[RSR]

While I'm glad the top 3 variants (out of 5) come with safety features, I'm unhappy with the overall stance taken by Hyundai with regard to safety. By not providing the 1.2 Asta(O) variant, Hyundai have made the least expensive car featuring 6 airbags in India unavailable from now on. Sure, the demand for the Asta(O) variant was very low and it was only made on order. The only way to tackle the situation would have been to provide 6 airbags as standard on the Asta variant.

Now, the Nissan Micra dCi XV Premium takes home the honours of being the only hatchback (and India's least expensive car) with anything more than 2 airbags, as it features 4 of them. The Nissan Sunny dCi XV Premium(S) also has 4 airbags for below a million.

If one wants 6 airbags for less than a million rupees (ex-showroom), then the only four options a customer has are the Ford EcoSport {only the Titanium(O) & AT variants} and the Hyundai Verna 1.6L VTVT SX(O) {as the diesel SX(O) variants are over the million mark}.

This is not a good development at all for folks who have safety as their top-most priority while purchasing a car. I seriously hope Hyundai reconsider their decision to discontinue the Asta(O) variant. If it's not economically & logistically viable as a separate variant, then they must provide 6 airbags as standard on the Asta variants. Also, a driver airbag and LED DRLs should have been provided as standard features, even on the Era variant.

Apart from this, the spread of features is excellent across variants! And Hyundai continues to take home the crown of offering the most feature-laden hatchback (if one doesn't count the ₹ 2 million+ Beemer 1-series and Merc A-Class) on sale in India. Kudos!

[adimicra]

^
We can't blame Hyundai for that. If there is no demand for additional safety features in this segment, then why would they keep the variant alive? Doesn't make any sense.

Fact is - Indians, in general, do not care for safety. Particularly, the A B C segment buyers.
Many people prefer superficial features like turn indicator on OVRM or bluetooth connectivity to additional airbags. Also, many people buying the top end variants (having better safety features) end up doing so for OTHER fancy features like a better audio system, auto climate control, DRL etc etc. What an irony!

But, I agree, Hyundai could have made the driver airbag standard. That would not have increased the cost much and sales would not have been impacted.

[sandeepmohan]

Are you allowed to populate the 1gb internal stereo storage by means of ripping a cd and if you can do that to something copy protected, most of which are, where does that leave me or Hyundai from a legal stand point?

[VeluM]

Originally Posted by PPS

Some info on the variants & features from http://www.motortrend.in/autonews/07...#axzz39g9wh3Zz

So one would have to buy Asta just to get an airbag for the front passenger? That seems like a strange decision. I'm not entirely sure that will be the case, especially if Hyundai intends to price this above the current i20.

[tushky]

if hyundai is launching elite I20 worldwide on 11th aug. and we have official images of the car now. then can some one tell me which car is this. this is i20 scoop spotted abroad. but the tailgate is very different from official pics

[Porschefire]

Originally Posted by tushky

if hyundai is launching elite I20 worldwide on 11th aug. and we have official images of the car now. then can some one tell me which car is this. this is i20 scoop spotted abroad. but the tailgate is very different from official pics

This could be the i20 that will go on sale in Europe. The rear end styling (and maybe the overall styling as well) could be a bit extreme for the masses and i think that's why they've sort of toned it down for India. Unless, i'm wrong of course!

[MunnabhaiMBBS]

Originally Posted by tushky

if hyundai is launching elite I20 worldwide on 11th aug. and we have official images of the car now. then can some one tell me which car is this. this is i20 scoop spotted abroad. but the tailgate is very different from official pics

Nice Observation.

AFAIK, Car manufacturers road test different set of develpoment mules simultaneously at different stages of production and then according to the data gathered / feedback received during these tests, they finalize on one of the development mules.

This could possibly be one of the development mules that didnt make its way to the final production stage.

[RSR]

Originally Posted by adimicra

If there is no demand for additional safety features in this segment, then why would they keep the variant alive? Doesn't make any sense.

Originally Posted by adimicra

Many people prefer superficial features like turn indicator on OVRM or bluetooth connectivity to additional airbags. Also, many people buying the top end variants (having better safety features) end up doing so for OTHER fancy features like a better audio system, auto climate control, DRL etc etc. What an irony!

Yes, they must have discontinued it because of very low demand. That's the problem with providing only side & curtain airbags, a sunroof and auto-locking doors as additional features for a separate variant in India.

The practical way out of this situation for Hyundai would be as I mentioned - force 6 airbags on the buyers who want the top Asta variant, and let the lower variants' safety feature spread be adjusted accordingly.

Originally Posted by adimicra

Fact is - Indians, in general, do not care for safety. Particularly, the A B C segment buyers.

Absolutely! In the D1 & D2 segments (and even above), some manufacturers take advantage of this attitude of Indians and manage to get away with providing 4 airbags, or even only 2 in some cases!

One really has to appreciate the attitude of the European premium brands (Volvo, Audi, BMW, Mercedes, JLR etc.) in this regard - they never compromise on the safety feature list, and provide at least 6 airbags (sometimes even more) as standard on all their cars (unless it's a convertible of course, in which case curtain airbags are almost impossible to integrate).

Originally Posted by RSR

Apart from this, the spread of features is excellent across variants! And Hyundai continues to take home the crown of offering the most feature-laden hatchback (if one doesn't count the ₹ 2 million+ Beemer 1-series and Merc A-Class) on sale in India. Kudos!

On second thoughts, the new i20 Asta may not be the most feature laden hatchback in India (< ₹ 2 million) after all, for the Nissan Micra dCi XV Premium gives it a good run for the money.

The i20 does get several features that the Micra lacks - rear parking sensors with display, 60:40 split-folding rear seats, rear A/C vent with twin adjusters, front centre armrest, 1 GB memory for the music system, second power outlet, automatic headlamps and ORVM mounted turn indicators. The Micra gets the important side airbags and FE display on the MID, which the i20 lacks.

It would be a close call between the two for the title, I guess.

Originally Posted by tushky

if hyundai is launching elite I20 worldwide on 11th aug. and we have official images of the car now.

I think the Elite i20 is going to be launched in India only on Aug 11 (of course, the world will get to officially know how the international i20 will look like).

This is going to be another of those "India first, rest of the world later" launches from Hyundai (like the i10).

Originally Posted by tushky

then can some one tell me which car is this. this is i20 scoop spotted abroad. but the tailgate is very different from official pics

Originally Posted by Porschefire

This could be the i20 that will go on sale in Europe.

It is indeed the next generation European i20 being tested!

The tail section looks different because that version is the unmodified new generation car, and it measures more than 4m in length. The front and side sections of the Indian and European versions should look almost identical, I believe.

For India, Hyundai have had to do some chopping by modifying the tail section, in order to get it below the 4m mark and avail the lower excise slab.

[RavenAvi]

A Motorbeam reader has snapped some more spy pics of the Elite i20. Apart from the usual, there are a few of note.

The diesel Asta redlines at around the 4800 RPM mark.



How the ODO will look at night.



Rear seats and knee space. The rear door and it's storage spaces can also be seen.



Rear A/C vents.



Boot space in the Elite i20.



The LED tail-lights at night.

SOURCE - MotorBeam

[g_saunak]

The rear air-con vents look taller than Grand i10. That is one welcome change. In Grand most of the air is blocked by the knee. It becomes pretty useless when you have 5 passengers on board.

[Amarendranath]

Originally Posted by damager21

This one in white with fog lamp switched ON, so far looks the best!

Attachment 1271344
Attachment 1271345

Suddenly the old i20 looks dull and boring. The above shot has been the best do far! Beautiful in every angle. The car definitely looks much better. The interior finishing seems top notch, even the attention to detail is amenable, even the gear lever was designed with proper care.

Originally Posted by damager21

Suddenly, Honda will be feeling more confident about Jazz.

Honda always seem to go over ambitious with their pricing. Few variants of the city, mobilio are poorly priced. If that doesn't happen to the Jazz, it would definitely withstand this heavy competition.

[PPS]

Originally Posted by RavenAvi

the DRLs have been moved up into the headlamp assembly, so they should be positioned here:

Yes, those are the DRL's on the upper lining of the headlamps. They are similar to the ones on the Santa Fe. Confirmed by a journo.

[chncar]

Originally Posted by tushky

if hyundai is launching elite I20 worldwide on 11th aug. and we have official images of the car now. then can some one tell me which car is this. this is i20 scoop spotted abroad. but the tailgate is very different from official pics

The rear hatch has probably been modified for an India-specific version that fits in the 4M limit for the lower excise bracket.

[Amarendranath]

Just found this. According to the article, the new i20 misses out on few features that the old car had. Rain sensors wipers, DRL's etc

http://www.motoroids.com/reviews/exc...r-vatsal-shah/

[Nilesh5417]

Why do we fancy rear aircon vents over space? I've never had to live with a car that had it jutting out but i would assume its a severe inconvenience when you are 5 in the car. I'm glad that Ford did not force me on it in the Ecosport!