Hi20!

In keeping with the tradition, we introduced the newest member of the Garage fleet by taking it for a spin out of town on a weekend. This time around, however, I didn't get a head-start early in the morning, and got caught up in the traffic.

The exterior of the Elite i20 looks great, and manages to attract the attention of many road users and pedestrians even at standstill. When travelling at a snail's pace in the city, our journey was fairly stress-free. The air-conditioning unit worked flawlessly, cooling the cabin down in no time. The cabin proved to be well insulated from noisy outside world, while the Bluetooth-ready audio system worked well in dishing out background scores, keeping us entertained while the world around the i20 did its thing. The 1.4-litre four-pot diesel engine performed seamlessly, and the car's suspension held up well over all sorts of road conditions, including the steeply-inclined gutted road that lead to our destination.

The short-throw six-speed gearbox is a gem to use and the engine felt relaxed on the open sections of the highway. 

Cruising down the highway at 120kph was an absolute breeze, and the Elite proved to be quite impressive, no matter what I threw at it or under its wheels. I really liked the fact that the entertainment system offers 1GB of storage space, which effectively pissed my girlfriend off when she realised that it was full of rock music. Sadly, she discovered that she could wipe everything off the hard drive by pressing a couple of buttons. But that really isn't the Elite i20's fault. The wheel feels nice and light at all speeds, and houses a number of operational buttons that control the audio system and phone calls. They are of good quality and feel great to use. On the whole, the Elite i20 comes across as a capable, contemporary hatchback, and, thanks to the sharp styling, it also manages to look the part.

Published By : Top Gear