory item and perhaps manual shifting isn't needed in this sector, but we wonder why the Thai plant couldn’t match the nicer quality dash finish of European built car, which is still present in the  ECOnetic model which continues to be built in Europe.

The high equipment levels that impressed us back in 2009 remain, with all models fitted with Bluetooth, voice activation, USB and Aux interfaces for personal entertainment devices, steering wheel mounted audio controls, cruise control and safety features including curtain airbags and Dynamic Stability Control.  

Still the like able little car it always was, buyers now have more choice, more power in automatic models and a world class transmission.

Source From : http://www.aa.co.nz/

Honda CR-Z Review

That said the CR-Z is as different a car to the CR-X as a zebra is to a horse. Standing in the cold chill of an approaching Japanese winter, the blood-red CR-Z basked in the warm sun and showed off its curves in splendid galore. The basic body style harks back to the original car from the 80s with its low bonnet-high boot config, but that was just about it. The best part is that Honda’s designers haven’t attempted a CR-X redux, but started afresh with heavy 21st century technology injected in its DNA. Modern-day norms have dictated the CR-Z’s styling quite a bit as can be noticed in the absence of a sharp front end or even the missing flared wheel arches - all sacrificed in the name of increased pedestrian safety, but none of that takes away from the fact that the CR-Z is a super-hot I’d-exchange-one-for-my-girlfriend kind of car. All the way from the horizontal slats on the massive front grille to the split-window rear, it's as if the CR-Z is just tempting you to take it for a drive, and that we did. Strapped into the driver's seat you immediately notice how the CR-Z has been designed around the driver with all the necessary controls centered towards making life behind the wheel as less of a stretch as possible. The small-diameter steering wheel and the funky three-pod instrument cluster that changes colour depending on what mode you’re driving in and how efficiently you’re using your right foot extends the sporty feel that the car's styling starts out with on the outside. The air-con controls are all next to the cluster mound and even the optional sat-nav screen is ever-so-slightly biased towards the driver's view. Then you slot the 6-speed manual transmission into gear and your life changes.

The boffins at Honda's R&D centre have been spending quite some time around researching for advanced engine technology and alternate propulsion systems. We’ve had a taste of their hybrid drive technology right here in India as well in the form of the Civic Hybrid. They call it Integrated Motor Assist or IMA for short and what it does is mate an electric motor to a gasoline engine to help with acceleration and heavy-traffic situations - basically driving conditions that tend to burn up a lot more fuel in a gasoline-only setup thereby bringing emissions down and efficiency up. While the Civic Hybrid may have left yours truly a tad disappointed with the complete lack of performance compared to the normal Civic (going hybrid shouldn't mean sacrificing on driving pleasure now, right?), and the likes of Ferrari and Porsche's hybrid programmes may well be within out of reach, what the CR-Z has attempted to do is bring the performance-hybrid genre within the reach of the more common man.

An estimated 0-100 km/h time of sub-10 seconds is testimony to that fact. I know what you're thinking, but even though the CR-Z isn’t as quick off the line as we enthusiasts would want our rides to be, it still brings about a great balance between going fast, saving the earth and being able to afford doing so. The trick lies not only in the 1.5 litre petrol engine making 124 PS @ 6000rpm and 174 Nm between 1000-1750 rpm but also in the electric motor that is capable of making 13 horsepower and 79 Nm all on its own. With growing environmental responsibilities, this setup has enabled Honda to reduce the driving component of CO2 emissions as far as possible through the life cycle of the CR-Z.

CR-Z

• 122-hp, 1.5-Liter, 16-Valve i-VTEC^® Engine with Integrated Motor Assist IMA^®
• 160-Watt AM/FM/CD Audio System with 6 Speakers and USB Audio Interface[2]
• 3-mode drive system (ECON, NORMAL, SPORT)
• Eco Assist™[3]
• Vehicle Stability Assist™ (VSA^®) with Traction Control[4]
• Side Curtain Airbags
• Security System with Remote Entry
• Air-Conditioning with Air-Filtration System
• Daytime Running Lights (DRL)
• LED brake lights

Technical Features

• 122-hp, 1.5-Liter, 16-Valve, i-VTEC^® 4-Cylinder Engine with Integrated Motor Assist IMA^®
• 3-Mode Drive System (Sport/Normal/ECON)
• AT-PZEV CARB Emissions Rating[7] 
• 100.8-volt nickel-metal hydride (Ni-MH) battery pack
• Drive-by-Wire™ Throttle System
• Cruise control
• Unit-Body Construction
• MacPherson strut front suspension
• Torsion-beam rear suspension
• Front and rear stabilizer bars
• Electric power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering (EPS)
• Power-assisted 4-wheel disc brakes

Safety Features

• Driver's and front passenger's seat-belt reminder
• Dual-stage, multiple-threshold front airbags (SRS)
• Front side airbags with passenger-side Occupant Position Detection System (OPDS)
• Side curtain airbags
• Driver's and passenger's active head restraints
• Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) body structure
• Anti-lock braking system (ABS)
• Vehicle Stability Assist™ (VSA^®) with traction control[4] 
• Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD)
• Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)[8] 
• Side-impact door beams

Interior Features

• Automatic climate control with air-filtration
• Power windows with auto-up/down driver's window
• Driver's illuminated window switch
• Power door locks
• Tilt and telescopic steering column
• Illuminated steering wheel-mounted MID and audio controls
• 3 beverage holders
• Door-pocket storage bins
• 12-volt power outlet
• Rear window defroster
• Driver's seat with manual height adjustment
• Reclining seatbacks
• Ambient console lighting
• Rear cargo console
• Cargo area light
• Cargo cover
• 160-watt AM/FM/CD audio system with 6 speakers
• Radio Data System (RDS) (Not available on EX with Navigation)
• MP3/auxiliary input jack
• USB Audio Interface[2] 
• Windows Media^® Audio (WMA) playback capability[9] 
• Speed-Sensitive Volume Control (SVC)
• Backlit gauges
• IMA charge and assist indicator
• Multi-Information Display (MID)
• Exterior temperature indicator
• Maintenance Minder™ System

Exterior Features

• 16" alloy wheels
• P195/55/16 86V all-season tires
• Fin-type roof-mounted antenna
• Security system with remote entry
• Body-colored, heated folding power side mirrors with integrated turn indicators
• Variable intermittent windshield wipers
• Rear window wiper/washer
• Projector-beam halogen headlights
• LED brake lights

Source Specification Honda CR-Z from http://automobiles.honda.com

Mazda 6 Luxury Review

The Mazda 6 team started with a sporty looking exterior. They wrapped the frame with tight sheet metal and added sharp creases that give the car a sexy look especially when viewed from the side or the rear. I was not fond of the big, blunt bumper that did not seem to fit the tight lines found on the rest of the car. I was also a little bothered by the rather big side view mirrors; they look like a pair of big ears. They cause a good amount of wind noise and are prone to a constant barrage of insects on the interstate. Contradictory to what you would think, the actual mirror inside the side view case was so little it left huge blind spots that will certainly make any driver practice his blind spot check routine, that he learned in driver’s education, on a daily basis. I was also a little disparaged that Mazda added another pair of red reflectors to the rear bumper; it is an attempt to make the rear look cool but it only makes it look busy.

There are several reasons for the inspired confidence. The MPS, which stands for Mazda Performance Series, is based on the standard saloon but with a few key differences. For a start, the bodyshell has been reinforced increasing the torsional stiffness by 50 per cent and the chassis has been ‘race-tuned’ for sportiness without the sacrifice of ride comfort.

In addition, the MPS features an Active Torque Split All-wheel-drive system, which uses sensors to monitor steering angle, lateral forces, yaw rate and engine status. Depending on the information received, the system can electronically control the torque distribution and has presets for Sport, Normal and Stability.

There is little point in producing a fast car unless you can also stop in a hurry. To this end the MPS has disc-brakes all round. Those at the front are ventilated and the rear discs are solid. They are larger in diameter than those on the standard car and are complimented by heftier brake calipers. The braking system is also backed up by ABS with EBD and Emergency Brake Assist (EBA). There is also Dynamic Stability Control and Traction Control to help keep the car on the straight and narrow while the passive safety system includes six airbags as standard and a brake pedal that doesn’t intrude into the footwell in the event of a collision.

The idea behind using the 2.3i DISI (Direct Injection Spark Ignition) engine and turbocharger rather than a bigger engine is to get better low and mid-range torque while keeping the fuel consumption at a reasonable level. The official figures are 20.0mpg, 35.3mpg and 27.7mpg for the urban, extra-urban and combined respectively, while CO2 emissions are posted as 245g/km putting the MPS in VED band F.

The MPS differs visually from the standard Mazda6 in that it has a unique front grille, sports bumpers and side skirts, a discrete rear spoiler on the boot lid and dual exhaust pipes. Also, the bonnet has been raised by 40mm for a more aggressive appearance.

Inside the Mazda 6, it feels like every other midsize family sedan. The interior is a comfortable place for your daily commute. The combination of grays, blacks and chrome gave the interior a nice, modern look. It is a big cabin with plenty of leg and headroom. The driver and passenger seat look a little cumbersome with their overstuffed chairs but they were cozy with solid side bolsters to hold you in place for any sporty driving. I have never personally used the small pockets on the back of the front seats that some cars come equipped with; however, I am pretty sure it is in the best interest of the driver to have one located on the back of the passenger seat instead of the only one being located on the back of the driver’s seat like in the Mazda 6. 

The center dash layout is a little cluttered although the buttons are easily decipherable. The air conditioner always seemed to blow at a low speed, even at its highest setting, and made cooling down the car on a hot summer day a long affair. To cut costs Mazda obviously uses the same center console for automatic and manual equipped cars, unfortunately, that puts any cups right in the way of the driver’s arm in the manual equipped cars. The steering wheel has a nice thick rim, with easily accessible radio control buttons, and the whole thing has a small circumference that reminded me of something you might find in a go-kart. The controls to adjust the driver seat were made big so they could be easy to find while driving, however I think Mazda went overboard with this idea. The first thing you notice as you look inside the cabin with the door open is the enormous pulls that rest along the door side of the driver’s and passenger’s seats. Even Andre the Giant’s hands would look small next to these levers! The back seat has enough room even for people over six feet. The middle of the backseat fold down to act as a center armrest and even includes a pair of small cup holders for child-sized drinks, but is useless with anything over a medium-sized cup. The trunk is deep with a nice sized opening; the back seats also fold flat to accommodate any larger items making the storage potential huge.


Putting the key in the ignition is made a little easier at night because of the small ignition light that comes on. The engine starts up with a barely audible purr and rests at a silent idle. The shifter is a little loose yet has positive, short throws. First gear is tall and makes any driver suddenly feel like a novice the initial time they try to come out of first. You have to feather the clutch and rev up the engine coming out of first or else you will bog the engine down with the lower rpms. Once up and running you could not ask for a smoother transmission. The rest of the gears ratios are so perfect it makes shift shock nonexistent. The engine spools up like a sewing machine with only had a hint of roughness at the higher Rpms. The sound of the intake and sporty dual exhaust is a sweet symphony and combined with the smooth operation of the transmission causes any driver to feel like a professional race car driver; rowing through the gears has never been so much fun!


The car’s steering feedback and neutral handling make any turn a joy that you look forward to doing again and again. Everything you want to know is told through that steering wheel while everything you don’t want to feel, like harsh road bumps, is isolated out. The suspension offers a great combination of sporty handling with a smooth ride and takes full advantage of the iron rims and good sized 205/60R 16s. Take a hard turn and the suspension and tires reassure you with constant grip although there is some moderate body roll with some at the limit understeer.

Mazda 6 Luxury

• Engine 2,488 cc
• Max Power 125 Kw @ 6,000 Rpm
• Max Torque 226 Nm @ 4,000 Rpm
• Fuel Consumption 8.7 Liters per 100 km
  

Technical Features

• Engine type  2.5 litre in-line 4 cylinder 16 valve DOHC S-VT
• Throttle control Electronic (drive-by-wire)
• Fuel system  Fuel system 
• Fuel tank capacity  64 litres

Safety Features

•  Active head restraints (front) 
• Airbags SRS: front (driver and passenger)
• Airbags SRS: side (front)
• Airbags SRS: curtain (front and rear)
• Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) 
• Child restraint anchor points  
• Childproof rear door locks 
• Day/night rear vision mirror  
• 'Double lock' door deadlock function 
• Dynamic Stability Control (DSC)  
• Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD) 
• Emergency Brake Assist (EBA)  
• Engine immobiliser 
• High mount stop lamp  
• Intrusion-minimising brake pedal 
• Left-hand-side convex (wide angle) exterior mirror  
• One touch (up and down) power window (driver) 
• Parking sensors (front & rear)  
• Remote central locking (2 transmitters with retractable key) 
• Seat-belt warning audible and visual (front)  
• Seat-belts 3-point lap-sash (all seats) 
• Seat-belts (front) with pretensioners, load-limiters and height adjustable shoulder anchorages  
• Side impact door beams 
• Traction Control System (TCS)  
• Traction Control System (TCS)

Interior Features

• 12 volt power outlet  
• Air-conditioning (dual-zone climate control) 
• Ambient temperature display 
• Blackout instrument cluster 
• Centre armrest console (sliding)  
• Critical function warning lights/chimes 
• Cupholders  
• Digital clock 
• Door courtesy lamps (front)  
• Door map pockets (front) 
• Driver's left footrest  
• Glasses storage compartment 
• Glove box (lockable and illuminated)  
• Headlamps auto on/off function 
• etc

 Exterior Features

• Aerial printed into rear glass 
• Body kit comprising: aero bumper (front)
• Body kit comprising: aero bumper (rear)
• Body kit comprising: integrated side skirts
• Exhaust extensions (chrome) 
• Fog-lamps (front)  
• Front and rear bumpers (body coloured) 
• Green-tinted windscreen, side and rear windows  
• Headlamps (Halogen) 
• Headlamps (Xenon low beam)
• Metallic/Mica paint 
• Power mirrors (body coloured)  
• Power sliding and tilt glass sun-roof 
• Power windows  
• Roof rack mounting points 
• Tail-lamps (LED)  

Source Specification Mazda 6 Luxury from http://mazda.com.au

Land Rover Freelander SE3

The introduction of Land Rover's Freelander SE3 in this country coincided with the trials for the company's global G4 outdoor adventure competition—basically, a renaming of the grueling Camel Trophy off-road challenge, which has run in impossible places such as Borneo. Thus, we were able to try out some of the driving sections set up in Nevada to eliminate contenders seeking a place on the U.S. team.

One was a narrow autocross track with a few berms and hills on it, another was an off-road course with steep hills and rutted, tortuous sections. Apart from weeding out contestants, the two courses helped convince journalists that the Freelander SE3 does indeed have some of the famous off-road capabilities usually considered to be Land Rover's heritage. That's perhaps a surprise in light of the Freelander's monocoque body (albeit with various underfloor box-section structures), full-time four-wheel drive, and lack of hard-core off-road devices such as low-range gearing or locking differentials. Instead, the Freelander makes do with a center viscous coupling, a low first gear, and ABS-managed hill-descent control.

It may surprise you to learn that once you've abandoned the low-range, locked-up off-road driving style and adapted to the somewhat faster hill-approach technique required of the Freelander, the little Landie gets over some pretty tough terrain.

Not that most of the sport-utility market cares. Hence the metamorphosis of what we used to expect of a Land Rover—a mud slogger with solid axles and transfer-case, low-range four-wheel drive—into what we get with the Freelander; that is, the same basic mechanical equipment as in a thoroughly house-trained Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, or Ford Escape, all rolled into a similarly cute, compact SUV package.

And now, to further reduce the utility of an already pretty small vehicle, the SE3 is a two-door, despite sharing nearly the same dimensions as the original five-door Freelander. Let's see, where else has this formula worked? But listen, the SE3 offers something status-conscious suburbanites will buy into, particularly if they live in a sunny, preferably coastal environment: detachable sunroof panels and rear roof section for open-top operation while surfing, boating, or just plain posing.

To adopt the look, you just pop out the sunroof panels, remove the roof-rack rails, and detach the rear canopy. That's at home, before you leave, of course. There's nowhere in this small vehicle to carry the stuff. But there is a softtop option that you could take along in case of rain.

Small it may be, but spartan it is not. The rear window is powered. Standard equipment includes a nine-speaker Harman/Kardon stereo with an in-dash CD player. A six-disc changer is also available.

The stock seats in the SE3 are black vinyl (Land Rover calls it Technical Fabric), which is something like the mutant's skin in the X-Men movie. They also look hose-washable, but waterproof seat covers are listed among the options, so they probably are not. Other than these few items, the SE3's equipment list reads much like that of its five-door sibling. Unchanged are the vehicle's 2.5-liter V-6, five-speed Jatco automatic with manumatic override, all-wheel-drive system with center viscous coupling, four-wheel traction control, hill-descent control, all-terrain anti-lock brakes, and power rack-and-pinion steering.

There are some revisions to the five-door '03 Freelander that the SE3 inherits. The ventilation system has been replaced with a unit that moves more air with less noise, and the gas tank has been enlarged to 16.9 gallons.

Naturally, we expect performance and handling from the convertible Freelander to be similar to that of its five-door sibling. Its curb weight slots within the range of the five-door's, and the gearing is identical. Well, no one will accuse it of being overpowered. Although the 174-hp V-6 needs to be spurred on to make decent time, the noises it makes are pleasant, and the acceleration is acceptably quick.

VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, 4-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 2-door truck
BASE PRICE: $26,995
ENGINE TYPE: DOHC 24-valve V-6, aluminum block and heads, Siemens MS43 engine-control system with port fuel injection
Displacement: 152 cu in, 2497cc
Power (SAE net): 174 bhp @ 6250 rpm
Torque (SAE net): 177 lb-ft @ 4000 rpm
TRANSMISSION: 5-speed automatic with lockup torque converter
DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 101.0 in Length: 177.7 in Width: 71.1 in Height: 69.2 in
Curb weight: 3600 lb
C/D ESTIMATED PERFORMANCE:
Zero to 60 mph: 10.2 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 40.3 sec
Standing 1/4-mile: 17.8 sec @ 79 mph
Top speed (governor limited): 109 mph
PROJECTED FUEL ECONOMY:
EPA city driving: 17 mpg
EPA highway driving: 20 mpg

Source From : http://www.caranddriver.com/

Hyundai ix20

Meet the Hyundai that’s dressed for success! The Korean company has enjoyed a boom in small car sales over the past few years, and the bold-looking ix20 supermini-MPV is another model that’s set to be a big hit in the UK.

It’s the second car to carry the manufacturer’s European family face and the ‘fluidic sculpture’ design language that debuted on the ix35 crossover this year.

The swept-back headlights and wide hexagonal grille translate well to the smaller body, and the sloping roof and narrow C-pillars ensure that the ix20 has a more dynamic stance than boxy rivals such as Citroen’s C3 Picasso. Chrome surrounds in the foglamps and headlights are a neat touch, as are the wraparound tail-lamps and roof spoiler.

Inside, the cabin is sturdy and robust, with a high-quality feel. The blade-shaped door handles, chunky gearstick and leather-wrapped steering wheel exude class, and there’s an asymmetric ‘eco’ pattern on
the seats and speaker covers to match the grille – the inspiration comes from the skeleton of a leaf, according to Hyundai.

The ix20 certainly has strong green credentials, with class-leading CO2 emissions figures of 114g/km. Fuel consumption is similarly low, with stop-start, low-rolling-resistance tyres and an alternator management system contributing to combined economy of 65.7mpg.

Behind the wheel, the ix20 is everything you’d expect from a supermini-MPV. The steering is set up for ease of use, rather than hard cornering. Although the suspension copes with swift changes of direction, the ix20 feels much more at home on the motorway, where its supple ride and refinement shine through.

This is the first car that Hyundai has developed and tested on British roads, so the right-hand-drive versions get a set-up designed specifically to cope with our broken tarmac.

While the 1.4-litre diesel model we drove delivers strong economy figures, it doesn’t impress as much as the rest of the car. The unit is sluggish below 1,700rpm, and becomes noisy and somewhat strained higher up the rev range.

The Hyundai is still more refined than its Kia Venga sister model, but unless you plan on regularly driving long distances or carrying particularly heavy loads, the similarly sized petrol version is the more civilised choice. That being the case, practicality is a top priority, and the firm is keen to point out that, despite its size, the ix20 has more luggage space than a Volvo V50 estate.

The rear seats offer three-way adjustability, and slide independently to make the roomy interior even more flexible. When folded flat, storage space expands to 1,486 litres – comfortably more than the larger i30 hatchback.

Running costs have deliberately been kept as low as possible – services are needed only every 20,000 miles. There’s also an unlimited five-year warranty, and the ix20’s two insurance groups below most of its rivals.

Prices have yet to be confirmed, but the base-spec Classic should cost around £11,500, while the fully-loaded Style pictured here rises to just over £13,000.

So despite the recent injection of style in its cars, the ix20 ensures Hyundai still stands for value for money.

Source From : http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/carreviews/firstdrives/258373/hyundai_ix20.html#ixzz1D3tgHRtU