Test-driving Hyundai's new i10 in Lisbon | #GoBig

*this post is sponsored by Hyundai, however all opinions, anecdotes and rambles belong to yours truly

moving to london has come with a whole host of ups but there’s definitely also been some downsides to doing so. sacrificing driving being one of them. now i know it’s not the be all and end all, and i could’ve technically carried on having my car whilst i was up here but from past experience, it began to become a little irrelevant for the day-to-day and was ditched in favour of public transport, simply because i was already near to where i needed to be. living in brighton meant i had to travel further to get to places because we lived on the outskirts but now being in brixton, this is less of a necessity. 

and yet, i realise, something i hugely miss.

driving, for me, was never just to get from a to b. it was an experience; it was an escape and most of all ( and probably strangest ), it was therapy. it got me through some of my toughest times and being able to have that freedom, whilst also maintaining an environment of comfort and homeliness, as well as providing a distraction, created the perfect balance to nurture my anxiety. 

being offered the opportunity to test-drive Hyundai’s new i10 was, therefore, never going to be one to turn down, especially after seeing it was pretty much built to cater to all of our modern day needs ( and is the ideal size i love to drive ~ little cars are the way forwards imo and this still even manages to pack in five seats ). throw, also, into the mix, the opportunity to do so in lisbon ~ a city i’ve always dreamt of visiting but never quite followed through, and i had my suitcase packed before you could even say ‘i10’.

Hyundai have really focused on streamlining each aspect of the driving experience so, despite it being my first time on the opposite side of the road, and brenda ( the car’s new, given name ) being an automatic which i’m not entirely used to, i felt fully at home and in true comfort. it’s sort of tardis-esque in its function; appearing small on the outside but can shuffle around a full family, a whole loada luggage and probably the odd furry animal without feeling cramped and for that, i can only applaud ... the #GoBig campaign tagline meaning is made abundantly clear by this, on entry. 

some features worth noting, available on the new i10 :

~ eight-inch central navigation touchscreen

~ wireless charging

~ apple carplay and android auto connectivity

~ bluetooth connectivity

~ heated front seats and steering wheel

~ rear-view parking camera

~ Lane Keep Assist and autonomous emergency braking with forward collision warning ( using the front camera to monitor road lines and distances between other cars to avoid or minimise accidents )

~ cruise control

~ GPS vehicle locating ability

~ smartphone navigation control and remote locking

i think we can safely say i came away with, not only a strong desire to return to lisbon ( hello quaint, little corners and hand-painted tiles dotted in between incredible pieces of street art and some v v tasty, vegan natas ), but also with brenda firmly stuck in my mind and i’m already missing her companionship. there are ten colour variations available of this model, so you'd be hard-pushed not to find your match but let’s be honest, i was always going to opt for a mono/neutral palette with mine ... what say you ???

cheers to hopefully being behind the wheel some more in 2020!

*outfit co-ordination may or may not have been planned in advance

♡