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Hyundai's Bayon offers yet another option at the more affordable end of the small SUV segment. Jonathan Crouch takes a look.
Hyundai broadens its SUV line-up with a more affordable entry-level model, this car, the Bayon. It takes established engineering from the brand's i20 supermini and delivers it with the trendier crossover vibe that customers for small cars increasingly want. Plus, there's also the advantage of a more sophisticated and more spacious cabin than you'd get with a conventional small hatch. This is a much-copied formula of course, but this Hyundai delivers it with value and a class-leading warranty.
The Bayon is much closer in size to a supermini than its Kona SUV showroom stablemate. At 4,180mm long and 1,775mm wide, its dimensions are certainly compact, but the so-called 'Sensuous Sportiness' design language used here ensures for a reasonably overt dose of pavement presence.
Inside up-front, a 10.25-inch digital instrument panel is standard, and a centre dash touchscreen of the same size can be specified as an upgrade over the normal 8-inch display. The rear seat reaps the benefit of a relatively long 2,580mm wheelbase, which allows back seat folk 882mm of legroom. which can be extended to 1,205-litres with the split-folding rear bench pushed right flat.
As with the i20 supermini, the range is primarily built around a 1.0-litre turbocharged T-GDi petrol turbo three-cylinder engine offering either 100PS or 120 PS and equipped with 48V mild hybrid electrification. This powerplant can be matched either with the brand's clever 6-speed 'iMT' Intelligent Manual Transmission or a 7-speed dual clutch DCT automatic gearbox.
Both versions of the petrol engine have the same torque output - 172Nm. The 100PS variant takes 10.7 seconds to reach 62mph with manual transmission - or a second longer as a DCT automatic. The 120PS derivative is three-tenths of a second quicker to 62mph with either transmission fitted. Whatever your choice of engine, you get three selectable driving modes - 'Eco', 'Normal' or 'Sport' - with the latter offering a rev matching function for the iMT manual gearbox.
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