What's the news?

Hyundai revealed an all-new version of its smallest car, the i10 hatchback, at a pre-show event in Frankfurt today, making a lot of noise about bettering the Volkswagen up!. That's quite a benchmark.

Exterior

Gone is the curvy, upright and narrow form of the old i10, replaced by a modern blend of chamfers and interesting shapes. Hyundai's designers have managed to create an attractive new small car without resorting to any styling gimmicks. It instantly looks right. According to Hyundai, design is the number one reason European customers buy its cars and the i10 has, accordingly, been designed with European tastes in mind at the company's research and development centre in Rüsselsheim, Germany.

The new i10 is considerably bigger than before, going from being the narrowest car in the class to the widest, at 1,660mm (65mm wider than before). It's also 80mm longer and 40mm lower than the outgoing model.

Interior

Hyundai claims that the i10 has the largest boot in the sector too, at 252 litres (that's just one litre more than the up!), and apparently the 'combined front and rear legroom' is also unmatched. We sat in the front and back and it's certainly spacious for the class.

In terms of style, many more colour options will be offered for the i10's cabin than before, but sitting into the car it's the quality of the interior that stands out. It has taken a significant step forward from the current car with more texture in the plastics and, in the display car at least, a lovely leather-rimmed steering wheel. Hyundai was also keen to point out that the electric window switches are in two places (a dig at the up!) and that large bottles can fit in the pockets of all four doors.

Mechanicals

Two petrol engines will be available in the new i10, of 1.0- and 1.25-litre capacity. The former produces 66hp at 5,500rpm and maximum torque of 94Nm is available from 3,500rpm. Top speed is 96mph and the 0-62mph time is 14.9 seconds. The larger unit puts out 87hp at 6,000rpm, and 120Nm of torque at 4,000rpm. Top speed with this engine is 106mph and 0-62mph takes 12.3 seconds. A five-speed manual gearbox transmits power to the front wheels and a four-speed automatic will also be offered.

The engines feature several measures to reduce NVH (noise, vibration and harshness), as well as to improve efficiency and longevity - such as oil jets to cool the pistons. Hyundai claims that the i10 is the quietest car in its class.

Anything else?

Until we know the line-up, we won't know for sure what the emissions ratings are, but as standard the 1.0-litre engine emits 108g/km. That increases to 137g/km with the automatic transmission, but reduces to just 98g/km in the (manual-only) Blue Drive derivative. The 1.25-litre i10 emits 114g/km. Fuel consumption figures for the 1.0 Blue Drive, 1.0 and 1.25-litre cars are 65.7-, 60.1- and 57.6mpg respectively.