[tilt]

Originally Posted by doble u

Thank you Tilt for sharing this gem of a review. I quite liked your writing style. While you have answered almost everything in your lovely write up, I was left wondering why would you insist on having 2 cup-holders? I respect your personal preference but let us enlighten if there is any other particular reason for this insistence.

Thank you W. Well, one upholder for my coffee and one for my wife's drink

Cheers

[sudeep.pandya]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

I would disagree with you on the "heavy" steering part; after using my brother's i20 for a day, the next day I thought my Swift's steering was malfunctioning - it felt like a truck's steering and so much that I called up my brother and checked whether there was any problem with the Swift's steering - I am NOT kidding.

Same here! Even I feel the old gen Verna's pure hydraulic steering like a truck after getting used to the i20's. I even insisted my brother to change the power steering oil and his reply was like

I was a big critic of the steering, but now I have gradually started liking it, the center action is a boon in itself and somehow I never found it violent. the current gen Swift's steering is too direct and their is hardly any play. I think I am too much got used to the i20's steering feel.

[itsashishsharma]

I own a Swift petrol and for last 4 days I am driving a friend's i20 petrol. I don't like the steeting and suspension setup at all. The ease of driving is unmatched. It is just effortless, literally. Today I am expecting to get my Swift back from garage and I know how much I am going to like it to get her back.

[satan's_valet]

Awesome write up tilt. Loved the comprehensive and the detailed review.

I have never been a fan of Advaith Hyundai after a terrible experience we had, when we went to check out the i20 for one of my friends a couple of years ago. It's sad to hear that there haven't been much of an improvement on that front.

Congrats again on the new purchase and wish you a many a miles in it.

[torque!!]

Originally Posted by tilt

In-Car Entertainment Unit:
When the ignition is turned on, the ICE unit does not return to the state it was when powered off.

iPhone 5/Bluetooth/USB for music:
The car is not compatible, period.

Bluetooth/Phone integration:

Automatic Rain-Sensing Wipers:
I keep the wiper control stalk in the “Auto” position. Every time I turn the ignition on the wiper wipes once. That’s bad. The wiper is not supposed to come on at all until there is moisture on the windshield. That’s how my car in Canada behaved, and every car I ever rented behaved, including other Hyundais. Half-baked box-check.

Automatic Ambient-light-sensing headlamps:
They work, but it takes a second or three before it realises there is no light and switches the headlamps on. I was halfway into my dark underground parking garage before the lights came on. A quicker response would be appreciated.

I recently took a test drive of the i20 Asta. I was not too happy with the steering feel and ride quality. I may have still gone ahead with the i20 but the half baked tick mark features were the real deal breakers. Fortunately for me, I had carried my iPhone and the USB cable with me and did a thorough TD of the ICE. No compatibility with iPhone is simply not acceptable. I have a 10k 1DIN JVC ICE in my swift and it handles the iPhone beautifully. I can play, pause, skip, rewind songs from the ICE without touching the phone. Not being able to do that in a really expensive Asta is not acceptable. No charging support is absurd.

I did not notice the issue you mentioned with the rain sensing wipers but I complete agree with you. The wipers are supposed to be always on Auto and come on only when there is moisture on the windshield. Thats how it worked on my Camry in the US. Ditto with the auto lights. Leave it on auto and let it turn on AND Off as and when needed.

Common Hyundai, don't take us for a ride with such half baked features and charge a premium for it.

[itsashishsharma]

Originally Posted by tilt

Flatten the rear seats and there's much more room in a hatch than in a sedan for luggage.

Do the same thing with a sedan, and you get sea of luggage space.

Also, if I be truthful, it sounds hillarious that you chose the car based on availability of cupholders. The other ownership threads talk about ride, handling, interior quality, build quality, reliability, A.S.S. as factors behind the buying decision made. And here you are, telling you paid a good big amount for those cupholders . Well, congratulations on the buy, personally I like i20 to have all those features which make our lives simpler. I just meant kidding a bit.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by tilt

The one glaring issue I notice is that Hyundai have included a lot of features in this car purely to tick a few boxes and palm the car off as a high-end, loaded car. Most of these so-called features have been implemented in a half-baked/crippled way. The problem is that most customers in India may not have experienced such features before to know how they are supposed to work (you don’t miss what you don’t know about); and Hyundai is taking full advantage of that fact. I, for one, feel short-changed.

Beautifully summarised! If you see, most customers in general, (but applies heavily to us) buy a product (from cell phone to cars) based on features, which, they dont even end up using.
I know its a sweeping generalisation. But most cases its true.

However, I know, you would surely enjoy what you got. All the best for many a mile.

[Vid6639]

The rain sensing wipers and the auto headlights look to be very poorly implemented. Half baked as you mentioned.

I cannot imagine that rain sensing wipers work only when you turn the knob to auto mode when it is raining!! I guess they just sense the rain and adjust wiper speed so you don't need to fiddle with that. But even that's lame!!

Same for the auto headlights. How can auto headlights not go off once light increases. Then how is this is auto??

I am also quite surprised that I am hearing this for the first time just now when the i20 with all these features has been on sale for more than 2 years and is now at the end of it's life cycle. I might have missed it but I don't remember reading any reports of these glaring half baked features.

[tilt]

Originally Posted by itsashishsharma

Do the same thing with a sedan, and you get sea of luggage space. *SNIP*

Not completely true - you lose out on height. For example, try loading a single-seater sofa, or a table where the legs do not come off - a hatch beats the sedan.

Of course, one is not going to transport these on a regular basis, but I do have a need to occasionally transport such awkwardly sized stuff.

Originally Posted by Vid6639

*SNIP* I am also quite surprised that I am hearing this for the first time just now when the i20 with all these features has been on sale for more than 2 years and is now at the end of it's life cycle. I might have missed it but I don't remember reading any reports of these glaring half baked features.

That's why I made the statement that many customers may not even be aware of how such features are actually supposed to work, and therefore are happy that the features even exist; and that Hyundai are taking advantage of this ignorance.

Cheers

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by torque!!

I have a 10k 1DIN JVC ICE in my swift and it handles the iPhone beautifully.

Stock stereo compatibility with Apple products is a rare find for cars that sell in the same segment as the Hyundai i20. Its no surprise your after market JVC worked without a hitch. Most new after market products that claim ipod/iphone compatibility work well. The same stunt with a stock Swift car stereo would have been quite different. I can only think of Ford's Sync that supports Apple products but I'd like to hear this from the end user as Microsoft and Apple have never known to talk to each other well. Ford does not talk about compatibility with Apple anywhere. As tilt as mentioned, Hyundai are not mentioning anywhere that the system is compatible with the ipod/iphone.

[torque!!]

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

Stock stereo compatibility with Apple products is a rare find for cars that sell in the same segment as the Hyundai i20. Its no surprise your after market JVC worked without a hitch. Most new after market products that claim ipod/iphone compatibility work well. The same stunt with a stock Swift car stereo would have been quite different. I can only think of Ford's Sync that supports Apple products but I'd like to hear this from the end user as Microsoft and Apple have never known to talk to each other well. Ford does not talk about compatibility with Apple anywhere. As tilt as mentioned, Hyundai are not mentioning anywhere that the system is compatible with the ipod/iphone.

I agree with you. My only gripe is that Hyundais', Toyotas', Hondas' sold in the US are perfectly compatible with the iPhone and have been for the past several years. And I say US as I have first hand experience; but this compatibility may be available in Europe and Japan too. So then, why leave India behind? As it is, most factory fitted head units are manufactured by OEMs like Pioneer who also sell aftermarket units too. So its not like the manufacturer does not know how to integrate a smartphone with the HU. Its just that car manufacturers don't want to spend the few extra pennies that the OEM may be asking for addition features.

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by torque!!

My only gripe is that Hyundais', Toyotas', Hondas' sold in the US are perfectly compatible with the iPhone and have been for the past several years. why leave India behind? Its just that car manufacturers don't want to spend the few extra pennies that the OEM may be asking for addition features.

That is true. They were probably the first to get stereos compatible with Apple devices.

I wonder if manufacturers are even thinking about it. Did they completely forget support for Apple devices on their car stereos. I see that the Honda City has Apple device support so thats a start. I can't imagine how it would cost them more to implement this considering the licenses were probably procured on a global level. Hyundai does not claim the same for the UK spec i10 and i20. They do show what looks like an apple device connected to the USB. Its a different thing how it works.

[racer_7]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

I am also quite surprised that I am hearing this for the first time just now when the i20 with all these features has been on sale for more than 2 years and is now at the end of it's life cycle. I might have missed it but I don't remember reading any reports of these glaring half baked features.

If you can recall, when i20 was launched it was the most feature loaded car of them all. In other words, the competition did not even have such features like auto head lamps, wipers etc. People were just happy to get something so cool at this price which many premium cars did not have.

Also, many buyers of i20 may not have even seen such a feature in other premium cars which would make them understand that an auto wiper is not supposed to do a sweep just like that neither should an auto head lamp not switch off automatically. I am saying this cause I am an owner of an i20 and have been fooled as well Not a single day goes by I regret not buying a Punto 90hp where the things work as advertised like the Blue and Me.

[extreme_torque]

A little off topic but it is not unlike other Korean companies like Samsung. Lot of feature for the headline but not a single one of them implemented properly. Just like throwing everything on the wall and hoping something sticks.

[tilt]

Originally Posted by extreme_torque

A little off topic but it is not unlike other Korean companies like Samsung. Lot of feature for the headline but not a single one of them implemented properly. Just like throwing everything on the wall and hoping something sticks.

That's true of Samsung in every product line all around the world, but when you look at cars the story is a little different. The Korean companies provide proper features in North America, but when it comes to India they cheap out.

Cheers