[bharat4ever]

Huge boot, can hold overnight luggage easily for a family.


5th wheel is not an alloy. Tyre rotation is close to impossible.


Boot gets its own light. Not that powerful though.

And finally just to show where my loyalties lie

Gannu baba


Liverpool! YNWA!

[bharat4ever]

A big hello to all of you here. I’ve been around on this site for a long time, but this is my first initial ownership thread.
After taking delivery, this will be my second car. My previous car was the trusty i10 which served me well for two years, but it was a fuel guzzler, and I had to decide enough is enough. Had to settle on an i10 as the first car because of my dad’s persuasion that it would be enough for me, and it’ll be easy to drive in traffic and so on. But I always knew that the i10 was just a pit stop in the journey of owning a car that I love.

Went out car hunting, and I had a very specific requirement list and agenda.
1. Has to be a diesel car. But was dilly dallying with the idea of a petrol car which gives a better mileage.
2. Anything more fuel efficient than my i10 would do.
3. Finalized that it was to be a hatch, but was dreaming about sedans early in the day too.
4. Has to be comfortable to drive in the city. Most of my commute will be in Bangalore traffic.
5. Adequate boot space for those weekend getaways.
6. Rear windows have to roll down. My dog will be mighty pissed if it doesn’t.
7. Budget has to be around 7 lakhs ex-showroom

Cars considered. All cars had their respective disadvantages, but decided to give them all a go before deciding.
1. Honda city – Corporate edition
2. Toyota Etios
3. Volkswagen Polo
4. Hyundai i20
5. Grande Punto
6. Maruti Suzuki Swift
7. Nisssan Sunny

Before I continue I’d like to say that the opinions below are my own, and my objective is not to hurt the owners of the other cars.

My feedback after looking at and driving the cars

Honda City
Likes

1. The drive is great.
2. Handling is good even on pretty bumpy roads
3. ABS and Airbags on even the lowest variant

Dislikes
1. Was a petrol car, still was confused which fuel side to lean on
2. The gear box was a bit clunky, and didn’t fall into second easily
3. Only White and Silver colours on the Corp edition
4. Not a big niggle, but what a crappy horn!

Toyota Etios

Entered the showroom on Hosur road. It looked like a fish market with the number of people walking around etc. It took a solid 15 minutes before a SA decided to give me some attention. There was an Etios and a Liva on display. I took one look at the plastics and the interiors and I’d decided that I will never be caught in one of those cars. The worst interiors I’ve seen in a modern car. And what a bad design of the A/C vents. What is that, seriously!

Volkswagen Polo


Likes

Brilliant suspension
Big car like ride

Dislikes

Noisy diesel engine
Vibration reaches the clutch pedal at around 3000 rpm
Showroom guys are snobs
Bland interiors
Not much of features in the high end model (I know that it’s be rectified now, but this is around a month back)

Hyundai i20

Since I’d been a customer of Trident Hyundai, decided to go back there. The SA who had served we very well during my last car’s purchase was nowhere to be found. I had to deal with a woman SA. Test drive was immediately arranged for, and I took the TD vehicle around for a spin on Hosur road, and a few bad stretches nearby.

Likes

Suspension is soft. After coming from the i10, this car is much better and handles bumps neatly.
Gear shift… oh the Gear shift. There are two things Hyundai have got right on their cars. The new fluidic design, and the gear box. In my i10, and this car, the gear shifting was so so buttery smooth. It was much better than the Polo and the City. That’s saying something!
Great styling, inside and out. I love the brown coloured interiors .
Engine is so refined. For a car which doesn’t have under bonnet cladding, the noise is surprisingly low. But it does have the grunt when you open the throttle to show that you are driving a diesel. I like that.
Love the rear camera.

Dislikes

Artificial feel to the steering.
Low seats
No DTE and other gizmos for a car which is supposed to be loaded to the nose.
Handling bad at high speeds on the petrol, but diesel is miles better. (yes, I TD’ed both variants)

Grande Punto

Likes
Great Handling
Great Steering
Very good styling
Good head room , easy ingress

Dislikes
Interior dashboard design (was a deal breaker for me)
Dated looks, needs a refresh
A.S.S feedback is mostly on the bad side

Maruti Suzuki Swift

Took a TD after almost confirming what my next car will be. So I maybe biased here. The waiting period is a bummer. The showroom guys didn’t even have a car on display. The only car I could look at was the TD.
Likes
Good interiors. I’m digging the black seats
Good power beyond 2000 rpm
Ok ride

Dislikes
Every 3rd car on the street is a Swift
Turbo lag – I prefer my car to have linear acceleration. Not turn into a demon after 2k rpm
Waiting period. I was quoted 8 months

Nissan Sunny

Likes

Biiiiiiig! ( that's what she said )

Dislikes
Not a driver’s car. Good only If you are being driven around
Turns like an elephant
Interiors gol-gol styling not to my liking

Other cars considered were Figo and Fiesta Classic. The showroom guys didn’t have a TD vehicle, and said they’d send both vehicles to my office the next day. They never called me back, so I rejected both of these.

The Decision

Finally the decision came down to choosing between the Punto and the i20. Swift was also on my mind, but I couldn’t handle the 8 month waiting period. In today’s times, 8 months is a big deal. New cars come out, cars get facelifts, and I will be stuck with a dated hatch.

The only thing stopping me from the Punto was the dashboard design. I wasn’t too fond of the dull grey panels and the orange lighting. As a person who drives the car a lot, lot of my time is spent inside my car, and apart from the road, I have to look at the dashboard. I decided to give it another go and try the punto again. Another TD through, and I still didn’t like the dashboard. I had a feeling that I would never get over the dislike I had for it. Moreover, my fiancé didn’t like the styling of the Punto. She feels that it looks like a mouse. I could’ve protested and bought it, but I’d have to listen to the “sacrifice” she made for me for a minimum of 2 years.

Mind wanted to go for the Punto, with it’s incredible steering, it’s famed driveability, and it’s 15’’ alloys.
But my heart had already settled on the i20, with it’s fabulous styling, it’s top notch interiors, it’s calm blue lighting, and it’s loose steering :P

Booking and Delivery
Since I was taking it on a lease, I could book the car without any down payment. Booked it on 1st September and notified my office about initiation of the lease. My current car, the i10, also on a lease, as put up for lease transfer to another colleague. Things proceeded faster than I expected, and the i10 was given off in 2 days.

Now I had to travel by office shuttle and Volvos everyday to office. Only when you don’t have a car do you miss her so dearly. Now it starts, the wait for the i20. The obsessing, the planning, the scouring of the threads on TBHP to see if anyone else has bought the i20.
Before I continue I’d like to thank Aditya for his honest feedback on his car.

Collected delivery on 24th September. Very smooth delivery experience. When I got to the showroom, they were just putting the finishing touches like the floor mats etc. Very courteous SA, and other staff were very happy that I was taking delivery. Customary photo taken and given to me.

I did a thorough PDI, and left after about half an hour. Went directly to an IndianOil bunked and fed her to the nose. I felt goosebumps when i said "Petrol nahi, Diesel" (like a boss )

Driven around 70 km as of now.

Likes

1. Extermely good interiors. I can imagine the thought process which has gone thro each aspect.

2. Thoroughly refined engine. Even though it's a diesel, she purrs, and doesn't snarl like other engines.

3. Linear accelaration. Not much of noticable turbo boost, but it linearly accelerates quite fast.

4. Above average HUD and speakers. I won't be changing either any time soon.

5. ACC works as advertised. Bangalore is pretty cool nowadays, so I don't know how it performs when the car is really hot.

6. Spacious rear. I am 5' 9", and i could comfortably sit.

7. Parking sensors and rear camera are a boon when parking at night.

8. Extremely good fog lamps.

9. Extremely good throw of the headlamps. Absolutely no need to change the bulbs. Also, double barrel headlamp, so on high beam you get more light which can only be helpful.

10. Leather wrapped steering wheel is good to caress.

11. Lumbar support on the seats is great.

12. Theater style dimming of the interior lamps.

13. 185/R14 tyres look adequate.

14. Love the second glances from pedestrians.

15. ORVMs are adequate, the same size as that on the i10.

16. IRVM is quite big, and outlines the rear glass perfrectly.

17. Electronic IRVM, which dims out the bright headlights of the car behind, works great.


Compromises ( I don't get the heart to say dislikes )

1. Steering feels a bit loose, but it's easily to get used to. I've already gotten used to it.

2. Seating is a bit low, but not a problem for me.

3. Horn is ok-ok, won't make anyone jump out of their skin, but is adequate.

4. Apollo Acceleres are a noisy bunch.

5. Bluetooth sometimes disconnects. Have to check out what is happening here.

6. Lack of bonnet cladding makes the front really hot after even a short drive.

7. For the love of god, how is this "Engine on time" on the MID helpful to me?



Some pictures to do the talking







Very pleasing 3 quarter shot. Stylish little hatch.


Alloys look stylish. Kinda remind me of the full wheel covers on the old i10.


Good looking wide tyres. Also notice LTD sticker even before the number plates have gone up


Wouldv'e never parked this close to a Cruze if no parking sensors were there.

[bharat4ever]

More pictures

The Hyundai badge stands bold in the black background.
Will there be a day when people buy Hyundai cars just for the name and the badge? Like some people do for VW nowadays?


Mean, menacing looking headlamps. Bolder compared to the doe eyed innocence of it's predecessor.
Double barreled headlamps for better lighting.
And I like it that the indicators are on the outer edges, rather than the inner edges like that on the Verna.
Headlamps have great throw and visibility. Much relief after the next gen i10.


Fog lamps do their job very well. Wide throw, and have good visibility during dusk.


Back 3 quarter profile. Not much to see.


Doors are heavy and have a thud on closing. Front doors have a better thud than the rear ones.
Ingress is very easy.




View from the back seats. The center console is a eye grabber.


View from the driver's eye.


Theater dimming lights are a sight to behold. The lights stay on until you lock the car after getting down. And they stay on until you turn on the ignition after getting in.
The front interior lights are too bright for my liking. I normally keep only the center on if required.


Back door has no pockets.


Front door has pockets, but only for maps. Cannot hold a 1 liter bottle anywhere.


Central locking is a big blunder. Hyundai, what were you thinking? Or rather, what were you smoking?!

Firstly, the doors don't lock automatically after a certain speed. Secondly, more dangerously, the central locking unlocks if the passenger or driver tries to open his door. What was the reasoning behind that I wonder? I know a lot of kids who keep playing with that door open lever.

But there is an advantage. Once locked, the doors stay locked even if the ignition is switched off. It is beneficial if you switch off the car at signals, but still want to sit inside a locked car.


Beautifully designed steering wheel. The leather wrap is a pleasure to hold, and i love the way it has been stitched. Horn is difficult to get to, and it does'nt sound if pressed on the top part with your thumb.


Center console is bloody gorgeous. Changing a few of the buttons from silver to black has worked wonders. Everything you need is at a reachable distance.


Classy gear knob. Good to hold. The gearbox is buttery and smooth. I love especially slotting into third. I push it half way, and there is almost a suction which pulls itself and slots itself. Lovely. 6 gears, 6th gear is unused till now.
Reverse will take some getting used to. Invariably I engage 6th instead of reverse.


AUX and USB neatly tucked away. Only one 12V socket, i10 had two. And no way for the rear passengers to reach this socket too.


Ample space in the cooled glove box.


Vertical vents have a disadvantage. No way to direct the air towards your face.


MID is very good. But sorely lacks DTE.


Atleast for me USB read is fast. Around half a min for an 8 GB pen drive.


Song name displayed well.


I feel like a kid everytime the camera view comes on. I rarely look at the ORVMs nowadays to reverse. Works will in pitch darkness as well. Perfect night vision.


ACC is powerful. Cools the cabin in 5-6 minutes. Fan is noisy at high speeds, which the ACC initially starts with.


Small coin holder I guess. Holds my ID card and my wallet well.


Tweeters. No need to buy components.


Speedo! Nice big rev meter. Love the placement of the indicator lights.


Lone airbag for the driver.


Cubby holes are well designed.


Front seats are best in the segment. Good thigh and lateral support. Literally holds your back from all sides.


Rear bench is not exactly a bench. Good thigh support. Sofa you say?
60-40 folding for better luggage space.

[9thsphinx]

Congratulations on your new ride! Welcome to the club. This blue shade is different from the blue that was offered on the pre-facelift models. Looks nice. Drive safe and wishing you many happy miles. BTW, I agree on point 7 of your "Compromises" list. What a waste!

[bharat4ever]

Thanks 9thsphinx. The blue is different. It looks blue in daylight, but it looks greyish under the halogen street lamps. The previous blue also had this. It used to look violet under the street lamps. Love this color

[Vik0728]

Awesome pick bharat4ever, Congrats for the same

My brother has booked an I20 Sportz CRDI as well and has directed the delivery to be in February, since he has some plans then.

I drove the Diesel and did not like the steering one bit, considering the fact that I have been driving a Getz from over 2 years now.

Which part of Bengalooru r u from bro, since the surroundings look familiar to me.

Anyways, drive safe and Happy motoring.

[dZired]

Congratulations on your purchase mate. The new i20 indeed looks gorgeous in this colour shade. Thats a very nice pick.

The heating of the bonnet seems to be a universal problem with the i20. My friend bought one and is always complaining about this problem. Is their any solution to it?

OT: The swift is now loosing many customers due to the prolonged waiting list. Hope maruti is listening.

Anyways congratulations once again Bharat. I wish you many miles of happy revving.

Take Care and Drive Safe!

[bharat4ever]

Originally Posted by Vik0728

Awesome pick bharat4ever, Congrats for the same

My brother has booked an I20 Sportz CRDI as well and has directed the delivery to be in February, since he has some plans then.

I drove the Diesel and did not like the steering one bit, considering the fact that I have been driving a Getz from over 2 years now.

Which part of Bengalooru r u from bro, since the surroundings look familiar to me.

Anyways, drive safe and Happy motoring.

I live in HSR layout. but the photos were also taken at my office. Steering just needs a bit of getting used to. Once you do that, you will see that it's a breeze to drive in traffic. I have driven at around 100 km/h and I was still confident about the steering. Not sure of how it reacts at higher speeds than that.

Originally Posted by dZired

Congratulations on your purchase mate. The new i20 indeed looks gorgeous in this colour shade. Thats a very nice pick.

The heating of the bonnet seems to be a universal problem with the i20. My friend bought one and is always complaining about this problem. Is their any solution to it?

OT: The swift is now loosing many customers due to the prolonged waiting list. Hope maruti is listening.

Anyways congratulations once again Bharat. I wish you many miles of happy revving.

Take Care and Drive Safe!

I think it's possible to do some after market cladding for the bonnet. But since NVH levels are very low, I am probably going to skip it.

I understand that Maruti is going to hike its prices in the coming days. Higher prices and waiting period will sure put a big dent in it's profits.

[motomaverick]

Congrats on purchasing a quick diesel hatch. The new fluidic design is pretty nice from the front but I somehow don't like the protruding edges of the headlight. Be careful with that part when gunning through gaps. By the way I see that there are no mud flaps, does it not come with one that dealer puts as a freebie.

[aditya101]

Many congratulations Bharat. I agree with all of your likes.

Even though the 'hot hatch' tag is often reserved for Swift, i20 is a fast car by any yardstick. The acceleration is sustained and inspires confidence in the driver. Even in 6th gear at 90+ speeds, she still responds to throttle input.

- I liked Twilight Blue, but went against it since I do not like like Greys and Silvers (the very reason why you selected it).

- Why is heating of bonnet a 'problem'? IMHO it is better that the heat is escaping the vehicle without any obstruction.

- Seating Height: Try to raise the height - it is possible on the driver side.

- Tyre Noise: I found your comment a bit surprising, as I found them to be very refined even on cornering.

- Engine Time trip meter: Useful for calculating 'on road' time in a journey. You can also calculate average speed

[Jeash.vk]

good stuff bharat4ever. I like the way you went around TDing most the cars. I too feel that rear window rolling down fully is a critical aspect, especially if you have >2 people using the car. Somehow I felt a lot of car makers take us for granted in this aspect (FIGO!!!!!!!)

I too own a i10 (kappa2) and the way it guzzles the fuel is mind boggling. I get ~350 KMs on a full tank (with top up to the brim) in Bangalore city - and with the price of petrol nowadays, i have to think twice-thrice to take it out for a long drive.

I too considered the i20 Diesel - as an exchange to the i10 (done about 17.5K), but the car was valued at 3.5L(Sportz) which I thought was ridiculous. Also, the followup from the Hyundai procurement/sales guys left a lot to be desired. I didn't expect this from Hyundai. So I have cooled the thought for now and will pick it up again in 6 - 9 months, me thinks.

How do you find the Lease method as opposed to Loan/EMI - love to hear it from your experience.

[bharat4ever]

Originally Posted by motomaverick

Congrats on purchasing a quick diesel hatch. The new fluidic design is pretty nice from the front but I somehow don't like the protruding edges of the headlight. Be careful with that part when gunning through gaps. By the way I see that there are no mud flaps, does it not come with one that dealer puts as a freebie.

The dealer did not have mud flaps in stock. I have to get them fitted on Saturday. Since other than this, the entire process went on smooth, I did not crib about this, and agreed to come back. Besides it's not raining in Bangalore.

Originally Posted by aditya101

Many congratulations Bharat. I agree with all of your likes.

Even though the 'hot hatch' tag is often reserved for Swift, i20 is a fast car by any yardstick. The acceleration is sustained and inspires confidence in the driver. Even in 6th gear at 90+ speeds, she still responds to throttle input.

- I liked Twilight Blue, but went against it since I do not like like Greys and Silvers (the very reason why you selected it).

- Why is heating of bonnet a 'problem'? IMHO it is better that the heat is escaping the vehicle without any obstruction.

- Seating Height: Try to raise the height - it is possible on the driver side.

- Tyre Noise: I found your comment a bit surprising, as I found them to be very refined even on cornering.

- Engine Time trip meter: Useful for calculating 'on road' time in a journey. You can also calculate average speed

Heating of the bonnet will be a problem if someone leans on the car by mistake. No other reason. I agree that it's better if heat dissipation is unobstructed.

Seating height adjustment is not provided on the Sportz. It's available only on the Asta. But as I said, I don't have a problem. And the low seating has it's advantages. Makes me feel that I am seated in a tank with armor around me.

Tyre noise is not so evident, and music inside the car drowns it. But it is more noisy compared to the Michelins which i had on the previous car. So just wanted to mention it.

Aditya, the engine idles at around 1000 rpm. Is that normal for a Diesel engine?

[motomaverick]

Originally Posted by bharat4ever

Aditya, the engine idles at around 1000 rpm. Is that normal for a Diesel engine?

1000rpm is ok in fact my Manza idles at 800rpm, so I guess for the Hyundai its pretty Ok. Only petrol ones used to idle at a higher rpm. These diesel engines have good torque hence, higher engine rpm is not required to get the car moving. You will notice that in bumper to bumper traffic you can move forward without using the accelerator.

[arup.misra]

Congratulation bharat, loved the new blue shade of your i-20.

Tyre noise from Acceleres are on the higher side. Why don't you swap them for Yoko or Michelin's. You should get a good swap price.

Do post some interior pics and update your thread regularly.

Wish you a hassle free ownership

[bharat4ever]

Ha ha, I was not used to this. I remember when i took the TD, i just engaged the clutch a little, and the car started moving. I was like "ooh, nice"!

This is what I'm saying. The high torque and the easy steering make it a breeze in traffic. Though there is some sluggishness in the second gear. Having said that, I am not revving beyond 2000 rpm at least till the first service. Maybe if I rev her more, get the turbo working properly, and then shift up, this sluggishness will disappear.

Originally Posted by arup.misra

Congratulation bharat, loved the new blue shade of your i-20.

Tyre noise from Acceleres are on the higher side. Why don't you swap them for Yoko or Michelin's. You should get a good swap price.

Do post some interior pics and update your thread regularly.

Wish you a hassle free ownership

Thanks man. It's a lovely shade. I was just about to go to Reliance auto world to check tyre upgrades. What do you suggest? 195/R14?