[blackwasp]

It was the 2008 i20 that became the first successful premium hatchback in India (no doubt helped by the pricing debacle of the Jazz in 2009). Hyundai didn't want to alter the successful formula it had, so the 2nd-gen car is more of an "improvement" of the overall package. Sold as the Elite i20, this model made its debut in 2014. It is now nearing the end of its product lifecycle, with the 3rd-gen i20's launch scheduled in the near future. You can expect prices to drop in the used market when the new car is unveiled.

Positives:

• A properly premium family hatchback for Santro money
• All-rounded package in a clean, mature design which has aged well
• Spacious interiors with outstanding quality, fit and finish. Practical 285 liter boot too
• 1.4L diesel has excellent driveability, refinement, performance & fuel economy. 6-speed gearbox is smooth
• Automatic available. Earlier examples had a lovely AT paired to a more powerful 1.4L petrol
• Suspension offers a comfortable ride and neutral handling characteristics
• Owners have reported the car to have good reliability
• Hyundai's competent after-sales-service & wide dealer network
• Features such as the 8-speaker stereo, rake & reach steering, rear air-con, reversing cam, cooled glovebox and lots more

Negatives:

• 1.2L petrol is nowhere as impressive as the diesel. Mediocre highway performance for a premium hatchback
• Dynamics & steering aren't to an enthusiast's tastes. Swift, Polo etc. are more fun to drive
• Service costs & (some) spare parts are on the pricier side (especially when compared to rivals)
• Anyone over 5'11" will find rear headroom to be insufficient. Sloping roof eats into cabin height at the back
• Missing equipment vis-a-vis the 1st-gen i20: Rear disc brakes, sunroof, auto-wipers...
• 1.4L AT (torque converter) guzzles petrol. 1.2L CVT petrol was later introduced in '18
• Rear wiper only on the top Asta trim!

Related Threads

• Official Review

• narasimha raju's White Stallion

• Singh09's Elite i20 Sportz diesel

• IndigoXLGrandDi's Asta CRDi

• Upgrading the headlight bulbs

• vinjosep's Elite diaries

• sourav's i20 CRDi

• Paint peeling off the Hyundai i20 Active

Mod Potential:

Don't go overboard as this isn't an enthusiast's driving machine. Better to use it as a premium family car. If your right foot is heavy, a freeflow exhaust on the petrol or a remap for the diesel might spice things up.


BHPian Kottayamkaran's i20

Availability:

In every nook & corner of the country! This car has enjoyed exceptional success and hence, the options are plenty in the used car market. Also keep an eye out for the Active variant if you want additional ground clearance.

Here are some on sale - 2015 29,300 km Petrol, 2015 45,000 km Diesel, 2019 5,500 km Petrol, 2019 4,000 km Petrol AT.

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Indian Car Scene. Thanks for sharing!

6 years old, but still a top choice for anyone desiring a premium hatchback. Voted for yes! I'd look for the 1.4L Petrol AT which has ~100 BHP on tap and is pretty quick. If my running was high, the superb diesel would be the pick. Maintained well, the Elite i20 can easily become a 200,000+ km car.

[Tapish]

Voted an emphatic yes.

Have been using a 2015 Asta 1.2 version that was passed on to me by my brother in 2018. In the past five years of ownership, the car has seen Ladakh, Rajasthan, MP, Maharashtra and Gujarat in addition to Uttrakhand and Himachal where my brother was posted.

The engine has a weak top-end though and not a highway scorcher, but I have seen that if you plan the manoeuvre carefully, highway driving is satisfying. Just last week, I drove Ahmedabad - Manesar (900km) in one day.

The features are class-leading and I am actually surprised when cars from 2 segments above don't have features like auto-folding mirrors, auto headlamps and rear cameras.

The service costs are reasonable and I usually spend ~5k per year on the usual service including consumables.

[charanreddy]

YES. If I was in the market for a pre-owned premium hatch, I would definitely consider the Diesel version, especially the Elite i20 post the 2014 facelift. There are not many contenders in this segment and Baleno is best stayed away from due to build quality.

[BZ25]

Yes, but I would prefer to buy the powerful & refined diesel variant rather than that wheezy petrol variant, as my family have owned the first generation i20 for over ten years now, in its petrol guise, and we despise the lifeless engine, in what is otherwise an easy and comfortable car to drive.

The current generation has aged gracefully, and still looks contemporary in front of newer rivals such as the Suzuki Baleno & Tata Altroz, and is very well equipped too, with a high quality cabin, although some of rivals are more spacious. If someone wants a good-looking, relatively spacious and easy to drive hatchback, the i20 is an excellent option.

[Iyencar]

Originally Posted by blackwasp

Positives:

The fact that this was I think the only car with 6 airbags (Asta) in this segment deserves to be up there with the positives. Lovely car with an elegant design and loaded to the gills with anything you would ever need. Among the negatives, the most annoying feature is that the doors do not autolock when you start driving.

[KarthikK]

My views are solely based on evaluating from a pre-owned perspective. The car does have a few gizmos and additional safety features over its contemporaries but I think that is where the good part ends.

The service costs are pretty expensive on a Hyundai and from personal experience, this only worsens as the car ages. Sure, the service network is large and widespread, but that does not address the cost problem. For this reason, I'd rather choose a preowned Jazz over a preowned i20 if I wanted fuss-free maintenance in a premium hatch. If I was okay spending a lot on maintenance on a premium hatch, I may rather check out a preworshipped Polo GT TSI/TDI or something like a Swift, which would tick more boxes for dynamics or enthusiast pleasure.

In the powertrain options, the 4 speed AT is not only a gas guzzler, the lack of a 5th gear pretty much deters you from taking it on the highway and having fun. That 4AT gearbox should have been kept only for the i10 which is largely used only within cities. The manual 1.2 is a slouch and not worth spending additional maintenance on, when I can get similar performance from a Swift or something. The diesel is great though, but the poor steering and sub-par dynamics don't allow complete enjoyment of that power.

Whichever way I look at it, the additional maintenance money going into a preowned i20 is not helping either the enthusiast in me (Polo or Swift for the win), or the practical side of me (Honda is better there for me).

Voted for No.

[PetrolheadRup]

Voted NO. If I wanted to buy a used i20 I'd get a 1st gen facelift (igen) i20 over the Elite. The Asta (O) with its equipment list (6 airbags, sunroof, auto wipers and headlamps) can put any sub 12L car to shame. Adding a touchscreen HU and a nice set of alloys would make it a really great package.

I don't see any reason apart from better looks to get the Elite i20 (for which I would have to shell more money as well).

PS: We have a 2012 igen i20 petrol and she has been very reliable all these years

[WhiteKnight]

Voted NO.

When launched, its primary selling proposition was the amount of gadgets it had on board. The new generation is better in many ways as a traditional car. I still see it as a "Geek" car. No offence, I am saying NO because I am not in that category.

Btw, competition has caught up in the "Geekiness". And i20 itself tried moving away- the same platform had been used for WRC. However, Hyundai never claimed or associated the i20 sold in India to any of those.

[rajvardhanraje]

I would not prefer to buy this considering the following factors.

• It still commands a strong resale value being highly sold product. Would be hesitant spending upwards of 5 or 6 lac on half a decade old B2 segment car. Successful cars from B1/B2/C1 segments sell for a premium negating the benefits of acquiring them pre-owned. Same holds true for cars like the Swift. The prices for which they sell are quite high.
  
  
• Reliability would not be a concern but service and upkeep costs will be definitely higher than it's counterparts.
  
  
• Something like the Jazz can be acquired in a much better deal. Lower the demand, juicier the deal.
  
  
• At this price point, similarly aged C2 segment sedans can be acquired.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Voted No!

Modern day Hyundai's don't age well - personal experience. While 30k kms & 4-5 years is a sweet spot to purchase cars from other manufacturers - it is when the occassional troubles start in a Hyundai. Now this may not happen to everyone - but if it does - brace yourself for major repair bills.

My own Hyundai car had both ABS sensor fail near to the 25k kms mark, along with dreaded crankshaft bolt failure resulting in the whole assembly breaking off - resulting in a breakdown and a heavy bill close to the 25k kms mark. Plus - multiple owners report major failures in their Hyundai cars around this usage period as well, as documented in the thread - https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/india...-response.html (Hyundai India - The occasional serious quality lapse and apathetic manufacturer response!). Service is expensive for a layman (if you don't fight it out with the SA), and most of the bills are inflated.

I'll prefer a Hyundai if it is new and a long under warranty or if the intended usage is less.

[PrasannaDhana]

Voted Yes!

1. Nice quality cabin

2. Excellent driveability with that 1.4 liter diesel, nice fuel economy too

3. Spacious, and feels good to be in

4. Fairly reliable

5. Looks hot!!

6. Features

[asit.kulkarni93]

Voted No.

The premium that this i20 demands in the used car market especially in MH is not justified. Many of these cars even in the Asta trim were stripped off some good features by Hyundai. Long term service cost for Hyundai products is high too. It’s a good diesel hatch but honestly I’ll give it a pass as there are some good alternatives around-

1. Used Figo/Polo diesel.
2. Polo GT TSi.
3. Honda Jazz CVT/diesel.

[haneeshN]

This is a definite YES.

I can say this confidently as we owned two pre-owned diesel i20s (1st gen and iGen) in the family in past. The diesel engine is reliable and decently powered. Have done over 1.25L kms on both cars combined and never faced any issues except regular maintenance. Hyundai authorised service is comparitively expensive but any good FNG can easily service the car and this will bring down the maintenance a lot.

This car is definitely worth buying in the used market.

[a4anurag]

Voted: Yes

The best hatchback with a great 1.4L CRDi engine mated to a smooth 6-speed gearbox. I'd buy if there was a need for a hatchback in the family now. Those tight fitting panels, great interiors make it a great choice.

Hate the facelift with that was launched later where the rear tail lights and bumper were ruined.


Hate the left one. Prefer the Elite i20 that is on the right


A EGR delete + cat-con delete is enough to enjoy the car for long time (remap is optional).