Hyundai i20N - long-term review

I rarely discuss the aesthetics of a car. In a world where the BMW X7 consistently finds buyers, I feel it’s not my place; beauty is unequivocally in the eye of the beholder.

I also rarely dip into the bottom half of the internet and into the murky world of comments. But I’m breaking both rules with abandon this month. And it’s all thanks to @Troyfrancis25, who used his TopGear.com account to dispense the following about the i20N. “The rear doors absolutely ruin the lines on this car,” says Troy. “The rear door handles should have been hidden in the C-pillar; they look wonky compared with the front handles.”

Inevitably the first thing I did was leave the comfort of my office-cum-lounge to see exactly what Troy was talking about. And all for the questionable reward of having the side profile of my car ruined. Because Troy’s only gone and nailed it.

I’d not spotted it, but now I can’t unsee it. Did Hyundai’s designers forget the car was going to be a five-door? Or have front and rear handles been aligned on a trajectory my non-designer eyes just don’t compute?

And there’s another area of the i20N’s design that’s bugging me. Those mean, scowling headlamps give it the look of a properly hench hot hatchback. But they also make navigating my favourite local backroad a significantly less fun activity than it ought to be once the sun has set. The pool of light they dish out is disappointing, with high beam the only time they truly open up the road ahead – unhelpful when there’s oncoming traffic.

It's a problem TG’s Australian correspondent Craig also identified when traversing the outback in an i20N a few months ago, and which he fixed somewhat unofficially with a hammer and screwdriver. “Somewhere around midnight, halfway through the gauntlet of kangaroos and feral rabbits, we actually pulled over to make a few adjustments on that score,” he regales. “After our roadside adjustments, the lights were brilliant. Questionably legal at the next MOT, though.” Don’t try this at home, an’ all that.

Think we’re nit-picking? It’s because we kinda have to. Top Gear’s reigning Car of the Year (not to mention Performance Car of the Year) is proving truly brilliant to live with – perky and precise in the way all the best hot hatches are, but with plenty practicality too. I lived with its bigger brother – the i30N – and haven’t yet bemoaned a lack of space in comparison, while it’s comfortably topping 40mpg. Either I’ve grown up, or the Twenty’s dinkier 1.6 turbo is a whole heap more efficient than the Thirty’s 2.0.

And wonky handles aside, I love the way it looks. I’d have my own in white with a black contrasting roof, though, because several months in, I’m wondering if its claret colour scheme is just a bit too mature. Maybe there’s youthfulness in me yet.

Mileage: 5835 Our mpg: 41.7