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-   -   Joined the Elite Club - My Hyundai i20 CRDi (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-drives-initial-ownership-reports/186702-joined-elite-club-my-hyundai-i20-crdi-2.html)

Yes, I know! Hope to maintain a long term relationship with the i20. :)

Thank you! Yes, the i20's look had a huge influence in my decision making. Sure, will post more pics soon.

Keen memory! :D Yes, I still do find drivers driving without their lights turned on due to this set up. They are without excuse as Hyundai provide Auto headlamps on the i20; not sure about other cars. That said, I like the 'always lit' cluster after using it in my car. It looks cool and easy on the eye.

Congratulations on the new car!! your review was a delight to read. I went down a very similar path to choose the i20, albeit petrol. I chose the dual tone variant because the all black interiors just looked too darn good. I'm still waiting for the delivery, getting impatient after reading your review:Frustrati

Like you, I too wish better engine options were available, especially in petrol. I feel the engine, in terms of power lags behind everything else in the car.

Thank you and congratulations to you too! Hoping to see your ride soon! Yeah, the petrol is more than enough if you're a sedate driver and given India's traffic scenario, high performing petrols can be given a miss.

Thank you for the review mate. I was searching the forum for an I 20 review. Your thought process of the entire experience panned out here is quite similar to mine if I were to write one. I was looking for a hatch back and I never ever considered a Hyundai as I never thought of them as reliable, well-built cars as I had a dismal experience with a 1998 Hyundai excel. The plastics literally fell off and there were rattles and squeaks everywhere but today they have raised their standards so high. I have heard someone say that today's Hyundai was like the Hondas in the 90's. Hope they don't mess it up by cutting corners or removing features and trying to copy other manufacturers.

Just returned back from a holiday to Ooty. Thanks to the bank holiday weekend, Ooty was crowded like peak season. I'm not opening a travelogue thread as I just wanna share some insights about the car and sign off with some pictures.



The car has completed over 7000 kms now as I type and it's only getting better. Some observations from the trip:

* I enjoy driving it in the city. On the highway, I'm enjoying it even more and I'm kinda getting used to the flat torque characteristic of the engine. As I've mentioned before, there's no turbo kick but a strong surge of power across a wide RPM range. It's a shame though that I can't know the mileage at highway speeds.

* Again, as mentioned earlier, on this trip as well, I went all the way to the top with the AC turned ON. To me, that's a big deal as it demonstrates the power characteristics of the engine. To be able to upshift in the midst of a steep incline from 1st to 2nd, and the engine picking up without knocking is something to be experienced. By steep, I mean a very steeply angled incline. This is something my earlier couldn't accomplish and I end up making it to the top in 1st gear.

* Appreciate Hyundai for this feature: as the air gets thinner at high altitudes, the ECU increases the idle RPM to ~900 (standard, 800 RPM) for better performance. This really helps in moving from a stand still on an incline without slipping the clutch. As soon as I was half way down from Ooty to the plains, the RPM was back to its normal 800 RPM. Pretty thoughtful and cool :thumbs up

* There's absolutely NO engine braking when coming downhill. :D Is this what we mean by free-revving? I have no complain but just wondered why it's this way. Of course, the brakes end up being used more.

* Suspension is hard, especially at speed, thanks to 16 inchers, hard set up and Nitrogen filled tyres. Dread running over potholes and the like.

* The NVH outside and inside is mind blowing. Even with the increased idle RPM in the hills, I could have a conversation stood right by the car with the engine ticking over.

Started off from Chennai at 2:30 AM and reached Ooty by 1:30 PM. Took the Kotagiri route to avoid holiday traffic but still ended up getting stuck in many twists and turns. The next day morning, drove down to Coimbatore through Coonoor and left Coimbatore at 4 PM. Reached home just past midnight at 12:30. Overall, a great trip. Enjoy pictures of the car.

@ swiftdiesel - Bumped into this thread now. Many congratulations on your new buy.
We bought the same i20 crdi Asta(o) in March and was very happy to see that you are echoing the same feelings about the vehicle and its performances.

I have also moved to Hyundai from Maruti and absolutely loving it. Have completed about 6.5k on the ODO as on date.

Wish you many happy and safe crunching of miles !! clap:

Thank you Rajesh K R and congratulations on your i20 too! Which colour have you bought? Post a pic if possible. I recently finished my 2nd free service and I'm about 10500 kms on the odo. I thought I was the only one moving from Maruti and glad to know I have company! clap:

Thanks !! I moved from Maruti after being with them for 20 years !! My ride's colour is Sleek Silver.

sorry for the bad pic... shot from a poor cellphone cam.

Awesome pictures. Thanks for sharing. The Elite i20 is one great looker. We are planning to replace our Swift petrol with an Elite i20 petrol in the coming year
This is where the Hyundai diesel proves itself as the best diesel engine in the market. Amazing torque across the rev range - actually the useful rev range. This is where the hyundai diesel best the Multijet diesel of the Fiat

Will check this - have not observed. Absolutely well thought feature though

Much fewer gear shifts for me while driving the Verna up and down the hills compared to my Ritz diesel. This engine is indeed one monster performer

Cannot agree more about the Hyundai diesel
I moved recently as well. The fit and finish is definitely a notch above Maruti. The service is awesome as well.

My movement was after 20 years of Maruti and 11 years since I bought the Swift Petrol. The Ritz diesel (an amazing vehicle) got upgraded after 4.5 years

Thank you bhpfaninblr. The 1.6 diesel is renowned for its performance the world over. Hyundai has made it even better on the Verna by stretching the range of torque compared to Creta. The aerodynamic advantage and the new torque map on the Verna makes it a tarmac scorcher. I don't see the point of the Elantra now because the Verna is infinitely better in all aspects. Congrats and great buy! :thumbs up

The car's odo stands at 12000+ kms now. As predicted earlier, the car's been spending more time in the city than on the highway; that was the purpose for shifting to a hatchback and it pays off now. I have a trip planned next week and looking forward to it.

Android Auto is absolutely useless. Here's why: Google hasn't figured a way to make it wireless and most of the apps are incompatible. The last time I used Android Auto was about 4 months ago and since then, never. Goes on to show how useless it is. Some argue when you have Google maps, why do we need in-built sat nav? For me personally, the in-built sat-nav has been so useful in so many occasions with accurate information about flyovers and underpasses. Google Maps provides tonnes of information that's basically useless. For instance, I was searching for the location of a restaurant parked by the curb of a busy road and Google is showing me cards to rate the restaurant's food. That is Google right there trying to play that smart assistant. Did it help me? No. Nuisance? Definitely. I have to hook up my phone with a cable and turn ON Android Auto, tune in to Google Maps and when I need the right location while stood on a busy road, Google wants my rating.

There's more with Android Auto. When it's connected and I'm talking to someone in the car Google Assistant picks up on my conversation and throws suggestions. Trust me, when driving, this assistant is a real pest! Shutting down Android Auto is peaceful.

That said, I'm glad Hyundai provides this feature and lets us users decide its utility value. But as of now, I say it again, Android Auto is absolutely useless. I can do everything AA does using the car's head unit and the in-built satnav is great to work with.

With the car, it's been a joy to use. I'm glad I picked the i20 and not the i20 Active. Recently, I was reading the 'i20 Active first look' report on this forum and found that the Active diesel's final drive ratio has been shortened and 11% improvement has been achieved with low-end torque. I never knew this up until last week. If the final drive has been shortened by 11%, I'm sure the top speed has come down drastically. That means the car will do a higher RPM at highway speeds compared to the standard i20. I hate that. The only criteria I look for in highway driving is the RPM at 100 and 120 kmph while evaluating the engine and I decided on the Elite i20 based on that. Little did I know that the Active had a shortened final drive ratio! I'd be gutted now if I had bought it, lol. I can live with a wee bit lag but not with a screaming engine at cruising speeds. That's a big NO-NO for me.

That's all for now guys. Will update this thread after the trip.

Congratulations on buying a practical car to suit your needs. I'm curious about the rear seat passenger comfort on highways. Having downgraded from MPV to Hatch, are the rear seat passengers complaining on long drives or bad roads?

Thank you drsingh! Yes, rear seat passengers dread travelling with me on long trips! :uncontrol The ride comfort is very very very firm, which is great for handling but very uncomfortable. The problem is compounded by 16 inchers and Nitrogen in them. The Lodgy was loved by my family and they still regret selling it every time we make a trip in the i20. Bad roads, if taken real slow, it's fine, but any undulations at speed will have rear seat passengers complaining. If rear seat comfort is your priority, forget the i20.

How would you rate the Ertiga vs Lodgy in terms of rear seat comfort over long journeys?

Since I've never travelled in the rear seats of either of these cars I'd have to go with the verdict of my mum and wife. Ertiga has the best middle row and last row. Ertiga's middle row seats are well contoured and they're slidable. Lodgy's middle row is good but the seats aren't as contoured as the Ertiga and there is no sliding adjustment. Further, Lodgy's last row is a joke. Even the i20's seats are very comfy and offer a very relaxed position and a tad better than the Lodgy's. It's just that the ride quality of the i20 ruins that experience.

From a long journey perspective, I'd rate Lodgy as number 1 for it's excellent ride quality. I guess it's beaten only by the Innova in that respect. My cousin who has a Mobilio and a Lodgy always takes the Lodgy for long drives. Ertiga's ride isn't as flat as Lodgy's but it's not far off. I'm not an expert at ride quality but I'm just interpreting my family's views technically. Hope this helps.