Hyundai jumps on to the bandwagon

The endless segmentation of the passenger car market witnessed the addition of another sub-category during the last few months. The sports style vehicle segment is meant to be visual trickery - the design is meant to give the onlooker the impression of it being a miniaturized sports utility vehicle, even while it makes the owner feel like he is sitting inside a tall, muscular off-roader.

Not to be confused with the sub-compact (sub-4-metre) SUV segment, this fast emerging SSV segment was clearly birthed only to allow buyers be willing participants in the deception. Essentially, they are hatchbacks masquerading as crossovers/ SUVs thanks to the addition of chunky body kit and SUV-like features. There is not even much of a differentiation internally. But if, as part of the maturing of the market, Indian buyers are going to seek the SSV as their next step in automotive evolution why should the manufacturers argue otherwise.

The Toyota Etios Cross and the Volkswagen Cross Polo have firmly established the emerging interest for these variants. The next one to launch a vehicle in this genre is Hyundai with the i20 Active.

What you get in the i20 Active is a bit more than just the visual differentiators that the other competition cars have, when compared to the hatchbacks they are based on. But the new i20 Active still does not include any major changes to the powertrain.

As you approach the i20 Active, it admittedly gives off the vibe of a raised sports style vehicle, even though the i20 part of it unmissable. But to give the i20 Active the look and stance of a small crossover, the front and rear fenders have been changed along with a new interpretation of the hexagonal bonnet grille and airdam. Large integrated foglamps, a skid plate and a tusk bar at the front manage to give it a sturdy, vaguely off-roader-style character. Though similar in design and construct to the i20 Elite, the headlamps are all-new, with integrated LED daytime running lights (DRLs) and positioning lamps.

The i20 Active also gets silver-finished roof rails, body side cladding and broad waistline moulding to boost its crossover image. At the rear, the tail-lamps have been carried forward from the i20 Elite. But the rear bumper is larger and is a two tone unit similar to the front one and this too features a matt metallic skid plate. Large integrated fog lamps and special metallic fuel cap are the other additions. The black side cladding has not been overdone in the i20 Active and forms a thin, but distinctive layer over the wheel arches.

The i20 Active's ground clearance has been increased by 20mm compared to the i20 Elite. The suspension has been raised and the ground clearance is now 190mm, another crossover trait. The i20 Active also gets a newly designed set of 16-inch alloy wheels (including the spare wheel). The tyres have the same 185/55 aspect ratio. The i20 Elite's new design with its straight shoulder line and raised haunches was primed for use in crossover form and the exterior design of the Active manages to leverage it well.

The i20 Active's cabin gets a nice visual boost too. Two colour themes with the base black have been chosen to make the cabin feel more sporty - a Tangerine orange, which you see in these photos, and a Aqua Blue. Contoured seats with contrast panels in these colours, metallic inserts in these same colours for the aircon vents and the music system, and a matching gear knob. Metal pedals and an electrochromic mirror with integrated LCD screen for the reversing camera are the other new features. The cabin is otherwise very similar to the i20 Elite with the same amount of legroom and shoulder space. A cooled glove box, 285-litre luggage space, rear aircon vents and a 2-DIN infotainment system with 8 speakers are the other features. Hyundai is expected to launch the i20 Active with three trim levels each for the petrol and diesel engine variants.

The i20 Active is offered with the same two powertrains that the i20 Elite is also offered with and in the same state of tune. But in both the petrol and diesel engines, the final gear ratios have been changed to ensure that there is more torque available at lower engine rpm levels.

So, the 1.2 Dual VTVT Kappa petrol engine delivers 83PS of peak power and 11.7 KgM of torque. The engine is paired with a 5-speed manual transmission and the ARAI rated mileage of this engine is 17.19 kmpl. The low and mid-speed acceleration in-gear is claimed to have improved by 6 per cent due to the change in gear ratios.

The 1.4L, U2 CRDi diesel engine delivers the same 90PS of peak power and torque of 22.4KgM. This engine is paired with the same 6-speed manual gearbox that the i20 Elite is also offered with. Rated mileage is 21.19 kmpl and in-gear acceleration is said to have improved by 11 per cent. On the road, the diesel engine is a bit noisy in the cabin while accelerating hard. But at cruising speeds, the engine settles down to be acceptably quiet. Torque availability at low engine speeds certainly feels like it has received a boost. But the overall character of the engine feels very much like in the i20 Elite.

Despite an increase in the ground clearance, changes to the i20 Active's suspension set up has enabled Hyundai engineers to keep body roll to a minimum and the ride is also settled over bad patches of road, a trait it shares with the Elite. Steering feel and comfort has also seen an improvement, in both the cars.

The i20 Active has two positives that should work for it - a restrained but sporty body kit and the crisp, premium feel of the cabin. The i20 Active is being launched next week and we would like to see prices being benchmarked to the i20 Elite's with a differential of ₹ 60,000-80,000 depending on the variant.

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