Since I sold my Maruti Alto 800 back in 2008, I have driven the Ford Fusion (Turbo Diesel), Skoda Rapid (Turbo Diesel) and Kia Seltos (Turbo Petrol).

BHPian biplab3110 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I brought home an i20 Asta (O) iVT on the 20th of April. Here is some background to the purchase and my experience with the car so far.

Background

I had a Kia Seltos GTX DCT bought in September 2019 (prebooked, from the first lot). This was followed by two years of complete inaction due to Covid. Once Covid was in the past, routines have changed. I now travel to the office not more than two days a week. In the meantime, I also bought an Audi Q3, in October last year. So, the Seltos was reduced to a car for doing daily rounds of the market, and other chores around an 8km radius of Thane City. It was also not feasible to take the Q3 around for these trips, so a second car was needed. Hence, I was looking for something smaller. The idea was to sell the Seltos (4.5 years, 23,000km on the ODO), buy a small car and save some money. But things turned out a little differently.

The question was what to replace the Seltos with? Criteria – it has to be less than 4m, and it has to be an automatic. There is no way I am driving an AMT. A DCT would be expensive (the discontinued i20 DCT, the Venue, or the Sonet). Plus, the car is primarily for driving within Thane City where the internal roads have a speed breaker at every 100m. Hence my preference was for a CVT which will be easy to drive around. There were four choices - Nissan Magnite, Renault Kiger, Honda Amaze and Hyundai i20. The first two were not even considered due to their poor fit and finish and doubtful future. The Amaze was in consideration, but the current generation Amaze seems like a decade old. Waiting for the next generation seemed waiting for uncertainty. Hence the choice was limited to just the i20 iVT.

Did a test drive and it seemed to tick the necessary boxes for my requirements. I was waiting for a deal on my Seltos to book an i20 Sportz iVT. However, it is the selling experience of the Seltos that made me change my mind and book the Asta (O) iVT. I value five features of the Asta (O) over the Sportz (Keyless entry, Push button start, wireless charger, rear washer and wiper, alloy wheels), which does not add up to the price difference, but still I booked the Asta (O) iVT for the sunroof (which I personally don’t value). Must say, the BOSE speakers are a bonus!

Booking & Delivery

Booking experience was mostly uneventful. Took a quote from two dealers. Both dealers were keen to push the SPORTZ variant in Starry Nights colour, for which they had stocks. However, I was not willing to compromise on my choice of colour – Titan Gray. Both quotes came with hefty insurance. However, one was willing to remove it and let me buy my own insurance, the other was willing to match the price and features of any quote that I share. The bigger and more renowned dealer said the car will be delivered in 3 months and offered a lower discount. The other dealer assured me of a delivery in one month and offered a higher discount. So, the decision was made easy.

As promised, the car was available for PDI in a month, and delivered in two days after PDI. This is a car manufactured in April 2024.

This car is going to be with me for some time. Hence bought it with 7 years Extended Warranty and 5 years “Shield of Trust” which covers parts not covered by warranty. A horror story about CVT Failure on Team-BHP also triggered this decision.

I gave some specific instructions for delivery:

• No polishing the car, internal or external, since the car would immediately go for ceramic coating.
• No dealership stickers on the car.
• Car to be delivered with a full tank. I would pay Rs 3500 for fuel at the time of delivery (else the car would be delivered with less than 5L of fuel and I would have to run to a pump immediately after delivery).
• 33PSI pressure to be maintained.

First three were followed. There was no way to verify the fourth at the time of delivery. The moment I took delivery and went out on the road I could sense something was wrong. The ride felt very stiff, I could feel every undulation on the road as if I was driving on solid tires. I checked the TPMS and all tyres were showing a pressure of 48PSI!! I immediately took the car to my regular garage where I fill Nitrogen, deflated the tyres completely and filled them with Nitrogen at 33PSI (later on I reduced it to 32 and the ride feels much better now).

Drive

I am driving a car with an NA Petrol engine after 16 years. Last one was an Alto 800 which I sold in 2008. Since then, I have driven the Ford Fusion (Turbo Diesel), Skoda Rapid (Turbo Diesel) and Kia Seltos (Turbo Petrol) and hence used to driving with both power and torque being available at lower revs. I don’t remember revving the engines beyond 2500RPM during regular drives. However, this car would rev to 3000+ RPM with the gentlest tap on the accelerator, with no delivery of power or proportional increase in speed.

For the first few days, I was almost regretting the purchase and felt I should have gone for a used Turbo Petrol with DCT. However, after a few days, I got the balance. Exactly how much pressure on the accelerator will deliver what kind of results – mental calibration started to form. I must say, it is still a work in progress. However, I am being able to get to 50kmph (which is the max I may be able to drive at in my city drives) at 1500 rpm. I am also getting realistic with my ambitions – this is not my Q3 in which I can do sudden overtakes. Moreover, where is the space to overtake in city drives? I have heard and read a lot of observations about the low bonnet and it not being visible to the driver. However, since I am used to driving cars with much longer bonnets, it is not an issue for me.

There is one aspect of the drive that I did not anticipate at all. I don’t know if this is the normal nature of any CVT - the concept of engine braking seems to be missing!! I observe this every day. As I go down the ramp from the parking in my building the car just picks up speed even when not accelerated at all!! Every time I have to apply brakes to slow it down. How does someone drive this downhill? The brakes would wear off in one trip to the Ghats!

Likes & Dislikes

These are a few things I like about the car:

• Looks! This is the best-looking hatchback in the market, beyond any doubt.
• Fit and finish.
• Back Seat space – almost at par with sedans.
• Seating position – not too low.
• The BOSE Speakers – simply awesome in a car of this size.
• The audible reminder to turn on headlights

These are a few things I dislike:

• No auto-dimming IRVM. This is expected in a car at this price.
• The armrest is too low and hence almost useless.
• Only driver’s window button is backlit.
• The AC is always at very high fan speed in Auto mode.

Here are a few photographs of the car

At the time of PDI

Soon after delivery

After detailing

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The name of the shop is Dad's Car Spa. I am very satisfied with the overall results and genuinely feel that they offer good service at a decent price.

BHPian montsa007 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hello All,

Sharing my pleasant experience with Dad's Car Spa, Thane.

• Workshop: Dad's Car Spa, Thane (Landmark is Dmart, Workshop is Opposite a Church behind Dmart)
• Owner: Mr. Virendra Mittal (Very calm & knowledgeable person)
• Contact Number(s) : +91-932686109 | +91-8291073115
• Services Offered: Foam car wash, interior clean, interior deep clean, ceramic coating, teflon coating, denting, painting, polishing works.
• Overall Feedback: Satisfied with the results, car looks extremely clean from the inside
• Will I visit them again: Of course, I will not only visit them but will recommend them to my friend circle as well.
• How much I paid: 2,500 (Includes exterior ceramic coating, which will last for 3 months, exterior complete wash, interior cleaning & polishing)

I was at my relative's place for a few days, and our i20 had accumulated a lot of dust, as we do not have anyone to wash it on a daily basis. Needless to say, it needed a good wash, road construction dust had settled on the car.

I had searched for wash & clean services and had Dad's Car Spa (DCS) in mind, but wasn't sure when I'd visit them. Seems this was the best time.

Called them up, spoke to Mr. Virendra Mittal & asked if I could drop the car off at around 11 am, he said it would be ready by the evening since the car had an electric issue where the headlights flicker (will be fixed this week) I do not drive it post sunset, informed that I'll be collecting the car next day, Mittal Sir was fine with that.

Entry can be tricky, you have to enter in Dmart's parking, go towards the exit and then take a left, there is a church and the DCS workshop is right opposite to it, there is also another route where you take a left from the main road (used that for the exit, never used to enter).

Car was dropped off on 9th March around 11 am & picked up on 10th March around 1 pm.

Initially, we agreed on Rs. 2000, which includes washing, wax polishing, interior cleanup & polishing. The bill came to Rs. 2500 as they did ceramic coating, a small amount I am fine with that. You may want to clear it beforehand. I asked how long will the coating last, Mittal Sir replied, "People say it will last 6 months, but I'll be honest & state that it will last 3 or so months", which is fine.

Before exiting, I asked if they have any other service for detailed interior cleaning, Mittal Sir mentioned that they do offer a deep interior cleanup, need to leave the car for 2 days, cleanup is done after removing seats, mats where possible, including wet extraction as well. I plan to get this done post monsoon.

Now the fun part is I don't feel like sitting inside the car as it came out so clean, spouse too is happy with the cleanup, before giving the car, my spouse asked "Why are you going for cleanup, it doesn't look so dirty", and post cleanup she said "No, it does look extremely clean, I feel bad for putting shoes on the mat".

Enough said, sharing before & after photos for you guys to judge.

P.S. - I had purchased frameless wipers which I could not fix & kept in the boot, requested Mittal Sir to fix it while handing over the car, and it was done & old wipers were kept in the boot.

Before Shots

It was parked where TMC suddenly decided to do road work, and loads of dust had settled on the car

Rear side was also full of dust

Passenger seats were a bit messed up

Driver seat needed some good cleanup

Co-Passenger seat also needed some cleanup

Co-Passenger Headrest

After Shots

After shots from behind

Driver Seat post cleanup

Passenger Seats

Dashboard & View from Co-Passenger Seat

Workshop View from Outside

Disclaimer: I've paid for the service out of my own pocket, I am not attached to them in any manner, nor do I benefit in any manner if you get the work done over there. This is not a sponsored post or advertisement of any kind, I genuinely felt they offer good service at a decent price & thought to share with fellow car enthusiasts.

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Even after deciding to replace our old Tata SUV with a petrol automatic hatchback, I was confused between the Altroz, Hyundai i20 and Maruti Baleno / Toyota Glanza.

BHPian abusyms recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Downsizing and upgrading from a Tata Safari Dicor VTT 2.2 diesel to a Hyundai i20 Sportz (O) IVT was one of the most difficult decisions I had to take till now. It took me about half a year to convince myself to take this decision and say it out loud to my wife.

The amount of space on offer, the high-speed stability, the sheer road presence and lastly the grunt of the engine post 1750 RPM was phenomenal. On the open highway, there was no other car which could match up to this. I had bought it as it was my dream car since childhood. However, as I was using it for my commute primarily in the city, driving this behemoth in the ever-growing Pune traffic was taking a toll on my left foot and back.

The main factors due to which I took the decision to let go of my Safari were:

1. A mere half an hour's commute which I used to previously enjoy turned into a nightmare and I used to be exhausted driving it. Almost 70% of the travel time I’d have to struggle on half clutch in the bumper-to-bumper traffic and this is where the size of the vehicle was felt. I noticed that I started using the Safari less and less and chose to use either the bike or the Alto instead to enjoy the easy manoeuvrability in the city traffic for the past 1 year.
2. Due to the car’s age and less use, the maintenance cost per km was going up day by day.
3. The year of manufacture being 2010, the registration was valid till 2025 and would come to re-registration and honestly, I was not sure if I would continue to use it for another 5 years.
4. No safety rating – Now I know that people will tell me that the Safari was a tank and doesn’t really need the fancy safety features like Airbags, ABS with EBD, Traction control, etc. To which I agree and I had the same opinion, but it all changed when I was travelling with my 6-month-old daughter and having all these safety features was for my peace of mind.
5. Diesel phase-out plans initiated by the Government.
6. Lastly, the car being 14 years old, was starting to show its age. Basically, there was no problem with the engine or transmission or even the Air Conditioning, but the rattling or squeaking noises from all over the cabin were starting to get to me.

The Safari was immensely enjoyed by me and my family for almost 5.5 years (I was the second owner). I clearly understood that I was not letting the car live up to its true potential and that it needed to be driven more. Hence I finally took the decision to stop being selfish and let someone else have a chance to explore this beast. Possibly someone who drives more on the highway. Fortunately, I found the right match for my Safari. Although I had difficulty parting ways with it, it was the best alternative.

Nevertheless, I decided to replace my craze of owning a diesel manual SUV with a more convenient petrol automatic hatchback.

Now moving on to the second part of this write-up:

Considering my daily commute and occasional long drive I was looking for a premium hatchback with an automatic transmission. With these criteria in mind, my research narrowed down my search to 3 contenders.

• Tata Altroz – XZA Plus (s) (DCT)
• Hyundai i20 – Sportz (O) (IVT)
• Baleno/Glanza – Alpha AGS (AMT)

Why I chose Hyundai i20

1. Good space and Premium interiors – the Baleno/Glanza interiors have started looking a bit dated and even the new head-up display is more of a gimmick for me. Further, out of the 3 contenders taking into consideration the interior design, layout, rear seat space, premium feel of the cabin, the i20 was just a better place to be. The Altroz with its dated instrument cluster, smaller infotainment screen, the ambient lighting did not cut it. Specifically, I was not expecting the back seat of a 4 mtr hatchback to be that cramped. I20 had the best of both worlds - interior design, quality and space.
2. IVT Transmission – I had also read that DCT transmission tends to overheat when driven in bumper-to-bumper traffic and the maintenance cost is a tad on the higher side as compared to CVT/IVT. I understood that DCA has wet clutch technology which solved the overheating issue and I attempted booking a test drive but ‘Tata’ being ‘Tata’ they never had the DCA model available for a test drive, and I wasn’t going to take a decision to buy an automatic based on a test drive of a manual. All other features can be imagined, but transmission is something that you have to take a feel of before you make the decision. Baleno was struck off from the list as soon as I understood that it is no longer offering CVT transmission, only AMT was falling in my budget and having driven AMT before, I was not a fan of it. Although CVT/IVT doesn’t have the same level of punchiness as a manual but what does?
3. Extraordinary customer service – I have always been a fan of the new range of Tata cars but reading the reviews online I was not confident about their After Sales Service. The fact that they could not arrange a test drive with the DCA version for almost 2 weeks did not help nudge me towards Tata. It felt like ‘I’ wanted to buy a car from them that they didn’t want to sell. On the contrary, I was really impressed with the Hyundai Customer acquisition process. It felt like they were eagerly waiting to welcome me to the family. The entire journey from the scheduling of a Test drive on the Hyundai website which happened at the scheduled time at my residence till taking delivery of the vehicle at the showroom, the entire journey was very flawlessly executed by the Hyundai salesman. I agree that it’s the car that’s important, but these are little things that make a huge impact and aid in customer acquisition.
4. 1.2 L petrol engine paired with an IVT was promising decent punchiness and mileage. Turn it to sport mode and the revs go all to way to the red line (but the engine gulps down fuel like water). I am not an engineer, so I don’t understand whether there are any gears in IVT or not, but whatever there is or isn’t for a normal driver like me doesn’t really matter. All that matters is that I barely noticed any gear shifts.
5. Safety and other features – 6 Airbags, ABS, EBD, Traction control, Drive modes, Sunroof, wireless charger, wireless Android auto and Apple carplay, etc. The i20 feature list far exceeded my expectations and minimum requirements.

In the end, although I feel sorry for letting go of my childhood dream, I am happy with how things worked out for the Safari as well as for me. I will soon be posting my overall experience of owning and maintaining the i20 as well.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

A 3-cylinder turbo-petrol mated to a dual-clutch transmission is not the best recipe for achieving good fuel efficiency in city traffic and this car is no exception.

BHPian Potenza recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

25,000 Km with the Hyundai i20 Turbo-DCT

It’s been more than three years since our i20 came home, a day before Dhanteras in 2020. During this time, it’s been our constant companion in Mumbai and Pune, been with us on some memorable holidays, frustrated us to the core with one big niggle, made our lives comfortable with its quiet cabin experience and entertained our drives with its lively engine. This is a review of our i20-1.0 T-GDi DCT Asta (O), all 25,000 km of it.

Design & Styling

Sensuous sportiness is what Hyundai calls the design language on which the i20 is based. Not sure about sensuous but yes it does look sporty and aggressive. The lines are sharp, the power bulge on the hood looks awesome and the headlamps and DRLs make the car look as if it means business. The distinctive tail lamps look great at night and there is no way you can mistake this car for something else. In profile the car looks extremely sporty, the piano-black elements on all four sides lending a touch of class to the design. The car looks well-proportioned and to my eyes, it looks fast even while standing still. The design is something that attracted us to this car and we really like the bold, in-your-face design.

What we don’t quite like is the unnecessarily heavy usage of chrome everywhere. I would have loved to have body-coloured door handles and a piano black door sill (a la the i20 N-Line) instead of chrome everywhere. And the chrome applique on the tail lamp spoils what is one great-looking tail lamp design.

There is minimal visual differentiation between the Turbo and Non-Turbo versions. A slightly different grille design which is noticeable only to the keen eye and just ONE turbo badge is not enough to offer to customers who have paid more. Yes, Hyundai had an N-Line in the pipeline but even then, how about a few more turbo badges at least?

Build Quality, Fit & Finish

Being a Hyundai, build quality was obviously not expected to be German-esq and it clearly isn’t. However, this particular generation of the i20 feels distinctly flimsier than the earlier ones. While there are no rattles and squeaks till date, the poor build is apparent while driving over Mumbai’s broken roads. The way the car thuds over potholes, ruts and lane markers is a clear giveaway of the poor build. Some panels also flex easily and the hatch in particular has taken the brunt of improper closing at malls. There are two distinct thumb-shaped depressions on the hatch, clearly made by too much pressure at the wrong place, and this clearly shows how thin the sheet metal on that part is.

Wheels and Tyres

The car is shod with 16-inch diamond cut alloys with 195/55 R16 CEAT SecuraDrive tyres. This is the first car in our family after my grandfather’s Ambassador to have CEATs (remember the ubiquitous CEAT Safety Drive?) and frankly, they are well below par. The tyre is clearly made for long life. The rubber is hard, the sidewalls are not supple and the tyre is generally uncomfortable and lacks grip. Another 10k Kms and I will get rid of them. The Alloys on the other hand look great and complement the edgy styling of the car.

Interiors

The car is extremely spacious, I am 5’10” and there is plenty of legroom at the back with the driver’s seat set for me. The rear seat is great on width too and will put many bigger cars to shame. 3-abreast rear seating was never a purchase criterion for us but for those who need it the rear seat is wide enough to accommodate three people in relative comfort. The i20 is also one of the rare hatchbacks which have a rear armrest. The armrest is positioned at a good height and serves its purpose. There is no cup-holder at the back, but in our car, the rear seat has rarely been used so it hardly matters. The seats are covered in smart-looking leatherette. The seats themselves are pretty comfortable and are fine for drives up to 3-4 hours. But the front seats lack any sort of lumbar support and this becomes a problem on long drives. We noticed it on a Goa-Pune drive when both our backs started hurting after around 6 hours of driving.

Internal storage is sufficient, our 1 Litre bottles fit perfectly in all the door trims and there is also a map pocket at the back of the passenger seat if anyone needs it. The front armrest is adjustable for length and the storage area underneath easily takes in my wallet, home keys and a small sanitiser bottle without any rattling noise. Sadly, one of the cup holders is occupied permanently by the air purifier which is a bit irritating. I would’ve preferred the extra cup holder to a purifier which should’ve had its own place.

In contrast to the external design, the interior design is pretty straightforward and timeless. The all-black dashboard looks contemporary and classy. The horizontal lines between the vents make the car feel wider than it is, the vents themselves are simple, easy to adjust and feel solid. The A/C controls thankfully are not touch-operated. All the A/C buttons and toggle switches for temperature and fan speed work with a positive click and can be operated without distracting the driver. The ambient lighting gives a nice blue hue to the interiors at night. The steering wheel is one of the nicer Hyundai wheels, it's small enough for my liking and the leather wrap feels good to hold. All the buttons fall to hand and it does its job well.

The digital instrument cluster looks good with everything being clearly displayed, although the purist in me will always prefer an analogue cluster. Vehicle speed and RPM are indicated by a numerical readout as well as moving bands on either side of the cluster. Honestly, I have never referred to the moving bands whilst driving and rely solely on the numeric readout. The readout for the revs is rather stupid. Who the hell refers to RPM in decimals? They could easily have deleted the decimal and left it at 12,20,25 etc with a “x100 rpm” sign. Hyundai has provided a temperature gauge as usual which I really like. I think this is one basic thing that should never be sacrificed at the altar of cost-cutting. While driving, the gauge always stays at the five-dot mark and usually takes around a Km to reach that stage.

The MID display shows the usual trip data with separate read-outs for accumulated trip information and current drive information. There is also an instantaneous fuel efficiency indicator with a horizontal bar showing the instantaneous consumption with the average F.E. shown in numbers. In Nav-mode, the MID shows data for the next turn including pictorial signs at places like flyovers, bridges etc. Pretty cool in this segment.

On the subject of the MID, a special mention of the Distance-to-empty (DTE) readout is a must. DTE is supposed to give you an approximate indication of the range that the car will travel with the available fuel. This reading should change with traffic conditions as it has done in all my previous cars. Essentially what this means is that the range should be calculated on the basis of driving conditions of the last 30/50 Km. However, Hyundai’s DTE seems to have only one formula to it. It only shows you the maximum possible distance that the car can travel at any given point in time. Due to this, the DTE readout is always highly optimistic and never accurate.

The MID also displays TPMS data for every wheel. The TPMS is temperamental, to say the least. While it’s a good feature to have, the readings vary widely depending on the time of day you’re driving and frankly I find it hard to believe that a reading of 33 psi in the morning can become 37 psi by afternoon. I understand that air expands etc. but to such an extent? I’ve had the TPMS light come on a couple of times when the air pressure in one of the tyres has reached 27psi. There was no puncture, it was another example of air pressure contracting depending on the time of day. While I always checked pressures in cold conditions for all our cars, I now make it a point to check pressures only late at night or very early in the morning.

A lot has been said about the quality of plastics in the car. In my opinion, the interiors definitely don’t look cheap. The dashboard plastics look very contemporary and go a long way in making the cabin look upmarket. Yes, the door trim plastics definitely could be better, but even they don’t look cheap. It's only when you touch it and feel the rough surface that you realise how hard it is. Frankly, it doesn’t bother either of us, and nobody who’s seen the car has commented on that.

What is definitely sub-par is the quality of the headlamp and wiper stalks. The headlamp stalk confounds me. The operation of the stalk is like premium cars i.e., shifting from low-beam to high-beam is seamless without a click. But the stalk itself is really sharp in certain places. It all looks good in the OFF position, but twist the switch and the sharp, rough inner edge peeks out. Same is the case with the wiper stalk.

The boot easily takes in weekend luggage for a family of four. One of the rare occasions when the rear seat was used was on a trip to Mahabaleshwar, and four cabin-sized strolly bags went in easily. The rear seat can be folded down if needed and comfortably takes in my bicycle with its front wheel removed.

Infotainment

The infotainment screen is large with a 10.25-inch display, the touch quality is excellent and responses are instant. But what stands out is the seamlessness of the system. The UX is absolutely slick, has never hung, and has generally worked perfectly till date. Both of us paired our phones to the system on Day 1 of purchase and it actually amazes me that we’ve never had to do the pair/unpair cycle even once after that. We also have a Gen 5 City CVT at home and compared to this system Honda’s DIGIPAD is trash. The i20’s system allows us to switch between phones very easily and that adds to the ease-of-use factor.

What I also like is the integration of the system with the MultiFunction Steering wheel. Once you set everything and start driving there is no need for the driver to touch the screen for anything. All the basic controls that are needed are present on the steering wheel. There is a separate button for answering calls and hanging up/rejecting. While driving with the A/C on in AUTO mode, the blower speed reduces automatically if you get a call and reverts to the original speed after you hang up. Very thoughtful. The system also updates pretty regularly. Given the condition of Vi’s network nowadays the updates do take a long time but they don’t hinder the functioning of the system in any way.

Neither of us are audiophiles and for us, the BOSE branded sound system is more than adequate for our usage.

The in-built navigation is obviously not up to Google Maps standard. With constant road construction going on in Bombay, old roads get closed to traffic and new ones are inaugurated on a regular basis. Updates for these changes take a long time to arrive and one is much better off using Google Maps in most situations. For E.g., the map update which showed the new Bandra East to BKC flyover came 3-4 months after the flyover was operational. On the plus side, the on-board Navi has very clear pictorial displays in situations like flyovers and bridges where it clearly shows you which road to take. Neat.

Air-Conditioning

The air-conditioner operates well and cools the cabin in no time. Even in situations when the car has been soaking up the sun, the A/C cools the car effectively and quickly. Our default setting is 23 degrees in AUTO mode which is perfect in most situations. For temperatures close to 40 degrees in bumper-to-bumper traffic, we have sometimes gone down to around 20 degrees but never below that. As I mentioned above fan speed is lowered automatically in AUTO mode whilst talking on the phone and goes back to the original speed after hanging up.

On the move

I like to sit as low as possible while driving and the driving position of the i20 is perfect for that. I don’t need to see the front left extremity of the car while driving and that allows me to sit with the seat at its lowest setting. The steering wheel is adjustable for rake and reach and helps in finding a good driving position quickly. The pedals are well placed and the armrest is at a comfortable height. The dead pedal could have been bigger, but I’m used to it now and doesn’t bother me anymore. The armrest is also wide enough for both of us to share it with our respective elbows. All round visibility is good and the IRVM is wide enough considering the size of the rear windscreen. The power window and mirror controls are well placed, but only the driver’s switch is backlit, which is a shame. At this price, Hyundai should have included UV-Cut glass all round. The level of tint on the windows and windscreens is not sufficient and lets in intense heat. The sunroof is something that both of us like, mainly because the light that comes in makes the car feel bright and airy. We’ve got dark sun film for the sunroof to keep the heat and a bit of light out.

Start the car when the engine is cold, and you’re greeted with a very rough-sounding three-pot motor. The sound is such that initially I felt that there was something wrong, but it quickly quietens down once warmed up. It takes a couple of days to get used to the cold start cacophony. The engine usually reaches its operating temperature in less than a Km in Mumbai weather and traffic.

City Driving

The light steering, excellent air-conditioning, comfortable seats and great driving position make city driving a breeze. You can hear a typical 3-cylinder thrum while driving around town at low speed (around 20-30 kph), but once you go slightly faster it fades away. What we really love is the sense of serenity that pervades the cabin. The NVH package filters outside noise very effectively and in combination with the super-effective A/C makes the cabin a quiet and calm place at all times.

Driving in Mumbai/Pune city, the performance is more than adequate, the slightly weak bottom-end results in a slowish initial response, but if you want to play traffic-light grand prix then the T-GDI is the engine to have amongst the range.

Hyundai’s DCT is not the most responsive around, but it’s still more than acceptable and while it hesitates a bit at standing starts, it quickly makes up for that momentary pause and accelerates to the needed speed briskly. On the move, the DCT engages gears smoothly and seamlessly, the way it is supposed to.

However, bumper-to-bumper traffic can sometimes confuse the DCT. Short acceleration and braking cycles make the gearbox fumble for gears and sometimes it cannot decide which gear is to be selected. This gets exacerbated if the road is slightly uphill/downhill. So sometimes you have situations where the gearbox downshifts/upshifts exactly when you want it to do the opposite and results in a jerky driving experience. This has more to do with it being a DCT than any defect and once you’re used to it, this behaviour becomes a bit easy to predict and handle.

Ride quality in the city is clearly below par. The car handles Mumbai/Pune city roads well without becoming uncomfortable, but the ride has a distinct harsh edge to it. The car has a tendency to crash into potholes at city speeds, which is partially due to the harsh ride and partially due to the hard Ceats.

Out on the highway

Our car is powered by Hyundai’s 1.0 T-GDi which makes 120 PS and 172 Nm. The engine belongs to the Kappa II engine family and is a 3-cylinder all-aluminium unit with a 12-valve DOHC head. The 3-pot Turbo-petrol is surprisingly smooth and sweet sounding even when revved hard.

Even with 120 PS and 172 Nm on tap, the performance of the 1.0 T-GDI is not what one can term as “explosive”. But, it’s fast. It propels the car to triple-digit speeds with a nonchalance that makes the car great fun to drive (more on this later) and long distances are covered effortlessly, without breaking into a sweat. While climbing ghats, slow lane-hogging trucks are dispatched with utmost ease and the car is at home on the highway, performing superbly as a long-distance mile-muncher. Drives to Goa, the Western Ghats etc feel like a piece of cake and I really love the effortless manner in which long distances are covered without the engine sounding strained in any situation.

However, there is a fly in the ointment. The car falls well short in the high-speed ride and handling department. Out on the highway, the i20 Turbo feels planted till around 120 Kph. But push a bit more and it feels loose, and light and doesn’t inspire any confidence to go faster. In terms of highway ride quality, the i20 rides well if the going is smooth and manages the odd bump, but hit a series of bumps and the car loses composure immediately and you quickly need to reduce speed.

Driving in ghats, the chassis gets overwhelmed with the speeds that the engine is capable of and gives up far before reaching the limits of the engine or the driver. As a result, you need to come off the throttle just as you start having fun. I’ve never driven a N-Line but clearly, this version is a bit of a contradiction with its excellent engine mated to a very poor chassis. The road to Mahabaleshwar is one of my favourite drives and in this car, I always reach Mahabaleshwar with the feeling of wanting more.

Braking is best described as adequate. It's sufficient to make the car come to a halt, but the brake pedal feels too soft and pressure modulation is difficult. There is also a minuscule delay between pressing the brake and the car starting to slow down. It’s easy to over-brake or under-brake and that is never a comfortable feeling.

All in all, this car’s weak chassis has forced Hyundai to compromise low-speed ride in order to achieve acceptable high-speed stability and ride quality. Clearly, this is a car that needs to be driven sensibly.

Fuel Efficiency

A 3-cylinder Turbo-Petrol mated to a DCT transmission is not the best recipe for achieving good fuel efficiency in city traffic, and the i20 Turbo is no exception. Pottering around Bandra, BKC, Kurla including the infamous Lal Bahadur Shastri (LBS) Marg the car returns between 8-9 kpl. Please note that this is in heavy rush-hour traffic with lots of idling with the A/C on.
On one particularly memorable evening, we took 2 hours to traverse the 11 km between Bandra West and Kurla West and the car returned 4.5 kpl. This was an exception though and I don’t hold it against the car. Just putting it out here to show the worst-case scenario.

But, trips to South-Mumbai where traffic is considerably less result in double-digit fuel efficiency and the car returns an excellent 11-13 kpl. This is of course aided by running on the Eastern Freeway or the sea link, and just goes to show how badly traffic affects turbo-petrols.

Out on the highway, with excellent power comes excellent fuel efficiency and the i20 Turbo redeems itself with fuel efficiency consistently between 17-20kpl. This includes trips to Goa, Mahabaleshwar, Koyna and numerous Mumbai-Pune runs.

BlueLink

Firstly, BlueLink is a must-have feature that works well most of the time.

Unlocking the car from the app is slightly slow, but locking happens much quicker. Starting the car remotely has been a boon on hot summer afternoons. The secret to getting it to work is to read the manual carefully and understand the conditions under which the remote start/stop/lock/unlock works. For e.g., the car will not start unless the handbrake is pulled to five clicks at least which is a necessary safety requirement. Once all the conditions are met and there is enough network strength available, the system works.

Yes, it does have its quirks, especially related to Vodafone’s poor network, but once you’re used to it it’s a great feature to have. The way I look at it is that I’d rather have it work 80% of the time than not have the feature at all.

My subscription has currently expired but will be renewing it soon.

Niggles

Two of them. The first one still keeps coming back. The rear hatch started rattling after around 2 months of usage. Hyundai replaced the latch under warranty. The first replacement worked for 6 months and again started rattling. They replaced it again with a modified part and worked fine till six months back. The latch was changed in warranty again in September'23 which made the problem go away. But it's February now and the irritating noise is back. I understand new cars have issues but this is a bit too irritating. It’s been more than three years now.

The second niggle exposed Hyundai’s apathy towards its customers. Around the same time of the rattling sound (Dec 2020), the car refused to unlock by pressing the request sensor. The switch was temperamental, it used to work at times and not work when it wanted. This happened randomly without any pattern. However, the request sensor on the hatch used to work without fail. Since only the door request sensor didn’t work and the one on the hatch always did, this problem was initially diagnosed as a problem with the door handle request sensor. The handle was ordered, the technician came home and replaced the handle, which worked for a few days.

A few days later the same problem struck. Another handle was ordered, and installed but the problem kept on repeating. Hyundai then advised the workshop to replace the Body-Control-Module (BCM), but Shreenath Hyundai’s Govandi workshop messed up the BCM programming and two days later they had to order a second BCM and the car was sent to the main workshop in Jogeshwari for proper programming and replacement.

Next evening Hyundai confirmed that the BCM replacement had happened correctly and the car was ready. I asked them not to send it in the evening since I like to check the car in daylight before taking delivery, so they sent it over the next morning. On the way, the inexperienced driver scratched the car in a few places, on the rear bumper, RH driver door and front bumper. Car was sent back to Shreenath and they sent back the car after a couple of days in the bodyshop. This was in March 2021.

June 2021, the problem struck again. I had lost patience by then and the sheer incompetence of Hyundai’s “National Customer Care Manager” was too much to handle. The gentleman in question emailed me to “assure me that they are taking care of the problem”. But two days later when I called him up to discuss something he asked me not to call him since their Mumbai team was already on the job and they were the ones who I should be speaking to and not him. In reply, I asked him if that was the case why did he send me an email in the first place? Just to reassure me? Infuriated by his nincompoopery, and mere lip-service by him and other members of Hyundai’s HO after-sales team I escalated the matter to Tarun Garg and only then did they take the issue seriously.

Long story short, the car was delivered to me in a week and it’s been working fine ever since. Sadly, they had to remove the entire dashboard to figure out the problem. Thankfully it doesn’t rattle in spite of the disassembly.

A word of praise for Hyundai’s After Sales Area Manager responsible for Shreenath at the time. He was the junior most person in the whole chain of command, but he was the most honest and straightforward of the lot. He honestly informed me of another scratch that happened while removing the dash and I allowed him to rectify it without going into details.

What the real problem was, I don’t know. They replaced the key set under warranty, but I don’t think that was the root cause. The problem was sorted and I didn’t bother to dig further. No compensation was asked for the trouble and none was offered.

Faults

Just one. In June/July last year, I had given the car to Kothari Hyundai Pune for some bodywork repair. While collecting the car from them post-denting-painting, the airbag light popped up. GDS diagnosed the culprit to be a defective Clock Spring. Since Kothari did not have the part in stock, I got it replaced under warranty from Shreenath’s Jogeshwari workshop. The part cost was Rs.11,850/-

Hyundai Service

I’ve spent Rs.17,433/- on routine service till date. No other costs have been incurred. That is basically 58 paise/Km (considering 30,000 service has been done) and that is amongst the cheapest maintenance costs that I’ve incurred in all these years of car ownership, way cheaper than even Maruti.

On the flip side, I think Shreenath Hyundai’s Govandi service center is ok, nothing to write home about. I carried out the second service at Arsh Hyundai Chembur and the service was pretty similar. The advantage with Arsh is their service center is located in a far better place as well as the infrastructure at the workshop is way better than Shreenath Govandi. Neither of these workshops has pleased me enough to go there regularly. Shreenath’s Jogeshwari workshop is better than their Govandi one, more organised and located in a better area.

Next time, I plan to service the car in Pune, in my experience with other brands Pune workshops offer a much better personal touch than Mumbai ones.

Conclusion

After 25,000 Km and 39 months, our experience with the i20 Turbo DCT has been good, but it could have been much better without the niggles and Hyundai HQ's poor response.

Having said that there are some clear positives as well. The design is superb to look at. The in-cabin experience, performance, space, air-conditioning, extensive feature-list, all combine to make every drive comfortable and hassle-free. Whether it is a drive in the city or on a long journey, the car is never a topic of concern and that is always a good thing. That really shows the easy-going hassle-free nature of the i20.

We particularly love the absolute calm of the cabin irrespective of traffic conditions. No, this is no hot hatch and we are fine with it. The effortless performance that the 1.0 T-GDi delivers can be easily enjoyed if driven sensibly.

The way to enjoy the i20 is to drive within its performance envelope. Do that and you realise that the car punches well above its weight in most other areas.

Hope you enjoyed reading this review. Thank you!

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

I feel the car wobbles/dances for some time after going through potholes, I am not sure if it is normal or abnormal

BHPian monsta007 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hello,

First of all thanks for stopping by.

The car in question is an i-Gen i20, Sports AT, 2012 Aug registration, Petrol. It has completed about 57K kilometers till date. It was purchased used from a good used car dealership in Mid Oct 2023. So far I've driven it about 550 Kilometers, majority in city with traffic.

It was checked by a mechanic before purchasing (This mechanic is a friend of a taxi driver, who has become like a family member, and we rely on him for any local trips), he said the car slightly goes towards the left, 1 of the tail lights had water in it, but works (not a deal breaker), AC cooling was poor. Other than that the car was mechanically fit.

Since I don't know about the service history & since this is my first vehicle, I have felt a few issues. Also I may not be very tech savvy, so some component terms may have been named incorrectly, kindly bear with me.

Before that, following things were done so far:

• Wheel Alignment (Day of purchase)
• Wheel balance (Day of purchase)
• Wheel rotation (Day of Purchase, found out 1 of the wheel had 4 punctures lol but tyre guy said that the tyre has lot of life left)
• Front brake disc cleaning, apologies I dont know the exact name but the silver part which usually looks rusty (About a month back)
• Rear tyres change to Bridgestone Sturdo (About 1.5 months back, since 1 had 4 punctures, found out a fifth one & both were nearly 5 years old, decided to get rid of them)
• Installation of JK Tyre TPMS (About 1.5 months back)
• Coolant changed to Castrol, as previously Abro was used and it looked diluted (Around November 2023)
• 4 Spark Plugs changed & 1 ignition coil replaced as it was dead, engine had no effect when it was disconnected (Around November)
• GPS Tracker installed, gives live location 24*7, ignition alerts and all (Possibly in November or December) Details & Review here.

No other electrical accessories were installed (Android, Dashcam and all)

Now am facing the following issues:

• AC is extremely poor performing (I do have a complete AC servicing scheduled in the coming few weeks, where the entire dashboard will be opened and it will be cleaned thoroughly, as am sure it was never shown love by the previous owner)
• I feel the car wobbles/dances for some time after going through potholes, I am not sure if it is normal or abnormal as this is my first vehicle & don't have any means to tell if it needs some fixing or not (I drive not more than 40 kmph, thanks to city traffic, but I can feel the car wobbling after it goes through any uneven patch for some time and I can feel it on all 4 corners)
• Since it is nearly 11+ years old, should I get the brake oil & gear oil changed? (The mechanic who changed the coolant said not required & let it run as it is, but I am concerned as I plan to keep the car for the next few years)
• The engine temperature gauge once crossed above 90 degrees, possibly crossed it by 2-2.5mm, 93-94 degrees? (5 people were in the car with AC on which wasn't effective & it was being driven by a hired driver on "L" gear, he advised to get the radiator checked & we switched off the AC for rest of the journey. I did visit my trusted workshop who cleaned the radiator? by spraying it with water, although we haven't seen the temperature cross 90 mark after that, but I have a question, should I get the radiator flushed once for better performance?)
• I happened to see the cabin filters, they were simply thin metal (mosquito net types) & not the usual paper ones I've seen like the engine filter types, with folds & flaps. I'm sure this technology must have been a pioneer in 2012, but is it possible to use those paper filters in the car, or the mosquito net type thing is the only option available? I personally think the mosquito net cannot filter fine dust particles which the paper filter will be able to filter out, hence the question.
• The mileage I've calculated on full tank to full tank method came to 6-6.2 km/l, majority city driving. I am not sure if it is a good mileage or a poor mileage, I use a very light foot to drive (Not crossing 40-45 kmph) no hard accelerations, is it possible that car will perform better or bit better if AC, Radiator flush work is done? or is it something I've to live with, since the dealer said anywhere between 10 to 14 kilometers a liter. Do note AC is on 95% of the times when driving with temperature set to 22-23, altough it doesn't perform very good lol.
• Headlight throw is very poor, giving no confidence to drive in the evenings even with high beam, hence I don't take the car out after sunset & prefer morning/daytime driving. What possible alternative headlights/bulbs can I look at which give a decent throw and doesn't blind the person on the receiving side?
• Not very happy with the speaker performance as I like music while driving (played through USB Stick), not that its poor quality but I feel it can be improved drastically as I feel 1 of the speakers in the rear (Rear right) sounds very low, kindly suggest some decent speakers without blowing the bank. Not interested in installing any android unit, fine with the stock music player, please suggest accordingly. I'm not looking for anything that can pierce the ears, but something sweet & decent enough.
• Brakes altough feels very smooth does not give the confidence, I don't slam the brakes but I feel the braking is a bit laggy, comes to the same question, should I get brake oil replaced?
• Acceleration feels laggy, is it normal for automatics or something that can be improved? (The mechanic who changed coolant said can't do anything in automatics as it self decides). I feel the car struggles after 40-45, and takes some time to respond to the acceleration, I feel like by the time it reaches the speed of 60 from 40 its time to brake so why bother speeding.
• Currently it has Exide battery & the charge ring shows white (Needs charging), spoke to the mechanic who said it is fine & will charge as I use the car, I did ask him to check it for its health in January this year. Battery was purchased in Jan 2023 by previous owner probably, I did not get the warranty card/invoice during the purchase, my question is should I get it replaced or simply checked? Car starts with 1 self in 1-1.5 seconds.
• Co-passenger door has started to make some weird noise when opening & closing, as if some metal is bending, wasn't present before
• Sometimes I can experience this noise, for the same reason brakes were cleaned, although the noise is still present at times but the frequency of occurrence has reduced, is it part and parcel of automatics?

Thank you for stopping by & thanks in advance for your replies, before replying I'd like to repeat, I don't have something to compare to, this is my first car, all things I mentioned are based on my own experience, I'm happy to listen to all feedback which can improve the cars performance.

One more thing, since many will point out, Engine oil change is planned at 1000 kilometers, not sure if flush is required or not. Dealer advised to get it changed after running 1,000 kms, am not sure which oil was used in the past, I plan to use a good one along with air filter change.

Cheers,

montsa007

Here's what GTO had to say on the matter:

Don't buy a 10-year old used car next time . Stick to something newer, even if it's from a segment lower.  What you need is a great independent mechanic. Go to Sunil Shanbagh at Dadar. He won't give you a quick turnaround time; he takes his own time to repair & fix, but his work is good & his workshop is honest.

Or you can search within the Team-BHP Directory for mechanics closer to you.

Would suggest searching through the Team-BHP archives for car maintenance tips & advice. As a car owner, you need to stay informed.

6 - 7 kmpl is standard for Hyundai 1.2L ATs.

All 10-year old cars will have niggles, issues & problems. You will have to learn to live with some of them, and only fix the crucial ones. When you go to a good indie mechanic, also evaluate whether it's worth spending money on this car. Shouldn't be throwing good money after bad. Or just swap it for a newer Maruti hatchback (even if from a lower segment). They are the best for 1st-time car buyers in the used market.

Here's what BHPian sagarpatki had to say on the matter:

• Get the AC condensor cleaned. You will need to remove the front bumper for this. Do not use high pressure water. You will be shocked by the amount of black muck that will come out of the Radiator and Condenser fins. Use some soap and soft brush to agitate the dirt on the fins and rinse off again. You will see huge improvement in AC performance provided the refrigerant is available in the required quantity. Do this before opening the dashboard for cleaning the evaporator coil. IMO, it is not needed if the cabin air filter/AC filter was cleaned when needed.
• Stock AC filter is mesh type. Please paper type is available. Go for Valeo or Purolator brands.
• Most likely more than one shock absorbers are shot.
• Yes. Get them changed. Since it is AT , see this video. It has all the details you need about the AT fluid and filter
• Answer to number 1 should solve this issue as well.
• Product link for better cabin filter provided in 1 above
• Do not know about mileage. But check and replace Air filter. A dirty air filter is number one cause for low pickup and mileage. If Air filter is new, get the MAP sensor cleaned.
• Note- The top of the air filter will look clean. Look at the bottom part of the air filter for the actual dirt!
• You can upgrade to better bulbs from Philips/Osram. Are the Headlamp glasses have optical clarity?
• I cannot suggest much here.
• Check the brakes for jamming. Clean and lube the caliper slide pins with proper caliper grease. Maybe some pics of the brakes will help
• Check point 6 above
• Top up distilled water and drive for a few days. If the battery health is good, it should go back to green.
• Should be a small fix at any service center
• Check point 9 above
• Do not use flush.

Use a good quality engine oil from Shell/Mobil

Here's what BHPian Manoj2688 had to say on the matter:

• Step 1 - Get all fluids changed, Engine Oil, Transmission Oil and filter, brake fluid flush, AC flush and fill, Fuel filter, spark plugs, AC belt, Timing belt.
• Step 2 - All things that need lubrication(greasing) need to be lubricated. Brake caliper Pins, hinges, linkages etc. Ensure ALL bolts are torqued to spec. This is what I feel gets missed out everytime. Raju Mechanic, who has learnt from an ustaad 21 years ago thinks that the oil pan bolt and the filter need to be torqued to 800Nm and the wheel bolts to 1500 Nm
• Step 3 - All rubber parts that are cracked, replace without question.
• Step 4 - Alignment/balancing at a REPUTED shop.

Drive for some time, let the drive cycle do the self check. If needed, do the italian tune up in the manual mode.

You WILL feel a noticeable difference.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information

In case you can install even a basic 15A home charger, you should also consider the Punch EV. The entry-level variants fall within your budget and it'll be an ideal city commuter.

BHPian drive1987 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I'm in the market place with a tight budget of 12 Lakhs (absolutely no stretching) for an automatic sedan. I need your expert advice/s please.

P.S: Strictly not looking at the used car market. The car has to be brand new.

Your responses would be highly appreciated, many thanks in advance!

Here's what GTO had to say on the matter:

Honda Amaze CVT is the best suited to your requirements. It's an all-rounder budget sedan & that smooth CVT is its USP in a sea of jerky AMTs.

In case you can install even a basic 15A home charger, you should also consider the Punch EV. The entry-level variants fall within your budget and it'll be an ideal city commuter.

Here's what BHPian bijims had to say on the matter:

At present, you have only a few options in this segment and price range, they are:

1. Tata Tigor XZA Plus Leatherette Pack

Priced at 10.50 lakhs OTR Bangalore, the Tigor offers reasonable performance owing to 1.2 litre 3-cylinder petrol producing 85 bhp of power and 113 Nm of torque, it comes mated to a 5-speed AMT (which although not best-in-class, gets the job done). It has a strong suspension and a good low-speed ride. The 4-star GNCAP rating is another positive and ensures safety is taken care of. However its drawbacks are fit, finish, and quality levels, as well as poor ASS in many cities. Moreover, its competitors offer a more spacious cabin. Now as regards offers on this model, you get discounts to the tune of 30k on the 2024 models and much higher discounts on leftover MY 2023 stock

2. Hyundai Aura SX Plus 1.2 AMT

At 10.70 lakhs OTR Bangalore, the Aura offers large seats, an airy cabin, and a general sense of space, the car is feature-loaded as well, with excellent quality fit, and finish levels. Service, spares, and resale aren't an issue either due to Hyundai's strong presence in the market. The 1.2 Litre 4-cylinder motor is smooth and offers adequate power (82 bhp) and torque (114 Nm) which improves driveability, although mated to an AMT, The Aura's AMT is best-in-class and offers the smoothest driving experience among all AMTs. The only major drawbacks are its bouncy ride and poor GNCAP score (2 stars). Offers for this month include discounts of upto 20k.

3. Maruti Dzire ZXi Plus AGS

The Dzire is long overdue for a facelift, and it should come out this year too, along with the new Swift facelift. If you are willing to wait, it will be worth it\

However, if you need a car now, then the Current Dzire ZXi Plus AGS at 11.30 lakhs OTR Bangalore is a good car for the money with a 1.2L 4-cylinder Dual Jet engine mated to a 5-speed AGS (AMT). The car is one of the most spacious in its class with adequate head, leg, and shoulder room. Ride quality is good and absorbent. After-sales network and resale is the best owing to being a Maruti. However, it has begun to look a bit dated and fit, finish isn't class-leading. Moreover, the 2-star GNCAP rating doesn't inspire confidence. Offers on this model are upto 32k this month.

4. Honda Amaze Elite Edition CVT

The Honda Amaze Elite Edition CVT costs exactly 12 lakhs OTR Bangalore and is perhaps the best sub-4-metre sedan in this segment right now, however, it is also due a facelift this year and is worth the wait. Despite the same, the current model is a great choice with the best-in-class CVT, big boot, cabin space, 10-year warranty, 4-star NCAP safety rating, etc. The 1.2L 4-cylinder IVTEC is an excellent engine producing 89 bhp of power and 110 Nm of torque. Moreover, the Honda Amaze Elite Edition gets some visible changes on its exterior including an Elite Edition badge, boot spoiler with built-in LED, front fender garnish, and anti-fog film on ORVMs, along with a host of features like TPMS, front armrest with a sliding function, tyre inflator, and Elite Edition-specific seat covers and illuminated scuff plates. Moreover, Honda is offering Upto Rs 92K Benefits (Inclusive of Upto Rs 30K Cash + Rs 15K Exchange Bonus + Corporate & Loyalty) on MY 2023 stock and around 50k benefits on MY 2024 stock.

Of the Above, it's the Amaze that I would recommend, owing to its rock-solid reliability and overall better packaging and safety credentials

Here's what BHPian Katryks had to say on the matter:

It would be Honda Amaze any day. I have owned a Honda Jazz and Honda City (sold recently) and I can vouch for its superb drive quality and suspension. The 1.2 ltr CVT is the same as the one on the Honda Jazz and its extremely smooth to drive. The gear shifts are hardly noticeable and rarely do you use the S Mode barring couple of occasions on the highway.

Amaze is due for a facelift and the rendering on various websites shows the car in a completely new design and looks beautiful if that's how the final production spec looks like.

Go for the Honda Amaze if you are looking at the completely fuss free and hassle-free ownership

Here's what BHPian Vkap257 had to say on the matter:

I would go on a limb here and propose Ciaz delta AT variant.

Everything better with reasonable equipment and no-nonsense ownership. Though it's slightly expensive and definitely over your budget. If you can stretch, do check it out.

Here's what BHPian mgastor2022grey had to say on the matter:

I'd like to differ from others and suggest to you the I20 1.2L IVT. Great car, at 11.XX L and way more fun to drive than the Amaze. Test drive this and the N-Line before making a decision. Trust me, great mod potential (for the N-Line) and amazing features along with spacious interiors will seal the deal for you. All the best for getting your dream steed

Here's what BHPian stormshadow had to say on the matter:

Honestly, as other's have suggested Amaze is a amazing car (pun intended) but I would suggest you to once visit the Tata showroom and look and TD the Altroz, the Altroz is in a different league compared to all the other cars in your budget in regards with the amount of space available and the build quality it offers. Plus with discounts I am pretty sure you can negotiate the highend variant XZA(S) DCT under your budget. Plus I think only Altroz gets the sunroof in comparison to all the other cars suggested in the budget.

Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.

The speedometer was erratic jumping between zero to the actual speed.

BHPian Romins recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

A few updates on maintenance of 2012 i20 CRDI, with odo 1,30,000

Recently dashboard showed an Electric power steering (EPS) system warning light, which started intermittently and was constant. The speedometer was erratic jumping between zero to the actual speed. My initial worry was EPS motor going bad. When the speedometer was showing zero, the EPS motor was not working as expected - no extra weight at higher speeds which makes it very sensitive to slight turns at high speeds. I got the scanning done and it was confirmed speedometer sensor was the culprit for this behaviour. Surprisingly, the sensor did not need a replacement. After cleaning the connectors it was working fine. Here is the part number in case you need a replacement.

Both RH and LH's lower arms needed a replacement because the rubber parts were worn out or cracked. The front suspension started making noise while climbing speed breakers in the city and at some bridges on the highways. We can replace the bush and individual parts which add up to almost the same amount for a single unit.

The clock spring was another part that needed replacement. The airbag warning light was the symptom and the audio controls on the steering will not work properly.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

The i20 Sportz (O) comes with an electric sunroof and a wireless charger.

Hyundai has introduced a new variant of the i20 hatchback. The Sportz (O) variant is priced at Rs 8.73 lakh (ex-showroom) and gets three additional features over the Sportz trim.

The new variant is based on the Sportz trim and is positioned blow the top-spec Asta trim. For an additional Rs 35,000, customers get an electric sunroof, a wireless charger, and a leatherette finish on the door armrests. 

The i20 Sportz (O) is powered by a 1.2-litre petrol engine that produces 82 BHP and 115 Nm. The engine is paired with a 5-speed manual gearbox. 

The Sportz (O) variant is also available with dual-tone colour options priced at Rs 8.88 lakh (ex-showroom).

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!

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

The new variant is likely to be positioned between the 'Sportz' and 'Asta' trims.

According to a media report, Hyundai is planning to introduce a new variant of the i20 called the 'Sportz (O)'. It is likely to be positioned between the 'Sportz' and 'Asta' trims.

It is said that the i20 Sportz (O) will get three new features. These include an electric sunroof, a wireless charging pad and a cushioned armrest on the driver-side door panel.

The i20 Sportz (O) will also get automatic climate control, cruise control, a height-adjustable driver seat, an electrically adjustable and foldable ORVMs, a cooled glovebox and LED tail lamps.

The new variant will be offered with the familiar 1.2-litre, 4-cylinder petrol engine that makes 82 BHP and 115 Nm. The engine will be paired with either a 5-speed manual or an IVT.

Source: Carwale