Hyundai i10 Reviews

The incoming Hyundai ute would likely spawn a ladder-frame SUV to take on models like the Ford Everest and LandCruiser Prado, with the brand's new boss in Australia telling CarsGuide he wanted to be "more aggressive" in the off-road space.It follows news earlier this week that Hyundai Australia's new President and Chief Executive Officer, Don Romano, will have a new ute "locked and loaded" in the company's product plan before his time in Australia comes to and end in two to three years.Mr Romano said a Hyundai version of the Kia Tasman, or a ute formed of the company's product partnership with American giant GM, were both on the table."It's a passion of mine, and I want to accomplish getting it locked and loaded by the time I leave," he said.It is exciting news for a towing and off-road mad country, with Hyundai suggesting the 4WD market will become a target for the company."It doesn't take a rocket scientist to go look around and see that most of these cars – whether they go off road or not – are built for off-road with their snorkels and their guards and their roll bars," Mr Romano says."I think it's as much a part of the personality traits – the look, the feel, the who I am – as much as it his going to the outback and going off road. This is the way we plan to get there, and I will expand on that."vAsked if there was potential for the new Hyundai ute to deliver a proper ladder-frame 4WD SUV for Australia, Mr Romano replied: "Absolutely"."I leave nothing out. I may never see it, I might not be here long enough for it, but if I can get it in the plan, then I can show it to the dealers, if I can get the dealers to put Hyundai top of mind, I can get their confidence like I had in Canada."Mr Romano also expanded on his ute ambitions in Australia, making no secret of the fact he wants the brand's ute to be "distinct and different", rather than a "rebadge" of a Kia Tasman or GM pickup."I want a ute in that product plan, and I want it to be a Hyundai ute, not just a rebadge of something else," he says."I want it to be distinct, different. I want it to go after the two top-selling utes out there. I want it to be a contender."

The Inster is a bold new play for Hyundai - an all-electric micro SUV that packs plenty of practicality into its bite-sized dimensions. And with it, the Korean brand wades into waters currently patrolled by plenty of cheap Chinese rivals. So, does the Inster have what it takes?

Hyundai has finally confirmed it will have at least one dual cab ute to take on the Kia Tasman, Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger in Australia, with the brand's new Australian chief saying he would get a Hyundai ute "locked and loaded" in the product plan within the next three years.

Small SUVs are bigger than ever - both in terms of sales and sheer size. We pit two of Australia's biggest-selling small hybrid SUVs against each other to determine which one comes out on top. Is it the Toyota Corolla Cross or the Hyundai Kona?

Ford Australia has axed so many of its cars over the past two years that it almost has nothing left on sale. It’s just lucky that one of the few cars left that it does sell — the Ranger ute —  does so in enormous numbers. So what’s missing from Ford’s line-up? A lot. Here are the cars we think Ford really needs in Australia right now.Ford lacks a rival, to not just to hardcore four-wheel drives like the Toyota LandCruiser and Nissan Patrol, but to more domesticated Aussie family favourites such as the Toyota Kluger, Kia Sorento and Hyundai Santa Fe.Yes, the Ford Everest seats seven and can go off-road with the best of them, but a more plush and comfortable suburban cruiser would fit nicely in the line-up.Now this might hurt a little bit and I apologise in advance, but in South Africa you can buy a Ford Territory. I know, what the Ford!?So, the South African Ford Territory is made in China and sold in other countries but it’s made in right-hand drive, which means there’s no reason why we can’t have it here.This new Territory isn’t as big as the Santa Fe at 4.63m long so it’s not really a large SUV but still, what a shame.What Australia really needs is a Ford Explorer, as in the petrol-powered version form the United States, not the UK electric version. The US Explorer is a a five-metre long seven seater, while the UK version is 4.4m and smaller than an Escape.Nope, bigger is better in this case and while the Explorer is currently only made in left hand drive, there is a chance a right hand drive might get the green light for the next-gen model.Ford axing the Escape is the car company equivalent to throwing away your only pair of pants just because you don’t like the colour of them.OK, that’s a terrible analogy but the point is mid-sized SUVs are the bread and butter of car brands and they sell all year long in large numbers and they’re kind of an essential item to car manufacturers. Ford axed the Escape because it didn’t sell enough of them. But it could easily bring back the Escape because it’s sold in the right-hand drive in the UK.Ford should seriously consider it, the mid-sized SUV segment is increasing in size at 19.6 per cent market share and Ford’s not able to join in the spoils. Toyota has the RAV4, Kia has the Sportage, Nissan has the X-Trail and Ford has nothing. No pants to wear at all.If there’s something Australians love almost as much as mid-sized SUVs it’s a small SUV. We’re talking the likes of the Toyota Corolla Cross, Hyundai Kona and the MG ZS. And Ford did have the Puma, but axed it in 2024 just four years after it arrived.The Puma was a high-quality feeling and premium looking SUV, but it was overpriced compared to its rivals and so sales struggled. People want premium looking at budget prices apparently.The Puma is sold in the UK as a hybrid and a fully-electric vehicle, so bringing it to Australia wouldn’t require anything other than a trip on a boat from Romania where they’re made.So there you are, Ford has pretty much all the cars it needs in right-hand drive to take the fight to rivals such as the Toyota RAV4 and Corolla Cross, the Kia Sorento and Hyundai Santa Fe.Will we see the Territory again? Will Aussies be OK with a Chinese made Territory? Given the the shift in attitudes and growing maturity towards Chinese brands and their rapid take-up there's no reason they wouldn't be.Sure bringing back the Territory nameplate, plus the Puma and Escape could be a risk for Ford, but would it be as big a risk as having all your eggs in the Ranger basket as it does now?

Hyundai is about to move to a seven-year/unlimited kilometre warranty in Australia, up from its existing five-year/unlimited kilometre item.

It’s often said that if you’re a smart car buyer, you’ll be shopping second hand. That’s because the shine and new car smell of a brand-new car can be fleeting. Especially once you take depreciation into account.

Hyundai has revealed its latest battery-electric SUV in China, though it’s still unclear whether it will be exported to other countries, including Australia.The Hyundai Elexio is a Chinese-market rival to the BYD Sealion 7, Geely EX5, Kia EV5, Leapmotor C10, Tesla Model Y, and Volkswagen ID.4.It’s based on Hyundai’s E-GMP dedicated electric platform, like the Hyundai Ioniq 5, Ioniq 6 and Ioniq 9, among others. This means it has an 800V electric architecture.Hyundai claims the Elexio has a range of up to 700km, according to lenient CLTC standards, and can charge from 30 to 80 per cent in 27 minutes.At this stage Hyundai has only detailed the exterior design, but it has an inoffensive SUV silhouette with black cladding around the wheel arches and pronounced roof rails. The charge port is also on the front right-hand quarter panel.There is no imagery of the Elexio’s interior, but Hyundai has confirmed it has a 27-inch head-up display and its multimedia system is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8295 chip.On the safety front, the Hyundai Elexio features Huawei advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS).According to the brand it will launch with automatic assisted driving and memory parking functions, though next year it will gain the ability to do Level 2+ autonomous driving in urban areas.Although the Elexio has just been revealed in China, a heavily camouflaged left-hand prototype was recently spied in Sydney, Australia at an EV charging station.A photo of this car was posted to the BYD EV Owners Club Australia Facebook group.According to a Hyundai Australia spokesperson, this car was in Australia for hot weather testing. Despite this, it’s still not locked in for a local launch.At this stage Hyundai Australia doesn’t source any cars from China.

Does size matter? It’s an age-old question but when it comes to cars, it’s complicated.Most car reviews - rightly - will cover whether the model represents good value for money. That will usually include a focus on what is and isn’t included in the standard features list, the safety offering, quality of materials and more.Often this will include whether you get enough metal for your money. Is the car big enough for the price?My question is, should size factor into the value of a car? And how do you fairly determine value when each buyer has a different budget?I understand that everyone has different requirements when looking for a new car. A family of five will require more space than a family of two, or a single person, for example.But I would argue that size should not determine whether a car represents good or bad value for money.Again, I appreciate that many people will want as much car as they can get for their money, based on how they will use it. But surely things like overall vehicle quality, the drive experience and how the car makes you feel are just as important.Here’s an example. A Honda Civic e:HEV L costs $49,900 (drive-away). When compared with old foes like the Mazda3 and Toyota Corolla, it is seen as being quite a lot of money for a small hatchback.For roughly the same price as the Civic, you could buy an entry grade large seven-seat SUV like a Kia Sorento, Hyundai Santa Fe, Isuzu MU-X, or a Toyota Kluger.But just because you can get a bigger car for the same price, should you?If you don’t need the space, then I say you shouldn’t. And not just for reasons like the environmental impact of large vehicles, or the sheer space it takes up on the road. Although those reasons are also valid.If a smaller car ticks other boxes including being fun to drive, that should be enough.Back to my example - the Honda Civic hybrid is an excellent car. I would argue it’s the best small passenger car (as in, not an SUV) on sale in Australia. It has excellent build quality, a solid standard features list, a handsome design, nicely executed interior and an exceptional and efficient powertrain.Something like that is a perfect car for me. And I don’t feel like I would be ripped off buying this instead of a larger car.Similarly, if someone has the means to buy a premium car instead of something from a mainstream brand, that’s fine. As Donna Meagle famously said in Parks and Recreation, “Treat yo’self!”Sure, a circa-$60,000 BMW 120 hatch may not have the same level of standard features as a higher grade Toyota Corolla or Mazda3 - which cost $20,000 less - but who cares?If you have your heart set on a premium car like a BMW and you’ve got the money for it, then it doesn’t matter if it’s missing a few features.Whether it’s the materials in the cabin, the way it drives or the feeling you get when driving a premium European car, a model like that often just feels more special.A couple of years back I lived with a Peugeot 308 Premium GT hatchback for four months. That specific grade at the time was priced at $48,990 before on-road costs. Again, there was a lot of commentary about that being a lot of money “for a small hatchback”.I am not suggesting it’s cheap - it clearly isn’t. But that is an excellent little car that made me smile every time I got behind the wheel. I would be happy - proud even - to own one.To reiterate, there is nothing wrong with trying to get as much car as possible for your budget. If you want as many standard features as you can possibly get for $40k, and you are less fussed about how the car drives or its perceived quality, terrific. And there’s no shortage of options, especially with the growing number of Chinese brands offering affordable models.But equally, no one should be shamed for spending big bucks on a car that isn’t the size of a boat, or if it doesn’t tick every single box on the standard features list.

Geely is contemplating adding the Geome supermini/crossover electric vehicle to take on the BYD Dolphin and Hyundai Inster EVs in Australia, as well hybrids like the Toyota Yaris Cross and Subaru Crosstrek. If given the go-ahead, the keenly-priced, Kia Stonic-sized five-door Geome could land here with a mid-to-high $20,000 price tag, which could make it Australia’s cheapest new EV yet.