HYUNDAI's i20 is certainly a car for today.

One of the new breed of high economy smaller engined petrol hatchbacks, the 1.2 version I drove could easily sail over the 50mpg mark to give a big tick in the economy box.

This five door model of the latest i20 range is well priced at £11,595 on the road because of the high-specification it includes in its mid-range Active trim level.

On board goodies include a host of driver aids including vehicle stability management.

To me, compact five-door hatches were never this good and the whole package is backed up by Hyuindai's five-year warranty.

Inside, the i20 majors on quality with soft-touch plastics, a much more pleasant centre console along with updated seat trims.

Special items included on the Active trim include 15-inch alloy wheels, Bluetooth with voice recognition, electric/heated door mirrors, front fog lights, leather steering wheel and gear knob and electric rear windows.

Buyers wanting even higher levels of technology and features can order the Convenience Pack, which encompasses keyless entry, engine Start/Stop button, chrome exterior door handles and what Hyundai calls a supervision cluster which is a brightly lit - and very easy to read - instrument panel.

But would you want it on such an already comprehensively equipped little car?

The i20 is aimed at young buyers who may not have considered Hyundai in the past and to make a sound statement that the car is not just common sense and economy, a high-performance WRC-prepared i20 has been strutting its stuff around the motor sport stages of Europe.

Hyundai has improved upon the popular 1.2-litre petrol engine, which is now cleaner, more efficient and more powerful than the model it replaced. Maximum output is now 62bhp and emissions are reduced 119g/km CO2 to 114g/km.

Hyundai is now big business in the UK but I am still surprised that not a lot of people I meet know a lot about this Korean brand, some thinking it is Japanese.

Established in 1967, the Hyundai Motor Co is ranked as the world's fifth-largest car maker and includes over two dozen auto-related subsidiaries and affiliates.

And now it has become the first Korean brand to make it it into the top 10 best selling manufacturers in the UK.

Britain is a big hitter in the Hyundai sales league accounting for 17 per cent of the company's European sales.

Interestingly 89% of all Hyundai vehicles sold in Europe are built outside of Korea, with 70% manufactured at the company's European plants in Nosovice in the Czech Republic and Izmit in Turkey.

The i20 Active is typical of the much higher standards of build and quality you can expect from Hyundai these days. Performance is also to the fore as well with a top speed of 104mph and 0-62mph in 12.7 seconds.

I recall driving one of the first Hyundais to come into Britain, the Pony which left a lot to be desired. Park an i20 next to it and the Pony becomes very much an also-ran when compared to one of the small hatchback market's brightest stars.