The Korean giant has set its sights on being one of the largest car companies in the world and continues to pull out the stops in order to do so. Using Europe as the target for 80% of volume, Hyundai continues to try and European-ise their product as much as possible, to try and integrate into what is a foreign market, and make it its home turf. The Getz is aimed to be Hyundai's volume seller with targets to sell 12,000 units a year in the UK alone, a significant volume that will mean the Getz needs to offer more than just bargain basement appeal. Here we review the CRTD.

The styling of the Getz was the first thing aspect of the car aimed squarely at the European market and you have to say it doesn't look out of place. The styling may not be individual, but it isn't bland and the fact it blends in on the road is a reflection of how well it matches the market place. It is a little unadventurous, but I guess Hyundai is right to play it safe with its first supermini offering. The wheel at each corner design maximises the interior space available and allows the Getz to offer generous accommodation despite its relatively diminutive size.

The familiar exterior looks are mirrored on the inside as well. We drove a Skoda Fabia not long ago and it is clear from the outset that this was benchmarked during the Getz's development. The dash plastic is textured in a very similar way and the air vents are almost exact copies of the Skoda's, but none the worse for it. The silver rimmed dials are not dissimilar to those in the Polo we also drove recently. The gear knob trim however is a little nasty. Interior space is sufficient for four adults to travel in comfort, and certainly more generous than the class average with the 5-door layout allowing easy access.

Also generous are the equipment levels with standard electric windows, CD player and airbags, although some options on other variants such as air-con, aren't standard. It's almost as if Hyundai was trying to offset the extra cost of the common rail engine by removing some equipment to keep the cost of this, the most economical model in the range below that of its rivals, and certainly well away from the crucial £10k mark.

So, so far so good. The Getz looks ok, is well appointed and roomy, but how does it drive? Well, average to be honest. The driving position is ok, aided by the adjustable steering column but the wheel feels cheap and the steering is vague. The extra weight in the front end causes the Getz to understeer at relatively low speed. Surprisingly, the diesel doesn't get the larger wheels and tyres fitted to the 1.6-litre petrol model to counteract the extra mass and it shows. The handling isn't really up to the capability of others in the class, although the ride quality is. The gear change is quite slick but the ratios are very widely spread to reflect the lower revving nature of the diesel.

The three-cylinder common rail engine is relatively large at 1.5 litres and its size is reflected in outputs of 80bhp at 4,000rpm and a hefty 141lb.ft of torque at 2,000rpm. Strangely, these figures don't translate into the sprightly performance they infer with 0-62mph taking a tardy 16.2 seconds and maxing out at 106mph. However as is the norm with small turbo diesels the torque to weight ratio gives it a fair amount of subjective urge. Our only gripe was that the power band was very narrow, with the upper echelons of the rev range mostly ruled out as the engine gets raucous and the bottom end, below 1,800rpm largely a redundant region due to paucity of torque in the absence of sufficient boost to aid breathing. No complaints about the economy though with over 60mpg being an obtainable real life figure and a claimed 70.6mpg possible on the urban cycle. This gives the Getz a genuine touring range of 550 miles from its 45-litre tank, which is more than sufficient for a supermini.

The big selling point of Hyundai's has always been the ease and low cost of the ownership experience and the Getz is no exception. Cheap to buy initially, the Getz is then backed by a five year long unlimited mileage warranty. This in itself is a very confident statement by Hyundai; they are basically saying that they are confident that the car won't let you down or suffer any mechanical failure in five years; even if it does you won't be stranded as the price includes three years RAC cover. Warranty campaigns and fixes aren't cheap so it is testament to the Getz's design and build that such a warranty is offered.

Where the Getz differs from some previous offerings is in its ability to stand up and be counted against all of its competitors on a level playing field. It makes a case for itself in its own right thanks to high levels of equipment, excellent economy, good accommodation and a decent ride quality. Add to this the traditional strong points of the price and warranty and it starts to form a strong case for itself. The only weak links are the poor steering, handling and general driving experience. Most superminis, such as Fiat's Panda are fun to drive; the Getz doesn't offer that in its present form, although to be fair we haven't tried one of the Sport models.

It seems with every new model introduced Hyundai begins to make up ground on its more established and, if you like, traditional European volume manufacturers: the Getz announces its serious entry into the supermini market. If Hyundai continues to make steps like this in each market segment then it is only a matter of time before it establishes itself as a volume seller.

At time of writing Hyundai are also offering free servicing for 30,000 miles (until the end of September 2004). Think about that. What that means is that the only running cost for the average owner over 3 years will be depreciation. Just how painless can owning a car be?