[aditya101]

I think, therefore I 20

Our Alto was a useful and trouble free car that we retained for 11 years. It was relatively a new model in the market then, but now is India’s highest selling car. It had an effective AC, light controls and allowed for a very carefree driving experience. Moreover it was a hassle free and reliable. She was due for replacement due to age but fore mostly it did not meet most of my key expectations from a car.

The priorities identified for the new car were, in broad order of importance:

1. Space
2. Safety
3. Highway stability and performance
4. Modern and Refined

Since safety features are mostly found on higher trims, inevitably all cars considered had a good set of factory shipped features and equipment. This suited me as I did not wish to go for after market fitments. (Still, the i20 is in a different league when it comes to features.)

Though not a requirement per se, I was clear that the new car had to be a hatchback, or a relatively small sedan as the other car (SX4 ZXI) is quite sufficient in its place. Since space was a priority, it meant by default that A and B- segment cars were also ruled out.

So the search started for a competent B+ or C- segment car.

Cars that were ruled out:

• Skoda Fabia: Ticked most boxes but neither me or wife appreciated the looks – exterior or interior. I also was not satisfied with the driving experience.

• Toyota Liva: Unlike most other people I actually like the external looks - but was put off by the cost plus interior and reports of high NVH.

• Maruti Suzuki Swift: The Dzire fit my budget and I needed a larger boot anyways. Found the rear end of the Dzire much more acceptable looking than the Swift as well.

• VW Polo: Cramped interiors.

• Ford Figo and Ford Classic: Felt dated from the inside plus there was a lot of negative feedback viz-a-viz reliability and service quality from friends who have owned Ford vehicles. Having said that, I found the Ford Classic to represent good value – people in the market for a VFM sedan should consider it. It looks deceptively compact; I was especially impressed with the boot.

The final contenders:

• Hyundai i20 Asta CRDI. There is a long list of small details that designers have put into the whole car …. But most importantly it met each and every priority requirement. Thanks to generous friends I had good number of driving hours on it as well which was comforting. Sportz version was ruled out primarily due to single airbag.

• Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire ZDI/ZXI – a safe and practical choice thanks to “Maruti” name. Loved the interiors and steering feel. Compared to the i20 I get a sedan in a compact form and save a bit on price as well. Not the most spacious car but offset by higher seating position compared to i20. Unfortunately I was simply not prepared to wait 3 – 4 months for the new car and on top of it came the Manesar shutdown.

• Honda Jazz – truly a lifestyle vehicle with premium image: Loved the intelligent utilization and interiors quality and finish. The steering wheel was a delight and gear shift was light and smooth. Engine noise filters into the cabin but it is not a deal breaker. Potential Jazz owners to reconfirm this – but I found the legroom to be a bit limited in the second row. The reason is that the seats are located in a slightly depressed section of the floor, which means that passengers cannot stretch their legs below the front row without lifting up their feet. Unfortunately it was not available in Diesel and seemed to be overpriced compared to the other choices.

i20 in Summary:

• Spacious and comfortable seating for all occupants.
• High on safety kit and gizmos
• Terrific attention to detail throughout
• Relaxed and stable highway cruiser. Extremely silent in the higher gears.

Likes/Dislikes/Smaller details

+ Light steering, gear and clutch. Makes for effort less driving.
+ High Safety rating
+ Excellent exterior finish
+ Sculpted seats and excellent driving position
+ The Start/Stop Button – love it!
+ Arm rest: Boon on long drives. Unlike some aftermarket ones it does not occupy any of the cubbyholes.
+ Superb reverse camera which has a clear image even at night. The field of view is also wide.
+ Antiglare feature in rear view mirror. Works like a charm.
+ Rear washer
+ Many switchgear items are shared across Hyundai family including higher priced ones.
+ Decent quality audio with iPod integration
+ Relatively large 1.4L diesel with Turbocharger.
+ Excellent NVH quality
+ Excellent head light range and spread.
+ Hard seat cushioning – It is my preference but not to everyone’s liking.
+ It has been said before – but the fluidic design is very appealing!
+ Digital speedometer.
+ Large glovebox (cooled) and many storage places in the cabin.
+ Blue Backlighting in all instrumentation including the power window switches (miss them on SX4).
+ Auto Folding mirrors (miss them on SX4).
+ Steering mounted controls – a bit hard but feel precise.
+ Better alloy wheel design compared to last generation.
+ Comfortable dead pedal
+ Great look (chrome/metallic) and feel on the dials for the audio system

- Long clutch travel and shin occassionally fouls with the dashboard
- Golf club shaped gear shift with long throws (Comparison: SX4)
- Chocolate brown interiors. Why this colour Hyundai? Standard black+beige would have looked much better.
- No shuffle function in the stereo. There is a randomn function which skips current songs and randomnly picks another one in the disk, but then on the disk continues to play sequentially.
- Missing DTE/FE computer.
- 5th wheel is not an alloy (vs Swift Dzire)
- Poor choice of colours. Hyundai should identify at least one more popular colour other than white. I think the light blue that was seen on the Sonata Embera will suit it.

PS

Elsewhere on the forum, there are a couple of points being debated.

Effectiveness of AC. I generally keep the ACC setting to 23.0C or 21.0C for warmer days. Fan speed is kept The cooling is satisfactory and I have no complaints. Note that the climate is extremely humid nowadays which helps in the AC cooiling.

Clean Air Ionizer. This is one of the features I wanted in the car, but there is no labelling indicating the same in my car. Is it there or not?

Central Locking and Boot. The boot remains locked as long as you have locked the car from inside. There is no way someone can open it at a traffic signal w/o your permission! The security guards at my office were familiar with the button mechanism ... did not have to get down to open it unlike reported elsewhere. In fact I find this more convenient as I need not operate any level during routine security checks.

Rattles. No such issues from anywhere including the steering.

[aditya101]

Other details on the buying process:

Additional Accessories: Gear lock for visible deterrence to theft attempt. (~INR 1,200/-)

Insurance: Tata AIG procured outside the dealership. Bumper to bumber with 0 depreciation benefit (INR 19,620/-). A good ~10,000 rupees cheaper than what was offered by the showroom!

Extended Warranty: Max 1 year EW is offered by the manufacturer on CRDI and same was availed of. Recommend the same to others especially if you are buying a fully loaded car even if it is a petrol one (INR 8,500/-).

Choice of Dealer: Hyundai Motor Plaza (HMP), Mathura Road New Delhi - company owned showroom. The complete staff was responsive to our questions and concerns and overall I have no complaints. Mud flaps and floor mats were thrown in as freebies (other dealers refused to even provide that).

Pre-Delivery Inspection (PDI): Completed at HMP showroom and car had 16 Km on the odometer when delivered (the drive from stockyard to showroom accounted for major portion of the same). TBHP list was the reference for PDI. Tip of the Hat to wildon for VIN check.

[aditya101]

Some pictures ...

- CRDI engine has a plastic cover unlike the petrol variants
- The previous generation light cluster was definitely a better looking one. This one just doesnt go with the fluidic theme
- The detailing on the head lamps is sort of animal yet has machine look to it
- Back lighting thruought including the audio controls.
- Both MIDs are very detailed.

[.anshuman]

Note from Support: Thread moved here from Assembly line. Thanks for sharing the report with us

[himanshugoswami]

Lovely car there Aditya....congrats.

The i20 CRDI is almost the ideal city car and really questions the need for a sedan in the city. I have a petrol i20 Asta in the family and am very impressed with its build and features, but hate the weedy petrol engine. the CRDI is a gem of an engine though!

[bharat4ever]

The car looks awesome in white! And you finally wrote the review!
And is the front number plate a bit bent on the right ?

[aditya101]

Thanks Himanshu ... It is quite spacious and in fact the Asta CRDI is also India's most expensive in this segment (outside the niche offerings like Mini and B-Class).

Originally Posted by bharat4ever

...And is the front number plate a bit bent on the right ?

Thanks Bharat ... now the all new cars will be supplied with a High Security Number Plate by RTO. The lead time for same in Delhi is around 3 months. Till such time the showroom has supplied a 'standard' plate. There are only 2 bolts fixed - which is the reason for the flex which you noticed. I noted the same during delivery but it should do for the time being.

[vasanthn21]

Congrats on the i20.

A cousin of mine bought the Diesel i20 and was very happy with it. Unfortunate turn of events and he had a bad accident, the vehicle had to be scrapped (but nothing happened to him).

He had to buy another car, and he opted for the same diesel i20! Speaks of ownership satisfaction.

But another colleague of mine bought the Diesel i20 recently and he found the vehicle skidding while cornering at high speeds. How has your experience been with cornering?

[arup.misra]

Congrats aditya on your i20.

Did you experience any lag while moving in 1st and 2nd gears in B2B traffic?

Nice color. Hope she serves you well for a long time.

[aditya101]

Originally Posted by vasanthn21

... But another colleague of mine bought the Diesel i20 recently and he found the vehicle skidding while cornering at high speeds. How has your experience been with cornering?

Thank you Vasanth. I have no such complaints even on wet days or any problems with tyre noise either. Possibly it is your friend's tyres which need a check as Apollo Accelere seem to be prone to wear and puncture as I gather from friends and TBHP threads.

Originally Posted by arup.misra

...Did you experience any lag while moving in 1st and 2nd gears in B2B traffic? ...

Thank you Arup. Erm, I don't think lag is the correct word as the turbo is pretty much sleeping in these conditions But it has not been an issue as she gets moving along on clutch operation alone (i.e. without any throttle).

[Chitta Pradhan]

Hi!

Congrats on your brand new i-20. Old i-20 was notorius for it's turbo lag, which has reportedly been solved by the fluidic model. What is your experience? How is the high speed stability & the behaviour of the suspension on undulated roads?

My relative had purchased a top end petrol i-20. I was casually checking the car & surprised not to find FE meter. Thought that it was specific to petrol models. But your car also lacks the same. Hyundai must provide this feature.

[Pancham]

Originally Posted by Chitta Pradhan

surprised not to find FE meter.

Did you really think a car which has auto lights and wipers will not have a FE meter.
The FE meter is digital in the new i20.

[Chitta Pradhan]

Originally Posted by Pancham

Did you really think a car which has auto lights and wipers will not have a FE meter.
The FE meter is digital in the new i20.

By FE meter, I meant MID showing average fuel efficiency & instanteneous FE, not fuel meter my friend.

I feel , this provision helps the owners to extract maximum FE from thier cars. At least it works for me.

[PassionateDrive]

Congrats for owning possibly the fastest hatch in India Aditya. You will love each and every mm of driving it.
Few tips:
1. Run-in her properly for the first couple of thousand kms, though Hyundai says the car does not need it. It will definitely pay off if you wish to own this car for long
2. At high speeds the steering is dead. You will need some time to get used to it. Be careful at high speeds untill you are confident.
3. Avoid driving with half-clutch, avoid engine knocking. Shift up as early as possible.

Wish you many happy miles with your i20 CRDI Asta

[hrishik]

Congratulations aditya101 on your new purchase! The white color looks nice on the i20. I plan to replace my 2.5 year old Indica Vista TDI with a new i20 CRDi Sportz sometime around Diwali. I have a question for the experts who may be reading this - is it possible to tune the stock suspension of the i20 to improve its handling and if it is indeed possible then can it be done at a local Hyundai ASC?