Test Drive – Hyundai Bayon

Born in 2021, the Bayon is what the modern auto industry calls a B-segment crossover. That sounds fancy, but in reality, it means this is Hyundai’s smallest SUV—a car so compact that even the tiny Kona looks like a chubby uncle at a birthday party next to it. The Bayon was created to fill the gap left by the ix20 and is, technically, little more than a raised i20 hatchback. Since everyone these days just wants to sit a little higher, Hyundai simply raised the seat, expanded the trunk, and voilà—a brand new model named Bayon. And the name? Bayonne—a small French town—was found exotic and European-sounding enough by Hyundai.

But let’s not get too cynical, because the Bayon is actually a pretty solid car. In 2022, it even earned the title of “Best Import Car” from the German magazine Auto Bild. Yes, Hyundai—a Korean brand—won the “best imported SUV” award in Germany. Just imagine the pain this must have caused engineers in Wolfsburg and Rüsselsheim, probably soaking their bratwurst and pilsner with tears that evening.

So, what did the Germans and others see in the Bayon? Above all, stylish design, a roomy cabin, and loads of equipment that’s quite rare in this price range. It looks like a modern sports sneaker: comfortable, trendy, and practical enough to wear to a fancy restaurant or to borrow potatoes from a neighbor.

In 2024, this little Korean-French fashionmobile got a light facelift. Did it spark a revolution? Hardly. But as we know, revolution isn’t always necessary. Sometimes a fresh coat of makeup on an old thing is enough to let people believe everything is new and beautiful again. And there’s nothing wrong with that.

The first thing that catches your eye is the narrow LED strip up front, proudly named “Seamless Horizon.” Now, the car resembles a little spaceship wearing trendy sunglasses. The bumper and grille have also been redesigned—narrower and sportier than before. The lower front skid plate looks like real metal but, let’s be honest, no one’s taking this to the forest for mushroom picking. Still, it looks tough, which is exactly what a small SUV ought to do.

At the rear, the taillights now have a new, stylish light signature and are connected by a slim horizontal strip. There’s more body color on the rear bumper and a small faux-diffuser detail—not that it does anything for aerodynamics on such a small car, but at least it shows Hyundai knows what a diffuser is.

The dimensions remain unchanged: 4.18 meters long, 1.78 meters wide, and just over 1.5 meters tall. Instead of tweaking the size, Hyundai focused on clever use of space, resulting in a genuinely impressive 411-liter trunk for this class. Yes, it’s a tiny crossover, but you can easily throw in a few big shopping bags or even a medium-sized dog.

Inside, the Bayon is exactly what you’d expect from a small Korean crossover you don’t have to rob a bank or pawn your mother-in-law’s jewelry to buy. It’s no Swiss watch or Italian designer furniture—think more of a well-organized office desk, where function and logic trump beauty and elegance.

As for materials? Well, if you’re hoping for exclusive leather and silver, you’ll be disappointed. Everything is mostly black and gray—maybe even a bit gloomy. It’s as if the designer was inspired by a November day in Scandinavia or rainy Birmingham—practical, but not exactly cheerful. The seats are covered in tough fabric likely to withstand a nuclear war and kids’ ice cream. Decorative elements are minimal, which just goes to show this isn’t a car for flashy Instagram influencers, but for people who care about getting from A to B.

What saves the Bayon is its practicality and ergonomics. Every button and switch is right where you’d expect, and visibility is excellent thanks to the seating position that lets you look over most other cars like a giraffe peering out of a zoo enclosure. The digital instrument cluster is as big as an average smartphone in the base model, but higher trims get a much larger, fancier 10.25-inch screen with different views for different drive modes.

The centerpiece of the center console is a truly large—again, 10.25-inch—touchscreen, standard even on the base Bayon. Yes, even the cheapest version gets a display that would make some German brands blush. Naturally, the infotainment system includes built-in navigation, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and Bluetooth. Maps can now be updated online.

Passengers can charge their phones with one USB-A and two USB-C ports, and higher trims add a wireless charging pad. Top versions even offer a Bose sound system with eight speakers and a subwoofer—a luxury you’d expect in an Audi or Lexus, not Hyundai’s most affordable crossover.

Step inside the Bayon and you might feel like you’ve traveled back in time—not to the future, but to an era when handbrakes were pulled with a lever and you could adjust the temperature without dancing around a touchscreen like a tipsy pianist.

That’s right, Hyundai has decided that modernity isn’t always the key to success. While Volkswagen engineers cram screens even into the glovebox, the Koreans have kept everything as physical buttons and levers. The Bayon has a traditional handbrake, a proper gear stick, and real rotary dials for climate control. It might seem old-fashioned, but it’s actually brilliant.

Don’t be fooled by this anti-tech vibe, though. Hyundai hasn’t forgotten it’s the 21st century. The interior lighting is now fully LED, and higher trims come with 64-color ambient mood lighting.

Space is the Bayon’s ace in the hole. The high roof and cleverly shaped seats mean tall passengers have plenty of headroom in the back. The wheelbase is long enough for even your lankiest friends to sit comfortably. The seats are soft and great for both city traffic jams and long highway drives—though you probably won’t be doing too many of those.

Materials? Hyundai didn’t get overly generous here—hard plastics everywhere, but at least nothing feels wrong. There are no squeaks, and it’s all put together solidly, just as you’d expect from a Korean car.

And of course—the Bayon’s trunk. Not only is it surprisingly spacious, it’s also smartly designed with a double floor, perfect for carrying your shopping bags and umbrellas separately but together.

The model is packed with electronics and systems that constantly keep an eye on everything and beep at you if something isn’t right. There’s adaptive lane keeping that tells you to keep your hands on the wheel, automatic emergency braking that yells if a pedestrian steps out, and smart cruise control that even knows where the next curve or speed limit is. The Bayon watches your blind spots and warns you if you’re drowsy or distracted. It’ll remind you at traffic lights if you’re lost in your phone and everyone else has already driven off. All this is delivered with a symphony of beeps and chirps—sometimes it feels like the audio system is completely unnecessary.

Naturally, you get a full set of airbags, ABS, ESC, and a new 4G-based eCall emergency system. Sounds like a German luxury car? But no, it’s just Hyundai’s smallest SUV, which for some reason thinks it’s an S-Class Mercedes. Still, it’s nice to feel like someone genuinely cares about your safety.

The Bayon’s engine range was seriously trimmed with this update—whereas you used to be able to get a 120-horsepower turbo engine, now you’ll have to settle for less, as the more powerful version has quietly retired. What remains is a tiny 1.0-liter three-cylinder T-GDi, offering 100 horsepower and up to 200 Nm of torque if you opt for the mild-hybrid system. The engine isn’t bad, but 0–100 km/h in 11.3 seconds won’t get your heart racing. It’s enough to fetch milk or zip around town, but not much more.

If you’re an even bigger masochist, Hyundai also offers a naturally aspirated 1.2-liter 79-horsepower engine, which makes the 0–100 sprint even slower (14.2 seconds). With this engine, the Bayon is about as lively as a tired Labrador, but at least the fuel consumption is pleasantly low.

There are no big changes in transmissions—there’s still a 6-speed manual and a 7-speed automatic (DCT), which shifts quickly but can be a bit jerky at city speeds, like a nervous driving student.

In summary, the Bayon offers a great price-to-equipment ratio, genuinely spacious interior for its segment, a simple plastic cabin, and rather bland but economical performance. The Bayon is pleasantly unremarkable—it doesn’t pretend to be something it’s not. It simply does what it promises, does it well, and adds a touch of style on top.