 | Hyundai Amica |
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TRY AN AMICABLE LIFE
Buyers wanting a small car for a small sum Of money may like the look of Hyundai's Amica. Steve Walker reports...
As a budget far-eastern brand, you'd expect Hyundai to have a citycar somewhere on their books but for a long time they didn't. The Getz supermini was as compact as the Korean marque's models got in the UK until the surprise re-emergence of the diminutive Amica. Since Hyundai's town centre terrier was last amongst us, citycars have come-on a long way and the citycar sector has grown fiercely competitive. The question is whether the latest version has the qualities to cope?
We now want more from our citycars than washing machine dimensions and a low price. A successful model needs to be fun and fashionable, cute, practical and well-built. This is a big ask for manufacturers who must still operate within a tight pricing framework and even tighter bodywork. Hyundai's Amica certainly has these final two criteria sewn up. Starting at £6,017, it's cheap and at 3,565mm long by 1,525mm wide, it's small. There's also 1,570mm of height to the Amica which translates to a pleasantly airy cabin.
The Amica is powered by a 1.1-litre four cylinder petrol engine with 12-valves. Maximum power is produced at 5,500rpm but it's only 62bhp so heart-stopping performance is never going to be on the menu. If you must know, the 0-60mph sprint will detain you for a full 15.2s and if you go for the 4-speed automatic gearbox option, that time extends to a laborious 18.9s. Top speeds are 91mph for the manual and 86mph for the automatic but all of this is rather missing the point. The Amica is designed for use in busy towns and cities where the chance to exceed 30mph rarely presents itself and speeds of over 60mph are the stuff of legend.
"It's nippy, it's inoffensively-styled and running costs are low..."
The car's modest kerb weight of 1,007kg helps it feel quite sprightly off the line and means it can easily keep up with traffic, unless you've really weighed it down with shopping. The ride quality on the flat is decent but the little 13" wheels do let you know about it if they run over a pothole. The turning circle of just 5.1m, combined with the aforementioned compact dimensions, will have you claiming the most inaccessible parking spaces for your own and squeezing through the slightest gaps. Yes, the Amica is well-equipped for urban life but it's not a car that can happily turn its hand to longer journeys as extended stints at the wheel can quickly become tiring.
The Amica, as you'd expect, isn't a car that's going to put a big dent in the ozone layer every time you fire it up in the morning. Its 1.1-litre engine produces 128g/km of CO2, which won't win it any prizes but is still respectable - the auto model churns out 145g/km. Fuel economy of 42mpg is also par for the course for this size car with this size engine but some of the sector's leading lights do significantly better. You'll get 50mpg from a 1.1-litre Fiat Panda, 46mpg from a 1.2-litre Volkswagen Fox and 61mpg from a 1.0-litre Citroen C1. All of these cost around £600 more than the Amica but you'll need to do in the region of 40,000 miles in the Fiat Panda before your £600 is recouped in fuel savings ? that's a lot of school runs and trips to the supermarket. The models mentioned above have more of a modern feel about them and greater desirability but buyers on really tight budgets will still appreciate the Amica's appeal.
Two trim levels are available. The entry level GSI furnishes you with power steering, central-locking, electric front windows and a CD stereo. The range-topping CDX costs £500 more but adds a good haul of extras. Air-conditioning features, as do remote central locking, 13" alloy wheels with an unusual three-spoke design, front fog lamps, a rear spoiler and power for the windows in the rear. You can't really argue with this level of specification given the Amica's bargain price point. The safety provision includes ABS with EBD, seatbelt pretensioners and 3-point belts in the rear but only the driver gets an airbag.
Hyundai have done a creditable job of styling the Amica. Although the flanks do still bear a striking resemblance to those of the old UK model which was discontinued in 2003, the car has been thoroughly refreshed at each end. Large headlamps dominate the front, sitting above the chunky bumper and either side of the H-shaped grille. At the back, the predominantly red light clusters stand out while the thick black rubbing strip along the bumper mirrors that at the front and those down the sides. The roofline slopes rearward slightly giving a sportier stance and although it isn't the most eye-catching of citycar designs, it's certainly not going to offend anyone.
Inside, the Amica is some way off the pace in terms of the funky design that younger citycar buyers look for. Effort has been put in with good-looking, comfortable seats featuring side bolsters picked out in grey, some nice storage solutions and central air-vents that bulge out of the dash but elsewhere the surroundings fairly anonymous. The old-school control levers for the ventilation system are emblematic of the tired feel inside. Accommodation is good in the Amica, especially for the driver and front passenger who get a surprising amount of space. Travelling four-up, headroom is plentiful but, as is the case with almost all vehicles in this sector, leg and shoulder room in the rear are limited. It's best to reserve the rear seats for children and the vertically-challenged.
It's not the most modern citycar on the market and it lacks the youthful exuberance that manufacturers are so keen to inject their small cars with these days but there's still much to recommend the Hyundai Amica. It's nippy, it's inoffensively-styled and running costs are low. Then there's the modest prices and the generous equipment levels to factor in. Stretch to the CDX if you can, avoid the cumbersome automatic gearbox and you'll have a pleasantly capable citycar on your hands.
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