A grey and perfectly pregnant cloud reflects in the sheeny paintwork like an ethereal marshmallow smeared on a mirror, bulging with the silent threat of rain. Yet I fear not the imminent aqueous attack from above for I am about to seek shelter in a small but perfectly formed raincoat. And the good news is, it’s a raincoat packed with 1.2 litres of pure motive power.
You may pause for a moment to reflect on that number yet its true weight and meaning may slip by like the slow scudding clouds of this oleaginously Autumnal day until you discover the name of the frame in which they sit. i10.
Yes, we’ve already seen Hyundai’s bella bambino and supped upon its cup of excellence but those first ‘10s were a mere 1.1-litre and if they lacked for one thing it was a full set of petrol testicles. Now that question has been solved. As Mr Marks & Spencer might say, this isn’t just any i10. This is an i10 that’s 0.1 better. Let’s do this thing.
First impressions are of a bucket more grunt in the guts right where you need, it deep on the peak of the power band. The even better news is that the hard points of the heart of the baby Hyundai remain as smooth and fruity as they always did. Gearchange as slick as a puddle of oil poured onto a silk eel. Ride as compliant as a pile of pillows stuffed full of a North Korean leader’s assistants. Handling that is both safe as houses with condoms on top yet entertaining enough to make you believe the spring settings were signed off by Tommy Cooper. I snowballed into a corner, lifted hard off the gas and felt the tail step out. I simply caught it with a dab of oppo and I was away.
The Hyundai i10 1.2 Comfort is a bitch. And I spanked it.
Troy Queef is Executive Associate Editor-at-large for DAB OF OPPO magazine
