Hyundai Elite i20

Hyundai has launched the updated i20 amidst a slew of launches by manufacturers in this segment. Is the new i20 as 'Elite' as its name suggests?

When product engineers insist the new Elite i20 is far more dynamically sorted than the old i20, that special attention went into making this car at least as much fun to drive as its rivals, my ears perk up.  The Hyundai I know, at least those from the Fluidic era, have always had strong diesel engines, sharp styling and a lot of equipment. A lot of this improvement comes from what underpins the car. The floorpan is now longer (the wheelbase is up 45mm to 2570mm), the car is wider by 24mm, the height remains the same and interestingly, overall length is 10mm less. The petrol and diesel engines have been carried over from the old i20 as is the basic front and rear suspension and electric power steering. But the spring rates have been further tweaked for this car and the suspension struts are more vertical than before to better control wheel geometry and deal with bumps and cornering loads. The front suspension is the typical Indian hatch MacPherson struts, while the rear is a non-independent coupled torsion beam affair. 

It is definitely new generation in the way it looks. Hyundai calls this new styling theme "Fluidic Sculpture Version 2.0". It's more subtle, more toned down with less edges and angles and the focus was to draw lines that appeal to a wider bunch of people. When you lock eyes on it for the first time, there are plenty of things that grab your attention. The thrust out, hexagonal grille with its honeycomb mesh and the pulled back headlamps for example, the strong character line and the blacked out C-pillar on the sides, and  even the Alfa Romeo-like tail-lamps. The 16-inch alloy wheels come standard on the Sportz (0) and Asta, while lower variants get 14-inch steel rims with wheel caps.

The interiors have been thoroughly refreshed as well. It's an appealing looking dashboard that follows the now common slab theme by which we mean there's a big slab of beige that runs across the dashboard. Quality has improved and there is appeal in the way the centre console is angled slightly towards the driver. It's easy to find a comfortable driving position - the steering adjusts for reach and rake and there's seat height adjustment as well. The rear seats are seriously spacious now with great leg room, head room and width. The Elite i20 does feel like a properly big car from the inside. The 285-litre boot is massive too and the rear seats split and fold. The engines have been carried over from the old i20 and that means you get the 1.4-litre, 89bhp common-rail diesel and a 1.2-litre petrol motor. First the diesel and, there is lag. There is enough grunt below 2500rpm for trundling around town in high gear and low rpm– the ratios for second, fourth and sixth gears have been changed to make it more responsive. The other stand-out feature of this engine is its sheer smoothness. At idle and low revs you will be hard pressed to tell it is a diesel and this is true even if you are standing outside the car. It really is that good. Like the diesel though, the petrol is a smooth and refined engine.  

And so, on to the biggest improvement in the car, its handling. There is noticeably less slop in the chassis - the longer wheelbase and the tweaked springs have made a difference to the way the i20 rides and handles. There seems to be a newfound stability through corners and the Elite feels quite secure even when you are leaning hard on the tyres. At middle to high speeds, bump absorption is very good but it does feel a tad stiff at low speeds and sharper edges do tend to catch it out.  The i20 has never been cheap, but what it does give you is lots of equipment in exchange for your money. The Asta comes with a really long list that includes reverse BSSs camera, keyless entry and go, climate control, an 8-speaker Bluetooth audio system with 1GB internal memory, USB, aux-in, power folding mirrors and even a chilled glovebox. It looks great, is well-equipped and is a seriously spacious car. The up in quality will appeal to many as will the more secure handling characteristics. 

Words : Ouseph Chacko