i-20-"Won": My new car steals the show

Musicmaker23 · 15th March 2010, 21:55

A little bit of history:
Had been pestering my family last year for a new car as my 21st birthday present (Hence the title of the thread), but, they went ahead with property investments while the car took a backseat. Birthday whizzed past & finally in December i was told i could work with a budget of approx 9L. Thank god they didn't wait for the next birthday!

Started with my research & these were my primary criteria:

Should preferably be a hatchback
Must have ABS & Airbags
Petrol as it'll do less than 1000kms per month
Should not have maintenance worries & must have a good Service network
Should be VFM & must come with OEM goodies (not a fan of after-market)
The interiors must be pleasing to the eye
Nimble to drive around

Eventually Shortlisted the i20 Asta, Honda Jazz, ANHC & due to family pressure was forced to consider the Ritz & SX4.

The eliminations begin:

Thoroughly checked out the Jazz & it fell below expectations, except for the rear room & engine. There was also this feeling that I was being looted with a gun to my head.
Loved the drive on ANHC, but the interiors were not to my taste at all; They don't even have ACC (Hatchback was a preference as I can't get any parking within my building for the time being)
Didn't even try with the Ritz as the looks are not to my taste.
I couldn't bring myself to appreciate the SX4, had expected big things after the revamp, but i felt it came out a little short. My family also had a problem with its 'big bum'.

Finally, made calls to Hyundai showrooms to have a look at the i20 & the bloke at Jayabharat Hyundai seemed to be very eager indeed. They had a Dark Grey i20 on display & my family loved it at first sight. They liked the cabin & the amount of kit that came with the car. Safety was a prime concern & the car didn't fail us there either (I had accidentally said 'safety' instead of 'security' once & the sales exec started endlessly on side bars, anti-roll, chassis sturdiness, airbag deployment, roof strength etc; his knowledge kinda took me by surprise).

Engine Choice:
After the ANHC & Jazz, i was very concerned about the 1.2 kappa stories on the i20 i'd read on this forum, but, although it didn't seem to have as much spunk as the ANHC on open roads, it pulled effortlessly in regular city conditions. Most of the runs the car is going to be doing is between Mumbai Central & Bandra where I wouldn't get to floor it anyways. I'd be doing minimal highway runs & I wouldn't label my style of driving rev-happy, so, finally decided that i could settle for slightly less on power for a better product overall. [I did not consider the 1.4 as it only came in AT & I love manuals

]

Dealership Experience:
Contacted all authorized dealers in Bombay but also visited HMP at Phoenix Mills. They seemed very disinterested & also indulged in some tough-talk about the PDI which i stressed on. They asked for a booking amount of Rs.50000 & said they'd withhold the amount if i rejected the car till such time that it sold or they got the octroi back. I didn't look back at all. No one seemed to have the Dark Grey Metallic in stock. Was offered a Nov'09 car of the color with freebies of 15k, but eventually gave up on that. More details here Excise V/s 2009 Car. Went to Jayabharat the very next day on 14th Feb & paid the booking amount of 25000.

raghu230506 · 15th March 2010, 22:12

Belated wishes and congratulations on your gift.

Drive safe and have fun

Musicmaker23 · 15th March 2010, 22:22

Family decided to take delivery on 3rd of March & the dealership obliged. I had also managed to avoid the increase in Excise that came with the Feb budget. Family thought of getting a specific registration number, but I didn't encourage it at all. Luckily, got a number i liked.

Got a call on the particular morning that registration formalities won't be completed till 5pm that day. I insisted on carrying out the PDI in daylight so landed there at 3.30. My salesguy wasn't around so had to be tended to by someone else who didn't seem quite as interested. There were quite a few other deliveries happening at that time. Got a little irritated with the waiting around so i grabbed the keys & went out to the car with the t-bhp PDI list in hand. Cut through it in just under 40 minutes, couldn't take the car out for a drive though. The number arrived at 4.45, but had to wait for my family.
Strangely the security guard was in a hurry to get the keys back from me due to some inventory check

Maybe he just got irritated that i was being so thorough!

PDI Report:

I had strictly told them NO stickers on the car, yet they'd added orange (Yes, orange!) lettering of Jayabharat on the boot.
The odo read 57kms
No signs of any damage
Engine checked out
Car needed to be cleaned properly
I had requested for a complimentary Anti-rust treatment which they provided free of cost; they also gave the promised floor mat & mud flaps

Meanwhile, my salesguy hadn't yet arrived, got someone else to show me the features again. At one point where i was trying the rear folding seats, he said i should only move the base if i want to access the fuel tank!! Couldn't withhold a small laugh.

And the Gods came calling:
On my mom's orders, drove straight to Siddhivinayak where they performed a Vaahan-puja. Throughout the pooja, i wore a very distressed look seeing the flare with which the pandit threw tilak & kumkum all over the dashboard.

Ride back home WAS A SHOCKER
Took a slightly longer route on the way back. Was halfway home (Tripmeter read 6.2kms) & the car suddenly died while i was doing some 30kmph next to the Hindmata flyover. Tried to start the car but it just wouldn't listen. Finally started the warning lights & maneuvered it to the side of the road with my uncle's help. All this time, i kept thinking of this thread i'd read on t-bhp http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...xperience.html & i couldn't believe this was happening to me.
Called up the salesrep involved & gave him an earful. He said there was 5litres fuel from Chembur where their stockyard is, which means that at least 3Litres was still there when i took it out. He argued that i must've been told to refuel immediately which i wasn't. I told him i knew someone had screwed up at his dealership bigtime & I just might've gotten into a major accident had this happened only slightly earlier when i was at speed. He told me that its a new car and the FE is obviously low, hence the 3litres got over; I screamed back asking why the hell he thinks the car was giving a FE of just 2kmpl!!
All he could eventually do was apologize. I'd even left the guy a gift for getting me delivery on time & this is how things transpired after i'd left the showroom

. Eventually filled petrol in empty bisleri bottles & filled her up till the next pump. I remembered the PDI list said i really shouldn't burn any bridges at the dealership since i may have to go back often. Tried to calm down & drove back home.

blackasta · 15th March 2010, 22:49

Congrats Musicmaker - lucky that you got a great car like i20 at your disposal when you are 21. Take good care of your drive!
Also, post some pictures.
My car also ran out of petrol (but I got the salesperson to fill couple of liters on the house, that too from a Pepsi bottle!) when I was driving from showroom to the nearest gas station. Cool down, relax and just take this as a bad dream you had.
Any mods planned soon?

Musicmaker23 · 15th March 2010, 22:55

Been trying very hard to run-in the car properly, but i must say, its easier said than done.
The odo currently reads 404kms after 12 days with just about 160 kms done on highways. The longest trip was a 90kms drive to Panvel & back.

The initial impression has come off strong. Family has fallen in love with the car & they've also saved a pretty penny considering the initial budget of 9L. The looks are really accentuated by the dark grey colour & till now, it seems relatively low maintenance.

I've been the only one driving apart from a few friends & these were the things we've noticed & love:

Steering easy in city conditions
The best gear ratios are for the 1st & 4th
Car has enough pull from very slow speeds even in 2nd gear. Haven't felt the need to shift to 1st like i do in my friend's Santro & Indigo
The car has a very subtle & polished way of telling you to downshift lest you forget, unlike the Swift which rattles quite a bit
The overall build-quality is good
NVH levels are amazing
Apart from Airbags & ABS, I've always wanted a way to force my family to wear their seat-belts & the warning does just that. The chime is extremely irritating & immediately makes the passengers wear the belts
The Electric ORVM are a god-sent gift especially when so many bikers tend to knick them in traffic. They can even be operated without the ignition key in. They're quite sturdy as well: Had a few people & bikers knick them in slow moving traffic. All i had to do was close and open them again & Voila! They're back in position perfectly
The folding key is amazing
Ample boot space (Had to lug a few suitcases to the airport)
Car has enough road presence
I've always hated parking Swifts due to their unseen bulk but found the i20 much easier
No problems so far as far as my power worries are concerned in the city
No irritating beep sounds when you lock/unlock the car
Been offered free pick-up & drop service by the service centre though it remains to be seen whether it actually happens

The few niggling issues:

The throw for the clutch is unusually long. It takes some getting used to. I found it particularly hard to find the friction point on inclines in traffic the first day
The 2nd gear seems to lag a bit
Felt an unmet need for power on the Panvel trip (Top speed so far is 95kmph)
The steering feels too light at high speeds to inspire confidence. I've also noticed it gets very stiff while parking in tight spots
Personal opinion that rear suspension needs to be slightly softer
The gear shift is super smooth but there's a sound from the stick that's developed when shifting into 2nd. Noticed a click for the 1st today as well which wasn't there when i initially took delivery. Is this normal?
Huge blind-spot in the A-pillars
The centre RVM doesn't cover the entire rear w/s
There should've been at least a vanity mirror for the front passenger
The cabin lights should've been more powerful or there should've been another set for the front passengers [I'm told there're front map lights on the Asta(o)]
Sound system average. I'm an audiophile & while there's a very obvious lack of bass, it also lacks in the mid-ranges. Surprizingly the sound from USB is much better than the same file being played on the iPod (Maybe its just me )
I don't like that the front passenger can unlock all the doors when he unlocks his. This facility should rest with only the driver according to me
Read of a feature in the Polo where you can close all the windows using the remote key itself - wish the car had this feature

Pictures to come very soon...

theragingbull · 15th March 2010, 23:43

Congrats! i20 is a great car and I'm probably getting it in April/ May. Did you check up with Continental Hyundai in Bandra? They were offering me a discount of just 5000 bucks but no freebies. How's Jayabharat? Apart form the freebies did you get any cash discount? How much was the waiting period on your car? and how much was the OTR price?

Sorry for bombarding you with so many questions at once

Utopian · 15th March 2010, 23:49

Nicely penned down review. Congrats for the i-20. The styling is so chic, still looks so fresh.
Any ownership thread is incomplete without some snaps.

Anuj_Mumbai · 15th March 2010, 23:56

Congratulations! Welcome to i20 club. With respect to steering comments, once you get used to it you will find it very comfortable, even at high speed. I have done many long drives with my car and on all type of road, I have no complaint about steering.
Anuj

ph03n!x · 16th March 2010, 02:08

Congrats on the new buy! Any reason you did not choose the Option Pack, for you had the budget?

cadaver_prad · 16th March 2010, 02:49

Congrats on your new car. Does the i20 asta come with the sunroof and the stock alloys?? would love to see some pics

ph03n!x · 16th March 2010, 03:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by cadaver_prad

Congrats on your new car. Does the i20 asta come with the sunroof and the stock alloys?? would love to see some pics

IIRC, the Asta Option Pack has the sunroof, but Alloys comes in Asta itself.

Musicmaker23 · 16th March 2010, 09:35

Thanks a lot everyone

Quote:

Originally Posted by blackasta

My car also ran out of petrol (but I got the salesperson to fill couple of liters on the house, that too from a Pepsi bottle!) when I was driving from showroom to the nearest gas station. Cool down, relax and just take this as a bad dream you had.

I read your thread once i got back from my near-disaster. Its surprizing how they can forget such a basic thing. I remember seeing a board at the dealership which read "There is 5Litres of fuel in this car". How stupid!

Quote:

Originally Posted by blackasta

Any mods planned soon?

I was planning a tyre upgrade initially but was informed that the aceleres which came stock would be fine. Thought of changing the alloys, but there just isn't enough choice in 14 inchers. Any upsize to 15 would void my warranty on the suspension which was unacceptable, so i'm continuing on the stock set for now.
Other additions are 3M films, SatNav & PU leather seatcovers. I notice how roomy the i20 looks with beige covers instead of the chocolate brown that come OE, very similar to the i10.

Quote:

Originally Posted by theragingbull

Congrats! i20 is a great car and I'm probably getting it in April/ May. Did you check up with Continental Hyundai in Bandra? They were offering me a discount of just 5000 bucks but no freebies. How's Jayabharat? Apart form the freebies did you get any cash discount? How much was the waiting period on your car? and how much was the OTR price?

Sorry for bombarding you with so many questions at once

When i enquired, there were ABSOLUTELY NO discounts on the car. A few dealers were offering freebies. I did have a word with Continental but they were very lethargic in answering questions over the phone or even calling me back with details. They couldn't even state an approximate delivery period. On the contrary, Jayabharat seemed very eager. He called me back 3 times within 24 hrs to ask about when i would book the car. Even the showroom experience was great.

Here's my breakup:
ex-showroom price 587897
registration, excise etc 47453
3rd year warranty 5201
Total: 6,40,551

Insured the car by my own agent who gave me Bajaj Allianz for Rs.14,339 while the official quote from their website & other agents fell to Rs.15,251

Got my car on the 17th day after booking which was phenomenal!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anuj_Mumbai

Congratulations! Welcome to i20 club. With respect to steering comments, once you get used to it you will find it very comfortable, even at high speed. I have done many long drives with my car and on all type of road, I have no complaint about steering.
Anuj

Thanks. Can't tell you how long I've been waiting to join all the i20 owners on the forum!
What actually unsettled me was this patch of paverblocks before the Thane flyover where i was doing 85kmph. I failed to see the rough patch & the car got thrown around a bit & i suddenly felt very unsteady steering over it. Otherwise it behaved quite well.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ph03n!x

Congrats on the new buy! Any reason you did not choose the Option Pack, for you had the budget?

I actually had this initial urge for a sunroof which my family didn't reciprocate. I'm really up for newer safety features but by the time I'd decided on the car, my family decided to revise the budget to under 7L. The Sunroof pack was coming to around 6.97L OTR. Thought I could keep the cash aside for films, SatNav system, alloys & a Nintendo Wii

theragingbull · 16th March 2010, 10:47

Thanks for the reply. Does it make sense to wait for the BS-IV version that's coming up in April?

blackasta · 16th March 2010, 12:04

@ theragingbull

I guess the kappa engine is advertised as BS III compliant and BS IV and BS V ready.

wildon · 16th March 2010, 12:34

Quote: