One of the highlights for Hyundai in the past couple of years has
been the rise in the overall ability of the company's products, and I think the
company hit a new high in 2014 in terms of product capabilities. And their
record sales figures of the year clearly reflect that the Indian consumer
understands their product lineup and the quality being offered.
No product in their current lineup eulogies this
constant improvement more than the Elite i20. Producing the second-generation
of an already successful product is always a tough challenge, but the designers
and engineers seem to have hit the nail on the head with this one. First off,
tire design of the car seems to be Hyundai's best effort yet, as it blends its
combination of clean lines along with an aggressive front end and a very
attractive rear - where the large tail lights make the car stand out.
This favorable impression grows
when one gets into the car, and straight away the quality of the plastics and
fit and finish in the i20 are simply class leading. No other current product in
its segment - comes even close to the i20. Then, of course, there is the
Hyundai trump card - equipment levels - and the i20 puts cars worth four times
its price to shame with its long list of standard equipment. On the diesel Asta
version that we are running, the list includes rear view camera, rear-parking
sensors, steering controls, climate control, and Bluetooth connectivity. And
that's not even half of the total list of equipment that the car comes equipped
with!
Of course, the one disappointment
for a long time with Hyundai's products had been their dynamics, which didn't
match the other qualities - but their engineers seem to have sorted out that
problem. The i20 rides fantastically well despite its large 16" wheels,
has excellent high-speed manners and the handling behaviour is something that
has not been seen on their hatchback products before.
However, with summer approaching,
the more extreme test of the i20 is about to begin, and it'll be a fun
experience to see how the new - and already successful – premium hatch from the
Korean carmaker holds up in our extreme conditions.
Words by : Ishan
Raghava
Published by : Auto X
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