It’s easy to forget about the Hyundai Bayon. It’s not a model that the brand tends to shout about, perhaps because it’s one of the older, more traditional cars in their line-up, forgoing hybrid or electric power, jazzy screens and a dearth of buttons.
That allows it to be reasonably priced, a key advantage in a segment that tries to offer SUV practicality and feel in supermini-sized and priced cars.
It's always nice when a new car comes in a range of colours and not just shadesAlex WolstenholmeEditorial Assistant
Partly for that reason, it hasn’t set the sales charts alight. But perhaps that’s unfair, because while rivals like the Ford Puma, Nissan Juke and Vauxhall Mokka are hot sellers, the Bayon is better in some ways.
Hyundai released the Bayon in 2021, and in 2024 it was treated to a light nip and tuck facelift. Since then, the range has been slimmed down to just two trim levels and a choice of manual or automatic gearboxes.
Originally available in a plethora of trims and 99bhp or 118bhp petrol and mild-hybrid forms, it now makes do with a single 89bhp 1.0-litre pure-petrol engine paired to a six-speed manual or seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox (for a £1200 premium).
The loss of a mild-hybrid option does mean that the official fuel economy for the Bayon falls from 53.3mpg to 47.9mpg and CO2 rises from 121g/km to 133g/km for the manual version (the automatic is roughly 1mpg more efficient on paper).
Choice of trims is restricted to Black Line at just under £24,000 and Tech Line at just over £25,000 - very competitively priced for the class.
Previously, you could choose between SE Connect, Advance, Premium and Ultimate.
The Bayon’s look is surprisingly restrained for a modern Hyundai, and yet it still manages to stand out in a pretty unexciting class.
Distinctive daytime running lights, an interesting shape to the rear lights and a tapered rear end give it an original look. While it might not be a handsome crossover, it certainly isn’t anonymous.
A key for the ignition on Black Line models is suprising but not unwelcomeAlex WolstenholmeEditorial Assistant
Black Line trim gets dark touches like black 16in alloy wheels and privacy glass. Standard equipment includes two 10.25in displays, LED headlights and tailights, a rear view camera, heated seats and steering wheel and wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Tech Line gets 17in diamond cut alloys, front parking sensors, ambient lighting, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and keyless ignition. A £1000 Tech Pack which adds an opening sunroof, front windscreen with acoustic film, BOSE sound system, tweeter, external amplifier and front centre speaker.
Both variants are fitted with a suite of GSR2 safety-based features, such as intelligent speed limit assist. There’s also cruise control, lane keep assist and forward collision avoidance.
Within the Hyundai range, it sits between the supermini i20 (which is £750 cheaper like-for-like) and the Kona small SUV (which is £3500 more expensive) in terms of size.
The Kia Stonic is a very close relation and has recently been updated with a striking new design - it’s cheaper than the Bayon too.
For a car posing as a crossover SUV, you sit surprisingly low down, like you do in an i20 supermini. That said, the seat has plenty of adjustment so you can jack it up high to get a good view out.
The steering wheel also offers plenty of adjustment, allowing you to get a really comfortable driving position.
The seats offer good lumbar and lateral support, and while the seat base is a little firm (to this tester at least) its length ensures there is plenty of comfort for longer-legged drivers. Sam PhillipsStaff Writer
More good things include a very logical layout. There are plenty of buttons for controls like the climate, heated seats and steering wheel, and the touchscreen infotainment is easy to use. That said, the driver's display is a little hard to read and quite dated in terms of the graphics on offer.
In the age of the EV it's rather comforting to return to a no-nonsense car like the Bayon and simply toggle a switch to adjust the temperature or fan speed and (in the Black Line at least) turn a key to fire the engine up.
My only complaint up front is the lack of design flair. It’s all quite dark and the plastics are hard and scratchy. We’ll give Hyundai some credit for adding some pudgy, elbow-friendly materials to the door cappings, though.
Space is best described as adequate in the rear: there’s enough leg room, but the sloping roofline will limit comfort for taller passengers and its a squeeze to slide feet under the front seats.
The 411-litre boot is more than suitable for the Bayon’s duties (it’s one of the larger spaces in the class) and there’s 1205 litres of luggage capacity to play with when the seats are folded flat.
The updated Bayon goes without mild-hybrid assistance. It's unusual for a brand to backtrack and switch to an unelectrified engine when most manufacturers are hell-bent on reducing emissions, but it does at least keep prices low.
If you’re worried that 89bhp and 127lb ft sounds a little anaemic in a modern crossover, you needn’t worry. At a little over 1000kg, it’s just enough, even when accelerating at motorway speeds.
90bhp is all you need in a car of this weight
Hyundai reckons it’ll reach 0-62mph in just under 10sec, which is impressive if true. It certainly feels punchier than the Citroen C3 Aircross.
While mechanical refinement dips a little when revved hard, we like the Bayon’s throaty three-cylinder engine note, and at a cruise the engine settles down into the background, with enough torque so that it doesn’t need to be revved to make progress very often.
If anything the gear change is the main highlight, despite it being light, and it offers more feedback and resistance than the Volkswagen T-Cross, Nissan Juke or Renault Captur.
Comfort and easy drivability are at the core of the Bayon’s dynamic priorities, and it manages to deliver on both.
On 16in alloys wheels it strikes an ideal balance between ride and handling; through corners it maintains reassuringly consistent body control, while it manages to remain comfortable with good absorption of bumps and potholes.
A composed ride and tidy handling are perfect for British roadsAlex WolstenholmeEditorial Assistant
It's not perfect, but for a cheap car on normal suspension it irons out more lumps and bumps than you might expect.
On 17in wheels there is a reasonable amount of firmness at town speeds, so it’s one reason to choose the cheaper Black Line with the smaller wheels.
Either way, the Bayon is enjoyable to thread down a winding road. It may not have as accurate and feelsome steering as a Ford Puma, but it’s better than a Toyota Yaris Cross or Skoda Kamiq.
We’d stick with the manual with because it gives the car a sense of engagement and fun that is missing in many cars, especially in the crossover segment. In fact, the Bayon’s chuckability makes it feel more like an i20 estate than a jacked-up mini-SUV.
Another boon is how easy it is to turn the ADAS functions off using buttons on the steering wheel.
Both the entry-level and mid-level trims present good value for money, especially when compared to the Ford Puma and Volkswagen T-Cross. That said, on finance the Puma and T-Cross are only a few pounds more expensive per month (the Kia Stonic is cheaper).
A Citroen C3 Aircross offers better value for money, but it is not as nice to drive.
Removing the option of mild-hybrid power was slightly strangeAlex WolstenholmeEditorial Assistant
All versions promise generous levels of kit, but Black Line makes more sense with its smaller wheels and lower cost. That said, if you can’t live with wired CarPlay or a slightly tinny stereo, Tech Line is still good value.
Fuel economy is key to the success of any compact crossover, and while the Bayon doesn’t look particularly good on paper, we did at least match the claim of high 40s mpg in the real world, which isn’t always a given.
It seems that 50mpg is a realistic proposition on faster, flowing roads, with 45mpg likely on more urban runs.
The back-to-basics Bayon is a refreshing antidote to the tech and touchscreen-heavy EVs that we so commonly associate with modern-day motoring.
It is well-equipped, practical, good to drive, comfortable and reasonably priced. A very recommendable car, if not quite as good as a Ford Puma. It is cheaper and more usable, however.
The balance between ride and handling is one of the best in the class, a welcome suprise for the driverAlex WolstenholmeEditorial Assistant
And that’s the Bayon's biggest strength. If you’re just looking for a car, a simple tool to get you from A to B it excels. It never annoys or frustrates; rather does the job as well as most people will need it to.
Alex joined Haymarket, the publisher of Autocar, in 2023. A car fanatic, he loves to delve into the spec-sheet, especially when it concerns something obscure or quirky. He currently drives a 2007 Alpina D3 estate but is often seen in his mum's Ford Fiesta (much to her annoyance).
In his current position, as an editorial assistant, Alex mainly assists in managing Autocar's presence on MSN, but also writes features for the magazine.
Sam joined the Autocar team in summer 2024 and has been a contributor since 2021. He is tasked with writing used reviews and first drives as well as updating top 10s and evergreen content on the Autocar website.
He previously led sister-title Move Electric, which covers the entire spectrum of electric vehicles, from cars to boats – and even trucks. He is an expert in new car news, used cars, electric cars, microbility, classic cars and motorsport.
Sam graduated from Nottingham Trent University in 2021 with a BA in Journalism. In his final year he produced an in-depth feature on the automotive industry’s transition to electric cars and interviewed a number of leading experts to assess our readiness for the impending ban on the sale of petrol and diesel cars.