How I finalised the Hyundai i20: Buying & 6-month ownership experience

I took test drives of various other cars like the Honda Amaze, Tata Nexon, MG Astor, Hyundai Venue, Renault Kiger, Nissan Magnite and a few more.

BHPian 007maverick recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Ownership experience after 6 months – i20 Asta (O) Petrol Manual

It took me more than a couple of years to finalize my new car. My Ritz ZXi petrol MT BS4 2009 was doing a fantastic job and at times made me wonder if I should sweat the asset for another couple of years. The Tall Boy was a rare gem from Maruti’s stable and was like the first “mini SUV” on Indian roads – just 40 Kg lighter than Venue on Kerb weight, equipped with 60:40 seats, 43 Litres of fuel tank, two front Airbags, ABS/EBD, Height adjustable seats, all seat adjustable headrests etc. It had thicker body panels compared to all Maruti Suzuki cars. It was co-designed by Suzuki with Opel for the European Market. The car had high aerodynamic drag, a bit of higher tyre noise and body roll.

It was fun to carry out a detailed study of various cars as part of the desktop and primary research. The research was followed with Test drives of i10, Aura, Venue, Amaze, Magnite, Kiger, Nexon, MG Astor, XUV, Duster, Freestyle, and Ecosport. I was completely agnostic on the type of fuel (except CNG) and kept the budget a bit flexible based on the value that the car would offer. I had almost finalized the top-end Ecosport Diesel MT, but had to drop the idea due to Ford’s announcement of exiting the Indian market. I liked Astor but sensed that to be a likely fuel guzzler.

New i20 was never in my consideration set. I was of the view that the car doesn’t merit a price premium that it charges to customers.

However, visiting a Hyundai dealership casually on one of the Sunday evenings with family has changed that perception. It was a base model that was kept at the dealership. But it amazed me with impeccable fit-n-finish, well laid out black interiors, ergonomics - perfect size of the steering wheel, smooth pedal feel, gear shifter exactly positioned where I wanted it to be, big interior space and ample leg room for rear passengers. While everyone at the dealership was super busy handling SUVs, I asked the dealer to give me an i20 for a test drive the next weekend.

It was the i20 top end for the test drive. The car has almost everything that one would like to have in the new car – superb NVH, tilt & telescopic steering to adjust for seating preference, good road visibility, alloy wheels, ABS/EBD/Vehicle stability Management, adjustable headrests for all passengers, TPMS, fog lamps, cruise control, rear wiper, 6 airbags, auto folding mirrors, top quality infotainment system, rear sensors and camera equipped with dynamic grid lines. Sunroof was never my requirement, but i20 has it. So, it was like a bonus.

The only sensible missing feature was 60:40 rear seat. Boot appeared to be decent to carry 2 medium size suitcases and miscellaneous stuff. Couldn’t test high-speed cornering, but on-road stability of the vehicle and feel of the steering gave adequate confidence that the car will be like a leach in demanding road conditions. Straight line positioning was excellent with steering coming at the center nicely. The looks are subjective, and hence will not detail on that. It was a pleasant surprise when I was going through the specs that i20 has a higher wheelbase as compared to some of the premium Compact + sedans in the market.

Booking process

It was smooth with a downpayment of Rs. 5000 (fully refundable in case of cancellation). Selecting the variant was relatively easier. Always my preference was to opt for the Top end as it gives some of the best goodies from the feature basket in factory fitted avatar. Opted for Asta (0) Petrol -RDE compliant. I am not a fan of 3 Cylinder turbochargers. 3 Cylinders by design are not naturally balanced, and plus Turbo on top adds to the noise, engg complexity and possible higher maintenance over a life cycle.

I chose Silver. In my view, this color has a good balance between looks, vehicle visibility, lesser heating compared to darker siblings, and ease of maintenance. I opted for BH registration, 7-year warranty, Hyundai SOT (Shield of Trust) and Super SOT. There was a waiting period of 10 -12 weeks. Always wanted to go for the manual gearbox as it keeps you engaged with the vehicle, gives you full command & control while driving, gives you an additional lever for decelerating the car in emergency situations, gives you freedom to experiment with Vehicle speed-Engine RPM range to play with efficiency OR performance by yourself rather than some AI doing it for you in the name of Driving mode selection.

The dealership offered a Cash discount for taking Company insurance (straight difference between Dealership quote and market quote + additional 5 K). I think it is always better to take insurance from the dealership even if it comes with some premium as they become more accountable to your car. Received a call from the dealer after 1.5 months that they have got confirmation that the Car is ready with PDI at the factory. It was a good feeling to get your “make-to-order” vehicle.

PDI process at the dealer’s stockyard was smooth. I personally did the PDI for about an hour (top bottom – back to rear) with a checklist and there were absolutely no surprises. Great Job Hyundai!! The vehicle was ready for delivery on the chosen date- 27th April 2023 I have opted for minimum accessories such as floor lamination, rubber mats & mud flap kit. The logic was to get these accessories fitted from the dealership where some major parts are required to be removed for fitting the accessory. For floor lamination, they take out the seats and put them back. These days there are so many sensors and features in the vehicle, and there is a chance that Car accessories shops may not even be aware and can potentially even damage the things. I have avoided putting the seat covers, as it can cause obstruction to side airbag operation. Safety first.

Specifically chose morning time (10-11.30) for car delivery since in daylight you can recheck the vehicle properly, and most of dealership people are fresh to explain all features, carry out documentation etc. Carried a sweet box for dealership people. The dealership had made a wonderful arrangement for car delivery and me & my family will cherish those moments.

Ownership

After driving the vehicle for around 6000 Km, the vehicle continued to deliver what was expected from it– solid build, excellent ride quality, roll almost to nil, decent handling characteristics, good seats which hold you well with excellent under-thigh support and optimum softness for a long drive comfort.

The first service experience at the Hyundai dealership was good with no negative surprises. I got the engine oil change done while the owner's manual recommendation was 10000 Km /12 months. As part of the SOT package, got complimentary underbody coating from 3 M at the service center. I had got underbody coating from 3M on Ritz, and know how useful it is. It prevents underbody rust and to some extent adds to improving NVH.

In the last 6 months, got my car washed only during free service. Happily doing self-cleaning with Jopasu. It just takes 10 mts of time on alternate days, and gives you the satisfaction of saving a few buckets of fresh water. Purchased a pair of good quality microfiber cloths and again doing self-cleaning with 1 bottle of water and interior dry dusting once a month. I absolutely don’t see a need for paint coating, wax polishing from car detailers. The company-fitted 195/55 R16 Secura Drive are great tyres both in form factor and function. There is absolutely no need to get those replaced with a fancy brand or a higher/lower size.

Hyundai is able to achieve a sweet spot as far as the Powertrain is concerned on the new i20. While 1.2 Kappa is not as peppy as Suzuki’s K series, it is smooth, refined and gives a decent performance on the i20 if one considers it for a well matured Car under safe driving practices on Indian road conditions. I am getting a mileage of 14-16 within the City based on traffic conditions and 18-20 on a highway WO Cruise control, depending on whether I choose Efficiency OR performance. CC in 5th gear at 70 Kmph delivers the best of the mileage. The figure on the dashboard touches 37 kmpl on a 30 Km patch which has a fair bit of decent between Pune & Mumbai.

The engine becomes lively after 1600 rpm and is fun to cruise on the Highway. The powertrain is at ease to haul the car at 1200 rpm in 5th gear delivering a speed of 45 kmph. In city traffic conditions, the car crawls in 3rd gear at engine speed as low as 800 rpm. If there is a very steep gradient condition, shifting to 1st gear becomes inevitable for a very brief duration and quite understandable for a 1.2 L NA motor. Gear shifter is super smooth WO any notchy feeling. One has to be a little careful initially for switching to Reverse till one gets accustomed to its exact position. Suspension was found to be a little stiff, but yeah it keeps you grounded. 170 mm GC appears to be adequate. So far no scratching the bottom even after one full monsoon experience.

I just felt that Hyundai should have offered:

• Height adjustable seat for co-driver
• Walk-away automatic door locking (a complete miss from Hyundai)
• Start-stop (I think they have given this on facelift)
• Option to switch-off ambient lighting and Audio system which automatically pops up (quite irritating in case you stop in heavy traffic and you have to kick in ignition.

Hyundai could have also used the space in the dashboard a little more wisely to provide some nice additional spaces for storage. Ritz was way ahead on this front. User interface of Blue Link app is dated and quite boring. Surprisingly it doesn’t show the trip mileage. I will be glad to have comments from fellow TEAM BHP members on these observations.

Happy to see relatively fewer numbers of new i20s on the roads –it adds to the cars’s exclusivity and, aspirational appeal. I adore the car whenever I see its reflection on the go, with lovely and unique DRLs and LED headlamp cluster set-up.

Overall, it is a very satisfactory experience. Big thumbs up to MHI for such a nice car!

Few learnings that I would like to share herewith for new buyers:

• Do your homework to understand car variants, features, specs and prices. Many times dealership guys don’t know/will not tell you the basic things about the car which might be the most important thing for you.
• Invest your time in going to the dealership for test drives, PDI, and Servicing. Beyond a product, you will understand the Brand better at the dealerships. Test drive cars of adjacent segments from your shortlisted one. This helps to make a well-informed decision.
• Watch long-term reviews for the car that you have shortlisted. However, experiencing the car first-hand by taking test drives is absolutely a must. Experts’ requirements are not necessarily aligned with yours. Take a test drive by switching off the infotainment system, mobile phone, and ask the dealer guy to sit in the rear seat. Engage fully with the Vehicle.
• Never just rely on a few car enthusiasts’ opinions on car shows. Most of the time they are paid reviews. You note down your own expectations and see how the car performs on those parameters when you handle it before finalizing the vehicle and variant.
• Choose a dealership wisely. Discount and early delivery should not be the first criteria. It should ideally be the dealer’s reputation in the market, people capabilities, and service support. All these come in handy during the product life cycle.
• SUV looks give car manufacturers an easy premium of 3 to 4 lakh rupees. Many mini/ micros/compact SUVs are built on a base platform of a car and at times with variants with compromising features. It's difficult to digest the fact that some SUV variants costing 15 lakhs don’t offer basic things like a rear wiper. So don’t get into the “SUV trap” if that kind of vehicle is not your requirement. SUVs provide high Ground Clearance at the cost of ride & handling, and higher aerodynamic drag.
• Don’t compromise while buying real value stuff that adds value to the car such as extended warranty, insurance inclusions, AMC package. It's worth spending money on these rather than on gizmos which don’t add much value to the car in the long run and almost nothing in resale value.
• Automatic climate control, Fog lamps, Rear Wiper, Alloy Wheels (looks apart, they dissipate the heat faster and improve braking and liner life) are essential features. Prioritize these over gizmos.
• Last but not the least… don’t rush through to purchase unless there is some emergency of buying the vehicle. If you miss one deal, there are multiple others which will open up.

Check Air pressure at regular intervals, try to fill N2, get down and have a conversation with the petrol bunk attendant while he/she is dispensing the fuel. Regular petrol from a reputed fuel outlet is a good one. Again, no need to go for a fancy name. Closely watch what exactly is getting filled in your vehicle – quality & quantity. And importantly have a Safe and Secure Drive… Always!

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