Climb inside and the first thing you might notice his how sombre the interior is. There is a lot a black. There’s red stitching on the steering wheel and seats and bright red inserts around the outer most air vents but those are the only real splashes of colour anywhere in the cabin space.

You won't find any soft touch plastics inside the car but nothing feels flimsy or cheap. Opt for premium trim and you'll be rewarded with an interesting honeycomb pattern on the doors and the dash above the glovebox.

All the buttons and controls feel substantial and function with laudable precision. The leather on the steering wheel and gear knob feels pleasantly soft to the touch.

Every model across the range is fitted with a height-adjustable driver’s seat and steering wheel. Unfortunately there's no adjustment for reach. Despite this omission it's still relatively easy to get comfortable. All the controls line up nicely and there's plenty of room in the footwell to rest your left leg. Another thing that's missing from the equipment list is adjustable lumbar support.

Ergonomics are excellent. It's easy to reach all the major controls when you're on the move and the instrument binnacle is clear and easy to see.

The slim front pillars and thoughtfully placed door mirrors work well together to give you a clear view out of the front or sides when you're trying to pull out of a junction. The window line flicks up significantly towards the rear of the car and, consequently, the rear windscreen is quite shallow, hampering the driver's view out the back.

That said, the car's diminutive dimensions mean that manoeuvring it in tight spaces is simple. It's made even easier with the rear view camera which is standard on SE Connect trim and above. Rather bizarrely, in my opinion, rear parking sensors don't even make it onto the options list.

All i10s do get daytime running lights which are LED on the Premium and N Line trims. The two higher-spec models also get front fog lights as well. N Line trim cars are fitted with unique 16in alloy wheels and front grille and N Line badging on the outside, plus N Line branding on the gear lever and steering wheel. The seats sport contrast red stitching too.

SE trim is fitted with a two-speaker audio system that, while basic, does at least come with DAB radio and Bluetooth connectivity. The black and white LCD display is just 3.8in which, these days, is smaller than just about every mobile phone screen. SE Connect and above is fitted with a much more generous eight-inch colour touchscreen that sits high on the dashboard, almost within the driver’s line of sight.

There’s also an additional pair of speakers in the rear that should help improve the quality of the audio output.

The infotainment system itself is easy to use with a clear menu structure, crisp graphics and a bright display that’s easy to read in sunlight. The screen is flanked by shortcut buttons and knobs that make it simple to quickly flick between functions.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto phone mirroring are both standard allowing you to control music, navigation, phone calls and messaging with just your voice. Built-in navigation is only available as an option on Premium and N Line trims as part of the Tech Pack which also brings with it wireless phone charging and, hooray, a tray big enough to fit my phone in plus a mobile app that shows the car’s location, maintenance needs and lets you operate the central locking remotely.

Even taller passengers should be content with the amount of space on offer in the front of the i10. Despite its city-car dimensions there’s a generous amount of both head and leg room on offer but, perhaps most surprisingly, is the elbow and shoulder room that’s available.

Storage space is also good. As well as the charging tray for your mobile just in front of the gear lever there’s another cubby carved out of the dash just above the glovebox that will hold a small umbrella – or if you're a little less practical, a large hotdog – comfortably. The door pockets are big enough to hold a decent-sized bottle of whatever you’re drinking and there’s a pair of cupholders too.

There’s another surprise in the back – this car is full of ‘em – because the i10 is a five-seater, something of a rarity in the city car sector. Whether you would want to try and squeeze three adults across the rear bench is another matter altogether but there’s certainly enough head and leg room for a pair of six-footers to get comfy.

There is a bump that runs along the centre of the floor but it’s low and, along with the handy gap beneath the front seats, it means that there’s plenty of room for your size 10s. Ready for another surprise? Not only are there rear door pockets but they're actually big enough to be useful and will easily hold a small bottle of water.

The rear seats can be folded 60/40 and can are lowered using a pair of buttons adjacent to the rear head restraints. Boot capacity – with the rear seats in place – is an impressive 252 litres which is enough for three carry-on suitcases but, it’s worth noticing, there’s a substantial lip to lift stuff over.

There’s no option to include a height-adjustable floor either, so you’re stuck with a boot floor that’s far from flat when you stow the rear seats away.

If you're after a small, well-equipped car that's good value for money then the i10 is definitely worth adding to your shopping list. It's relatively spacious, it boasts a handsome interior, a terrific infotainment system and drives and handles with greater finesse than many bigger and more expensive cars.

Hyundai i10 N Line 1.0 T-GDi

Price: £16,195

As tested: £17,195

Engine: 1.0 3-cylinder turbocharged petrol

Transmission: 5-speed manual

Max power: 100PS

Max torque: 172Nm @ 1,500rpm

Max speed: 115mph

0-62mph: 10.5sec

Fuel consumption (WLTP) mpg

Low: 41.5

Mid: 54.3

High: 61.4

Extra high: 48.7

Combined: 52.3

Emissions (CO2): 123g/km

For more information visit www.hyundai.co.uk