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Ownership review: Hyundai i20 N Line DCT

13th April 2022, 10:05 by Dev Shah

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The new bumper, muscular bonnet, and those headlamps lend the N Line an aggressive look, and good road presence (much better than the similarly-priced Venue).

BHPian ChiragM recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hyundai i20 N Line DCT

What I like

Lovely 1.0L turbo-petrol and DCT combo.
Enjoyable exhaust note.
High-speed stability, negligible body roll, heavier steering.
Loaded with more than you can use features.
Quality and fit and finish of the interiors.
Blue Hyundai's sales experience and after-sales service so far.

What I don't

Hyundai has deleted some features from the i20 Asta like air purifier and eco coating.
Small annoying cost-cutting measures.
Lack of essentials like 60:40 split seats.
Expensive to buy, especially in Bangalore.
Over sensitive brakes at slow speeds resulting in jerks.
High-speed stability over mid-corner bumps.

Introduction

Living in Mumbai, I never felt the need for a car due to Uber, and parking issues in the city. Access to media cars which came in for reviews meant that I could regularly drive to keep myself happy. Due to this, I kept postponing buying a car for myself, something that I've always wanted. Fast forward to 2020, the pandemic ensured that I moved back home to Bangalore. I had the 2010 Maruti Ritz at home at my disposal whenever I had to head out somewhere or just wanted to drive. I love driving the Ritz, the 1.2L K Series ensured that drives in the city kept me happy. Unlike newer Marutis, the Ritz is pretty heavy and is really stable out on the highway. Meanwhile, my father-in-law bought a WagonR 1.2L. Once I changed my job and started heading to office everyday, the need for a second car arouse as dad was forced to use his two-wheeler. A budget was set to Rs. 10 lakh and the search for a new car to give company to the faithful Ritz began, resulting in many sleepless nights. By the end of the search, my family wanted me to buy some car and stop eating their heads.

The main criteria was that I wanted a small hatchback that is fun to drive, handles well, has some essential features, and is reliable. I also want to keep the car for a minimum of 10 years. Options considered:

Maruti Ignis: Around Rs. 8.5L on-road

I did not like the Ignis when I first saw it at the 2016 Auto Expo. However, the facelift piqued my interest. I liked the looks of the car, the features and loved the 1.2L K Series engine. I remember heading to a Maruti showroom to pick up an S-Cross 1.5 for a review and spent a considerable amount of time ogling the Ignis on display. It was this car I had decided to buy. I had even decided on the colour (Nexa Blue) and the variant (Alpha MT). The car was also well within my budget. However, I started thinking twice since the Ritz is going to stay and we had two cars with the same engine at home. I wanted a change and I thought I would get bored with this quickly / regret my purchase. Decided to stretch our budget and get a car from the next segment. We started looking at other cars, but the Ignis was always the fallback option. I would still say that this is one of the cars to buy if your budget is less than 10 lakhs.

Ford EcoSport: Was less than 15L on-road

Safe to say that if Ford had'nt left India, this would have been in my garage right now. Ford was the first showroom we went to after Maruti to check out the Figo, Aspire, Freestyle and the EcoSport. I wanted to buy the S TDCi.

Volkswagen Polo: Around Rs. 10L on-road

I was a bit hesitant as it is still the same old car on sale in India. Dad wanted to buy it back in 2010. Still, thanks to its lovely engine and dynamics, I gave it a try. The new 1.0L engine put a wide grin on my face but was immediately rejected by my wife as it felt too old on the inside.

Hyundai i10 turbo: Around Rs. 9.5L on-road

A cheaper, but newer option compared to the Polo. I strongly considered getting one of these, but it never felt to be value for money. The main drawback with this car is the 2-star NCAP rating, and the fact that it is not based on the top-end variant (I don't understand why Hyundai couldn't give this engine with the Asta). The turbo variant loses out on essential features like rear wash-wipe and ISOFIX seats, which to me, did not feel like a car I could keep for 10 years.

Hyundai Venue: Around Rs.15L on-road

Wife liked the Venue when she first saw it on the road. I took a test drive of the diesel as there was no petrol MT available (only iMT) and I did not want the DCT. The clutch travel was long and for a short guy like me, I did not get a comfortable driving position, my shin kept hitting the bottom of the dashboard. Being a crossover, there was some amount of body roll, expected but something I did not want in my car. The rear seat space was not that great and the steering was all over the place (could be an issue with the abused test car). I also did not like the front looks a lot, felt it lacked street presence. It also felt like it was too expensive for what it offered.

Other compact SUVs

Other SUVs I considered were the Sonet diesel AT (too expensive) and the Mahindra XUV300 (too expensive, lack of boot space, and white interiors).

Hyundai i20

The i20 was initially never in my list thanks to those horrible interiors and DCT gearbox. Checked out the i20 diesel but immediately decided that we cannot live with that interior and 4-spoke steering. I would have gone for the N Line without second thoughts had there been a manual but the DCT's long term reliability kept me from it. But I decided to test drive and it took just 1 drive to convince me that this was the car. Being a Hyundai, I hope the gearbox is more reliable than the VW Groups'. I also learnt that Hyundai has tweaked the gearbox after inital overheating and failure issues cropped up. This is not an aggressive box like the VW's and is tuned towards long term reliability. Took a leap of faith and in December 2021, we decided to go with the car. When compared to the Venue which retails at an equivalent price, the i20 had a more spacious rear seat, handled better and got more features.

My interaction was with Blue Hyundai and the sales agent there was courteous throughout the Venue and N Line test drives and answered all my questions. We never really had any issues with them through the entire process. After checking out a few colours in the stockyard, we decided to go the blue car, but there was no stock available. I was told that the next batch of cars would come only in Jan 2022 after the price hike. The story was the same with other dealers in Bangalore. We did not want the dual-tone as this was already a stretch of budget, and a black roof would make it too expensive. However, on 21st evening, we were informed that a DT blue N Line DCT was on the way to their stockyard. Since a price hike would push prices even further, we decided to go ahead. Booking amount was paid on 22nd and the car reached the stockyard the same day. I did the PDI on 23rd morning and the entire amount was transferred later that day. The VIN told me that the car was manufactured on 14th December. The car was delivered to us on 26th of December with a temporary registration as I was waiting for KA government to implement BH Series. Permanent registration was done in Jan 2022 after KA announced that private-sector employees are not eligible for BH.

No discounts or freebies were offered at all, not even carpets and mud flaps. The showroom straightaway offered a discount on insurance and told me that I could get insurance from outside if it is cheaper. They later matched the quote I got outside. The total price of the car, including 4th year warranty (will buy for 5 years later), and 5-year shield of trust came up to Rs. 14.88L (thanks to KA road tax).

There were a few minor scratches in the bonnet and we took it to the service centre on Mysore Road to polish it out and to meet the service managers. The service managers were courteous and very friendly during that interaction and when I took the car for its first service.

Exterior

Pictures don't do justice to this colour, it looks much better in flesh than in pictures. The new bumper, muscular bonnet, and those headlamps lend the N Line an aggressive look, and good road presence (much better than the similarly-priced Venue). As expected, the paint quality and fit and finish are good. All doors have a good weight to them, so no complaints on the build quality front:

Thankfully, unlike the regular i20, the N Line gets minimal chrome on the outside. Other differentiating characteristics include new alloys and a red stripe on the side skirts. There's no i20 branding on the side skirts like you get in the regular car:

Looks good from the back too, again much better in flesh than in pictures. Those twin exhaust pipes instantly give away the car's sporty nature:

The N Line gets a chequered flag design grille finished in gloss black, while the front lip spoiler gets a red stripe. Hyundai has taken all possible measures to highlight the car's sporty characteristics:

Too many cuts and creases around the fog lamps. Also notice the small gap between the grille and the front bumper. All this is a nightmare to keep clean (I've given up). The fog lamps, which get chrome surrounds, are bright and have good throw. Note the chequered flag detailing on the grille:

Just like the top-end i20, the N Line N8 comes with automatic LED headlights with LED DRLs and cornering lights (found these very useful on certain occasions). The inside of the cluster has hexagonal design pattern, a part of which can be seen in this pic. Also note the i20 badge on the outer edge of the cluster:

A look at all the lights in action:

The low beam throw and intensity is good...

...while the throw of the high beam is also good, but I would have liked better intensity. The illumination feels insufficient:

DRLs are bright and prominent, even during the day, and adds to the car's aggressive stance:

The N Line gets black ORVMs with integrated turn indicators. They auto-unfold when you walk up to the car and auto fold when you lock it:

Puddle lamps below the ORVMs switch on when you walk up to the car:

The N Line gets 16-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels shod with 195/55 Ceat SecuraDrive rubber. The front brake calipers are painted red. Also note the N Line badge on the front fender:

Glad to see disc brakes at the rear as well:

No chrome door handles here. The driver's door gets request sensors:

Fuel flap is neatly integrated into the tail light design. Note the dots to open the flap and the i20 branding on the tail lights:

Sunroof brings in much-needed light into what is a very dark cabin. If its not too hot, I usually drive with the manual cover open to bring in some much-needed light into the cabin:

Top half of the tailgate above the tail lights is finished in gloss black and there's a chrome bar running the width of the car (I don't like the red border alongside the chrome bar). Only the N8 gets a rear wiper and washer. A N Line badge sits where the variant badges are placed in the regular i20:

Black rear spoiler and side wings just like the regular i20. It gets different aero elements compared to the standard i20. A shark fin antenna has been provided:

A look at the wraparound LED tail lamps:

With all the lights in action. I like the Z-shaped lights at night:

The rear bumper gets parking sensors and a reverse camera above the number plate. The diffuser is finished in gloss black and also houses the highlight of the N Line's rear - double-barrel exhaust: