[ricky_1605]

Originally Posted by predatorwheelz

Accessoried I've fitted.

1. Art leather seat covers.
2. Autocop Trackpro TP2000 (GPS tracker).
3. HMP original seat cover. Very good material, like the Dupont Tyvek thing.
4. The normal mats/perfume kit from dealer.
5. Extended warranty for the 3rd year.

That's all for now. Tomorrow I leave for a 2000 km road trip. Keep reading!

Congratulations! I have the same model in Pristine Blue color. Can you please tell me from where did you buy the Art Leather Seat covers and at what price?

[predatorwheelz]

Originally Posted by extreme_torque

It is hard to resist the new i20 if you are in the market for a diesel hatchback. That being said, I am not too fond of the interiors as everyone else seems to be. They arent as stylish as the exteriors and the surface details are borderline boring.

On the contrary, I thought the interiors are the most practical and exciting among its competition.

Originally Posted by extreme_torque

Also was Polo eliminated only due to rear legroom because as I see it, both you and your wife will be occupying the front seats?

Yes. We are a family of large people, and my parents/in laws visit us frequently. We also go on long trips with friends. So the rear seats in our cars see a good amount of use.

Originally Posted by CountMe91

Congrats Aniket da on purchase of this new beauty. The Elite i20 is much more matured compared to its competitors. The steering feefback and handling is better than the Xcent. The 1.4 L mill is great to drive around in city and being a diesel it is easy on the pocket.

Thank you brother. You are right, the diesel mill is both exciting and easy on the pocket. Lets hope the quality levels hold up in the long run.

Originally Posted by Turbo_asd

Nice review with great pictures to top it off. Wish you many wonderful miles ahead on your gorgeous Argento!
Do tell me the secret of your alarmingly good FE.
Seeing that you extended your budget, did you at any point consider the Ecosport or maybe a used Civic?

Thank you. There is really no great secret to the FE. I did not alter my driving style at all, its all due to the car!

I wasn't considering either the Ecosport or Civic. The former IMO is a hatchback on stilts, which I'd happily dump for a Duster. The Civic I love as a car, but the suspension (with its tendency to bottom out) doesn't err, sit well with me.

Originally Posted by abhi_d

Great review! Good you got the Silver color instead of the Platinum Blue, else we would have missed the etymology of Argent and would have never met Argento

Thank you for the wishes. Presuming I had got the blue, Sapphire is also a color

Originally Posted by a4anurag

Congratulations Aniket on acquiring the Elite.

Your number plate reads "DL 3CCD" - like Cafe Coffee day. Eh?
The silver is a very neutral colour that gels well with any car and any design be it 90's car or 2015 model.

Keep the mile crunching on. Congrats once again.

Thank you brother. Yes, some other friends have also pointed out the CCD connection.

Though I settled for silver to get early delivery, I was initially depressed on the color choice. Then some pundits (including SST and wifey) used the same reasoning to console me .

Originally Posted by justwheels

Many Congratulations PredatorWheels !!!

The elite is surely an eye turner and very rightly said, a beautiful rendition of the fluidic design philosophy of Hyundai.
A very neat review and looking forward for an ownership report as you crunch more miles on the Elite.

Enjoy and have fun with it.

Thank you. Please keep following this thread, it will be regularly updated.

Originally Posted by nishingne

Hi there and congrats on your new Hyundai!!
I own a Grand i10 Asta and as you said the start stop button is a pain to use on the lights. I still am on three buttons phase (I'm a bit technologically challenged) so please tell me how did you turn off the auto unlocking.

Thank you brother. For the auto unlocking, it can be turned off from the options menu. Go to menu/doors/auto unlocking and switch it off.

Originally Posted by aerohit

The steering mounted buttons are considered more of a safety feature than a luxury feature.

Holding the steering with both hands at all times is considered much safer way to drive a car- there is more control and it also prevents distraction.

Thank you for the clarification. Just that I have driven 7 different cars over the last 17 years, none with steering mounted controls, and felt no less safe. I personally think its more of a gimmick than a useful feature.

Originally Posted by aspire

Hi Aniket,

I was wondering whether you are the same person after seeing your pics, 7 years is a long time!.

i20 elite owner here as well. Keep revving.

Shailesh
GIM08

Whoa! A big hello to you brother. FYI, Sachin Nair (handle sachinnair) and Nikhil Mittal (handle altohoncho) from our batch are also on this forum.

Originally Posted by rki2007

Congrats Predatorwheelz. Happy Miles ahead. Drive safe.

When I saw the elite on road for the first time, I thought Wow!!! what a car.

By the way, how is the quality of plastics used on the C pillar. Does it tend to discolor over time due to excess sun light and stuffs like that?

Thank you! Its too early to comment on the quality of C pillar plastic. But purely by a personal inspection, I don't think the finish will last for more than a year. It will progressively worsen. I might get them painted black later.

Originally Posted by S2!!!

Congratulations for your purchase. The new Elite i20 is one of the best cars in its segment. If I had to buy a B-Segment hatchback, it'd definitely be an Elite i20. Have already recommended this car over the Xcent to a few people I know. This car exudes quality inside-out and looks very attractive on the road. These days I have been spotting a lot of these on the streets and with those 16" wheels and its wide stance, this car looks like a stunner.

A few things which I wished that the Elite i20 had was a sunroof, rear disc brakes and an optional automatic. That plus the super smooth, silent, punchy yet frugal diesel motor would make it, the perfect hatchback. Period!

Thank you brother. Your (official) review was extremely detailed and went a long way in finalizing my purchase. Yes I too wish the car came with rear disc brakes. My Verna has them (in 2008 rear discs and ABS came as an option) and they have proved their worth in countless highway emergency situations.

Isn't the company launching the automatic in some months?

Originally Posted by S2!!!

I sooo agree with you regarding the annoying plethora of buttons and the auto-door locking/unlocking feature. In my Ritz, I used to happily switch off the car on signals and save fuel whereas in my Grand i10 (just like the Elite i20), each time I switch off the car, the doors unlock and the lights go on and the music goes off. It is so ANNOYING! I wonder if the service centre can disable this feature.

As I wrote above, the auto unlocking can be switched off by the user. No idea about how to keep the music alive when stopping the ignition. And I doubt Hyundai service people (dumb and menu driven as they are) will have a solution.

Originally Posted by S2!!!

How do you find the armrest position? I love the Verna's armrest but I found the one on the Elite i20 to be positioned far too behind. So for a short driver, it is pretty much useless and even when I was driving (I'm 5.10) I did not find myself using it much. Maybe resting my elbow there but it isn't the best position according to me.

Its pretty useless. Can act as a prop when you're cruising on the highway, but in fast gearchange situations its of no use.

Originally Posted by shuvc

Congratulations ! Very good looking car. I personally love it. Yet to drive one though. Maybe Harry will oblige someday

"2. Autocop Trackpro TP2000 (GPS tracker)" - How much does this cost? And where did you buy it?

TP2000 costs 10K (MRP), I got it for 7.5K from Motor Concepts.

The lower model (TP 1000) costs 2K less. But the TP2000 comes with a backup cell to draw power from, in case the thief disconnects the battery.

Originally Posted by H_Dogg72

Great stuff, Predator
I dissed the i20 petrol for the same reason and got myself the GT TSI. To be honest I do miss the loads of features that the i20 fondles you with.
A question, how was this fitted "Autocop Trackpro TP2000 (GPS tracker)" and some details about its functioning would be appreciated.

Hope you have a great trip ahead.

You didn't mention the reason, but I presume you let the petrol go because of the anaemic engine? Good choice in that case. The GT TSI is a great package.

TP2000 fitting is pretty straight forward. Its a very small box which they mount within the dashboard (to be invisible to the user/thief). One set of wiring connects to the battery, another set routs through the A pillar plastic and only shows up in the form of a minute GPS antenna.

As for functioning, its a GPS tracker. In case someone other than you is using the car, you can monitor the car's progress on the web, in real time. Alternatively you can send an SMS to a given number (your mobile number needs to be registered) and it will reply with the current coordinates of the car.

Originally Posted by ricky_1605

Congratulations! I have the same model in Pristine Blue color. Can you please tell me from where did you buy the Art Leather Seat covers and at what price?

Thank you sir. The Seat covers were bought from Motor Concepts. Price was 7K.

[nishingne]

Originally Posted by predatorwheelz

Thank you brother. For the auto unlocking, it can be turned off from the options menu. Go to menu/doors/auto unlocking and switch it off.

Thanks a lot! You saved a lot of effort and also frustrating situations. Happy commuting!

[BlackPearl]

Awesome review Aniket, rated 5 stars. If I were to ever think of buying a car from the Hyundai stable it would be the Elite i20, specially for the rear and the interiors. I am jealous of the interiors of these new generation vehicles. Wish I could get over my obsession of crude 4x4s and buy a good looking vehicle with such well furnished interiors. But every time I see the dreaded NH34 all such wishes get smoked away :-(
Anyways, coming back to topic, fantastic choice and wish you many miles of happiness.

[Kn1ght1941]

Good purchase mate,

I hope you enjoy years of pleasurable driving in your silver ghost. Don't worry about the shortcomings of the car, if you like it then it's all that matters.

The perfect car does not exist.

[Bubby]

Many congratulations on your purchase, one can't go wrong with an Elite CRDi.

Originally Posted by predatorwheelz

Lets hope the quality levels hold up in the long run.

I am going for my 10k service this weekend, everything has stayed together, no glitches whatsoever so far

[Sheel]

Congratulations Predator!

You back from the trip? After this long drive, you would be in a better position to comment & compare (both engines) better.

[alih052]

Originally Posted by predatorwheelz

Accessoried I've fitted.

1. Art leather seat covers.
2. Autocop Trackpro TP2000 (GPS tracker).
3. HMP original seat cover. Very good material, like the Dupont Tyvek thing.
4. The normal mats/perfume kit from dealer.
5. Extended warranty for the 3rd year.

Excellent ownership review predatorwheelz. Wish you many happy years of Elite i20 ownership. I have also recently booked an Elite i20.
How much did you pay for the Extended 3rd year warranty?
You have mentioned Art leather seat covers and HMP seat cover? You bought 2 different types of seat covers? Can you post the picture of the HMP seat cover?

Thanks.

[BlackPearl]

Originally Posted by Sheel

You back from the trip?

I think he is still busy burning the highways of Rajasthan!!

[vinjosep]

Congrats! Nicely written review.

How much did you pay for the 3rd year's extended warranty?

I just got the 10K service done for mine and here in Bangalore there was some confusion regarding the extended warranty price.

[predatorwheelz]

Apologies for the delayed replies. I had come back last Friday but stayed busy with pending work.

Originally Posted by Sheel

After this long drive, you would be in a better position to comment & compare (both engines) better.

Yeah, actually makes an interesting comparison.

The Verna engine makes 110bhp and 235nm. Below 2000 rpm it suffers from noticeable turbo lag. After 2000 all hell breaks loose, with wads of torque and acceleration on demand. This makes it a great tool on highways, as you can cruise at 140 and accelerate to 170 (plus) if the road/traffic allows it. So in a drive where the majority is a four lane expressway, the Verna should be the weapon of choice. Oh, it also gives 13 kmpl in the city and 18-19 on the highway.

The i20's engine makes 89bhp and 219nm. Compared to the Verna its power delivery is much smoother, with no lag, better refinement and a creamy surge of power. This makes it the better city driver. Also a friendlier car to someone who's never driven CRDI engines before.

On highways, the i20 only comfortably cruises till 120. Post that the engine starts to strain. I took it upto 140 this time. Though there were some reserves of power left, I sensed the engine isn't enjoying it. I'd say its as competent a tool on single-lane highways (which make up the majority of Indian highways anyway) but falls slightly short on expressway speeds.

Surprisingly, the car gave me the same mileage on highway (18kmpl) as it gives in the city! Still not able to fathom a reason. Maybe highway mileage will improve after the second service?

Originally Posted by alih052

Excellent ownership review predatorwheelz. Wish you many happy years of Elite i20 ownership. I have also recently booked an Elite i20.
How much did you pay for the Extended 3rd year warranty?
You have mentioned Art leather seat covers and HMP seat cover? You bought 2 different types of seat covers? Can you post the picture of the HMP seat cover?

Thank you. I paid 9300 for the extended warranty. I have attached the certificate and invoice for everyone's benefit.

Also thanks for pointing out the error. I meant HMP car cover. Will ask the mods to correct it.

Originally Posted by vinjosep

Congrats! Nicely written review.

How much did you pay for the 3rd year's extended warranty?

I just got the 10K service done for mine and here in Bangalore there was some confusion regarding the extended warranty price.

Thanks. I loved your review too. Please keep posting, as it will mutually help in the long run.

See the reply to the post above for EW price.

[vinjosep]

Originally Posted by predatorwheelz

On highways, the i20 only comfortably cruises till 120. Post that the engine starts to strain. I took it upto 140 this time. Though there were some reserves of power left, I sensed the engine isn't enjoying it. I'd say its as competent a tool on single-lane highways (which make up the majority of Indian highways anyway) but falls slightly short on expressway speeds.

Surprisingly, the car gave me the same mileage on highway (18kmpl) as it gives in the city! Still not able to fathom a reason. Maybe highway mileage will improve after the second service?


Thank you. I paid 9300 for the extended warranty. I have attached the certificate and invoice for everyone's benefit.

Thank you for sharing the EW details. Helps a lot.

On the speed front, are you sure the engine felt strained? I had taken mine to the same speeds you mentioned for the verna and it felt as if the engine still had lot of juice left, only I chickened out from going faster.

This car is a different beast altogether after it crosses 100 kmph

Even I'm getting the same fuel efficiency.

[predatorwheelz]

Originally Posted by vinjosep

On the speed front, are you sure the engine felt strained? I had taken mine to the same speeds you mentioned for the verna and it felt as if the engine still had lot of juice left, only I chickened out from going faster.

This car is a different beast altogether after it crosses 100 kmph

Yep, I'm quite sure about what I wrote. Besides, it was a comparison with another car that has a 20bhp power advantage and better top end. In isolation, the diesel i20 is a wonderful beast that has the power expected of a good CRDI engine.

I also quote someone (not sure who) who once wrote "Disclaimer: Opinions expressed herewith are solely mine, hence please excuse if it does gel with yours." Heh heh.

Originally Posted by vinjosep

Even I'm getting the same fuel efficiency

You mean you're getting identical highway and city figures too?


In other news, the car completed 5000 kms on 13th January, a few days short of 2 months. This is the fastest 5k I've clocked in any car owned.

[vinjosep]

Originally Posted by predatorwheelz

Yep, I'm quite sure about what I wrote. Besides, it was a comparison with another car that has a 20bhp power advantage and better top end. In isolation, the diesel i20 is a wonderful beast that has the power expected of a good CRDI engine.



I also quote someone (not sure who) who once wrote "Disclaimer: Opinions expressed herewith are solely mine, hence please excuse if it does gel with yours." Heh heh.



You mean you're getting identical highway and city figures too?





In other news, the car completed 5000 kms on 13th January, a few days short of 2 months. This is the fastest 5k I've clocked in any car owned.

Mate, didn't mean to offend. Sorry if it sounded rude & myopic. Of course, do appreciate having another perspective and I wasn't questioning your view either.

Frankly I haven't driven the current gen verna at high speeds. So was curious about your observation.

And touché, my words back to me, huh? 😄 btw, there was a typo error there which I noticed too late. A "not" is missing..

Yes, I'm getting almost the same fuel efficiency in both city & highway runs ~18. But then I find it very hard to resist the urge to go insane on open roads
Also none of my highway drives have been on pure highways ( though some of the state govts. might disagree with me on this). Hence all the measurements were from mixed road conditions.

The only instance where I got good highway roads between refuels, I focused on speed but still got close to 17kmpl.

100-110 kmph seems to be the sweet spot for good fuel efficiency on the highways. Your thoughts please?

Congrats on the 5K mark. Guess you are enjoying the car to the hilt. And it's curious, this has been the fastest 5/10K for me as well.

Do you find the headlamps adequate on the highways/ vacant roads? For me, this is the biggest sore point.

[predatorwheelz]

Originally Posted by vinjosep

Mate, didn't mean to offend. Sorry if it sounded rude & myopic. Of course, do appreciate having another perspective and I wasn't questioning your view either.

Hain? Arre relax my friend. All that was said in jest. There is nothing to take offence on!

Originally Posted by vinjosep

And touché, my words back to me, huh? 😄 btw, there was a typo error there which I noticed too late. A "not" is missing..

Ah, imitation never takes one far!

Originally Posted by vinjosep

100-110 kmph seems to be the sweet spot for good fuel efficiency on the highways. Your thoughts please?

I have a different perspective to the FE issue. In most petrol cars, 100-110 is the sweet spot for good FE. Beyond this, engine revs rise exponentially, thus lowering FE the faster you go. But in CRDI cars, the correspondent rise in revs is not as high with the rise in speed. For example, in the Elite i20 100 kmph corresponds to 2400rpm in 6th gear, while 140 corresponds to 2900rpm. Hence there should not be such a meteoric fall in FE with speed.

With the Verna it doesn't. With the i20 I tried multiple approaches. On the way to Jodhpur I frequently took it to 130-140 (on the Ajmer-Beawar expressway). Between Bikaner to Jaisalmer I kept it within 100-110. Regardless of whatever I did, the car just didn't give me anything better than 18 kmpl. Sob sob.

Originally Posted by vinjosep

Congrats on the 5K mark. Guess you are enjoying the car to the hilt. And it's curious, this has been the fastest 5/10K for me as well.

Do you find the headlamps adequate on the highways/ vacant roads? For me, this is the biggest sore point.

Yeah, we're both enjoying our cars. Won't be able to comment on the headlamps as I'm yet to do a longish highway drive in the night. For vacant city roads they seemed adequate.