Team-BHP > The Indian Car Scene


Closed Thread
  Search this Thread
173,928 views
Old 28th August 2021, 16:19   #151
BHPian
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Chennai
Posts: 146
Thanked: 324 Times
Re: Hyundai N Line performance models to make India debut in 2021

The N Line will definitely find some buyers even at 15L OTR.

We prefer to have a reliable premium hatchback as a second car for town and school runs that my wife uses primarily. While some can convince their better half that buying the ageing Polo against the not so great to drive but much more modern and feature rich hatchbacks is the better choice, I am not so lucky.

A little over 3 years ago when we had to replace our i10 AT and budget wasn't really a constraint, my better half, even after a lot of push from my end for the GT TSI, came clear that she wanted to stick to a Hyundai. She's the primary user and she wanted something that was reliable and could be serviced around the corner vs a TSI DSG that needed an extended warranty for peace of mind and did not even come with a reversing camera at the asking price.

We went with a Grand i10 AT (i20 1.2 CVT hadn't launched by then) and while it is a convenient city car, its a slouch on open stretches and far from something that you'd look forward to drive. I've been waiting with the hope that Hyundai will launch something more exciting that we can upgrade to in 3-4 years. And the i20 N Line DCT certainly looks promising and definitely something that both of us are likely to agree upon as a option with good set of features and reliability and after sales services that she values with an element of sportiness that I'd find value in.

In this niche, the N Line doesn't really have competition.

Last edited by clementj : 28th August 2021 at 16:21.
clementj is offline   (1) Thanks
Old 28th August 2021, 20:53   #152
BHPian
 
CarNerd's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: Honda City
Posts: 444
Thanked: 2,892 Times
Infractions: 0/1 (4)
Re: Hyundai N Line performance models to make India debut in 2021

This is the real Hyundai i20 N awarded as the best affordable driver's car by Autocar UK:Hyundai N Line performance models to make India debut in 2021-screenshot_20210828203028.png

This one is powered by a 1.6L turbo engine with a 6-speed manual. If Hyundai brings this one to India, it will not be less than 20 lakh rupees.
Hyundai N Line performance models to make India debut in 2021-screenshot_20210828204728.png
CarNerd is offline   (4) Thanks
Old 28th August 2021, 21:18   #153
BHPian
 
omranga98's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2019
Location: Kolkata
Posts: 129
Thanked: 1,426 Times
Re: Hyundai N Line performance models to make India debut in 2021

I think Hyundai is spot on with the N Line. The segment has become stale because of lazy players like VW who were undisputedly made the king of pushing out 'Driver centric cars' except they push out the same car over and over again.

I can imagine the Hyundai's board in India watching the unveil of Polo Matt edition and say to each other something like "Oh are you serious? I am sick of this. Let's gather around and bring something to India that will teach them how it's done."

I mean, what more do you want? Hyundai has been by far the most proactive company in India. They understand the market far better than most others and know how things work in India. While VW is more stagnant than my local pond which has about 2 inch thick algae in it. So i20 N line seems like the perfect death that Polo deserves.

And I see people complaining about Hyundai not bringing in the full fledge i20N. Do you know how much time it took VW to sell 99 units of GTI? a little over than a year and that too with last few units being sold with discounts of over 6 Lakhs. - https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/india...9-99-lakh.html (Scoop! VW Polo GTI stock clearance. Now at Rs. 19.99 lakh)

and no, i20N won't act like a halo product for the company simply because it won't be of that level in terms of pricing or aspirational values.

I really appreciate that a mass market brand like Hyundai is bringing in something different and taking the effort of tweaking the suspension, better braking system and everything around and in between.

I am sure this will sell really well even if it is priced at 13-15 OTR!

I don't know about others but I think it's a perfect replacement for my 6 year old Polo. Will take a test drive once it's here before making the final call.
omranga98 is offline   (9) Thanks
Old 28th August 2021, 23:01   #154
anb
BHPian
 
anb's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Idukki
Posts: 816
Thanked: 3,172 Times
Re: Hyundai N Line performance models to make India debut in 2021

Quote:
Originally Posted by bhphog View Post
Imagine you are driving down in your "Hot Hatch" on the highway and you are overtaken by a much cheaper, economical and much faster Figo 1.5 Tdci,
The regular i20 diesel with 100 bhp and 240 Nm is economical and as fast as a diesel Figo. It's sad that Hyundai is not considering this engine option in N Line variant. They also had the option of bringing the N Line variant with 115 Bhp diesel engine.
Attached Thumbnails
Hyundai N Line performance models to make India debut in 2021-untitled.jpg  

anb is offline   (3) Thanks
Old 28th August 2021, 23:54   #155
BHPian
 
CarNerd's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: Honda City
Posts: 444
Thanked: 2,892 Times
Infractions: 0/1 (4)
Re: Hyundai N Line performance models to make India debut in 2021

Quote:
Originally Posted by bhphog View Post
Imagine you are driving down in your "Hot Hatch" on the highway and you are overtaken by a much cheaper, economical and much faster Figo 1.5 Tdci, GT Tsi, Punto Abarth.

Imagine.
After overtaking, Imagine those Figos, Polos, Puntos breaking down and being hauled to nearest garage.

Imagine.
CarNerd is offline   (14) Thanks
Old 29th August 2021, 00:03   #156
BHPian
 
RD150's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2019
Location: Pune
Posts: 206
Thanked: 613 Times
Re: Hyundai N Line performance models to make India debut in 2021

Quote:
Originally Posted by CarNerd View Post
After overtaking, Imagine those Figos, Polos, Puntos breaking down and being hauled to nearest garage.

Imagine.
If at all this imagination comes true, and if any of the above car breaks down in dead centre of the road, I just hope the world famous "hyundai" brakes on I20 don't give up.
RD150 is offline   (34) Thanks
Old 29th August 2021, 09:27   #157
Distinguished - BHPian
 
naveen.raju's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Cochin
Posts: 4,823
Thanked: 8,848 Times
Re: Hyundai N Line performance models to make India debut in 2021

Hyundai N Line performance models to make India debut in 2021-1.jpg

Checked the car yesterday. Just the physical observation as their TD vehicle was with a YouTuber .

The car looked sporty with the red accents, side skirts and the twin exhausts. The blue shade was pretty nice as well. From the side it looked a bit jacked up (reminded me of the "cross" editions of Polo/Figo etc). They should have definitely lowered this as they took the pain in stiffening the suspension and upgrading the brakes.

The alloys looked neat but the rear brake caliper was not painted (Front calipers were red). That's a real bummer.

Hyundai N Line performance models to make India debut in 2021-8.jpg

Twin exhaust looked good but on a closer inspection it looked like there's an exhaust tip fitted onto the real exhaust. Asked the executive to start the car as we wanted to hear the exhaust but he was least interested (more on this later).

Hyundai N Line performance models to make India debut in 2021-7.jpg

The front seats were pretty comfortable and was able to find the right driving position. The back passenger was able to sit properly behind me as well. So it was roomy all around. The steering was really good. Very well padded and the buttons felt really solid. It's a bit small I think (Something very similar to Ikon limited edition steering wheel)which I liked. Some will miss the flat bottom wheel though.

Hyundai N Line performance models to make India debut in 2021-2.jpg

Hyundai N Line performance models to make India debut in 2021-3.jpg

Hyundai N Line performance models to make India debut in 2021-4.jpg

Some of red accents were too bright especially the one on the door pad.

Hyundai N Line performance models to make India debut in 2021-5.jpg

Loved the all black interiors and especially the black headliner.

Hyundai N Line performance models to make India debut in 2021-6.jpg

My friend commented on some of the small things that showed quality. The air vent slider was very well damped/weighted - built to last. This was after we had checked the Kushaq few weeks back.

The executive stated that it would cost around 1L more than the regular i20 Asta (O) model bring the price to around 14.5L (He mentioned it would be on-road price but I seriously doubt it). It will definitely cross over 15L on-road.

Overall, a very decent attempt from Hyundai. The final verdict depends on it's drivability.

Some observations:-
1) Since this car was not available in all showrooms, we expected it be crowded. Yes, the showroom had customers but no one was even near this car. I was talking to my cousin (not a car addict) and he was asking me whether it was something similar to the other "Limited Editions" which had only the visual upgrades like stickers etc. I am sure the customers that were there in the showroom passed this as some dealer limited edition. They could have launched this with their "performance Blue" atleast.
2) The showroom experience was pathetic. 99% of the time the executive was on phone. We were left alone and he didn't even bother coming to us to explain any of it's features (in a way, it was good else would have heard some insane comments like - SAAR, ABS is not really important but DRL is etc). We had to ask him about the availability, expected pricing, TD vehicle etc. He was real proud in saying that the TD vehicle was with a YouTuber. Rather than giving it to them, they should have reserved this for potential customers. We pointed it out to him that TD vehicle should be available during weekends since that's when most of the customers will come. When asked to start the car, he went to get the key and didn't show any interest in coming back. Came back after 10 mins and we lost interest and left the showroom. And yes, this is the same showroom that I had reported on my ownership thread and had raised a complaint for damaging my car.
naveen.raju is offline   (34) Thanks
Old 29th August 2021, 10:03   #158
ada
BHPian
 
ada's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: MUMBAI
Posts: 183
Thanked: 48 Times
Re: Hyundai N Line performance models to make India debut in 2021

Quote:
Originally Posted by CarNerd View Post
This is the real Hyundai i20 N awarded as the best affordable driver's car by Autocar UK:Attachment 2199202

This one is powered by a 1.6L turbo engine with a 6-speed manual. If Hyundai brings this one to India, it will not be less than 20 lakh rupees.
Attachment 2199203
Even plain conversion of 25,000 pounds in rupees gives us 25 lakhs.
ada is offline  
Old 29th August 2021, 14:15   #159
BHPian
 
d3mon's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Bangalore
Posts: 914
Thanked: 4,074 Times
Re: Hyundai N Line performance models to make India debut in 2021

Quote:
Originally Posted by omranga98 View Post
I mean, what more do you want? Hyundai has been by far the most proactive company in India. They understand the market far better than most others and know how things work in India.
I'll tell you what - I want to get a safe car after paying 15L. And given the crash test rating of the Seltos/Creta twins, Hyundai is not much better than Maruti in terms of crash safety. You are absolutely right that they understand what the (uninformed) mass market wants, but it's not what any enthusiast or informed car buyer wants.

Quote:
Originally Posted by omranga98 View Post
I don't know about others but I think it's a perfect replacement for my 6 year old Polo. Will take a test drive once it's here before making the final call.
Imagine it's 2022 and GNCAP finally tests and reveals that the i20 scored just 2/3 stars for crash safety. You wouldn't feel so smug about the N-line badge and other N trinkets on your car then, right? And before someone tells me that I shouldn't assume such low ratings, the onus is on Hyundai to prove me wrong after the disappointing results from their other cars.
d3mon is offline   (11) Thanks
Old 29th August 2021, 14:29   #160
BHPian
 
omranga98's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2019
Location: Kolkata
Posts: 129
Thanked: 1,426 Times
Re: Hyundai N Line performance models to make India debut in 2021

Quote:
Originally Posted by d3mon View Post
I'll tell you what - I want to get a safe car after paying 15L.
Fair enough. Although I could continue to talk about priorities and target market but hey, I'll credit my laziness for my lack of enthusiasm regarding this point.

Quote:
Imagine it's 2022 and GNCAP finally tests and reveals that the i20 scored just 2/3 stars for crash safety. You wouldn't feel so smug about the N-line badge and other N trinkets on your car then, right?
Bold of you to assume about my reaction

The crash test stars don't bother me, so yeah, I'll probably continue to be 'smug' about my 'N-Line badge and other N trinkets' rather than replacing my 7th ABS sensor and deal with my local VW jokes on a quarterly basis.
omranga98 is offline   (6) Thanks
Old 29th August 2021, 14:51   #161
Team-BHP Support
 
CrAzY dRiVeR's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Bangalore / TVM
Posts: 17,126
Thanked: 73,298 Times
Re: Hyundai N Line performance models to make India debut in 2021

Quote:
Originally Posted by omranga98 View Post
The crash test stars don't bother me, so yeah, I'll probably continue to be 'smug' about my 'N-Line badge and other N trinkets' rather than replacing my 7th ABS sensor and deal with my local VW jokes on a quarterly basis.
Are you sure you want to buy Hyundai to avoid ABS sensor failures?

Is one of the most common complaint in my Hyundai Xcent. I hardly remember driving it without the error because it one or the other error fails soon after service and since it only does low speed city duties - we get it repaired during the annual service. And not a one-off case either, both ABS sensor failures (link) and ABS sensor induced dangerous brake issues (link) are both common issues in Hyundai cars.

I haven't driven/followed ownership experiences of new generation i20 owners. So hope things have improved! But based on my own ownership of a last gen Hyundai car - I wouldn't be giving priority to Hyundai for reliability. Ease of service? Yes. Better interior space utilisation, packaging, features and feel? Yes.
CrAzY dRiVeR is offline   (12) Thanks
Old 29th August 2021, 14:56   #162
BHPian
 
omranga98's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2019
Location: Kolkata
Posts: 129
Thanked: 1,426 Times
Re: Hyundai N Line performance models to make India debut in 2021

Quote:
Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR View Post
Are you sure you want to buy Hyundai to avoid ABS sensor failures?
I haven't driven/followed ownership experiences of new generation i20 owners. So hope things have improved! But based on my own ownership of a last gen Hyundai car - I wouldn't be giving priority to Hyundai for reliability.
Hoping it to be not as bad as VW for me right now. We have a couple of Hyundai cars and it has rather been easier to live with. I didn't about issues with the Xcent but a two of my factory employees have the new gen i20 and have been without much issues.
omranga98 is offline   (1) Thanks
Old 29th August 2021, 19:53   #163
BHPian
 
Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: Cochin
Posts: 25
Thanked: 112 Times
Re: Hyundai N Line performance models to make India debut in 2021

Quote:
Originally Posted by omranga98 View Post

And I see people complaining about Hyundai not bringing in the full fledge i20N. Do you know how much time it took VW to sell 99 units of GTI? a little over than a year and that too with last few units being sold with discounts of over 6 Lakhs. - https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/india...9-99-lakh.html (Scoop! VW Polo GTI stock clearance. Now at Rs. 19.99 lakh)

The salesperson told me that Hyundai is just getting started with the N brand in India. The halo products are coming. The Tucson N line is on its way and apparently we are even going to get the full blown Elantra N which will supposedly be priced at a whopping 50 lakhs OTR. Talk about a halo. Hyundai will have to struggle even harder than VW to sell 100 units of this. But I, for one, am glad Hyundai is taking the effort.
Rajiv Krishnan is offline   (1) Thanks
Old 29th August 2021, 20:24   #164
BHPian
 
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: Madras
Posts: 857
Thanked: 3,198 Times
Re: Hyundai N Line performance models to make India debut in 2021

Checked out the N Line today. The car has enough exterior enhancements to differentiate from regular i20. The added cosmetic bits are tastefully done.
I was disappointed hearing about the same 1.0 TGDi but then Hyundai has tweaked the steering and suspension and that should make it better to drive. But this should have come with the 1.4 TGDi - would have been a proper hot hatch. I hope Hyundai brings the Verna N Line with 1.4 TGDi.

I don't like this droopy face when viewed head on. The new Octavia too has a droopy face.
Hyundai N Line performance models to make India debut in 2021-img20210829181429.jpg

This angle makes it look aggressive and fast.
Hyundai N Line performance models to make India debut in 2021-img20210829181711.jpg

Those red accents are tastefully done but this blue color doesn't match and spoils it
Hyundai N Line performance models to make India debut in 2021-img20210829180721.jpg

Hyundai should have launched this in performance blue like below
Hyundai N Line performance models to make India debut in 2021-20201021033916_hyundaii20front.jpg

Badge on the fender
Hyundai N Line performance models to make India debut in 2021-img20210829180619.jpg

Grill finished in gloss black looks good with the badge
Hyundai N Line performance models to make India debut in 2021-img20210829181440.jpg

Gear knob looks sweet - sad that it doesn't get a clutch . Like others here I don't understand the rationale behind a sportier car having iMT instead of MT.

Hyundai N Line performance models to make India debut in 2021-img20210829180919.jpg

Dual exhaust finished in chrome
Hyundai N Line performance models to make India debut in 2021-img20210829180801.jpg

Nice looking alloys with the N logo but Ceat Secura Drive? - missed opportunity to differentiate N line further from regular i20 - should have had better rubber
Hyundai N Line performance models to make India debut in 2021-img_20210829_200216.jpg

Badge on the boot
Hyundai N Line performance models to make India debut in 2021-img_20210829_195943.jpg

Hyundai have slapped the N badge everywhere - Seats, Steering, Gear knob, fender, grill, boot, alloys - hard to mistake N Line for regular i20

Rear 3/4
Hyundai N Line performance models to make India debut in 2021-img_20210829_200006.jpg

Hyundai N Line performance models to make India debut in 2021-img_20210829_200034.jpg

This qualifies just as a decent attempt because for the money they'll charge over the top spec this should have got few more tangible extras like better rubber, ventilated seats for example. Nevertheless, a first step in the right direction.

Quote:
Originally Posted by bhphog View Post
Then again, maybe the race flag inspired grill will help the owners vent. Or the bucket seats would snuggle them.
What's the issue dude? I see you venting out post after post.

What's with this rant post after post. Your posts haven't added any value to this thread other than demeaning the car. And why do you judge people who are going to buy this car?

You've expressed your dislike in your first post and why wouldn't you leave it at that?

BTW you are free to buy Figo 1.5 D, Polo TSI, Used - Abarth Punto, Tiago JTP, Laura/Octavia. Don't spoil it for those who want to buy - Leave this N Line for those who like it

Last edited by Karthik Chandra : 29th August 2021 at 20:48.
Karthik Chandra is offline   (53) Thanks
Old 30th August 2021, 09:42   #165
Senior - BHPian
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Mumbai
Posts: 1,515
Thanked: 6,044 Times
Re: Hyundai N Line performance models to make India debut in 2021

I honestly never liked the 3rd gen i20. The second gen was a looker. The looks of this car, will not age well.

If I have to draw a comparison to the mobile world.

The Polo is definitely like the iPhone - Looks outdated, lacks features, seems way too overpriced, very high maintenance. But once you use it, you realize the simplicity and its owners start acting like maniac Fanboys (I am one of them).

The i20 is like Android and will have takers, especially with their network. Their product is gimmicky like the OPPO, Vivo (not calling it Samsung, because the fit and finish is no where as premium) but it will sell. (I am an android user)

Hope some competition pushed VW to improve the Polo in some sense
2000rpm is offline   (11) Thanks
Closed Thread

Most Viewed
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Team-BHP.com
Proudly powered by E2E Networks