i20 White Asta - loving it :)

senindra · 14th June 2010, 20:16

Late April this year, when I was in India for a short visit I happened to have test driven the i20 - without having the thought of buying a car at this point of time.

Fast forward to 5th June - My brother took the delivery of the car and I was expecting him to do a bit of the running in and the few basic stuff I wanted done - films, debadging the car, not to get plates for the front and just a sticker with the number etc. However, as he went in for an operation nothing was done and the car just went from the showroom to the garage till I arrived India on 10th.

I was sitting at the back seat all the way from the airport to my place and I felt the tire pressure was a little high. Wanted to get that checked ASAP.

Next day - the first few scratches:

It was raining. I was approaching a cross section to take a right turn while the signal was still on my favour, I realised an A-Star crossing from right to left. Fair enough. I was doing lets say about 40-50kmph. While entering the turn, the A-Star suddenly decided to stop right in the middle of the road, that is something I had absolutely not calculated which made me do a panic braking - Wheels locked :O. Yes, they locked, and I went straight into the LHS front wheel of the A-Star. Bang. Got of the car, the first thing I noticed was the A-Star and I did not even have the courage of looking at my car front with the scare the damage which might have happened. All I had were few scratches while the A-Star had a lot of damage - Axle, body etc.

i20 White Asta - loving it :)-130620100161.jpg

i20 White Asta - loving it :)-11062010.jpg

Case open, Case closed. I drove back thinking HOW could the wheels lock and how did I lose traction with ABS. After a while I came to the conclusion that - it might be the probability of high tire pressure and wet road which led to the tires locking ? With this in mind I went and got the tire pressure checked - all were at 42.5 :O. Reduced them immediately to 30 for all 5 of them.

The three days I managed to drive the car I clocked in all about a little over 500 kms.

What I like ?

1) The space the car has to offer - did not even realise during the very short test drive I had taken in April that this is actually quite a BIG hatch.

2) The retractable mirrors - cool !

3) The car has adequate power for city use, and its OK for the highways. The CRDi I bet is one of a rocket !

4) The stability - you do not feel when you are driving at about 100.

And some stuff I dont like :

1) NO Lighter !
2) NO Ashtray !
3) NO cabin light in the front :( - Only one in the centre.
4) I would have liked the retractable mirrors closing automatically while locking the door - guess I am asking for too much ?

I am driving mostly at about 2000 rpm, occasionally going upto 2500. During the run in is it safe to "cruise" at 3000 rpm ?

- IF I do exceed the km limit for the first service by about a 100-150 kms would it be a problem ? I am thinking of driving down to Puri and that would mean I would exceed 1500kms which is the limit for the first service.

More pictures (better ones) when I am back in India.

I am loving the car - so far !

@ri · 14th June 2010, 20:28

Congrats on your i20 and welcome to the club. I picked up an i20 Asta less than a month back and I am sure loving it. White was mine and mom's first choice but my sis felt white = taxi, so had to settle for the dark grey!

Quote:

Originally Posted by senindra

With this in mind I went and got the tire pressure checked - all were at 42.5 :O. Reduced them immediately to 30 for all 5 of them.

Even mine had 45 and luckily for me it was the first thing I did out of the showroom

Quote:

Originally Posted by senindra

2) NO Ashtray !

They took this out in the BSIV variant

Quote:

Originally Posted by senindra

I am driving mostly at about 2000 rpm, occasionally going upto 2500. During the run in is it safe to "cruise" at 3000 rpm ?

The manual says it is a pre-run engine but advices to maintain 2000-4000 RPM. I kept a cushion of 500 and varied between 2000-3500 mostly. The car seems to have run-in well

. This should be enough to do a Kolkata - Puri trip @ good speeds (max speed I took my car to was 130 (not exceeding 3500 RPM)

Quote:

Originally Posted by senindra

- IF I do exceed the km limit for the first service by about a 100-150 kms would it be a problem ? I am thinking of driving down to Puri and that would mean I would exceed 1500kms which is the limit for the first service.

I just got my car back from servicing and did it at 1600.... no problem at all!

The

prince_pervez · 14th June 2010, 20:41

Congrats on your new purchase man! You should not have posted the Lancer amongst your pictures. Any way your looks good too

.
Enjoy the car. Drive safe!

senindra · 14th June 2010, 20:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by prince_pervez

Congrats on your new purchase man! You should not have posted the Lancer amongst your pictures. Any way your looks good too

.
Enjoy the car. Drive safe!

Thanks

Quote:

Originally Posted by @ri

Congrats on your i20 and welcome to the club. I picked up an i20 Asta less than a month back and I am sure loving it. White was mine and mom's first choice but my sis felt white = taxi, so had to settle for the dark grey!

My girl said the same - but now she admits its one of the best colours this car would look good in

.

Quote:

Originally Posted by @ri

The manual says it is a pre-run engine but advices to maintain 2000-4000 RPM. I kept a cushion of 500 and varied between 2000-3500 mostly. The car seems to have run-in well

. This should be enough to do a Kolkata - Puri trip @ good speeds (max speed I took my car to was 130 (not exceeding 3500 RPM)

Now thats a breather, thanks for the info !

Quote:

Originally Posted by @ri

I just got my car back from servicing and did it at 1600.... no problem at all!

Sounds good !

jkdas · 14th June 2010, 22:16

I still love the car and was wondering why people say its underpowered. It's not that bad and loved the sound it makes when you rev

Can you ask mod to rename thread to Asta 1.2 or so?

And can you confirm that there is AC vent for rear.

@ri · 14th June 2010, 22:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by jkdas

And can you confirm that there is AC vent for rear.

Yes the rear A/C vents are there under the front seats, but work only if you have selected the option to blow air near the feet!

jkdas · 14th June 2010, 22:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by @ri

Yes the rear A/C vents are there under the front seats, but work only if you have selected the option to blow air near the feet!

Dang! the sales people was thinking what a guy was looking underneath the seats today. I couldnt find it. Can you post us a pix please.

And any offers for i20 Asta? I personally love the blue one.

senindra · 18th June 2010, 16:05

Hey guys,

Got back last night to the country. The few scratches at the front bumper has been taken care of and the rear has been de-badged. The mechanic forgot to remove the dealership sticker but that is being done while I type this.

Since the car had already a little over 600 kms going to Puri and back would mean the car would be near 2000 kms hence did not want to take the risk.

Drove to Shantiniketan to meet a couple of my bulleteer friends instead. Would also be able to understand the car better, I thought.

The drive to and back was relatively smoothe. I was mantaining a steady 120 and sometimes 130. This was probably the most sober driving I've ever done - ie - shifting within 2500rpm no sudden shifting or anything. Very relaxed.

As mentioned earlier on the thread I was unable to achieve 130 at 3500rpm, it was a little above 3500 that I was obtaining 130.

The car has now a little over 1050kms and I hope to give it in for servicing tomorrow.

I do feel the A pillar obstructs view at certain situations - could have been better.

The first full tank offered me a little over 11 while the second one a little over 10.

And some pictures ...

prince_pervez · 18th June 2010, 19:19

Wow! I liked the second set of pictures. Nice ride. IMO white is the best color for i20.

raman. · 18th June 2010, 19:54

Congrats for the new car.
White colour looks very graceful. Please keep on posting your ownership experiences.
Happy Motoring and safe driving!!

Pancham · 19th June 2010, 09:02

Hey Indrada!! Congrats on the car. Even I have my eyes set on a white i20 1.2. Which dealer did you get it from and how was the experience.?

BTW do you stay in Salt Lake?

@ri · 19th June 2010, 10:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by senindra

Hey guys,

Got back last night to the country. The few scratches at the front bumper has been taken care of and the rear has been de-badged. The mechanic forgot to remove the dealership sticker but that is being done while I type this.
Drove to Shantiniketan to meet a couple of my bulleteer friends instead. Would also be able to understand the car better, I thought.
The drive to and back was relatively smoothe. I was mantaining a steady 120 and sometimes 130. This was probably the most sober driving I've ever done - ie - shifting within 2500rpm no sudden shifting or anything. Very relaxed.

As mentioned earlier on the thread I was unable to achieve 130 at 3500rpm, it was a little above 3500 that I was obtaining 130.

The car has now a little over 1050kms and I hope to give it in for servicing tomorrow.

I do feel the A pillar obstructs view at certain situations - could have been better.

The first full tank offered me a little over 11 while the second one a little over 10.

And some pictures ...

Thats great. Just after the 1st service, the car opens up well and does not dissapoint. The A Pillar .. yes... I think so too !!! I've been getting a bit better mileage though wherabouts of 12!

senindra · 19th June 2010, 10:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by prince_pervez

Wow! I liked the second set of pictures. Nice ride. IMO white is the best color for i20.

Thanks Prince !

Quote:

Originally Posted by raman.

Congrats for the new car.
White colour looks very graceful. Please keep on posting your ownership experiences.
Happy Motoring and safe driving!!

Will do

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pancham

Hey Indrada!! Congrats on the car. Even I have my eyes set on a white i20 1.2. Which dealer did you get it from and how was the experience.?

BTW do you stay in Salt Lake?

Pancham - Indra please

No Da for me. I got it from Spring Hyundai. It was not a bad experience. Not something to write about either, though.

And yes, I do stay in Salt Lake

. Which picture told you that

Quote:

Originally Posted by @ri

Thats great. Just after the 1st service, the car opens up well and does not dissapoint. The A Pillar .. yes... I think so too !!! I've been getting a bit better mileage though wherabouts of 12!

Hey Ari, hope so. Just dropped it off for the first service. Driving off to Puri tomorrow

Pancham · 19th June 2010, 21:53

okees no Indra "da" for you. The Lancer-i20 head on pic told me that those buildings belong to Salt Lake.

senindra · 21st June 2010, 11:35

First service completed at 1116kms.

I was insisting on changing the engine oil but the service manager convinced me that it is absolutely not necessary. I am still not convinced enough, though.

I drove down to Puri yesterday. 528.7kms in 7hrs 35 minutes. That includes picking up my friend, taking two wrong turns, two breaks, one being for refuelling. The car returned a mielage of about 12kmpl (70% highway, 30% bad city traffic driving).

The ODO says 1730 kms on the 6th day of the car being driven since delivery. Went up to 150 once. Rest of the trip I was cruising at 120-130. However some bad stretches and traffic reduced my time drastically.

High speed cornering should be taken with precaution - the suspension set up is way to comfortable for that. However, I do think its "good" considering the sudden pot holes or bumps (read jumps) you often encounter on Indian highways.

I need to buy one of those travel cylindrical ashtrays for the car - its a pain to roll the window down to ash with all of it flying to the back seat. STILL cant believe they did not give an ashtray & lighter !

Should I get the engine oil replaced ? Or am I living with old school thoughts ? Also would want to use synthetic oil - any comments on that front ?

Pictures will come soon. Its way to slow here.

14th June 2010, 20:16	#1
senindra BHPian Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Essen (Germany) Posts: 226 Thanked: 11 Times View My Garage	i20 White Asta - loving it :) Late April this year, when I was in India for a short visit I happened to have test driven the i20 - without having the thought of buying a car at this point of time. Fast forward to 5th June - My brother took the delivery of the car and I was expecting him to do a bit of the running in and the few basic stuff I wanted done - films, debadging the car, not to get plates for the front and just a sticker with the number etc. However, as he went in for an operation nothing was done and the car just went from the showroom to the garage till I arrived India on 10th. I was sitting at the back seat all the way from the airport to my place and I felt the tire pressure was a little high. Wanted to get that checked ASAP. Next day - the first few scratches: It was raining. I was approaching a cross section to take a right turn while the signal was still on my favour, I realised an A-Star crossing from right to left. Fair enough. I was doing lets say about 40-50kmph. While entering the turn, the A-Star suddenly decided to stop right in the middle of the road, that is something I had absolutely not calculated which made me do a panic braking - Wheels locked :O. Yes, they locked, and I went straight into the LHS front wheel of the A-Star. Bang. Got of the car, the first thing I noticed was the A-Star and I did not even have the courage of looking at my car front with the scare the damage which might have happened. All I had were few scratches while the A-Star had a lot of damage - Axle, body etc. Case open, Case closed. I drove back thinking HOW could the wheels lock and how did I lose traction with ABS. After a while I came to the conclusion that - it might be the probability of high tire pressure and wet road which led to the tires locking ? With this in mind I went and got the tire pressure checked - all were at 42.5 :O. Reduced them immediately to 30 for all 5 of them. The three days I managed to drive the car I clocked in all about a little over 500 kms. What I like ? 1) The space the car has to offer - did not even realise during the very short test drive I had taken in April that this is actually quite a BIG hatch. 2) The retractable mirrors - cool ! 3) The car has adequate power for city use, and its OK for the highways. The CRDi I bet is one of a rocket ! 4) The stability - you do not feel when you are driving at about 100. And some stuff I dont like : 1) NO Lighter ! 2) NO Ashtray ! 3) NO cabin light in the front :( - Only one in the centre. 4) I would have liked the retractable mirrors closing automatically while locking the door - guess I am asking for too much ? I am driving mostly at about 2000 rpm, occasionally going upto 2500. During the run in is it safe to "cruise" at 3000 rpm ? - IF I do exceed the km limit for the first service by about a 100-150 kms would it be a problem ? I am thinking of driving down to Puri and that would mean I would exceed 1500kms which is the limit for the first service. More pictures (better ones) when I am back in India. I am loving the car - so far ! Attached Thumbnails
	() Thanks

14th June 2010, 20:41	#3
prince_pervez Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Redwood shores, CA, USA Posts: 4,210 Thanked: 51 Times View My Garage	Congrats on your new purchase man! You should not have posted the Lancer amongst your pictures. Any way your looks good too . Enjoy the car. Drive safe!
	() Thanks

14th June 2010, 22:16	#5
jkdas Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Thiruvananthapu Posts: 9,687 Thanked: 1,492 Times View My Garage	I still love the car and was wondering why people say its underpowered. It's not that bad and loved the sound it makes when you rev Can you ask mod to rename thread to Asta 1.2 or so? And can you confirm that there is AC vent for rear.
	() Thanks

18th June 2010, 16:05	#8
senindra BHPian Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Essen (Germany) Posts: 226 Thanked: 11 Times View My Garage	Hey guys, Got back last night to the country. The few scratches at the front bumper has been taken care of and the rear has been de-badged. The mechanic forgot to remove the dealership sticker but that is being done while I type this. Since the car had already a little over 600 kms going to Puri and back would mean the car would be near 2000 kms hence did not want to take the risk. Drove to Shantiniketan to meet a couple of my bulleteer friends instead. Would also be able to understand the car better, I thought. The drive to and back was relatively smoothe. I was mantaining a steady 120 and sometimes 130. This was probably the most sober driving I've ever done - ie - shifting within 2500rpm no sudden shifting or anything. Very relaxed. As mentioned earlier on the thread I was unable to achieve 130 at 3500rpm, it was a little above 3500 that I was obtaining 130. The car has now a little over 1050kms and I hope to give it in for servicing tomorrow. I do feel the A pillar obstructs view at certain situations - could have been better. The first full tank offered me a little over 11 while the second one a little over 10. And some pictures ... Attached Thumbnails
	() Thanks

18th June 2010, 19:19	#9
prince_pervez Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Redwood shores, CA, USA Posts: 4,210 Thanked: 51 Times View My Garage	Wow! I liked the second set of pictures. Nice ride. IMO white is the best color for i20.
	() Thanks

18th June 2010, 19:54	#10
raman. Newbie Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Gurgaon Posts: 24 Thanked: Once	Congrats for the new car. White colour looks very graceful. Please keep on posting your ownership experiences. Happy Motoring and safe driving!!
	() Thanks

19th June 2010, 09:02	#11
Pancham Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Kolkata/NCR Posts: 1,756 Thanked: 2,652 Times	Hey Indrada!! Congrats on the car. Even I have my eyes set on a white i20 1.2. Which dealer did you get it from and how was the experience.? BTW do you stay in Salt Lake? Last edited by Pancham : 19th June 2010 at 09:04.
	() Thanks

19th June 2010, 21:53	#14
Pancham Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Kolkata/NCR Posts: 1,756 Thanked: 2,652 Times	okees no Indra "da" for you. The Lancer-i20 head on pic told me that those buildings belong to Salt Lake.
	() Thanks

21st June 2010, 11:35	#15
senindra BHPian Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Essen (Germany) Posts: 226 Thanked: 11 Times View My Garage	First service completed at 1116kms. I was insisting on changing the engine oil but the service manager convinced me that it is absolutely not necessary. I am still not convinced enough, though. I drove down to Puri yesterday. 528.7kms in 7hrs 35 minutes. That includes picking up my friend, taking two wrong turns, two breaks, one being for refuelling. The car returned a mielage of about 12kmpl (70% highway, 30% bad city traffic driving). The ODO says 1730 kms on the 6th day of the car being driven since delivery. Went up to 150 once. Rest of the trip I was cruising at 120-130. However some bad stretches and traffic reduced my time drastically. High speed cornering should be taken with precaution - the suspension set up is way to comfortable for that. However, I do think its "good" considering the sudden pot holes or bumps (read jumps) you often encounter on Indian highways. I need to buy one of those travel cylindrical ashtrays for the car - its a pain to roll the window down to ash with all of it flying to the back seat. STILL cant believe they did not give an ashtray & lighter ! Should I get the engine oil replaced ? Or am I living with old school thoughts ? Also would want to use synthetic oil - any comments on that front ? Pictures will come soon. Its way to slow here.
	() Thanks