Hyundai Getz
Prior to the introduction of the Hyundai i20, the Hyundai Getz was Hyundai’s first supermini offering. Prior to this, the Hyundai Accent had filled the space in the range, which initially made it far too big to compete with the likes of the VW Polo and the Ford Fiesta. Eventually as superminis became more popular towards the start of the 2000’s, Hyundai introduced the Getz.
The Getz was a supermini available as both a 3 door and a 5 door and was very quickly announced as the winner of a number of awards, including the Scottish Small Car of the Year, the What Car? budget car of the year, and the Budget Car Champion on Fifth gear. The Getz was one of the earlier Hyundai’s that heralded in a new era for the brand, where it was seen as a real contender amongst competitors. The car was set up to be comfortable to drive and as such came with a soft suspension that helped to smooth out bumps along the road. What helped to set the Getz apart was its wide array of equipment included as standard, including power steering, electric front windows and a CD Player.
First Generation i20
The first generation i20 was introduced in 2008, following the introduction of other models within the ‘I’ range, which introduced the naming convention that is still in use to this day. The model was designed with Europe in mind, from both the exterior and the interior. The i20 like the Getz came with a wide array of standard features, as well as the choice of three and five door body styles. The first generation also was awarded the highest five-star rating of 2008 by Euro NCAP.
In 2014, the first WRC i20 was introduced with the world rally circuit in its sites. The model was improved for 2015 and during this time, it placed as high as 3rd.
Second Generation i20
The second-generation model was introduced in 2014, this time available as two models, the standard 5 door, or the coupe. Both models were sold alongside each other and came with a number of new features including a colour touchscreen, reversing camera and navigation, again, increasing the luxury nature of the model.
In 2015, Hyundai previewed a new variant of the i20, the i20 Active at the Frankfurt Motor Show, a more rugged version of the i20, with roof rails, a raised ride height and ground clearance to compete with the growing market of small SUVs at this time.
Again, there was a WRC variant of the i20 based on this generation of i20, which continued to be in use, albeit modified until 2021, which helped Hyundai win a number of stages within the WRC.
Third Generation i20
The current generation was introduced in 2020 and was unveiled online due to the global pandemic. The i20 debuted a new styling philosophy of sensuous sportiness, featuring all new exterior and interior styling, setting apart from the previous model completely. This was the first i20 available solely as a 5-door model, following the example of many other competitors, to make the i20 as practical as possible. One thing that is evident is that compared to the previous model, the latest is very style orientated, whilst still retaining a number of the attributes that made the first two generations so popular. Introducing the mild hybrid technology has also been a triumph in excellent fuel economy and refined driving.
Alongside this came the i20N, Hyundai’s first hot supermini! The i20N comes with enhanced styling and extremely enhanced performance, with over 200bhp, helping the i20N to hit 60mph in just 6.5 seconds. It seems that Hyundai wanted to inject everything they already knew about the i20N into a performance mass production model and it has resulted in a wide array of awards for Hyundai, from Top Gear, Auto Express and the car of the year awards.
The Future
The i20 hasn’t been with us very long so it is hard to know which direction Hyundai will go with the next model. Hyundai has some very impressive plans as far as electrification is concerned, with 11 fully electric models to be launched by 2030. Within this we know will be the production versions of the IONIQ 6 and 7 concept vehicles, which should be with us in the next few years. However, the other 9 are quite mysterious at the moment, however with the array of electric superminis available already, it is quite likely we will see an electric i20 in the next generation. Potentially though, it may not be under the i20 name. Hyundai has already announced that they will be using the IONIQ nameplate across their fully electric models, so perhaps the i20 may go by a different name in the future.
Discover our range of i20s available at Holdcroft.
