re: 1st-gen Hyundai i20 (2008 - 2014) : Review Quote:
Originally Posted by GTO What you won’t:
• Light, vague & sensitive steering at speed
• Highway dynamics are unfitting of a premium hatchback | Quote:
Out on the open road where the other 1.3L MJD hatchbacks would be running out of breath at 130 - 140 kph, the i20 is still accelerating. At 150 kph, the Hyundai has stamina left to climb up the speedometer. Because of the power on tap, the i20 diesel feels like it can maintain 3 digit speeds all day, and even keep up with more expensive machinery.
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The i20 is not meant to be a corner carver and it's best to adopt a conservative driving style with this car. Conversely, the enthusiast will be disappointed with the wallowy behaviour when road conditions are less than ideal. Cars like the Figo, Punto and Swift are far more accomplished dynamically.
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Disappointing for an enthusiast. Powerful diesel engine but no handling prowess to match.
How comfortable were you doing those triple digit speeds ? Quote:
Making matters worse is the light steering that feels vague on the highway, and is extremely sensitive at speed. You could switch a lane on the expressway with minimal steering input. Also, through fast corners, the steering puts in deliberate resistance that is just too artificial in feel. Over a 100 kph, it's very important to keep a firm hand on the steering as it reacts much too quickly for comfort.
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Is there is any difference in the steering feel or is it same across all the variants (1.2 P and 1.4(P&D) ? Quote:
The i20's seats are placed on the lower side, and the ease of walking into a tall boy hatchback is entirely absent. Instead, you have to "sit down" onto the seat.The elderly, especially, won't like the effort required to get on or off the back seat.
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Are these as low as the verna, could you post a picture if you have showing the seat height at the rear ?
Some thing like this. http://www.team-bhp.com/carpics/Hyun...i-verna-10.jpg Quote:
There is absolutely no dashboard reflection on the windscreen, thanks to the dark colour of the dashboard top.
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Sensible decision, I drove a i10 once, it was a pain. Quote:
The effective air-conditioner (especially of the 1.4L diesel & petrol variants) was a pleasant surprise. However, I did notice that the 1.2L variant did take a longer time than the 1.4s to cool the rear cabin area.
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There is no point hurrying up because, if you work the revvs, the 1.2L will neither be fast nor fuel-efficient. It’s just better to accept the limited performance on tap and drive with a light foot. The petrol is nowhere as impressive as the diesel.
| Un-acceptable, aren't the 1.2L Petrols, the ones which bring volumes ? So the majority of the folks opting for i20 would have to make do with a mediocre engine [performance wise] and a weak A/C. Quote:
The floor hump isn't intrusive at all: |
Exposed Nuts and bolts are not acceptable in a hatch in this price range. Quote:
Wider tyres & 15" rims could noticeably improve the dynamics. I'm not in agreement with the OEM size of 185/65 R14 (higher variants) or 175/70 R14 (Era & Magna variants). 195mm tyres on the stock 14" wheels, or an overall upgrade to 195/55 R15, is what I highly recommend keeping the diesel's power & torque figures in mind.
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IMHO 185 is sufficient, 175 needs an upgrade.
For the enthusiasts, 195/60/R15 is the correct size ? instead of 55 ? Quote:
The turning radius of 5.2 meters is noticeably larger than that of the Swift (4.8 meters) and could lead to that many more 3-point turns within the city.
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That is almost there with the new punto's turning radius (5.4m) Quote:
The 295L boot is extremely accommodating and amongst the best from the segment. Further, the boot has a practical layout.
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I love this huge boot and one of best features I like about i20,which is obviously non existent in the swift. Quote:
Reverse camera display (on the inside mirror) works like a charm. The green (safe), yellow (caution) and red (stop) colour coding is perfectly calibrated: |
Perfect, must have feature in our increasingly congested parking slots. Quote:
It also gets an electro-chromatic feature that automatically dims the mirror when it senses headlamp glare from the vehicle behind: |
Fantastic, this is what is called feature rich.
Do the mid variants come with ABS and Airbags as standard like in the BRIO ?
Finally,excellent review as always,you are the benchmark.  Rated 5 Star |