Have you got yourself a cuppa tea and biscuits? You'll sure need 'em with this one. Enjoy! :)
Excuse the quality of pictures; they were shot with an Xperia Z3. Not a phone camera I'd recommend.
They say, 'what goes around comes around.' I never dreamt I'll ever buy a hatchback again and here I am, having come a full circle. This is a brief ownership review of my Hyundai i20 Asta(O) diesel hatchback. To top it off, I never in my wildest dreams dreamt I'd buy a Hyundai. And here I am, with a hatchback that is a Hyundai.
Have you seen Will Smith's crime drama,
Focus?
If you haven't, I'd recommend you did because what I'm about to say next blew my mind away when I realised it.
You see this screenshot? This was a post I made in August 2014. At that time, I was overseas and never had any plans of buying a car, leave alone a hatchback in India. This is the bit that blew me away: I completely forgot that I ever made this post! It was by sheer coincidence that I was looking through that particular thread just 2 days back (a week after I got the i20) that I stumbled upon my own post. When I read what I had written almost 3 years back, it blew my mind. I mentioned that I'd buy the i20 in a flash just for the way it looks. It was a rhetoric statement at that time just to prove how good the i20 looked!
The movie is all about that. Will Smith, a con artist, will use casual imagery to subconsciously record something in the mind. In the movie, he'd use the number 5 in very casual instances like 5 dollars, or the bus number 5 or the lane 5 to record that number subconsciously. He'll use that later to con people.
Without my knowledge, in my sub conscious mind, i20 had already taken root. In 2017, without consciously ever remembering making that post, I gravitated to the i20 and also bought one. I don't wanna sound like a psychic now but hope you get the point.
Anyway, I gave up on hatchbacks after my days with the Swift and moved to MPVs with the Ertiga and then the Lodgy. They were great MPVs and my reason for buying one was to enjoy long vacations which I was doing quite often with my Ertiga. Ironically, with the Lodgy, my motorway driving came down to almost 2 or 3 trips in a year. That was a dismal number and to haul this Lodgy around town, where I was 90% of the time, took its toll.
Prologue:
There were couple more reasons why I had to move away from the Renault. Lodgy's appalling resale value was one. Minor niggles at 30k kms wasn't acceptable having been used to trouble free ownership with my previous cars. Moreover, it was too cumbersome to drive around in chaotic traffic and tight parking spaces which is kind of the scenario that's I'm presented with, everyday. Add on the hard clutch, weak 2nd gear and tight hydraulic steering - it was a recipe for tiresome driving. The idea for a smaller footprint car (read hatchback) was set in motion. As if on cue, just two weeks back, while reversing my Lodgy in a narrow lane in the dark, I accidentally bumped into a low hanging branch clipping the rear end of the roof. I was left with a huge dent and by now I've had enough of this car. It wasn't making sense anymore to drive this around. Personally, it wasn't a 'Lodgycal' solution anymore.
Here's where I was in for another shocker: the resale value on this 8 seater is a joke, really. This is the moment I regretted buying the Renault. Simply put, no one wants one. As I pen this down, it's sold and I've never heaved a sigh of relief as this, ever! It's an absolute miracle this and I thank God for it. Well, as for the niggles, there was one which Renault advisors themselves weren't able to identify. In 3rd gear, at about 1800 RPM, the engine stutters, loses its breath as it's gonna shut down and then springs back to normal as if nothing happened. The weird thing about it is that it happened at random and you'll never know when this problem will catch you out. I learnt to work around it by stomping on the accelerator in 3rd gear alone to get past that RPM. When I did that, this stutter never happened. It's a bit weird coming to think about it as in every other gear barring 3rd, this never happened. The engine worked flawlessly. The presence of this glitch ruined my ownership experience albeit being a very minor one. There's also this early morning hesitant stutter until the engine warms up and then everything is fine. Well, frankly I lost that connection with the Lodgy and I was waiting to get rid of it and eventually I did. Will I buy a Renault again? Definitely not in India but I might consider this brand in Europe.
That's enough for a prologue. This thread is about the new car anyway and this also happens to be my first ownership review. I realised that a hatchback makes perfect sense for both the city and for those rare trips out of town. After all the ratio has completely changed: it's 90:10 city/motorway driving. Also, personally I've lost interest doing long road trips in India after some months of stress-free drives in Europe. Highway driving here is more like playing a defensive racing game than anything.
Which one?
Those who've followed my earlier posts would've sussed by now my love for diesel engines. I just love diesels. Well, having set my mind on hatchbacks again, I started looking up the best ones out there and honestly, I didn't find many of them. In a hatchback loving country like this, there's a dearth of decent hatchbacks in the 10 lac segment. I didn't want entry level hatchbacks and that made my options even harder. Went through a couple of reviews here and then decided to do a test drive.
I was surprised to find there were no decent hatchbacks that I wanted to buy. I have to explain myself before someone wonders what I'm on about. When I'm looking to buy a car, I never consider Indian brands. The only brand I've considered is Maruti Suzuki and that's because of Japanese quality and reliability. But with the Ertiga, I've bid adieu to Maruti Suzuki until the time they give us an alternative to the
tested and tired 1.3 DDiS. No more Marutis for me, however desirable they appear to be, with all the bells and whistles. Their 'own trick pony' diesel strategy has made me desert the brand despite their impeccable reliability and service standards. Should give it to Maruti, the only manufacturer that can supply the 1.3 DDiS from the smallest hatchback (justified) to the 12 lac segment crossover (really?) and did I also mention an MPV? Well, briefly I had my eyes on the 1.6 S-Cross but it was out of budget and I wasn't sure about its availability. For the above mentioned reasons, Baleno, Swift, S-Cross 1.3 and Brezza were out of contention. I'd have bought a Toyota if not for the Liva; no offence, but the Liva is a joke for the asking price. Fiat was never considered for their poor presence here.
This is what I was left with:
Ford Figo
VW Polo
Honda Jazz
Interestingly, I've never considered Hyundai as an aspirational brand. In Europe I love the brand recall of Kia over Hyundai. Is it the name or the slanted H logo, I'm not sure. Being a brand snob, I've never liked the name or the logo. Kia sounds so cool and if it was a Kia i20 I would've bought one in a flash. Anyway, this time the i20 never crossed my memory. I was sold on the Figo and the Polo for their excellent engines and I should admit I was slightly tempted by the GT TDI too; but it was hovering close to 11 lacs and I didn't see much value in it. After all, we aren't talking about a 1.6 but a 1.5 TDI.
Here's my take on test driving the Figo, Polo and Jazz.
Ford Figo
I should add a disclaimer: I've never liked Ford and I've never aspired to buy one, ever. But with the new Figo I made an exception. I fell for its cute Aston looks and the torquey TDCi engine (at least in theory). This was my first time driving the new Figo. Loved the looks and realised that the headlamps don't have DRL. Daylight Running Lamps are very important to me. I had one fixed on my Swift, had them as OEM on the Lodgy and I'm a big fan of DRLs. It's not about the cool factor alone but also staying visible to other drivers. I was happy to find out that Ford offered DRLs as an official accessory for the Figo.
The moment I sat inside, I was instantly disappointed by the dull looking dashboard. The instrument panel was plain jane dull with meters that looked like they were out of a bike. I really didn't understand what Ford found interesting in that design. Next was the centre console with its mobile phone keypad that looked very busy and cluttered but offered very little in terms of functionality. I wish Ford got rid of that archaic button clutter and give something with real functionality. The 'Casio font' screen at the top didn't help either and this wasn't a colour touchscreen. It didn't have features that are standard in other hatchbacks like a Sat Nav. Instead, Ford has provided a slot to tuck in your smartphone to use it as a Sat Nav. Really, Ford? This was further disappointment even before I started the engine.
That said, I loved the feeling of space and my family gave the thumbs up for rear seat comfort. It was spacious and relaxing. Very comfy rear seats and well bolstered front seats too. I didn't like the single cabin lamp; it was useless, really. The interiors were very much like my Lodgy: utilitarian and functional but lacked the 'wow' factor. The older Fiesta's interiors were much better. I couldn't see myself living with that dashboard. I thought Lodgy's was terrible but Figo takes it to a different level.
The test drive was a mix of stop-go traffic and sparingly free B roads. The 1.5 TDCi didn't really blow me away to be honest. Perhaps, I held my expectation too high from all the rave reviews on the internet. The engine is torquey and drove well. But it quite didn't have the spark I was looking for. It was a bit mundane and just went about doing its job. Yes, the 2nd gear is very good and the engine picks up stutter free even from a standstill; almost. The engine never displayed any lack of power but somehow I was left wanting. The sound insulation wasn't great and I could hear the roar of the engine inside. NVH was just mediocre and I could see the areas Ford had cut corners. Again, my benchmark is the previous Fiesta (with the Aston nose) and the new Figo ranks below that.
My biggest gripe was the clutch vibration that kept reverberating through my foot while changing gears. The gearshift itself was very smooth, in fact butter smooth and seamless. I'm not an expert at steering feel or handling or suspension and so I had no clue about Figo's handling characteristics. Simply put, I was satisfied on all those parameters. Did I mention the stonker of an AC? It left us chilled to the bone in minutes. Apparently, Ford uses a bigger compressor than its earlier models and it shows. The best bit was the on road price that was almost 2 lacs lesser than the Polo. I left the showroom thinking this could be the 'back up last resort' car if nothing else worked out.
The service advisor tried to up sell the Ecosport sensing that I wasn't impressed. I've never liked the Ecosport and after the service advisor insisted, I took a mini test drive. Again, I wasn't impressed and this has nothing to do with the car itself. It's a great car to drive but I never really connected with an Ecosport and so that was it.
VW Polo
Mightly impressed by the Polo's looks and quality. I still love its timeless design. Shame really that the headlamps don't sport DRLs, a feature that I look out for. The moment I sat in the car, I was sold! VW had me with the interior. The feeling of sophistication was everywhere until my family go in the rear seat. They weren't impressed and neither was I, seeing them struggle in the cramped back seat.
Having been used to the space in the Lodgy, I could hear their whinging. Well, the test drive began. Loved the NVH inside the car and that's when I dropped Figo off my list. This was the standard 90PS diesel and I wasn't expecting much. Started off without drama but I felt the car lacking power. I knew there were 90 horses in there some where but it felt like a bunch of them had gone to bed. The clutch was another gripe: every time I released it, there was a jolt felt by myself and all the passengers and until the 4th gear, every shift was disconcerting.
It was later that I found out here that VW diesels have to be driven a certain way to get around this. I don't see sense in adapting to a car. The car is built for me and not me for the car if you get what I mean. But I have to say this in VW's favour: the pickup from standstill in 2nd gear is mind blowing; miles better than the Figo, even the i20 and any hatchback I've ever driven. It was butter smooth like I was rolling off in 1st gear. But the 2nd gear has a terrible negative to it: it doesn't rev beyond 2k RPM. I was thoroughly disappointed.
Again, I later found in the forum that this was VW's way of preserving the transmission. Some of VW's engineering limitations don't make any sense to me and I'll leave it at that. Beyond 3rd gear, the engine opens up and the performance is rewarding. All through the test drive, I could never find a comfortable driving position and later that night I had a sore back. The AC was another bummer. Even with rear vents, it never cooled the cabin well enough. Very disappointed.
The cornering lamps are a joke on the VW. It's just the fog lamp lighting up according to the direction of the turn. But what's the point really? The fog lamp still casts a straight beam! Who are you kidding VW? They've rendered this useful feature useless on the Polo. Anyway, I still loved the VW for its looks, NVH, build quality and prepared myself to look past its shortcomings.
Also had a brief look at the Ameo as well. Loved the engine specs but noticed something strange. In the Polo, the dash is at a perfect distance from your eye level but in the Ameo, the dash is bang on your face. I may sound like I'm exaggerating but I'd request punters to go have a look for themselves. VW, in their quest to dole out space from an already cramped cabin have brought the dash forward. The service advisor denied it but I'm pretty sure my guess is right.
This design decision made the Ameo feel claustrophobic. Your almost at the windscreen with nothing much left in between. I didn't even test drive it albeit the fact that it got the GT TDI spec on it. I reckon the 4 metre Compact Sedan idea is flawed and I don't blame the manufacturers for trying.
Honda Jazz
If you checked the Team-BHP poll on 'i20 vs Jazz', my vote went for the Jazz! I love the Jazz for its practicality and look. But strangely, it never tugged my heart strings. I was never moved to even test drive one. The price being on the expensive side is one reason but I get this sinking feeling that Honda is adopting the same 'one trick pony' strategy like Maruti. In fact they've gone even further by using the same engine with the same specs on all their cars! Such a lackadaisical approach doesn't bode well with the image Honda has painted over the years. I for one, only go for the top trim and in the Jazz it was 11 lac + and for that asking price the offering wasn't justified. The diesel engine reviews didn't sound exciting to me and the lack of DRLs on the headlamp further drove me away from it. So that was it with Jazz, unfortunately.
Hyundai i20
Then, like a brainwave it hit me. Why not the i20? Well, that brainwave was my dear wife. Up until that moment, I've never considered i20 as a hatchback I'd want to own leave alone seen driving one. Don't quote me on this but you may find 'not so good' posts of mine, in this very forum about the i20. But after driving the other two, the sales number of the i20 started making sense. The next day I arranged for a test drive. Looked at the specs and wasn't impressed with the 1.4 CRDI. The output was at par with the 90PS 1.3 and the torque was just above average. Well, this is when I realised the disparity between specs on paper and real life. I sat in the i20 and the entire family agreed this was the interior to choose: spacious, comfy back seat with a relaxing recline angle and a beautiful dashboard like the Polo. May I dare say, even better? I started looking at the Hyundai in new light. Finally, those 12000 odd i20s sold every month made sense while the Figos and Polos were making 4 digit sales numbers.
The drivability in the 1st and 2nd gear blew me away. I finally found what I was looking for. It's not the turbo shove I was looking for; I'm used to that in the Lodgy. It was the eagerness of the engine in every gear. And I can make an entire post on engine refinement. I'm sure many agree on that aspect. I have never experienced such a silent free-revving diesel. I threw my apprehensions about Hyundai outta the i20's window. But Hyundai has become very frugal in its offering by removing many features from the top trim. That's a real shame from a brand that made its name for value for money products. Sadly, that's no more the case. For instance, the DRLs that come with the projector headlamps is only available in the Asta (O) trim. It's not found on the Asta or the Dual Tone. There are other shocking omissions from other trims. Hyundai has picked the wrong traits from other manufacturers. Anyway, I went all the way upto 6th gear and was thoroughly impressed by its drivability. If I had to nitpick, the 6th gear was too short to my liking as I'm used to the taller 6th gear in my Lodgy. But that's compensated by the free revving nature of the diesel. The TDI or the TDCi don't come close to this engine's refinement. That explains the number of Cretas and i20s I see everyday. By the way, I don't like the 'Elite' tag.
Booking and Delivery:
As expected, none of the dealers gave me a good valuation for the Lodgy its poor resale value notwithstanding. Got it sold privately. Then I called all the Hyundai dealers in Chennai, one by one, and just said that I have a better deal elsewhere and asked them to match it. Now, they got competitive and tried to entice me with the best deals possible. Eventually, I settled for KUN Hyundai who gave me the best offer. I won't be able to discuss the details of the offer, I'm afraid, but it was pretty good considering the i20 is a hot selling car. The best dealership experience I should admit by a mile compared to my previous instances. Never had to go to the dealer; he came home, sometimes twice or thrice a day to collect documents and process finances. Really impressed. The other good news was the ready availability of stock which is unheard of at MSIL.
Initially, booked the Marina Blue shade which was launched just a couple of weeks back. This is the colour you find on the Elantra as well. Loved the shade until the wife threw a wedge in the works. She felt the Blue was too 'bling bling' and wanted something more subtle. It's a shame really that i20 doesn't have a gamut of colours. Just a couple of shades to pick from. Settled for Stardust, which is a Grey with a Purple tint. I wouldn't buy Black coloured cars in India for their inherent characteristic to retain heat. So dual shades were out of the equation too. Booked on the 6th of May and car was ready for delivery on the 10th of May and I reckon that was quick! I don't recommend this but I've taken a blind gamble by taking delivery without PDI. Reason: the yard was too far from my place and I was running short of time.
An interesting observation: I've bought all my cars in the month of May. Never planned it that way, but an interesting coincidence nevertheless. 
First Experience:
The formalities were over in 20 minutes and I don't like much fanfare during delivery. I usually ask the dealers not to tie ribbons or garland the car. I'd like to be as inconspicuous as possible on the road. They complied and the service advisor explained everything in detail. I usually don't bother much about the technicalities but with this car, I was all ears! After a mini orientation, it was time to drive off. The odo read 63 kms at the time of delivery. Fair enough mileage given the distance to the RTO and yard.
The engine being new, I realised it needs more kms on the odo to ease out. Coming from the Lodgy, this car's an absolute pleasure to drive. Even with high revs, the engine note is still sweet. Did I mention that I love the DRLs? Well, I do. Drove off to the tyre shop to fill my tyres with Nitrogen. I was hoping for Bridgestone as OEM tyres but ended up getting Good Year. Reckon it's better than the MRFs and Apollos. Gonna stick with them for now. I'm not a great expert at identifying ride quality but it's absolutely flat and no bobbing around like I'd feel in my Lodgy. It's such a breath of fresh air to manoeuvre this car in traffic and where I'd struggle with the Lodgy, I'm breezing through with the i20.
Love these on the i20
* Super refined diesel. NVH is in a different league. The most refined of the cars I've owned.
* Excellent drivability at low RPMs. I need to talk a lot more about that flat torque curve. I reckon this is the only hatchback that has its torque starting off at 1500 RPM and also with the longest range - that's peak torque for almost 2200 RPM. The flat torque of the engine really shows in its effortlessness. Where the Ertiga and Lodgy will be contemplating whether to move, the i20 flies. The 2nd gear on the Lodgy is pretty weak while on the i20, it's very torquey. Love it. Also, the flat torque translates into better mid range on the highway. At about 2000 RPM, the engine is eager to rev further or settle into a comfy cruise.
Flat torque curve pic for reference:
* 6th gear is good as it helps space the ratios better. Brings out the best in this engine albeit wishing it was a bit taller. The Lodgy's 6th in comparison is pretty tall. The i20 does:
100 kmph @ 2100 RPM
110 kmph @ 2250 RPM
120 kmph @ 2500 RPM
Although the engine is in the turbo zone, I find them a bit on the higher side. I ideally like to keep the revs low on long drives, preferably a shade below 2000 RPM for 100 kmph. Lodgy 110PS shines here at keeping RPMs low.
* First time using cornering lamps and I'm wondering how I lived without it. It's very very useful, especially when turning into unlit lanes.
* Very smooth clutch and gearshift. As of now, the reverse gear is a bit clunky and I hope it should resolve with the transmission bedding in.
* Brakes are great and very predictive. In the Lodgy, the brakes had a mind of their own during early days; not so with the i20.
* Super vision instrument cluster. Basically, the instrument cluster stays lit all day. Wondered why all the cars don't have it. Really useful to see info at a glance.
* Fully functional AVN. Android Auto, BT pairing work like a charm and so does the SatNav. I'm yet to fully explore the functionalities of this system but its been good so far. Also, on the SatNav, you don't have press 'AGREE' anymore. The warning disappears after a few seconds. Adaptive lines for reverse camera is very useful.
* Projector headlamps are just perfect. In all my previous cars, I've felt the need to upgrade. In the i20, the lighting is perfect. Recently put it to the test on a long 500 kms night drive and the lights didn't disappoint. In fact, I didn't even see the need to use fog lamps for additional illumination. Of course, I love the DRLs during the day. The DRLs also function as park lamp during night.
* Love the 3 pod setup of the tail lamps. Serves no real purpose but aesthetically very pleasing.
* 16 inch 195 profile tyres provide good stability around corners. That said, I'm a sedate driver.
* Boot space is pretty good and I'm happy with it. Don't have a comparison to fall back on but good enough for me. 60:40 split seats are an added bonus.
* Completed my first service. Extremely pleased with the service quality (worth the hype) and I loved the transparency at the centre. The service advisor invited me to the service bay and asked me to view the car while it was serviced. Now, that's a first. Haven't had this opportunity even at my previous best, Maruti. The car was serviced at KUN Hyundai, Mount Road in case anyone's interested. Highly recommended.
* Very effective aircon. Cools the cabin in minutes even in 40 deg heat. Put it to the test on my recent trip and pretty impressed. Rear vents are a huge plus.
* As mentioned in the review, sound insulation is very good. Outside noise is very muted inside.
* I'm not an expert at steering feel but find the i20's very intuitive to use. Easy to use in the city and weighs up nicely on the highway. For a novice like me, it's perfect. The Lodgy's in comparison is pretty hard and cumbersome.
* Tilt and telescopic adjust at this price range is a huge plus.
* Two map lights in the front and a centre cabin lamp. Just perfect.
* The armrest is perfect and very usable even when driving. Nowadays, my elbow instinctively rests on it and so does my spouse's! The nifty storage inside is a big plus.
* The driver's seat has good adjustment range and I was comfy within minutes. It took me a long time to get comfy in the Lodgy. The i20's seat bolsters me well and I feel no aches on a long drive.
Stuff I Wish Were Part of the Package
* Wish the horn didn't beep when using fob to lock/unlock. EDIT: Thanks to drpudhi, pressing the request sensor takes care of that.
* As I mentioned earlier, not a huge fan of keyless start. Don't see the point really. EDIT: After a long trip and 10 days using it, warming up to the new tech now.
* For a feature loaded car as this, cruise control is a glaring omission. EDIT: Miss cruise control on the highway. Such a shame really as the European i20 has it.
* I wish the steering wheel was a touch wider than it is right now. I get the feeling of holding a tiny Playstation steering wheel, especially on long drives.
* Shocking omissions like real time fuel consumption, Distance to Empty and mileage. Personally, I'm not bothered about mileage and never calculate it. Yet, a shocking omission, nevertheless.
* No electro chromatic mirror for a hatchback at this price point. Hyundai picking up bad traits from other manufacturers.
* No light for the vanity mirror.
* Love the black interior on the Dual Tone model; wish the standard variant had that too. I don't like beige interiors and I'm tired of them having used 3 cars in a row with beige.
* Single reverse lamp! Real pain to reverse in dark streets. 0 points for Hyundai on that front.
* The bonnet is very heavy which is good. But lifting it is a chore. Wish it had gas struts like the Renault. The first time I opened it, I almost let go (thank you Renault) and risked getting my hand squished. Ouch!
* No rear fog lamp; just reflectors. Not a big deal as the tail lamps consist of 6 lights! :D
* 16 inchers look great and provide stability. The downside is the ride being hard, especially for rear seat passengers. My mum vouches for Lodgy's suspension after a 1000 kms trip on the i20.
The Hyundai Nanny
I wanted to make a separate post on the rather patronising 'nanny style management' of Hyundai. Read on and you'll know what I mean. For some reason, Hyundai reckon their drivers are kids or that's the feeling I get everyday I use the i20. Look at these instances and decide for yourself if Hyundai is being that 'nanny' we loathed as kids.
* When you switch off the car, everything switches off and that includes the AVN. If you were playing music, it's abruptly stopped. In other cars, the music still goes on until the keys are off; not in the i20. Hyundai reckon their drivers are irresponsible kids and decide for you! There's more: you can turn on the AVN again (after switching off engine) but you'll instantly be greeted with a warning message: Battery draining. Switch on the car to use AVN. Then the music starts where you left off. Yeah right! Thank you nan but could you leave me alone?
* You cannot leave the park lights on and switch off the car. They turn off too! Many call it a safety feature but I find it a bit intrusive into my way of doing things. I can still switch it on with the engine off but I'd rather Hyundai stopped playing nanny right there.
* There's a feature that tells me if my front wheels are turned right or left. Please Hyundai, I can tell that by looking at the steering wheel!
* Everytime I start the car, there's a 5 second warning chime to let me know the car has started. Oh please!
* If I wanted to use the AVN without starting the car, it lets me do it but sends you on a guilt trip for doing it. Many warning lights turn on and the nanny speaks again: battery draining. Please turn on ignition and use.
* The nanny speaks if there are curves on the road. Thanks nan but I can see. Thankfully, I can turn this off.
* If I lock or unlock with the key fob, the horn beeps. What's this Hyundai? The late '90s?
* Don't ever start the car with the driver's door open. The warning chime is so loud you'll wake up your neighbours. Don't let the nan get cross with you; close the door please!
* Hyundai has stuck breakdown numbers, toll free numbers on every window possible. Again, nanny ensuring her kids don't get lost.
Rant over!
Other Observations
* Most of the parts are still sourced from Korea which is good.
* The timing belt is from Romania. Not very clear in the pic.
* The underbody seems tidy. No aero strips or flaps on the front bumper. Aerodynamic without it? Not sure.
* I can see the floor. No underbody or partial underbody cladding.
* The near side wiper has to be lifted first and also let down first before accessing the far side wiper. They collide if not done in this exact sequence. A design issue I'm afraid.
* The rear hatch gas struts are imported from Korea.
* The badge on the rear just reads 'i20'; no 'elite' tag anywhere. Thank you Hyundai.
The windshield washers are neatly tucked under bonnet on the plastic gutter giving the bonnet a clean look. Also, the gutter is neatly banked with the rear end of the bonnet preventing dry leaves and other particles from getting in.
* The bonnet lip has a nice rubber beading that covers the panel gap with the body. Nice touch and attention to detail.
* The XL sized fog lamp is almost the size of the headlamp. It's not just mere form though, it's functional with its multiple reflectors. For the first time a fog lamp that's actually useful in the night and not a mere cosmetic accessory. That said, the Lodgy's fogs were pretty bright too, at night.
* The 'eyebrow' on the headlamp is purely for aesthetics in India. In the European version its got a faint glow that looks cracking at night. Wish Hyundai gave that feature here. The after market lamps for the i20 have 'eyebrows' that light up but they're too bright and garish for my liking; not as subtle as the OEM in the European i20.
Check out this video to see what I mean:
Eyebrow Headlamps
* The rear washer is flush mounted on the stop lamp. It's so well concealed you can hardly notice it. A thumbs up from me.
* The DRLs are progressively arranged when viewed from the front:
and if you view it from the side, there's one LED lamp that's side mounted. Interesting attention to detail. So, if you're viewing from the side, there's a DRL visible from the side, like a marker lamp on coaches and trucks.
* Android Play works like a charm. Tried using Google Assistant and it found me a restaurant I was looking for, last night. So convenient to just speak to the system and get it to do stuff. Calls, notifications end up on the home screen. I don't even have to look at the system. The system is so sensitive that anytime the car microphone picks up the phrase OK GOOGLE, the assistant is ready to take my command. Very impressive.
* Many complained that Hyundai has removed 1 charger from its dual charger set up. Actually, I see their point. When I connect my phone on Android Auto onto their USB port, my phone charges. I still have the actual phone charger port vacant that someone else in the car can use. So technically, yeah, there are 2 charger points now. Also, appreciate the fact that the ports are backlit.
* Only the co-passenger's back side has a seat pocket. The driver's side has none!
* The DRLs are extremely bright and a treat to look at. Much brighter than the more expensive Creta!
* The highbeam doesn't have a separate filament. The cut-off shield on the low beam is removed for high beam.
Source: bestheadlightbulbs.com THE PERFORMANCE SO FAR
The car, as I type stands close to ~1500 kms. I've finished the 1st free service at KUN. Very pleased with the quality of service. The car was handed back in an hour. Been on a 1200 kms trip to Yercaud and Coimbatore. The performance didn't disappoint. The flat torque was apparent while negotiating gradients. I could go all the way to the top with the aircon turned on. I usually turn it off in my other cars sensing some engine struggle. The i20 was pretty smooth and didn't stutter. The highway performance was good but not extraordinary. I'd mark it down to a new engine and hope it opens up as the miles pile on. In-city drivability is excellent and that's where this car's gonna spend most of its time. The Lodgy literally flies at 3 digit speeds but the i20 does it without much drama. That's why I call it good but not extraordinary. Again, need at least 10k on the odo to really assess its performance.
I'll keep updating this bit of the post as and when something interesting comes up.
I've taken a lot from this community and it's time I gave back. Thank you mods at Team-BHP for the opportunity. And readers, if you've gotten this far, thanks very much for your time! :)
Ah, so the Renault man bought a Hyundai :) Hello, and congratulations on the new purchase. In India, I feel a car should be all about maximum potential, we cannot buy coupe sedans here given the microscopic roads, we certainly cannot buy large sedans with restricted rear space either nor hatchbacks where storage and seating is uncomfortable because most of us are 1 car families and such families need a complete car.. it is all about maximization for the budget.
Hyundai cars certainly deliver on that front within the budget, if a combination of space, convenience and reliability is important then certainly there is no better brand than Hyundai today. Its only slightly of concern that today, increasingly, electronic gadgets and screens in cars are thought to be essential features over and above the essentials like informative cluster gauges and safety features, and Hyundai have begun to chop off features left and right to increase profitability.
Any car needs close to 1+ years and 10k+ kms of running to settle down and be close to maximum potential so you shall possibly discover much more about it as time goes, I'm very sure the brand is superbly reliable (personal experience so far) so you should have no problem on that front. I also understand your dislike for drawing attention when buying a new car, I never got the concept of taking a photo in front of the new car holding a 1x3 ft. cardboard key or cutting the ribbon before first drive, either, its a plain and simple car.. what matters is how it serves us, and how it helps make our lives better and that's when the true bond begins.
Congratulations on your new ride. Here's wishing you thousands of happy and safe miles !
So how different is the Lodgy's driveability in traffic vis a vis the Duster 110 Ps. Both have the same 1.5 L Dci engine in the same state of tune.
Congratulations on the car. My dad had a previous generation i20 diesel and it was a pocket rocket in my opinion (and there was turbo lag). The high speed manners were not that great, though I hear its much better in this generation of Hyundais.
The other glaring omission of the DTE, mileage etc. is bad, but it has always been the case with the entire Hyundai family I guess, no idea why they chose not to incorporate this when there are so many people who would find it very useful. I do find the DTE very useful in my car.
