[iTwenty]

The uber cool is finally with me.! Got delivery on 19th of this month and have done 150 kms till now.

How it all started:
Ever since I learned driving a year ago, I had been pestering my dad for a new car.We had an '97 model M800 which was given to dad by one of his friends when he upgraded to NHC in 2005.The M800 was a good car to drive, only weak points being the scratches and dents all over it [as it was the official "learner's car" in our family; any family member who was new to driving would first hone his driving skills on this car before switching over to his "real" car] and the weak brakes.We sold it off to dad's friend this September for a handsome amount, almost double of what the Maruti True Value guys offered to us.Now began our hunt for the new car.

The Hunt:
This Diwali, we started looking for a replacement for the now sold M800.We had a budget of 6 lacs and the car had to be a hatch as parking is always an issue in our building.Also, diesel was strict no-no since dad prefers the refinement of petrol engines.Our monthly running is going to be less than 1000 kms, so petrol made more sense.The main contenders were Swift and i20.Only the top end models [ZXI and Asta respectively] were considered:

1. Maruti Swift
   This was the car we had almost finalised on before even visiting any showroom.It is a tried and tested product in the market, great to drive and being a Maruti,offers cheap hassle-free ownership.We visited the Vitesse motors showroom in Andheri to TD the car.The sales guy was very courteous and offered a TD even before we asked for it.The TD went well, though I didn't drive it as the supposedly small car seemed too big to me.A year of driving the M800 does that to you. I disliked the cheap looking interiors of the car, reminded me horribly of the M800.But dad seemed mighty impressed with it and decided to book the car right then and there itself.I had to convince him to at least visit the nearby Shreenath Hyundai showroom and check out i20.
2. Hyundai i20
   Shreenath didn't have TD vehicle available when we visited, so we checked out the showroom car.The car looked way more mature than the Swift and had more road presence.The interiors were more pleasing to the eye than the Swift's plasticky black ones.Even dad praised the looks and interior quality of the car.But he wasn't buying anything without a TD.So we postponed our booking of the car by a few days.

The following cars were rejected without even a TD:

• Maruti Ritz
  We were offered a TD of this car by the Maruti dealer before offering the TD of Swift.However one look at the rear and the car was thrown out of equation.No TDs, no enquiries, no Ritz.
• Fiat Grande Punto
  I showed internet images of this car to my dad and he was pleased with them.But Fiat had their famed A.S.S and interior quality to strike this choice off our list.

From booking to delivery:
Coming back home that day, I started reading all sorts of online reviews of Swift and i20.The more I read, the more was I convinced that i20 was a more sensible buy, despite the >60,000 premium it commanded over the Swift.But there was this all important TD still remaining.....
I enquired with Modi Hyundai for a TD and they had a vehicle available.The TD of i20 had us convinced that it was indeed a better buy over the Swift for our needs.Even dad agreed on this part.So we went ahead and booked a Black i20 Asta this Diwali.Waiting period of one month meant we got the delivery 4 days ago.The dealership experience was quite good with the sales-guy being quite helpful and knowledgeable and holding on to the promised delivery time.

Finally the car is with me.!
..And I feel elated.! To add to my joy, my Team-BHP membership got approved the same day we picked up the car.! Have driven it for about 110 kms till now.The car seemed huge initially and I was nervous about misjudging its size.But now, I have gotten better in my judgment, fortunately without any scrapes and scratches :-D.
Here are my observations about the car.
Positives:
+The car looks and feels so much more expensive than it actually is.The smooth flowing lines on the body, the crystal clear headlights, the feeling of richness that surrounds you on getting inside, are unparalleled by cars like Swift, Ritz etc.
+The steering wheel is a delight to hold and the EPS makes the car extremely easy to maneuver in traffic.
+The quality of interiors is top-notch with all the materials feeling well screwed together and built to last.
+The driver's seat, despite being a little low slung, offers a good visibility of the surroundings, but not as good as M800.
+Haven't really gone fast in it till now, but it can reach speeds of 80+ kmph very easily.The gears are a delight to use.I can go through them like a hot knife through Amul butter.!
+Steering mounted controls and the USB input are extremely convenient and change the way you listen to music while driving.I have stored my audio collection in a 4 GB pendrive which always stays in the car.Goodbye CDs, you shall not be missed anymore.!
+Boot space seems enough for luggage of four, haven't checked it though
Negatives:
-The electrically folding ORVMs are a mixed bag.While parking my car, if I forget to fold them in, I have to start the battery again just to do the job, as they don't fold/unfold manually.Hyundai should have retained the manual folding mechanism too.
-The unscrewable antenna is a royal pain the *#&.Whenever I park the car in unattended places, I have to unscrew and keep it inside the car lest it gets stolen.
-The rear windows are a little too high when compared to rear seat height.Interior comfort compromised for sleek looks on the exterior.?
-The steering wheel seems eager to return to center positon when it is turned.Have to hold it firm when into a turn as otherwise it straightens up all too suddenly giving a bad jerk to the passengers and posing a potential hazard while driving.
-The default audio system is strictly average, despite having 4 speakers and 2 tweeters.Listening to Megadeth's Symphony Of Destruction was an insipid experience on this system when compared to the terrific setup on the M800.

Enough said for now.
A picture is worth a thousand words:

[vijaythacker]

congratulations on your uber cool black i20.One of the best hachbacks running down the country.VFM with features and safety added along with good built quality and service network across nation.enjoy your ride.

[jraj]

Originally Posted by iTwenty

-The electrically folding ORVMs are a mixed bag.While parking my car, if I forget to fold them in, I have to start the battery again just to do the job,

Hai,Congrats on your i20.
No,you dont have to put in your keys to fold the mirrors.They can be done without that.

[bharti22shresth]

Your Black i20 reminds me of a black i20 I saw today. It was shod with 15" black alloys with a red lip and OMG, they just completely changes the image of the i20 from uber cool to WICKED!

ANyways, good decision. Wish you many happy years of enjoying the 20.
Cheers

[shishir_bn]

So finally got your car in teens. I remember your other thread where you had mentioned that you were in teens(the introduction thread).Anyway congrats on your new beauty

[nairrk]

Another i20 - Hyundai is really doing well with this car.
And ofcourse it is well shining in black colour - not many black i20 is seen in this forum.

Great buy - enjoy.

Drive Safely !

Cheers

[wildon]

Originally Posted by iTwenty

Negatives:
-The electrically folding ORVMs are a mixed bag.While parking my car, if I forget to fold them in, I have to start the battery again just to do the job, as they don't fold/unfold manually.Hyundai should have retained the manual folding mechanism too.

-The default audio system is strictly average, despite having 4 speakers and 2 tweeters.Listening to Megadeth's Symphony Of Destruction was an insipid experience on this system when compared to the terrific setup on the M800.

1. No need to even put the Keys to fold the E-ORVM's back. Just press that damn button .

2. Change the default eq settings you will feel better.

Hey, Congrats man, we are growing in numbers here

[blackasta]

Yup, the BlackAsta is here

Jokes apart - congrats on owning a great car.
Awaiting to know your upgrade plans(if any) and driving experience with this beauty!
Take good care of that black color.

[richie4u]

congrats dude on your new car, well u better take care of that color cause it looks good only when it sparkles.

[iTwenty]

Originally Posted by vijaythacker

congratulations on your uber cool black i20.One of the best hachbacks running down the country.VFM with features and safety added along with good built quality and service network across nation.enjoy your ride.

That pretty much sums up the i20.About the service network, Maruti is way ahead of Hyundai in that regard as I had experienced on a recent trip to Mt.Abu when the Santro we were travelling in broke down at a desolate location.There were no Hyundai workshops[or any other manufacturer's workshops for that matter] for miles except Maruti's.The guys at Maruti promptly fixed up the Santro and we were back on the road within 5-6 hrs.

Originally Posted by jraj

Hai,Congrats on your i20.
No,you dont have to put in your keys to fold the mirrors.They can be done without that.

Originally Posted by wildon

1. No need to even put the Keys to fold the E-ORVM's back. Just press that damn button .

Whoopsie.! Didn't know that Thanks for educating an ignorant noob.

Originally Posted by bharti22shresth

Your Black i20 reminds me of a black i20 I saw today. It was shod with 15" black alloys with a red lip and OMG, they just completely changes the image of the i20 from uber cool to WICKED!

ANyways, good decision. Wish you many happy years of enjoying the 20.
Cheers

Just trying to imagine that i20 gives me the shivers.! I have seen a white i20 having, of all colors, purple colored alloys.!.It had a love-me-or-get-lost kind of charm to it.I definitely loved it.

Originally Posted by shishir_bn

So finally got your car in teens. I remember your other thread where you had mentioned that you were in teens(the introduction thread).Anyway congrats on your new beauty

Yup, I am all of 19 yrs old.Not many members here are below 20 I guess.?

Originally Posted by nairrk

Another i20 - Hyundai is really doing well with this car.
And of course it is well shining in black color - not many black i20 is seen in this forum.

Great buy - enjoy.

Drive Safely !

Cheers

Thanks for the compliments.!

Originally Posted by blackasta

Yup, the BlackAsta is here

Jokes apart - congrats on owning a great car.
Awaiting to know your upgrade plans(if any) and driving experience with this beauty!
Take good care of that black color.

Have put on Cool Tint sunfilm on the sides and rear and Llumar sunfilm on front.The seat covers will be put in a day or two as they were not available with the dealer we checked.

Originally Posted by richie4u

congrats dude on your new car, well u better take care of that color cause it looks good only when it sparkles.

Originally Posted by blackasta

Take good care of that black color.

This is one thing that worries.I had read here about Black being a tough color to maintain/losing it's shine etc. but bought it anyway since it was my first choice.Any advice on how to keep it shining and clean apart from washing it with water which our watchman does daily.?

[karthik247]

Congrats, thats one great car. A nice set of rims and you're good to roll!!

[richie4u]

well dude read this carefully, it will give you complete details regarding washing and cleaning.
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/owning...esthetics.html

[blackasta]

Originally Posted by iTwenty

This is one thing that worries.I had read here about Black being a tough color to maintain/losing it's shine etc. but bought it anyway since it was my first choice.Any advice on how to keep it shining and clean apart from washing it with water which our watchman does daily.?

Well, if you can - hire someone who shall dust your car every 30 minutes

You should get a nice car wash and wash the car every weekend.
Wax the car every 2-3 months with a good car wax.
If possible, minutely apply plastic and vinyl polish on the plastic door/bumper protectors (but take care that none is applied on the metal portions).

Also ask your watchman to dry your car using a soft cloth which does not leave swirl marks on paint.

If you can, get and use this Turtle Wax - Black Box

[Safin]

Congrats on your new car.Great to see many i20s onboard now. Black though looks really good but i guess it is also the most difficult to maintain, anyways hope that you take great care of the beauty. Also get that Modi Hyundai Advert on the rear removed ASAP, it looks bad

The electrically folding ORVMs are a mixed bag.While parking my car, if I forget to fold them in, I have to start the battery again just to do the job, as they don't fold/unfold manually.Hyundai should have retained the manual folding mechanism too.

Aren't the ORVMs manually foldable from outside of the car?

Have put on Cool Tint sunfilm on the sides and rear and Llumar sunfilm on front

What are the specs of the Sunfilm that you have got and how much did it cost you to get these fitted?

Also what is this?? Reflection or Something else??

[Dippy]

What better way to start your Team BHP journey than posting a review of your new car. Congratulations on your new i20. Though the Asta seems expensive at first compared to the competition, what you get is a loaded car with features that rivals even sedans. I love your interiors and didnt know that the i20 interiors came with these shades. Do run in your car properly and keep updating this thread regularly.

Drive safe