Various engines are being offered with this car in other markets but here, for mainstreams versions, we only get a single unit - a 1.0-litre T-GDi petrol powerplant, though it does come with a choice of outputs - either 100PS or, on the sporty 'N Line' models, with 120PS. Either way, you get a 48-volt mild hybrid powertrain, a system which harvests energy that would otherwise be wasted under deceleration and can redeploy that power to reduce load on the engine. This car is offered with either a freshly developed 6-speed iMT manual gearbox or 7-speed 7DCT auto transmission. The 'iMT' manual 'box is interesting, featuring an electronic clutch able to decouple the gearbox from the engine when coasting to save fuel. At the top of the range, there's also a separate, rather wild, i20 N model, which uses a 1.6-litre four cylinder turbo petrol unit developing 204PS.
Across the range, the i20 has always made great play of being designed by Europeans, in Europe for European conditions, so it's no surprise that buyers of this model have always liked the way the car drives. With this MK3 version, the steering system (as before) is a brushless a/c electric motor-driven steering set-up that offers a really tight turning radius - which should make the car easy to navigate in town. Excellent forward visibility is enabled by the slim front A-pillars. Hyundai says that it's concentrated on keeping the steering light and direct, which should further help in an urban environment. This and the wheel-at-each-corner design makes each extremity of the car easy to position and it ought to be simplicity itself to park. Just as a supermini should be.
