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By Jonathan Crouch

Introductionword count: 99

In 2021, Hyundai introduced a new entry-level point for its broadening SUV line-up - this car, the Bayon. It took established engineering from the brand's i20 supermini and delivered it with the trendier crossover vibe that customers for small cars increasingly wanted in this time. Plus there was also the advantage of a more sophisticated and more spacious cabin than those people would get with a conventional small hatch. This was a much-copied formula of course, but this Hyundai delivered it here with value and a class-leading warranty. Here, we look at the earlier 202-2023-era versions of this model.

Modelsword count: 8

5dr SUV (1.0 T-GDI) [SE Connect, Premium, Ultimate]

Historyword count: 319

Small SUVs are big business. If you doubt that, just check out how many brands these days offer a choice of two of them. Companies like Hyundai, who back in 2021 wanted you to consider this car, the Bayon, as the first rung on their ever-widening range of Crossovers. Back at this model's original launch, you might quite reasonably have been under the impression that Hyundai already had a well established contender in this segment, the Kona. But in 2021 that was being moved up-market and anyway, it was never built upon the compact supermini platform that models in the Juke and Captur class usually have. The Bayon was, sharing virtually all its engineering with the current third generation version of Hyundai's i20 supermini. Prior to the Bayon, we'd had SUV-flavoured i20s before. The previous generation version of the Korean brand's Fiesta-sized hatch included an 'Active'-spec model in its line-up to meet this need, but that was nothing more than an i20 with roof rails and a bit of body cladding. The Bayon was different, a proper purpose-designed SUV positioned in Hyundai's line-up just below the Kona, yet you could own this car at close-to-supermini pricing. It was certainly designed very much for our European market, hence the selection of name (derived from Bayonne, capital of the French Basque country). And the choice of ex-Lamborghini designer Luc Donckerwolke to create the angular looks that should attract the necessary glances outside the gym. Nothing too fiery under the bonnet was needed, but the petrol powertrain of this original early model had 48-volt mild hybrid tech and there was a clever manual gearbox allowing owners to make the most of that extra efficiency. The Bayon sold in this original form until late 2023, when it was facelifted. With that later version, Hyundai deleted the original model's mild hybrid engine tech. It's the earlier 2021-2023-era models though, that we look at here.

What You Getword count: 478

Eye-catching design is a key component of modern Hyundai models. If you doubt that, go and look at an IONIQ 5. Stylist Luc Donckerwolke didn't have quite as much fun here as he had with that car but this Bayon is still quite a striking-looking thing, with all its slashes, angles and attitude. The frontal face is defined by independently positioned upper daytime running lights, rather than the arrow-shaped three-part headlights, which combine with the side air intakes. And from the side? Well this may theoretically have been the smallest SUV in the company's range but it's still 4.2-metres in length, those dimensions disguised by all manner of slashing and creasing to distract the eye: notably the dynamic shoulder line (which creates the wedge-shape profile), the angular lines above the rear wheel arch and the arrow-shaped C pillar. We think the rear section is perhaps this car's most pleasing perspective, arrow-shaped LED lights connected by a thin horizontal line. Up-front inside, there's not as much to catch the eye as there was outside when you greeted the car on first acquaintance. But start to look around and this cabin, described by Hyundai as 'a modern digital interior', might start to grow on you, providing your expectations come aligned with this Bayon's relatively affordable asking fee. It's certainly very digital: you might not expect to get a configurable full-width instrument display included at this price point - and the level of provided centre screen media connectivity also sets the segment standard. Everything's borrowed directly from the brand's i20 supermini, including the seating position which, though a fraction higher is certainly not SUV-like. You might also have hoped for something a bit trendier than the rather dour dark hard plastic interior trim, but it's solidly fashioned and there are a few interesting touches - the weirdly-spoked steering wheel, the smart cross-hatched seat trim and the serrated flashing around the door catches for instance. As for the rear, well the doors open nice and wide. And once inside, you'll find that this Hyundai has as much rear space for legs and knees as you could reasonably expect in this class. Headroom isn't quite so noteworthy, thanks to that tapering rear roof line, but you'd need to be over six foot tall to have a problem. And the relatively wide exterior width and the low centre transmission tunnel mean it's reasonably realistic to take a trio of passengers back here if you absolutely had to, though the raised central cushion won't do much for the comfort of the middle occupant. Let's finish this section with a look at the boot. Lift the hatch and you're greeted with one of the more accommodating luggage areas in the segment, 411-litres in size, which is 37-litres more than a Kona and 59-litres more than you get with the i20 supermini this car is based upon.

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