When the smallest Hyundai in the Aussie market first hit showrooms in 2002, it represented a significant change in the Korean carmaker’s approach to the western market.

While previous models had been designed with Europe, the US and Australia in mind, they were the products of a Korean perspective on the rest of the world - and Korean design tastes.

The Getz, then, is more than simply a Hyundai ‘supermini’ – it was the first Hyundai designed in a European studio.  Created to take on more highly-regarded players and beat them at their own game, the Getz signalled Hyundai’s intentions to escape attempts to pigeonhole the company.

It was the precursor to the next evolution of Hyundai models – the ones we now see on Aussie roads in the form of the i30 and the Santa Fe.

Overseas, the Hyundai Genesis Sedan and Genesis Coupe are sending shockwaves through the boardrooms of the old establishment, as is the Hyundai i20 – the new hatch which premiered in Australia at the 2009 Melbourne Motor Show and should join the local family later this year.

Mentioning the i20 brings us full circle back to the Getz, with the new i30-inspired hatch due to replace the Getz in the near future.

But before we wave Hyundai’s diminutive hatch goodbye, let’s take one last look.

Styling… getting on, but still with it

Styling-wise, the Getz has not changed since it copped a revision in 2006. That freshen up was to rejuvenate the little hatch’s appeal and give it the legs to push through until the arrival of it successor later this year.

The changes then were minor: a more curved, modern pair of headlights replaced those of the first series and a wider more-curvaceous grille occupied the space between them. At the rear, a light ‘buttlift’ saw restyled lens covers and tail-light layout.

We tested the five-door model, and while its roofline is more ‘bus-like’ than its slicker-looking three-door sibling – a fate shared by most five-door models with a three-door twin – the Getz’s profile flows respectably nonetheless.

All-in-all, the Getz has aged exceptionally well for a nearly ten-year-old model, a testament to the strength and integrity of its original lines.

Interior… bargain basement, up to the task

The design of the exceptionally spacey interior has remained largely untouched over the model’s life, the most obvious updates coming in the form of a new steering wheel – and steering-mounted audio controls – along with a transmission surround that reaches up to join an oh-so-lightly updated centre stack.

The instrument cluster carries a few small updates, with the remainder being minor changes to the door and seat trims.

While the driver and front passenger seats are anything but sporty – sporty seating (or at least sporting pretensions) being a trend nowadays in even the most mundane of runabouts – they are comfortable if lacking a little bolstering. For the simple A-to-B tasks the Getz is most likely to perform, and even for a long day shuttling around the ‘burbs, they do the job well enough.

The bench-like rear pews remain more-or-less untouched, with again only minor fabric updates to separate them from their forebears.

You’ll seat two adults comfortably in the rear, or three kids of the smaller variety.  Rear head room is excellent thanks to that long straight roof, and leg room is livable.

Floor coverings are a bit disappointing, with only a thin cost-saving carpet between feet and floorpan.  Proper floor mats can be optioned, but really ought to have been standard.

The Getz’ audio system is, as you’d expect for its price-point, nothing to email home about.  As with most if not all modern car stereos, MP3/WMA playback and Mini-USB/AUX connectivity is included in the slot-in headset, while Bluetooth mobile phone connectivity stands out as a pleasing addition to the feature list.

In what must be fast becoming a minimum acceptable number, six speakers – including tweeters – feature in the cabin, though the sound quality isn’t going to set any hearts on fire.  Again, though, the speakers are at the very least adequate and every bit up to the standard expected at this price.