Brilliant Disguise

We drove the i20 Active to discover what it feels like. The theory is not new at all. The Germans from Wolfsburg have been doing it with their Cross models and the Czech with their Scout models although they may have been doing it with cars that had more capability in terms of a 4x4 drive train. 

While it is no secret that Hyundai's new small SUV for India is under development and will be launched later in the year, this segment was perhaps such a big attraction that Hyundai decided to transform the looks and the intent of its bestselling premium hatchback to have a presence in this segment. 

While it is easy to add plastic cladding, Hyundai has done a much better and more congruous job of this than most of the competition. The car not only looks transformed but the overall appeal of the vehicle has been enhanced. Besides, in the base material itself i.e. the i20, Hyundai had a car- that was quite suitable for this transformation, with its sporty looks, rear sloping roofline and high-set classy tail-lamps.

The visual transformation starts from the front where the redesigned two-tone bumper with fog lamps, an underbody skid-plate that wraps around a front air dam with an inbuilt bull-bar nicely complements the taller stance and the projector headlamps. The side cladding everyone does but Hyundai has also added roof-rails as standard equipment along with 16 inch diamond cut alloy wheels in addition to a stand-out fuel filler cap. The rear is a similar story as the front with a rear skid plate, a redone bumper with large round reflectors and reversing lights.

What finally gives meaning to all these changes is the stance of the vehicle. A 20mm increase in ground clearance has been affected by raising the ride height of the vehicle and that is what completes the transformation.

But Hyundai has not left it just to that. The interiors also display the sporty intent that has been nicely achieved on the exterior with the company offering interiors in one of two colours - Tangerine Orange and Aqua Blue. These interior colours are used as trim accents on the seats, dash, and surround of the infotainment system as well as the top of the gear lever knob.

For a vehicle that apes the styling of an SUV that would have been sufficient. But Hyundai has gone a step further and also added a bit of driving flavor and sporty fun to the car by changing the final ratio on the transmission to make the overall gearing slightly shorter and increase the sporty feel of the car. Smart thinking!

The i20 Active otherwise retains all the good qualities of the i20. While driving, the change in gearing is perceptible only to the very discerning but the seating position which is a lot higher is clearly felt by all. I felt that the suspension was also a little stiffer, as the damping rates would have to be reworked to account for the changed ride height. All the changes are definitely for making the car sportier.

In all other respects the i20 Active is the i20 and that is a good thing because the Active gets all of the features that make the i20 such a popular car. The Active is being launched with both the petrol and diesel engines on the i20 but will have just two variants with the petrol engine and three in the diesel.

However a downside of changing the overall gearing is that the fuel efficiency for both the diesel and petrol engine cars has gone down with ARAI certifying the diesel for21.19kmpl and the

petrol for 17.19kmpl.

Published by   :  Autobild

Words by   :  Pawan Dagia