Taking the game a notch higher

The Hyundai i20 was a late starter when it was first launched about six years ago. Whether it was a bit early for the times or whether the market hadn’t matured enough to appreciate the space and cabin quality that the i20 offered, the fact was there weren’t too many takers in the first few months.

Its prospects changed quite suddenly, ironically, after a competing car – the Honda Jazz – was launched at a higher price point. Buyers could finally appreciate the better value that the i20 represented and by then, they had also possibly resigned themselves to the inevitability of owning a hatch given the crowded roads in their cities.

Since then, the i20 has grown from strength to strength and a couple of face-lifts down the line, Hyundai has now decided to redesign and relaunch the car in a new avatar. The result is the new i20 Elite – an obvious attempt at convincing buyers that this new model, sporting what Hyundai calls Fluidic design version 2.0, is a worthy upgrade. So, is it?

The i20’s design hadn’t really aged and it was still a smart looking car. But, Hyundai has decided to pull out the predecessor and not run it parallel to the i20 Elite. The successor sports sharper lines and a more upright posture compared to the previous model. Hyundai claims that this is the new, version 2.0 of its fluidic design language. There is nothing really to complain about, but yes, the result seems to make the i20 Elite look a bit taller than the predecessor. The i20 Elite has seen a complete overhaul of all the body panels and the chassis. The new chassis is about 47mm longer and the wheelbase is up 55mm. There is a certain degree of familiarity because of the prominent haunches continuing in the new i20 Elite, but apart from that there are no carry-over lines.

Both the front and rear fenders now get vertical profiles and that boosts its taller stance, while also enabling it to stay within the 4-metre length limit. The front features the trademark hexagonal grille in new form, a new pair of headlamps with wraparound edges and a sleek airdam with side skirts which forms a clean image.

At the side, the shoulder line rises sharply towards the rear and forms a tighter green house than the predecessor’s, but there is no compromise in the amount of light in the cabin.

The most dramatic design element at the side is the blacked out C-pillar that is meant to give the new i20 Elite a reverse floating roof effect. We are not sure that the quality of the plastic cladding used will remain pristine in the long run given the harsh ambient conditions. But Hyundai officials are confident that the black cladding won’t fade or crack over time.

The previous i20 featured accentuated waist and side profile lines, and the new one continues that trend, though they are straighter and more elegant in the i20 Elite. Flared wheel arches and the 16-inch alloys in our test car were a good fit with the overall design. At the rear, the new elongated wraparound tail-lamps hog a lot of space, cutting deep into the compact hatch door. The tail-lamp combination has been constructed smartly to mimic the presence of LED tubes when actually there are no LEDs anywhere in the car. In fact, that is a feature that buyers may miss when the i20 Elite is compared with the outgoing model.

The new i20 Elite’s cabin also gets a decent upgrade. The overall dashboard layout is meant to curve around the front occupants with matching design and dual-tone coloured panels extending into the doors. The amount of space available has clearly increased with the wheelbase being the longest amongst hatches, compact sedans and compact SUVs, the legroom is also said to be best in class.

The chunky steering wheel with multi-function controls, the music system with 8 speakers, and the cluster ioniser function in the auto aircon are some of the highlights of the interior of the i20 Elite. There is also the addition of rear aircon vents for added comfort for rear seat occupants. The seats in all our test cars only featured cloth upholstery, but they were comfortable and featured enough thigh support for front occupants. The boot space in the i20 Elite is 285 litres.

Hyundai engineers have added auto headlamps, auto folding door mirrors, rear parking sensors and a camera with an in-built display in the electro-chromic rear view mirror. There are also convenience features like the headlamp escort function and a steering position warning to make sure that the driver knows which way the wheels are pointed when the car is started.

The new i20 Elite is being offered with one petrol and one diesel engine. The 1.2 Dual VTVT Kappa petrol mill has been carried forward from the existing i20 with minor changes to the performance. The engine which features variable valve timing (both inlet and exhaust ports) now produces 83 PS of peak power at 6,000 rpm and a peak torque of about 114 Nm at 4,000 rpm. During our test drive, the i20 Elite VTVT didn’t feel underpowered, but it didn’t feel like it would be capable of surprising you either.

We are guessing that the new model is marginally heavier than the outgoing model. But its weight isn’t evident while driving. The petrol engine is paired with a 5-speed manual transmission and just like the 6-speed manual in the diesel powertrain, the gearbox is a clean-shifting, delight-to-use unit.

The diesel engine is the new member in the family. The 1,396cc, DOHC, turbocharged unit is a second-gen U2 CRDi mill. This larger engine produces 90PS of power at 4,000 rpm and peak torque of about 220 Nm between 1,500 to 2,750 rpm. This was clearly the more likeable powertrain to drive. There is almost no turbolag and there is enough torque available to pull away from traffic right from about 1,200 rpm. The engine operates at a high 1,800 bar pressure and is said to be capable of delivering 22.54 kmpl of mileage (ARAI rated). The rated mileage for the petrol engine is 18.6 kmpl. The i20’s ride quality was never a sore point. But its handling could have been better. The i20 Elite feels like it has seen some work on the suspension to make it just a tad bit firmer. Together with the longer wheelbase, the new i20 Elite does feel more confident around corners. However, rough patches of road tend to unsettle the suspension a bit.

The i20 Elite is one of the most loaded hatches that your money can buy today. There are enough safety features that have been built in depending on the trim level, though we’d have liked ABS/ EBD to have been made standard.

Priced between ₹4.9 lakh and ₹7.67 lakh, the i20 Elite is likely to attract a lot more attention in today’s market than its predecessor did.

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