Design, philosophy, on-board technology, engines and competition, we review the five points to remember about the Hyundai Bayon. This new compact SUV joins the Kona in the manufacturer’s offer in the B segment.
Hyundai has just presented the Bayon, named after the French city of Bayonne to highlight how well it is cut for Europe. This is a B-segment SUV, a segment so loaded that the South Korean manufacturer competes with itself since it already occupies it with the Kona . But according to Hyundai, the newcomer does not quite target the same customers as its “enemy brother”. So let’s review its main specificities.
1. The Hyundai Bayon flaunts its style
The Hyundai Bayon takes up the two-story “look” of the Kona. Its front end features a wide grille flared down, which visually reinforces the vehicle’s seat as well as the boomerang-shaped rear lights. In profile, we notice the flanks traversed by protruding edges but also a low height for the segment with 1.49 m announced . It is 8 cm less than a Kona, 9 cm less than a Renault Captur , and that completes to give the Bayon a silhouette more stretched than that of its rivals. Regarding its other dimensions, the Bayon is among the most compact in the segment with 4.18 m long, 1.78 m wide and 2.58 m wheelbase .
The accentuation of the width is also required in the passenger compartment with a dashboard traversed by a strip of horizontal slats. The layout remains classic with a digital instrument panel, a central screen protruding from the console and ventilation controls slightly turned towards the driver.
2. The Hyundai Bayon, for what use?
The Bayon is therefore lower than its competitors; it also wants to be brighter thanks to a rather generous glazed surface compared to the standards of the moment. Its trunk volume of 411 dm3 bench seat in place, against 361 dm3 for the Kona, gives the last clue on its orientation. Hyundai’s latest addition hides the spirit of a compact MPV under its adventurous appearance , like the Opel Crossland .
With the 17-inch rims offered as an option or at the top of the range, the Bayon however displays a ground clearance of 18 cm allowing it to venture without too much difficulty on gravel paths or sidewalks. since it s’ is above all an urban vehicle. The Bayon is only offered in traction .
3. The Hyundai Bayon on the high tech side
In addition to the screens, the atmosphere is modern inside the Hyundai Bayon thanks in particular to mood lighting illuminating the footwells, the storage compartments, the door handles and the central console at the front. The central monitor displays 8 or 10.25 inches diagonally depending on the configuration. The infotainment system is compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Thanks to the latest generation of Hyundai’s Bluelink device, it is possible to share your smartphone’s agenda with the car, to open or close the vehicle remotely or to access certain information (fuel level, next service …) via a mobile application.
The Bayon will also be able to carry numerous active safety systems such as adaptive cruise control, sign recognition, lane keeping assistance, vigilance sensors, blind spot monitoring, parking assistance , rear perpendicular traffic alert or intelligent high beams.
4. The Hyundai Bayon under the hood
The Hyundai Bayon will be offered with a choice of an 84 hp 1.2 MPi naturally aspirated petrol engine with five-speed manual gearbox or a 100 hp 1.0 T-GDi turbo petrol unit with 48 V micro-hybridization . The latter could be associated with an “intelligent” six-speed manual gearbox which switches the vehicle into “freewheel” mode as soon as the accelerator is released, or with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission . In both cases, an automatic heel-toe is advertised for the T-GDi. This new device for the segment will not be there to chase the lap times but to gain flexibility according to Hyundai.
5. The Hyundai Bayon against its rivals
As mentioned above, the Bayon will have a lot to do to seduce in an already very competitive segment. Renault Captur, Peugeot 2008 , Nissan Juke and other Volkswagen T-Roc jostle there, to name but a few.
But with its more family orientation than these and prices that promise to be lower than those of the Kona, the Bayon could have a card to play in finding its clientele . It is presented more as an alternative to the Opel Crossland mentioned above, or even to the Skoda Kamiq . To get a more precise idea of its services, we will have to wait until next spring to find out the details of its equipment and prices .