The facelifted Hyundai i20 supermini hits dealers in early May with prices kicking off at under £10k, and there are economy improvements to complement the exterior and interior styling revisions.

Outside, we see Hyundai’s latest family front-end trademark hexagonal grille, more rounded front wings, a reshaped bonnet and headlights, and new fog light clusters and daytime running lights. New wheel designs also make a break on the new i20, while the rear bumper and taillights get their refresh, too.

Inside we see improvements to the plastics with a softer feel being the order of the day and there are new fabric styles to keep the i20’s seats fresh. But, in these cash-strapped times, it’s probably under the hood where most frugally-minded buyers will be focusing their attention.

For petrol fans, there’s the 1.2-litre motor, which is now cleaner, more efficient and more powerful than the engine it replaces. Max power is now 85ps, a 6ps improvement on the older engine, while fuel consumption climbs in the right direction from 55.4mpg to 57.7mpg on the combined cycle. Emissions for this engine now sit at 114g/km of CO2, down from 119g/km.

Diesel-lovers out there will be looking at the i20 Blue variant which is powered by the firm’s 1.1-litre, 3-cylinder diesel engine that employs Intelligent Stop and Go and low rolling resistance tyres to hit a road tax-dodging and London congestion charge-beating 84g/km of CO2 sweet spot. This, according to Hyundai, is the lowest-emitting diesel engine in the UK. Quoted combined economy for this little sipper is at 88.3mpg. I think we’d all like to put that to the test.

Prices for the i20 range start at £9,995 OTR as a 3-door 1.2 petrol Classic model, while at the top of the range is the 90ps 1.4 CRDi Style model, costing £14,295 OTR. Your in-dealers-date is 7th May.

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