Lancia Ypsilon review

Sadly, we’re yet to drive the Ypsilon Rally4 HF. Instead, we spent some time in the Ypsilon Hybrid, and if you’re familiar with the powertrain from its Peugeot and Vauxhall/Opel applications then there won’t be much here to surprise you.

With just 109bhp and 151lb ft of torque available it’s hardly rapid, and fully laden up Tuscan hills it feels like it could do with a little more poke. But in more normal circumstances it allows you to make smooth progress, and the hybrid assist means it’s nippy enough off the mark in town.

The six-speed dual-clutch gearbox is reasonably quick to respond too, and while there are paddles behind the steering wheel the response to your inputs is sluggish, so you’ll probably rarely use them.

What’s it like on twisty roads?

Interestingly, the steering is actually a bit heavier than you might expect. In the Peugeot you get that dinky little wheel and the steering itself feels overly-assisted, but the Ypsilon has a bit more heft to it and gives the Ypsilon a tad more feedback from the front wheels. Okay, it’s hardly a Delta Integrale, but it’s a decent effort for a small hybrid supermini.

The Ypsilon corners fairly neutrally too without too much understeer, and the ride is fairly firm so there isn’t too much body roll. That does mean that it’s a little compromised over larger bumps in the road though, particularly if you’ve gone for a higher spec and 17in wheels.

What about refinement?

Most superminis are surprisingly competent grand tourers these days, and the Ypsilon is no different in hybrid guise. There’s a little bit of road noise and motorway speeds, but wind noise is kept to a minimum and the powertrain generally sounds very refined. It’s a grown-up small car, this.

Is it economical?

The hybrid system is well-integrated, so at low speeds it’ll run on electric power more than you might expect, and when the turbo petrol engine kicks in it does so without too much fuss. Across 281km on a wide variety of roads we saw consumption of 6.5 litres per 100km. That equates to just over 43mpg. Not bad at all.