No More Excuses

Consumerism has taken over our lives to such an extent that we often hear people blaming their lack of gear or equipment as the barrier stopping them from chasing their dreams. Legendary amputee mountain biker Reuben van Niekerk firmly believes in having the right tool for the job, but stresses that the right tool does not always have to be the biggest, most expensive one.

- Reuben Van Niekerk

Many South Africans would like to explore deepest darkest Africa but never do because their garage does not contain the latest 4×4. Eager to prove a point, when the Hyundai i20 Active appeared on the scene over the same period I had planned to go explore the Free State’s mountain-biking spots, I had no hesitation in deciding it would be a great travel companion.

The little Hyundai and me are no strangers to bicycle trips. I fondly recall how I travelled through the night in a Hyundai Getz, high on Regmakers, to my one and only Cape Town Cycle Tour. The rear of the little hatch swallowed two bicycles and four sets of wheels with ease and handled the long trip in its stride, so I was excited to revisit this pairing and hit the open road.

The problem with Gauteng is that it is relatively flat and training for the South African mountain-biking stage race events requires that you ride on technical, undulating terrain. Trails like these are becoming increasingly more difficult to find in the concrete jungle but thankfully it is possible to get to some remote locations within a couple of hours from the city.

The popular Getz nameplate has long disappeared from the Hyundai line-up and in a way, the i20 has replaced it. Hyundai is continuing its success in the segment for midsized hatchbacks and recently introduced a refreshed i20 line-up, along with the addition of the range-topping 1.4 Active flagship derivative.

The Active boasts a unique grille, LED daytime running lights and fog lights, along with silver cladding on the matte-black front bumper and black wheel arch trim. Active capability is boosted with an increase in ground clearance by 20mm to 170mm and bigger 16-inch alloy wheels.

The rear features updated bumpers and rear combination lamps while the tailgate was reworked to integrate the licence plate.