[vijaythacker]

Originally Posted by AbhiJ

Quick Update: I have driven the car for a couple of kms, and am beginning to understand it better.

1) The engine is more than adequate for the car. Once you 1800 rpm, the turbo kicks and speed rapidly increases. I have just revved the car to 3000 rpm so far, that too in top gear, and I crossed 100 kmph.

2) The suspension does not have the finesse and composure of the Fiat twins, but it handles bad roads decently.

3) The interiors are great, and very ergonomically designed. Every control automatically falls to hand.

4) The seats are very comfy and supportive.

5) The music system is decent and pretty simple to use.

6) The gearshift is FANTASTIC... the throws are slightly long but once your hand gets set, its like a hot knife in butter. The clutch is also pretty light.

7) As I mentioned before, the engine noise is audible with Audio System / AC off, but just barely.

8) While on the way from the dealer to tyre guy, I did a couple of quick lane changes. The rear did seem a little eager. On reaching the tyre guy, I checked the pressure and it was... 43 - 46 psi! My tyres were changed to Michelin XM1+ and pressure set to 32 psi.

9) Now here is the kicker... the steering. All of us including me found it overassisted during test drives. But somehow, I do not find it that light anymore!!
As of now, I can confirm the steering is heavier as compared to my CR-V, which also has a Electronic Power Steering. Maybe its the extra weight of the diesel motor which is making the difference, maybe its the correct tyre pressure, maybe the tyres themselves. It might also be psychological on my part, but I doubt it.

A good friend, who has a month old ANHC also found the steering heavier than his car. I cannot comment on the handling part yet, since I am yet to try that out on the new tyres..

Disclaimer: The observations above might be unintentionally biased, since I now own the car

those are good reviews of crdi mill from you AbhiJ, well the steering part is what many have felt to be ted lighter on higher speeds which disconnects one with that speed and doesnt get confidence to boost more from mill, but your reviews are on + side, may be tyre changed by you did that or you got used to, this seems to be a good diesel hatch as of now.

[vikas44]

How much extra you paid for the tyre change since i will be getting my car in a month's time and want to decide whether i should upgrade or not.

[AbhiJ]

Vikas, YGPM.

Btw... went through the Run-in thread, and here is what I am planning to do with my car...

Now to 1000 kms: Keep RPMs from 1500 to 2500 as much as possible. Vary rpms, and no sudden acceration/braking unless vital. (However, sometimes lowers rpms for brief periods will be unavoidable in traffic.) Change oil once the Odometer hits 1000 kms.

1000 kms to 3000 kms: Keep RPMs from 1500 to 3000 as much as possible.

3000 kms+: Enjoy the machine

Does my plan sound ok? Experts please critique...

[Sawyer]

Sounds good - except the last part - No reason to not enjoy the machine even now!! But I know what you mean.

[kpzen]

Abhi

Congrats!! Its a great buy and nice color too.

Don't worry too much about the running in. The hyundai diesel engines don't need to be pampered during running in. Drive the way you normally do. Just don't redline in lower gears. Occasionally going beyond 3k rpm would also be fine.

[partizan88]

CONGRATS ABHiJ,
This is my first post on this forum and hyundai i20crdi is the car which has impressed me the most of late.
I wanted to know that is it possible to upgrade the size to 15 inch as we know the europian model of i20 comes with 15 inch alloy.

[AbhiJ]

Partizan88,

15 inch is feasable for the i20. In fact a T Bhp member appuchan has upgraded his tyres and wheels to 195/60 R15.

[karanraheja]

Abhi , what FE figures you getting now? I saw your post about the steering , but many people have complained about the lack of steering feedback.I too love the i20 , but ill buy only when Hyundai cuts the prices

[AbhiJ]

Originally Posted by karanraheja

Abhi , what FE figures you getting now? I saw your post about the steering , but many people have complained about the lack of steering feedback.

Havent tanked up again as yet dude... will post when I do so...

The "people" are not incorrect, there is very limited feedback from the steering wheel. My post simply stated that the wheel is not overassisted. The steering feel is indeed very artificial but I dont mind ... much...

[JayD]

Abhi, how would rate the AC performance? I've been hearing people saying its just good. not excellent(petrol). Is it any different in the diesel variant?

[AbhiJ]

Originally Posted by JayD

Abhi, how would rate the AC performance? I've been hearing people saying its just good. not excellent(petrol). Is it any different in the diesel variant?

I would call the A/C adequate for the car, but by no means its a strong point of the car.

Yesterday was a very sunny day here in Kolkata and the car was parked in the sun for 4 hours. To get the cabin comfortable, I had to set the temperature to 22 degree C (I usually keep it at 24) , and the cabin was cool in 3-4 minutes.

P.S. I have yet to get any filming done. I ll be able to comment on this issue better once I get filming done, since all my other cars are tinted..

[jkdas]

Missed the thread.

Lovely rides you have; one a wicked one.

[AbhiJ]

Well, 2 weeks and 500 kms into the ownership experience, I thought I ll update the thread:

I got my first fuel fill, the F.E. is 12.2 kmpl, with 100% A/C, bumper to bumper traffic, and driving between 1500 - 3000 rpm. (I am following this rpm range very strictly, in order to avoid lugging the new engine). I am not elated with the F.E. but I am not too dissappointed either, considering the road conditions (For Kolkata people: The car commutes Liluah/Howrah on a daily basis).

For comparison sake, on the same route, my uncle's Vista QJD gives 11-12 kmpl and my CR-V 2.0L gives about 7.5 to 8.0 kmpl.

The "Not so Good" Stuff:

1) The music system: The headunit is fine, has all the neccessary features. But the speakers are horrible. I dont like the sound quality/volume.

2) The Steering buttons: Although great to use, small design issue. The mute/channel change buttons should have been recessed. While honking, pressing either is a possibility.

3) The gear knob: Great to look at, but its a bit too fat.

4) The gear pattern: I HATE the "reverse next to first gear" pattern!

5) The central locking - All the above I can live with, but this one is getting on my nerves:

* The car does not lock automatically once the car is on the move. It should!

* Even when the front passenger opens their door, the whole car unlocks via central locking - including the hatch!!
So imagine this scenario: You drop a friend off and forget to lock the car after that. Your all doors + hatch remains unlocked! Security issue in traffic signals & plain stupid, in my opinion.

* On the front seats, when you pull the door's interior "open" handle, even a locked door unlocks automatically; I would have prefered the conventional method of first unlock then open.

p.s. I havent recieved my Owners Manual yet, so dont know if the central locking can be re programmed. I hope it can!!

The Good Stuff:

1) The engine: Wow. This engine is a different beast as compared to my former CRDi(Accent). The torque rolls in after 1800 rpm or so and if you shift correctly, you ride the wave of torque into triple digits in no time at all. I am restrained myself to 110 kmph so far. Side note: The car felt rock stable.

2) The brakes: Hit then hard and you feel you ve hit a wall.

3) The gearshift: If you press the clutch all the way, it shifts are like butter.

4) The ride: Its soft (compared to my accent) and it absorbs bumps better. Thank God - my aching back needed that!!

5) The electronic folding mirrors: A great boon, while parking/tight squeezes etc.

6) The seats: Very supportive and comfortable.

7) The sound insulation: The cabin is very insulated from the road/engine noise.

8) The colour combination - Interiors: Although not to everyones liking, it is smartly executed. All the interior panels which tend to get dirty/come in contact hands/shoes often, are dark brown, and the rest are beige - So the interiors will be easier to keep clean. Very practical.

9) The front passenger seat has a weight sensor, and the seat belt warning will keep beeping until the passenger belts up. Fantastic!

10) The car feels solidly/well built : I hope this feeling lasts!

Thank you for reading!

Request to Mods: Please add "500 km update" to the thread title.

[pachchu]

Originally Posted by AbhiJ

The "Not so Good" Stuff:

5) The central locking - All the above I can live with, but this one is getting on my nerves:

* The car does not lock automatically once the car is on the move. It should!

* Even when the front passenger opens their door, the whole car unlocks via central locking - including the hatch!!
So imagine this scenario: You drop a friend off and forget to lock the car after that. Your all doors + hatch remains unlocked! Security issue in traffic signals & plain stupid, in my opinion.

* On the front seats, when you pull the door's interior "open" handle, even a locked door unlocks automatically; I would have prefered the conventional method of first unlock then open.

p.s. I havent recieved my Owners Manual yet, so dont know if the central locking can be re programmed. I hope it can!!

I have read the manual for this section. there's nothing more in the manual.

huge issue IMO. I listed this in my first review as well. I asked the dealer/salesman and he said, there's no solution to that unless you want to go for additional remote locking (autocop, xenon, etc). I didn't want to. I am sure there is a way. I'll ask the service folks.

Originally Posted by AbhiJ

The Good Stuff:

8) The colour combination - Interiors: Although not to everyones liking, it is smartly executed. All the interior panels which tend to get dirty/come in contact hands/shoes often, are dark brown, and the rest are beige - So the interiors will be easier to keep clean. Very practical.

My only peeve was the seat colors, which were too dark to my liking. So, I changed to beige PU upholstery.

No complaints with the dash colors. Darker dash is good to prevent unnecessary glare (easily seen in i10 with beige colored dash).

[AbhiJ]

Originally Posted by pachchu

huge issue IMO. I listed this in my first review as well. I asked the dealer/salesman and he said, there's no solution to that unless you want to go for additional remote locking (autocop, xenon, etc). I didn't want to. I am sure there is a way. I'll ask the service folks.

Agreed. Its not that Hyundai has skimped on equipment. They have skipped on thinking...
Or at least, my small brain cannot decipher their great logic.

I was hoping it is re programmable, since my CR-V's central locking has multiple modes and are user programmable.