This is the new Hyundai i20 Cross Sport, spied testing in Europe ahead of its introduction into Europe - including the UK - early in 2016.
The i20 Cross Sport is already available to order in the Philippines and India, where it’s known as the i20 Active. It’s not yet clear which name the vehicle will carry when it arrives in Europe.
Instead of being a proper baby crossover, and ostensibly a rival for the Volkswagen CrossPolo, the i20 Active is slightly shorter than the conventional i20 hatchback, despite sharing a platform and wheelbase. It is 26mm wider, though, and 51mm taller, with the gain in height resulting in a ground clearance of around 130mm.
It’s likely that Hyundai’s engineers have been tweaking the i20 Active’s chassis settings for European roads. They also appear to have altered the cabin; the interior of the car spied had extensive cladding to keep it hidden - a sign that the design and materials are quite different from the versions of the car already on sale in emerging markets.
Two engines are likely to be offered initially - a 99bhp 1.4-litre petrol unit and an 89bhp 1.4 diesel. However, the i20 is among several Hyundais lined up to get 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engines in the next 12 months, and the Active will almost certainly be offered with these, too.
Hyundai continues to ‘evaluate’ the small SUV market, although it does have a Chinese-built model, the ix25, that could feasibly be fast-tracked to European markets with only modest regional modifications.
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