Hyundai takes covers off Bayon, its smallest and most affordable SUV

Hyundai has finally taken the covers off Bayon SUV, its smallest and most affordable SUV, on Tuesday. Hyundai Bayon will be manufactured in the brand's Izmit factory and exported to more than 40 countries.

Bayon SUV owes its name to the city of Bayonne, located in southwest France. It will be a product designed by and for Europe. Bayon SUV will be competing in the B-segment and is likely to be Hyundai’s new flagship as an entry-level SUV.

Hyundai Bayon emphasises Hyundai's 'emotional sportiness' design philosophy with a unique and distinctive exterior design. At the front, Bayon gets a wide grille flanked by large air openings on both sides. The three-part main lights, which consists of daytime running lights, low and high beams, adds a stylish ambience to the vehicle. Daytime running lights are positioned towards the end of the hood, emphasising the sense of spaciousness.

(Also see | More pics of Hyundai Bayon SUV)

On the side, a dynamic shoulder provides a wedge-shaped appearance. The arrow-shaped C-pillar provides dynamic and unexpected architecture. This, in combination with fender feature and cladding, defines its unique character.

To the rear, arrow-shaped lights underline the pillar dynamics. A thin horizontal line connects the taillights. The strong rear section and visually extended rear window initiate a unique and expressive rear design. Full LED lights and indicators complete its modern look.

Bayon SUV stands 4,180mm long, 1,775mm wide, and 1,490mm tall. It features a wheel base of 2,580mm and will be available with either 15-inch steel wheels or 16- or 17-inch alloy wheels. Bayon SUV also boasts of 411 litres of boot space.

The interior of the Bayon SUV is defined by a range of connectivity equipment, including a 10.25-inch digital cluster and a 10.25-inch AVN or 8-inch Display Audio. It also has LED ambient lighting integrated into the front passenger foot areas, door wells, and front door pull handle areas, as well as the storage area below the centre console.

The 8-inch Display Audio is available with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, making Hyundai the first car manufacturer to introduce wireless phone mirroring into a car of this size.

The car will be available in three different interior colours. With all black, dark-light grey and dark grey and green stitched upholstery, a calm atmosphere is offered that will allow the driver to focus on the interior.

Hyundai Bayon will be available with a number of semi-autonomous driving features like Lane Following Assist (LFA) to keep the vehicle centred in its lane, Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist (FCA) to sound an alarm and apply the brakes to prevent a collision from occurring if necessary.

At the heart of the Hyundai Bayon will be an engine identical to that of the i20. At the top of the line-up is a 1.0-litre T-GDi engine with 48V and 120 or 100 PS. This can be coupled with the 6-speed intelligent Manual Transmission (6iMT) or a 7-speed dual clutch transmission (7DCT).

The 1.0-litre T-GDi engine with 48V also comes with three drive modes to optimise the engine response and steering performance based on driving conditions. These are Eco, Normal and Sport.