iGen i20 Sportz CRDi - Ownership report

[arvind71181]

Purchase Decision:



My dad had come to India for good post retirement and we were on the look out for a new car to add to the Swift Petrol that we already have in our garage. The search started by checking the online reviews available on the internet (read: Team-BHP). My dad's initial thought process was that he wanted a 7 seater for the entire family to go in if so required (7 people including me and wife, bro and wife and mom and dad). Keeping this in mind, we looked at the reviews of the Quanto and the Ertiga.

Quanto: We looked through the official review in this section and my dad liked the exterior look of the car but was not very happy with the interior looks. Also the fact that the last 2 seats were practically unusable sealed the opinion to be against the car.

Ertiga: Again, looked up the forum's official review and liked the car, both interiors and exteriors. Went to a dealer to have a look at the same. Dealer quoted 8.9L for the petrol model and 10.5L for the Diesel version which was a little out of budget. The VXi petrol came to around 8.1L OTR. At that dealer, immediate delivery was available for both petrol and diesel models in specific colors for the VXi variant.

At this point of time, we started realizing that the all 7 people in one car scenario was likely to happen once in a blue moon probably (coupled with the budget constraints of course ). Hence, the thought process changed instantly to look for sedans/hatchbacks.

Swift/Dzire: At the same dealership, both the Swift and Dzire display cars were present. Had a look at them both. The Swift was priced at 7L OTR while the Dzire was priced at 7.5L OTR. Both petrol, both top end variants. The dealer also had a 2012 Dzire in stock apparently. When we asked for discounts, he said that the max he can do was to give Rs.5000 off!!!

Came back home and decided that the miniscule increase in boot space (320 approx I think it was), did not warrant the extra 50,000. My dad was almost fixed on the Swift ZXi. The only thing which was holding us back was the fact that we already owned a Swift and this would be the same car (a facelifted and better car though, I add)

After a couple of days, my brother gave us the idea of also going and looking at the i20. We decided to go have a look at the car at the Hyundai dealership and also decided to go to a nearby Maruthi showroom to see if they could give us any discounts on the Swift/Dzire (High hopes I know!!!)

i20: Went to the dealership one Monday evening. Myself, dad and my 1.25 years old daughter. There was an i20 Magna (O) diesel on display and we were looking at the car. An SA came over to us promptly and asked answers to our questions (mostly price related as my dad had read the official review by then and knew most of the feature set which was available). Point to note: When we decided to look at the i20, it was decided that it would only be the diesel which would be looked at as the petrol was underpowered (told both in the official review and by a friend who owns the i20 petrol). The feature list of the i20 Sportz impressed us and it seemed to be the most VFM variant. We had a discussion with the SA on the offers/discounts which were availble and left thanking him. The SA was very courteous to my daughter and he also gave her a bunch of balloons when we left which made her very happy.

Dropped in at the Maruti showroom nearby and the experience there was not as good as it was with the Hyundai showroom. The AC was switched off (probably as it was 7:15 PM), the SAs were indifferent and they quoted waiting times of 4 months for Swift and Dzire and said there was no guarantee of reduction in the waiting times. My daughter also started getting cranky, probably due to the lack of AC and hence we beat a hasty retreat.



At home, all of us were happy with the car and I called up the SA the next day morning and requested for a test drive in the evening. Meanwhile I also got an alternative outside quote from an insurance company and found that there was almost a 10k difference in the insurance amount which was offered by the dealer and by the outside agent. The test drive car (marked with appropriate decals), came promptly in the evening and I had a 10-15 mins drive in the local roads and was satisfied with the same.

• The clutch was very sensitive. Maybe I felt it as I normally drive a petrol but I succeeded in stalling the car!!
• The steering was very very light. Coming from the swift, all it required was a simple flick of the finger to turn the steering. I did not know if this was good or bad but was sure that my dad would find this convenient for him on his daily drives
• The engine within the 2k - 3k range was awesome. It started pulling well and the acceleration was awesome. Liked it a lot.
• Brakes were effective
• Took the car over some bumps and speed breakers and the ride was fine, if not very good. But I think it is better than my swift.
• The reverse cam - I was not able to make head or tail of how to use it. I got confused and ended up using my eyes (by looking behind) to reverse.

[arvind71181]

Booking and Delivery Experience:



I called up the SA with whom I had interacted with earlier and told him I would be happy to make a booking if he matched their insurance quote with the one I got from outside. He agreed to it and asked me to send over the quote in a mail. Luckily, I had asked the outside agent to mail their quotation and hence forwarded the same to the SA. Credit to them, they matched the quote without any fuss but reduced the amount by 9000 and not 10000 which was the original decision. This was because the external insurance agent had given me a IDV which was 90% of the ex show room price while the showroom guys gave me an IDV of 95%. I was happy with this so did not push.



Requested for an Ember Grey color and the SA asked us a lead time of 4 days to a week to get it delivered which we were ok with. The car arrived the next day at the yard and we went and had a look at it and went over some of the major PDI checklist points from the Team-BHP check list (VIN number, dings and paint scratches, damages to body, all electricals working etc). Everything looked satisfactory to me and so the payment was made the next day in full. Once the payment was made, the pending formalities were completed and the car was handed over to us on the 25th of February at around 6 PM in the evening. Salient points:

• The SA was courteous throughout the transaction process and gave us answers based on our requirements. In fact he even suggested the petrol based on our monthly usage of approx 1200kms.
• Knowledgeable about the car and knew the features present in each variant, which was good to hear after hearing horror stories in the sales persons thread (ABS not useful, airbags not required etc).
• As already mentioned, the insurance quote was matched almost immediately without much resistance. There was a wee bit of hesitation but when they learnt that the quote which I had got was also from the same company with whom they have a tie up (Tata AIG), they were quick to accomodate the request
• A small pooja was performed by the dealer before handing the car over to us. Nice touch
• Just before the key was handed over, another SA came forward to explain the features of the car. This is where the dealership gets negative points. This particular SA told me that my model did not have tilt and telescopic steering adjustment, did not have seat belt buzzer, did not have auto wipers etc. while I knew all of these were present. The only blip in an otherwise good experience.
• Another minor irritant was that I had to take the car out from a place where it would be very easy to dent the car. Probably they thought I was a better driver than I am, or probably for them its easy as they do it daily, but I had to forward and reverse a couple of times before I could take the car out. The extra bite in the clutch only added to my woes

The car was ours!!! First ever diesel car in the family. Went to the nearest petrol (Diesel?) bunk, put in around 30 litres of the fuel, took the car to our usual temple, had a nice dinner outside and reached home, satisfied.

[arvind71181]

Initial Ownership Experience

Both the cars side by side


Powered by:


The rear view


The DRL's


I thought the Sportz variant was the most VFM for me as it had all the essential features which I wanted (All wheel discs, Driver airbag, ABS+EBD, ACC, Integrated audio, Alloy wheels to name a few). The Asta had more goodies like the keyless start, automated headlamps etc but I was not really wanting all of those. The only thing which I miss from the Asta variant is the passenger side airbag. The Magna (O) variant did not have alloys, no all wheel discs, no driver airbag.

The OTR price came to 8.18L including bumper to bumper insurance and under chassis painting. I have not yet opted for extended warranty as it was told that I can opt for it anytime when the car is under normal warranty

Its only been 3 days since the car has come home but some of the observations which I have (positives and negatives) are:

• The refined diesel motor. Once inside the car, I am completely oblivious of the fact that its a diesel car. Outside of the car, at least I am able to make out that it is a diesel car. The clatter though is nowhere close to how the Polo or the Vento sounds (No offense meant!!!)
• Oft repeated, but the equipment levels are high. Alloys, All wheel discs, ABS+EBD, Auto wipers, ACC, Integrated audio with bluetooth, electronic folding mirrors, electrically adjustable mirrors, reverse camera and sensors the list just goes on and on. Definitely one of the USPs of Hyundai
• The feeling when we sit inside the car is of premiumness. The dark brown interiors go very well with the car
• This is the first car for me which has a dead pedal. As of now, I am actually not able to rest my foot comfortably. This might be because I am in the city and on highway drives, this pedal should prove useful
• The reverse camera is crystal clear even at night. I am having trouble getting used to it though, and as of now am still using the normal "turn your head back" routine to reverse the car
• The steering is oh soooo light. When I got back to my Swift, I was shocked by the effort I had to put for steering . I actually thought my swift had a puncture and checked all the four tyres. This steering, even though useful in the city, am not sure how good it will be on the highways. As I dont usually go beyond 100-110, I do not think it will create much problems for me but for sure this steering is not for the enthusiast and I now understand why the HPS fans will never like this car
• The AC was good and chilled the car in about 2-3 minutes, when completely working in Auto mode. The only crib is it always starts in fresh air mode which in the city translated to "Garbage in" mode. The rear benchers were also happy with the cooling quotient. So hopefully the AC problem which plagued the earlier versions of the car is not present now
• Found the braking to be adequate for now. Have not really tested it out so more on it when I have clocked more miles with the car
• I quite like the DRLs and I think they enhance the looks of the car, especially during the twilight time
• The user manual states that the indicator stalk is on the left side and the wiper stalk is on the right hand side. Why Hyundai?
• The BT connectivity works like a charm and is very easy to set up and use. Within no time was able to pair a couple of phones and also listen to music from the phone. For listening to music though, the media button on the HU must be pressed after pairing the phone
• Good to see a temperature gauge in the instrument cluster. This has been missing in some cars I guess and nice to see it not being omitted
• I think the turning radius is a little high. Do not know the exact values but I doubt if the i20 will be as agile as my Swift is for doing tight turns within the city
• No DTE and mileage indicators in a car which has a host of other features!!! Bad skip
• The horn pad works only if it is pressed in the center. Coming from the swift, it is not very ergonomic and I end up pressing the phone or radio buttons.
• When the wipers are set to auto mode, each time I insert the key or start the car, the wiper makes a swipe across the screen. Dont think this is good for the windshield (may develop scratches) and hence have switched it off for now
• The tyre size should have been 15 inches at least on the Sportz and Asta versions. Big miss I feel

[arvind71181]

Random Musings with Pictures:

15 inch tyres would have filled up the space better


ACC works well and cools the cabin down quickly. Goes down till 15.5 degrees!!! The rear and front defoggers do their job quickly too


6 gears. Yet to try the 6th one. Getting used to the reverse gear still. Have put it in 6th sometimes. Chrome could have been less


Very well wrapped leather steering wheel. Zero feedback though and my 1.25 year old daughter could spin it.


MID which displays the trip meters and outside temperature. Displays date and time as well. DTE and mileage consumption display not present. A glaring omission.


Displays the name of the file and folder details when playing music. Nice blue display which looks even better at night


HU. Looks good. Yet to check out all the buttons he he


Volume up down, shuffle and mute buttons. In the Figo, the mute pauses the playback on USB and CD. Dont think that is the case here


BT buttons for answering and rejecting calls. Very good clarity of voice at both ends. The + - for skipping tracks


Driver and passenger side gets vanity mirrors, not illuminated though. Ticket holder also present


Electrochromatic mirror. Auto dims headlights when glare is detected. Works pretty well


Reverse camera. Works well during day and night. Have to get the hang of it though. Can be switched off with the help of the button present below the mirror. Anyone knows what is the function of the black dots area present on the other side of the glass just above the mirror?


Aux and USB ports present. Detected my 4 GB drive immediately. 12v socket also present


Wiper stalk. Nice to touch. Auto wipers present. Currently switched off


Indicator/Headlight stalk


Power window buttons with one touch up/down for driver side window alone. Power window lock for all doors also present


Petrol tank opener below the driver seat. Boot door opener not present. Boot opens automatically when the doors are unlocked


Reverse camera integration on to the Hyundai emblem at the rear


Boot light. Of immense help during the night


Large boot space. 295 liters should be the highest in for a hatchback (Is this right?)


Spare wheel not an alloy. Cost cutting measures


Roof mounted antenna is loong. Rear defogger available. No wash/wipe though


Tilt/Telescopic steering adjust knob. Fairly wide range for both


Horizontal AC vents. Have not seen these type of vents anywhere. Hope they last


Electronic mirror folding and mirror adjust buttons. Good to touch and work well too. The folding can be done even after removing the keys


Instrument cluster. Nice to see the temperature gauge. 334kms, half tank. Not bad I guess


Inside cabin lights near the driver. Theater style dimming looks cool


Rear seat space. May not look good from the angle at which it was shot, but its not bad


This is it for now. Will keep the thread updated with the ownership report as and when a significant (or not!) milestone is reached. If any specific pictures are required apart from the posted ones, please let me know and I can put them up. Thank you for reading!!!

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line (The "Assembly Line" Forum section) to the Initial Ownership Section. Thanks for sharing!

[arvind71181]

Did a mileage check using the tank to tank method and got 13.4 km per liter. Hoping for the same to improve once the vehicle completes the running in period.

[drpudhi]

Congrats on your new Hyundai. That is indeed elegant, especially in this grey.

Lot of happy miles for you (or should i say for your Dad?).

It will be difficult to avoid the temptation of taking the new car for a spin though.

I think that thing behind the IRVM houses the rain sensors/auto headlight sensors if available.

[DexterMorgan]

Congratulations on your purchase!! It is a nicely well equipped car.
My brother also bought the same model and color few months back.

Originally Posted by arvind71181

• The reverse camera is crystal clear even at night. I am having trouble getting used to it though, and as of now am still using the normal "turn your head back" routine to reverse the car

You should never rely only on reverse parking sensors and camera and always check your surroundings by looking over your shoulders.

Originally Posted by arvind71181

The steering is oh soooo light. When I got back to my Swift, I was shocked by the effort I had to put for steering . I actually thought my swift had a puncture and checked all the four tyres. This steering, even though useful in the city, am not sure how good it will be on the highways. As I dont usually go beyond 100-110, I do not think it will create much problems for me but for sure this steering is not for the enthusiast and I now understand why the HPS fans will never like this car

I feel you, same happened to me when i drove Laura after driving i20 for few days.
We didnt like the weightless steering , as it has no feedback and takes fun out of driving. Actually scary on high speeds but couldnt resist the package as whole; DRLs are bit overkill for me. Can you turn them off?

Congrats once again, drive safe!!

[arvind71181]

Originally Posted by drpudhi

Congrats on your new Hyundai. That is indeed elegant, especially in this grey.

Lot of happy miles for you (or should i say for your Dad?).

It will be difficult to avoid the temptation of taking the new car for a spin though.

I think that thing behind the IRVM houses the rain sensors/auto headlight sensors if available.

Thank you. Just yesterday I noticed a round button like thing inside the windshield just beyond the center display. Maybe that is the sensor? Will put up picture once I go home.

Originally Posted by DexterMorgan

Congratulations on your purchase!! It is a nicely well equipped car.
My brother also bought the same model and color few months back.

You should never rely only on reverse parking sensors and camera and always check your surroundings by looking over your shoulders.

Thank you. Yes that is right and I am not comfortable using only the camera for my reversing requirements. I do end up turning my head always

Originally Posted by DexterMorgan

I feel you, same happened to me when i drove Laura after driving i20 for few days.
We didnt like the weightless steering , as it has no feedback and takes fun out of driving. Actually scary on high speeds but couldnt resist the package as whole; DRLs are bit overkill for me. Can you turn them off?

Congrats once again, drive safe!!

Yes the weightlessness is unsettling sometimes but I guess its perfect for city driving. I dont think you can turn off the DRLs. I like them though. Guess I am more of a bling person that I thought myself to be

[9thsphinx]

Congratulations on your iGen i20. We've got the petrol version and don't really find the lack in power that obvious, however it also depends on your driving style. Nonetheless, as you munch miles on your new Hyundai, you will find out that the super light steering is actually a blessing in disguise for urban traffic conditions. Your dad will appreciate it even more!

Anyway, enjoy your new car and Drive safe.

[_raVan_]

Congratulations on the i20 Arvind Do go through the hidden features thread of the i20 thread (by Wildon I guess) and you can activate a few more features (like FM with RDS, etc).

[arvind71181]

Originally Posted by 9thsphinx

Congratulations on your iGen i20. We've got the petrol version and don't really find the lack in power that obvious, however it also depends on your driving style. Nonetheless, as you munch miles on your new Hyundai, you will find out that the super light steering is actually a blessing in disguise for urban traffic conditions. Your dad will appreciate it even more!

Anyway, enjoy your new car and Drive safe.

Thank you. Yes my dad should like it more than me. To be honest, within the city, I too find it nice . We should probably have taken the test drive of the i20 petrol, but GTO's review and one of my friend's thoughts (he also owns the i20 1.2) made us choose the CRDi. And very happy with the buy as its a beast when in the turbo zone.

Originally Posted by _raVan_

Congratulations on the i20 Arvind Do go through the hidden features thread of the i20 thread (by Wildon I guess) and you can activate a few more features (like FM with RDS, etc).

Thank you. Yes, I did go through it and will try to see what all can be done by myself as a DIY. The auto lock though now has been disabled for the refreshed i20 and I have read on the forum that is no longer possible to get it done at the service center. Will check it out anyways.

[racer_ash]

Congrats on the beauty. i20 Sportz is amongst the most VFM hatches that are in the market. Its a beauty on roads and the feeling of premiumness and comfort levels once inside it is unbeatable. Nice colour too. Wishing you many miles of happy motoring.

Originally Posted by arvind71181

The OTR price came to 8.18L including bumper to bumper insurance and under chassis painting. I have not yet opted for extended warranty as it was told that I can opt for it anytime when the car is under normal warranty

Its better to opt for the extended warranty before your 1 year warranty expires because you will be quoted a higher rate for the extended warranty if you opt for it after 1 year.

Originally Posted by arvind71181

The steering is oh soooo light. When I got back to my Swift, I was shocked by the effort I had to put for steering . I actually thought my swift had a puncture and checked all the four tyres. This steering, even though useful in the city, am not sure how good it will be on the highways. As I dont usually go beyond 100-110, I do not think it will create much problems for me but for sure this steering is not for the enthusiast and I now understand why the HPS fans will never like this car

You are right. Upto speeds of 120-130, you will have sufficient weight and this should not prove to be a problem. Ofcourse its not a corner carver like the swift, but hey, we are not driving on race tracks right. Also you will find the feather light steering a boon in city. Trust me, once you get used to this steering in the city, you will wonder if most other car steering units are non power assisted ones.

Originally Posted by arvind71181

• I think the turning radius is a little high. Do not know the exact values but I doubt if the i20 will be as agile as my Swift is for doing tight turns within the city

You are right again. i20 has a bigger turning radius compared to the swift. But it will definitely be easier to take these turns thanks to the super light steering wheel.

[arvind71181]

Originally Posted by racer_ash

Congrats on the beauty. i20 Sportz is amongst the most VFM hatches that are in the market. Its a beauty on roads and the feeling of premiumness and comfort levels once inside it is unbeatable. Nice colour too. Wishing you many miles of happy motoring.

Its better to opt for the extended warranty before your 1 year warranty expires because you will be quoted a higher rate for the extended warranty if you opt for it after 1 year.

Thank you for your wishes. Yes the comfort levels inside are good. The front seat has good support throughout and I think my lower back is better rested now.

Also, thanks for letting me know about the extended warranty. I had specifically asked the SA if the price of the extended warranty would be less if taken when near the end of the 2nd year they had said yes. Now, I think I will get the extended warranty done when I get the RC smart card.

[rohan_iitr]

Congratulations on the lovely car.

Originally Posted by arvind71181

Anyone knows what is the function of the black dots area present on the other side of the glass just above the mirror?

The purpose of the mesh is to avoid the glare of the sun on the driver's eye. When the sun is right in front of the driver's eyesight, he can use the visor to block it. But when the sun it at a 45% angle on the left side of the driver, its glare can't be blocked by the visor. In such a situation, the mesh behind the IRVM helps to cut the glare.

Rohan