Hyundai Elite i20 : Official Review

[harry10]

Originally Posted by scarlet.fever

Guys I booked a Sportz Petrol elite i20 Passion Red getting a little confused whether I should take the leap and upgrade that to Asta.
Any suggestions ?

As the amount to upgrade ain't much and you are getting many more features at that price I will suggest go for it.

[vijayk]

Got my Elite i20 Asta Diesel Red passion delivered today. Did my insurance outside and saved around 7K. It was a pleasant delivery experience and every thing was done on time (HMP, Chennai).

After reaching home, I found that the rear boot is not locking properly (the central locking button is blinking). Need to check it tomorrow.

[Bubby]

Originally Posted by vijayk

After reaching home, I found that the rear boot is not locking properly (the central locking button is blinking). Need to check it tomorrow.

Congratulations......!!!

The boot door closes with an effort push, try it. Also do get the PSI level check in all the tyres, at the time of delivery mine had 43 in all 4 tyres.

[shankar.balan]

Its a lovely car indeed.
Very understated compared to normal Hyundai cars.
The few things that I do not like are;
The Petrol version is de-specced and doesn't even have a nice 1.4 engine which it needs.
I don't like the fact that they give only rear drum brakes
Why can't they have a variant with 6 Airbags or more
Why not offer nice things like a sun roof even as an option

I don't think the Indian market is forever going to lean towards Diesel variants of cars. Petrol prices and Diesel prices are fast closing on each other so the differential is no longer that great so it is about time that the manufacturers started giving consumers good petrol engine options too, with more power the way VW have started doing.

The Hyundai Elite is a lovely looking car - to me it seems that the design team may have, in no mean measure, been inspired by the RR Evoque, especially when it comes to the rear three quarter black panelling and the rear wraparound lamps etc. Viewed in silhouette the car could pass for a baby RR Evoque at some angles!

All in all a wonderful upgrade from the old I20 but I am unhappy that they keep de-speccing these cars for the India market.

[vivekn83]

Fantastic Review!!
This makes it so tempting for me to exchange my 2011 beauty for this dude

[deetjohn]

Had gone to 3M for a foam wash and caught the Sportz Option there.

Rear wiper badly missing.


No cladding for the underbody. Swift got a plastic trim underneath the running board along the length of it.


Superb 16" alloys and meaty tyres. Looks awesome.


Partial cladding under the wheel well.


Alfa inspired taillights look superb when lit.


Now, the Park light is on and all pods are lit.

Originally Posted by RSR

Out of the three red coloured lights in the tail lamp cluster, which ones are for parking lamp or brake lamp or both? I mean, are the two inner lights (on the hatch) meant for the brake lamp, and the outer one for the parking lamp or both?

Brake light will glow only the outer pod. The bits on the hatch stay off.

[Raghav_K]

Originally Posted by vijayk

After reaching home, I found that the rear boot is not locking properly (the central locking button is blinking). Need to check it tomorrow.

My boot door lock was behaving funnily at 3M where it went for polishing and under body coating.

Was not unlocking, neither responding to boot open button in the remote.

No such incidents after that. Have to get it checked during first service.

[sawnilrules]

Just what the doctor ordered, A fantastically detailed review. And I would say, better late then never.

I had test driven the Big Three hatches last week in Mumbai, and adding my three cents of observations about Elite i20, Punto Evo and New Polo. (All Petrol Versions)

First off the block, the i20

• Looks European, inside out
• BMWish Centre Console looks "expensive"
• Steering wheel with thumb contours, ala Punto style are good to hold
• One cannot scroll between MID information when the car is in motion
• Too much buttons on the dash may end up distracting the driver while on the move
• MID informs about up-shifts, but doesn't about the down shifts (at-least in the car i drove, it wasn't)
• There is a digital Speedometer as well as Analogue one, looks cool
• Steering still scarily light at triple digit speeds, however marginally better than the outgoing car
• 16 inch alloys looks marvelously good and car feels proportionate
• Definitely looks expensive than the price tag

Punto EVO

• The interior Fit and Finish has definitely improved, but no where near the i20 or the Polo
• LED Tail lights look savvy, something that Hyundai missed completely, they should have added LED's inside the tail lamp housing instead of the regular bulbs
• There is a noticeable Body Roll now in the car, all thanks to the raised suspension
• Audio quality has improved compared to the out going car, but no where in the league of i20 or Polo, audiophiles would necessarily have to upgrade the speakers
• Too much of Chrome around, not to my liking though, opinions would differ
• Sluggish to drive, all thanks to the body weight, however on a positive side, it feels and drives like a tank on road
• Misses on the driver center arm-rest, i20 and Polo both get it.
• A very able highway cruiser, provided you don't push very hard

All New Polo then...

• Minimalist Design, accentuates the premiumness further
• May not be as feature rich as the i20, but has a lot of thoughtful features now, e.g. Cornering Lamps
• The ONLY car in the segment to car ABS and Airbags standard, fantastic move VW.
• Feels calm and composed out there on the highways, no wonder, Polo is the new benchmark for handling, the title it snatched from its Italian Rival, the Punto Evo
• The car is carrying right amount of Chrome, which improves the visual appeal of the car, unlike the Punto Evo which looks over-done now
• Everything inside feels built to last, again something that Punto Evo looses out on

So having 10 lacs in my pocket, where would I want to put my money on?

Punto Evo- At-least not now, considering we have New Polo and Elite i20. Hold on before you crucify me for saying this, my reasons for not buying a Punto Evo being

• International Punto Evo, is a stellar car, has better mechanical s, handles much better and fit and finish is definitely better. I am not saying get the car as is in India, but at-least offer the next generation of Multi-Jet and Multi-Air engines.
• Poorest resale value among other 2 contenders, (I was offered 90 HP Punto, 2012 Model for 3.20 lacs)
• Hardly 1 or 2 service stations in Mumbai, what if they close? where should I service my car
• Having Polo and Elite i20 around, chances of Punto Evo getting a second glance, is less.
• If Fiat isn't serious about Indian Market, why should I even consider the car seriously

Coming to the New Polo and the Elite i20, I wish I had 20 lacs to spare, I would have bought them both. One for its handling prowess and other for it laundry list of features which would allow me to show them off to non Elite i20 Owners around.

[RSR]

Originally Posted by deetjohn

Brake light will glow only the outer pod. The bits on the hatch stay off.

Thanks for the pictures! The tail lights do look cool when lit up at night.

Only the outermost lamp having a double filament bulb sure does make sense!

That long antenna does not suit the car's design at all. It does stick out like a sore thumb.

There is a simple solution to this. And that is to buy one of these:



The screws and adapters shown in the picture are not required at all for the swap, although the antenna pack does contain them. The Sparco is a simple straight replacement for that long stock antenna on the new i20, old i20, Fluidic Verna and the newest versions of the i10 and Eon that come with this ultra long stock antenna.

The Sparco not only looks good, but is also very practical as it does not get damaged/broken in places with a low clearance, and is well worth the ~ 600 - 700 rupees it should cost.

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by sawnilrules

Feels calm and composed out there on the highways, no wonder, Polo is the new benchmark for handling, the title it snatched from its Italian Rival, the Punto Evo

Not necessarily premium, but it is/was the Figo (as well) which shared this status along with the Punto.

I have driven the Polo/Vento and neither the chassis nor the steering feel come close. The Polo GT 1.6 is a winner though.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by Raghav_K

My boot door lock was behaving funnily at 3M where it went for polishing and under body coating.

Was not unlocking, neither responding to boot open button in the remote.

No such incidents after that. Have to get it checked during first service.

Hey, the display car I checked had the same issue as well. The sales guys dismissed it though as an issue with the battery. Didn't cross check more on this, but I had posted about this in an earlier page.

However, two new owners reporting the same as well sounds suspicious. Would advise owners to keep an eye on this anyways.

[nitinbose]

I guess Hyundai is trying to copy the European counterparts like the Mini Cooper by making the closer resemblance and user friendly features. The tail light design is being caught up by most vendors. I'd recently seen a Toyota Fortuner with a similar type of LED tail lamps, ofcourse, an aftermarket fitment.

However, that said, it was definitely a bad idea to have omitted the additional airbags and the rear disc brakes!

It would be interesting to see some of the Indian language options in the MIDs of such cars.

[ssengo]

I own a Elite I20 Asta Petrol purchased 4 days back and have driven 400kms so far. Great experience on the highway and fun to ride.
Will be posting the snaps soon

[ssengo]

Originally Posted by ssengo

I own a Elite I20 Asta Petrol purchased 4 days back and have driven 400kms so far. Great experience on the highway and fun to ride.
Will be posting the snaps soon

Here is the snap of my new elite i20 Asta VTVT Star Dust.
Performed the below tune-up in 3M CarCare :
- Underbody Anti-rust coating
- 3M Mats
- Paint Protection Film
- 3M Windshield (awesome heat resistance)
- Waxing

Can anyone suggest the best place for fixing leather seats at affordable cost in chennai. Appreciate your help

[Vik0728]

Originally Posted by ssengo

Here is the snap of my new elite i20 Asta VTVT Star Dust.

Congrats ssengo on your 'Elite Acquisition' .

I happened to see this colour in person and boy this really is one of the best shades for this car. Your snap just does not do justice to this color.

Please post an 'Ownership Review' at the earliest and drive safe.