[manasmadaan]

Originally Posted by D4D

Can you please your running and space requirements for the city hatch?

Petrol:

• Hyundai Grand i10 is a brilliant city hatch. The engine is superb, got good amount of low end torque, which makes downshifts less frequent
• Hyundai i20 is good, but it's extra weight makes the same petrol engine look bad. The best city hatch incase you need to transport five passengers often

Diesel:

• Grand i10 diesel is a good buy too
• Polo: Terrific diesel engine on offer. An awesome product, ASS has question marks over it
• i20 diesel is the best buy. Has more than enough power unlike the petrol

Test drove all three hatches today.
Grand i10 is out. Wifey did not like it after driving the i20 and polo.
She seems more inclined towards polo due to:

1) Slightly more compact than i20 (better in city)
2) i 20 dashboard seemed very cluttered to her. polo s looked elegant.
3) areas prone to touch are beige color in i20 and black in polo.
4) Seating position (as regards road visibility seemed slightly better to her in polo)
5) polo s interiors felt much more premium to her

Although she felt i 20 to be more spacious and with plenty more features as compared to polo, i feel she ll go with polo. Entirely her decision. THE WAIT IS ON

[LithiumSunset]

In this boat for some time now... Xcent or i20?

The hatchback felt more spacious, the 3" extra width making the difference. The first thing that happened when I turned the Xcent steering was hit my elbow on the door.

i20 also seems less airy due to high window sills and a generally darker interior, but one can get used to it. The flexibilty of folding seats to increase boot space when required looks to be a useful feature, but 60:40 is available only in the asta variant.

Presently veering towards the Elite Sportz variant over the Xcent SX(O). Would have been nicer if it had passenger air bag too. So should it be the Asta? But auto speed sensing door lock is absent in all versions of i20, something that is standard in the Xcent.

Aargh, why is car buying so stressful!

[ampere]

Originally Posted by LithiumSunset

Aargh, why is car buying so stressful!

If you need the diesel, then I20 no doubt.If petrol, then you have all the questions to be answered!

[CountMe91]

For city driving, I would prefer the i20 over Xcent. Long highway drives with family calls for the Xcent. The additional boot space helps. Period!

If you can do away with the additional boot, the i20 is a good buy. Safety should be given priority. Hence, better to opt for the Asta trim.

If you are opting for diesel, the 1.4L engine of i20 is more fun to drive than the 1.1L engine of the Xcent. Pick your poison.

Originally Posted by LithiumSunset

In this boat for some time now... Xcent or i20?

The hatchback felt more spacious, the 3" extra width making the difference. The first thing that happened when I turned the Xcent steering was hit my elbow on the door.

i20 also seems less airy due to high window sills and a generally darker interior, but one can get used to it. The flexibilty of folding seats to increase boot space when required looks to be a useful feature, but 60:40 is available only in the asta variant.

Presently veering towards the Elite Sportz variant over the Xcent SX(O). Would have been nicer if it had passenger air bag too. So should it be the Asta? But auto speed sensing door lock is absent in all versions of i20, something that is standard in the Xcent.

Aargh, why is car buying so stressful!

[D4D]

Originally Posted by LithiumSunset

Aargh, why is car buying so stressful!

As Ampere said, if you need a diesel, i20 wins hand down.
Xcent is lighter, hence the same petrol engine gives good performance.

But it's down to specific requirements.

Xcent has the better boot among the two and will be cheaper to maintain.

The i20 is way more premium and can seat 5 adults in more comfort than the Xcent. It also has a (slightly) higher level of equipment.

Again, give safety paramount importance when buying a car. I would recommend ABS and D+P Airbags in all your cars.

Again it would help to specify your needs like:

• Usage: Whether the car will be used in City/Highway. (And mention avg distance per month)
• Specific boot and space requirement (if any)
• Any length restriction(mainly for people who are short on parking space at home/office)
• Any other specific requirements

This would make the jobs of BHPians recommending cars easier. They may also tell you about an option you may not have considered.

[LithiumSunset]

Originally Posted by ampere

If you need the diesel, then I20 no doubt.If petrol, then you have all the questions to be answered!

Originally Posted by CountMe91

For city driving, I would prefer the i20 over Xcent. Long highway drives with family calls for the Xcent. The additional boot space helps. Period!

If you can do away with the additional boot, the i20 is a good buy. Safety should be given priority. Hence, better to opt for the Asta trim.

If you are opting for diesel, the 1.4L engine of i20 is more fun to drive than the 1.1L engine of the Xcent. Pick your poison.

Actually what trumped me were our own reviews: "The DOHC 1.2L 4-cylinder petrol (which) is a gem of an engine" in the Xcent becomes 'woefully underpowered' for the petrol Elite! Do those extra 60 kg.s in weight make so much of a difference? My test drives did not feel so. In the end one has to believe one's own judgement.

For us the car would be primarily for city runs. We have a sedan for our highway drives. I also do not think it makes sense giving 1.5 lakh rupees extra for a 'better' mileage.

Oh, there is another thing that works in favor of the i20, it certainly looks far better than the Xcent. The i20 is sharp, sporty and modern while the Xcent is a little staid (and boring?).

Originally Posted by D4D

As Ampere said, if you need a diesel, i20 wins hand down.
Xcent is lighter, hence the same petrol engine gives good performance.

But it's down to specific requirements.

Xcent has the better boot among the two and will be cheaper to maintain.

The i20 is way more premium and can seat 5 adults in more comfort than the Xcent. It also has a (slightly) higher level of equipment.

Again, give safety paramount importance when buying a car. I would recommend ABS and D+P Airbags in all your cars.

Again it would help to specify your needs like:

• Usage: Whether the car will be used in City/Highway. (And mention avg distance per month)
• Specific boot and space requirement (if any)
• Any length restriction(mainly for people who are short on parking space at home/office)
• Any other specific requirements

This would make the jobs of BHPians recommending cars easier. They may also tell you about an option you may not have considered.

My wife tells me to prioritize so your suggestion is welcome:

Usage: primarily city, max 400 km per month and therefore the petrol.

Boot requirement: Only for those airport runs when siblings and their children arrive with bags and bags, so we do need to take both our cars. I know one can always hire a taxi, but you know your car is your car!

Length: No specific length restriction other than the fact that it's primarily meant for my wife who hasn't driven my SX4 even once in Delhi in 4 years! So used to the the Wagon R that she is. No parking issues too (we are lucky).

Any Other Specific requirement: Certainly wanted something that has better specs than the bread box for sure. ABS and Airbags? Yes.

[D4D]

Originally Posted by LithiumSunset

Actually what trumped me were our own reviews: "The DOHC 1.2L 4-cylinder petrol (which) is a gem of an engine" in the Xcent becomes 'woefully underpowered' for the petrol Elite! Do those extra 60 kg.s in weight make so much of a difference? My test drives did not feel so. In the end one has to believe one's own judgement.

You've misunderstood the reviewer. You've really not understood what the reviewer wanted to say. It's not woefully underpowered at all. The thing the review says is that the i20 doesn't give you the performance(petrol) expected from a hatch which costs a lot in India.

The i20's 81 bhp/tonne is not at all bad when it's on it's own, but compare it and it's feels underpowered for the segment. For the price, a buyer would have expected a better bhp/tonne rating as cheaper cars have better power to weight ratio.

Boot requirement: Only for those airport runs when siblings and their children arrive with bags and bags, so we do need to take both our cars. I know one can always hire a taxi, but you know your car is your car!

If you insist on the boot, Xcent becomes a good choice. But one thing is for sure, the occupants will be more comfortable in the i20. Not that Xcent is bad on knee room, but the i20 has the edge. Unless the passengers are going to be very tall, Xcent will do just fine.

Length: No specific length restriction other than the fact that it's primarily meant for my wife who hasn't driven my SX4 even once in Delhi in 4 years! So used to the the Wagon R that she is. No parking issues too (we are lucky).

Good news it, the i20 and Xcent are almost of same length. Maybe a maximum difference of ~10 mm.

Any Other Specific requirement: Certainly wanted something that has better specs than the bread box for sure. ABS and Airbags? Yes

All Hyundais are loaded with features. They do have variants with ABS and D+P airbags. Think it's an option on the Xcent on the highest variant.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by LithiumSunset

Any Other Specific requirement: [/i]Certainly wanted something that has better specs than the bread box for sure. ABS and Airbags? Yes.

For a city commute, in my opinion I20 is way to pricey. But if its in your budget why not?
But look at this way:

- Do you need a boot for the city? If the boot is going to be rarely used (like one of those airport drives), you have the sedan at home anyway. Isn't it?
- And then if your requirement is to carry 5 people all the time in the city, then I20.
- Else Grand I10 should suffice.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by LithiumSunset

In this boat for some time now... Xcent or i20?

The hatchback felt more spacious, the 3" extra width making the difference. The first thing that happened when I turned the Xcent steering was hit my elbow on the door.

i20 also seems less airy due to high window sills and a generally darker interior, but one can get used to it. The flexibilty of folding seats to increase boot space when required looks to be a useful feature, but 60:40 is available only in the asta variant.

Presently veering towards the Elite Sportz variant over the Xcent SX(O). Would have been nicer if it had passenger air bag too. So should it be the Asta? But auto speed sensing door lock is absent in all versions of i20, something that is standard in the Xcent.

Aargh, why is car buying so stressful!

Speed sensing door lock is not present in the Xcent as well. Can confirm since we own the SX(o) variant. Hyundai is giving this feature a miss in all their recent cars.

[noopster]

I confess I wasn't very clear about the purpose of this thread when it first came out. But recently visited the Hyundai showroom to check out potential replacements for our Swift- which is growing long in the tooth now- and it hit home how the prices of the various variants overlap.

I was keen to test drive the Grand i10 because I like how it looks and have heard some good things about it. It definitely it fully loaded with gizmos earlier reserved for higher segments. But here's the kicker- the only variant I am interested in is the top-end one (Asta-O I think, who can keep track of Hyundai's crazy nomenclature?!!) which comes equipped with ABS and twin airbags. The Grand i10 in that avatar costs a shocking 6.54L on road Pune. Add another lac and you get the much sexier looking elite i20 (same trim, mind you) that comes with 16" alloys to boot!

And I am a former Accent owner so the Xcent looks cheap to me. Tacked on boots are a no-no from an image perspective. So no-brainer it is. We came back pretty impressed with the i20- the short drive on open urban roads was pleasant, though of course the steering feel is nowhere close to that of my 8 year old Swift (a fact even my non-petrolhead strictly utilitarian driver wife also mentioned ) Not really looking to trade the Swift in unless it starts showing some major problems so holding on to it for now- but we sure are tempted!

[CountMe91]

Originally Posted by noopster

The Grand i10 in that avatar costs a shocking 6.54L on road Pune. Add another lac and you get the much sexier looking elite i20 (same trim, mind you) that comes with 16" alloys to boot!

Grand i10 is running discounts here in Kolkata. Is the on road price of 6.54L inclusive of discounts? As far as I know, i20 is not coming with any discounts as of now since it is newly launched. Wait for some time and once the i20 discounts start pouring in, the chase will get much sweeter.

[subscrive]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

There is no defeating the typical Indian middle class mentality. A sedan, even a pseudo one like the Xcent holds more value to Indian hearts than a hatchback i20.
Sent from my iPhone using Team-BHP

I dont know abt the indian mentality you are talking about. But currently I dont see good combination of airbags+abs+automatic transmission. xcent will be the car of the choice in this case.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by subscrive

I dont know abt the indian mentality you are talking about. But currently I dont see good combination of airbags+abs+automatic transmission. xcent will be the car of the choice in this case.

True. Infact, I just mentioned this an hour ago on the 'booked my car' thread. The sheer number of Xcent SX(o) AT variants on the forum is amazing, considering the overall numbers for the Xcent.

[RSR]

Although there is overlap between these three siblings from the Hyundai stable, there are also significant differences that should make choosing one (among the three) quite easy for those who know exactly what they want.

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The Grand i10 has a big advantage over the other two in terms of affordability, without compromising in terms of premium feel/features. The lower variants (both petrol & diesel) are also very well priced and have adequate features, though I would recommend the Asta(O) for its 2 airbags & ABS.

The second advantage of the Grand i10 is its shorter length (over the Xcent & i20) and shorter turning circle radius (compared to the i20). It should be easier to navigate through extremely congested lanes and park in very tight spots. The shorter length has a relative disadvantage in terms of boot volume, though the Grand i10's boot is pretty good for a car of its size. Hyundai missed a little trick here by not providing 60:40 split folding rear seats, which would have greatly increased flexibility. However, one must note that the Grand i10 does offer a little additional load carrying capability, thanks to its sturdy integrated roof rails with mounting points- fixing a roof rack or a Thüle box and removing it (when not necessary) should be quite easy indeed!

Lest I forget, the Grand i10 is the only one among the three to come with a factory-fitted alternate fuel option (albeit with a smaller engine) in the form of the 1.0 Kappa LPGi Magna variant.

Hyundai's biggest miss with the Grand i10 happens to be their stupidity in providing 2 airbags and ABS only on the top Asta(O) variant and worse, not offering the 4-speed Automatic in this trim level. A Grand i10 1.2 Automatic with safety features would have been an almost ideal choice as a refined, feature-laden hatchback for the self-driven urbanite which can also carry more passengers and do highway duty whenever required.

This is a huge missed opportunity on the part of Hyundai. I hope they correct this soon, and offer a better spread of safety features across the range, including on the Automatic variants.

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The Xcent also has its advantages over the other two. The biggest of course, being the boot - a capacious and well-shaped 407 litre one. This makes it the best choice for those who travel with plenty of occupants and luggage. Then there is its image as a sedan or a three-box car. One also gets some additional features in the Xcent compared to the Grand i10 - reverse camera, electrochromic rear view mirror, rear arm-rest with cup holders, automatic climate control etc. in addition to the larger boot. Compared to the i20, the Xcent has a higher seating position, easier ingress/egress (especially for the rear) and a rear arm-rest. This would give it an edge over the i20 for elderly people and the chauffeur driven.

The Xcent's Automatic variant is its trump card. The i20 does not have an autobox yet, and the Grand i10 Automatic does not have airbags or ABS, which both the Xcent Auto variants do - the S(O) gets ABS and the SX(O) gets the recommended 2 airbags and ABS. Xcent has a better spread of safety features across the range (when compared to Grand i10) for the manual variants as well.

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Coming to the new i20, it does feel larger, more spacious (especially in terms of width) and a little more premium compared to its two overlapping siblings. It is also a solid improvement over the old i-gen i20 in almost every aspect that one can think of, except two {i.e. Asta(O) variant & illumination}. I was pleasantly surprised when I sat in the rear seat of the new i20. It has significantly more headroom & legroom at the rear, and even the under thigh support and seat contours have been improved by a good margin over the old one. The rear A/C vents are a big plus when compared to the (almost useless) foot level A/C vents on the i-gen i20. The front centre armrest is another solid improvement in terms of comfort (I wish they had provided a rear centre armrest too). There is no missing the premium feel offered in the new i20's cabin - it feels like a quality hatchback meant for the European markets. It looks like one as well!

The i20 is also the only one among the three to offer height adjustable front neck restraints (standard) and 60:40 split folding rear seat (Asta only), which is a good way to increase practicality. The boot is sufficiently large at 285 litres and well shaped too.

The trump card of the i20 is its larger, 90PS diesel engine with the 6-speed gearbox. This makes it the best choice for highway mile munchers and turbo addicts. The petrol engine is exactly the same among the three siblings, so the lighter Grand i10 and Xcent would be quicker than the petrol i20. The Asta, Sportz & Sportz(O) variants of the i20 are recommended because of the airbag(s) and ABS on offer.

The new European i20 also gets a new 1.4 Kappa dual VTVT petrol engine (100PS & 134Nm) mated to either a 4-speed torque converter or a 6-speed manual. I hope Hyundai launch both of them here in the near future!

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So in the end, it all depends on what one is looking for in a car, the kind of usage it would be subjected to, one's choice of powertrain and of course, the budget. Whether the choice is easy or confusing, for Hyundai it can mean only one thing - The more, the merrier!

[avisek]

Been driving my brand new Elite i20 1.2 Asta (O) and I don't feel it to be underpowered at all. And no, it's not because I on it so I like it. I would have said I didn't feel it to be underpowered even when I went for a test drive a month ago.

I drive about 500-700 kms a month so diesel was never an option. It would take forever to break even in terms of the price difference.

I honestly don't know what's the "fun driving" but, but I can safely say I love driving the Elite i20 petrol.