The Hyundai ix20. Wow. Where to begin?

This was my supposed "upgrade" once it became clear that the repairs to my Beemer would be taking longer than anticipated. Actually, I'd have preferred to keep the Fiesta since while the Hyundai was from a higher rental category and with a larger engine capacity, being a diesel engine in a much heavier car meant that the difference was if anything in the Fiesta's favour.

The looks were another defeat for the Korean newcomer, as they were initially generic but inoffensive, but rapidly revealed the touch of the bean-counters. Views were obstructed and dirt gathered disproportionately in door handles. Inside it was the same story: the buckle for the middle rear seat belt hung from the ceiling right in the middle of the rear-view mirror's field of view. All the surfaces were nasty to the touch, and despite this car having only twenty-five thousand kilometers on it, the steering-wheel coating had rubbed off in several places. Even superficially nice touches turned sour; for instance, I was pleasantly surprised to see a Volkswagen-esque blue glow from the instruments, but upon looking closer, found the blue to be simply painted on…

I compared this car to an Aiwa stereo, as while most of the functions were there, including Bluetooth and voice controls, they were all slap-dash, low-quality and annoying. NVH was abysmal, power was non-existent, and the radio did this weird thing where tuning into a pre-programmed station would give a few seconds of static which gradually faded into the actual radio station.

The worst aspect of this car was the handling. It takes a lot to scare me behind the wheel, but the first time I took a corner at speed in this car I was terrified. I had absolutely no idea what the front wheels were doing. This wasn't just Fiat-style lightness, this was lightness combined with a total absence of feel. More time with the car did not lead me to tune in to its handling, more the opposite. Driving in the snow was the worst, as I could only tell when the car had lost traction or was under-steering by looking out the window.

Verdict: it's better than no car at all, and if you don't care at all about cars, it's reasonably comfortable and well-equipped. However, if you care even a little, this is one to avoid. If it's given to you as a rental, haggle, bribe, seduce, or if all else fails, pay for an upgrade.