Hyundai i20 Review :: Test Drive

Hyundai India has launched its new car i20 recently and I went for a test drive of this car. This post is all about the review of i20 Asta. On the outlook i20 external appearance is more or less no different from i10, with few tweaks here and there. Though it is said that i20 will be replacing Getz, it is slightly a bit wider and lengthier than Getz. Also the height of the car has reduced a bit I would say. There are three levels of trim and a choice of 7 body colours to choose from vibrant or muted according to an individuals choice.

Seating:
In i20 front seats are excellent with good visibility though a bit lower than Santro. I felt a little bit uncomfortable since I am very much used to Santro Xing which gives an excellent visibility plus driver seating comfort for me :). Driver seat is spacious and comfortable for my height. However, I would doubt if seating will be the same for people over 6 feets. They would certainly feel the seat to be upright, steering to be low and not very comfortable. However the good news is that the front seats are adjustable in many ways. So make sure you get the right adjustment before you drive. My thighs were slightly brushing against the steering wheel when I sat initially, later on I managed to adjust the seat and then it was comfortable. Even the streering is adjustable. However the comfort level is not the same with rear seats. The legroom space is just about enough for rear seats and unfortunately is just okay for kids. It would be tough for elderly people to sit comfortably since the rear seats are too low. Also, the rear seat is very upright and this may make long journey for the passengers at the back slightly uncomfortable. Middle portion has a bulge and it will be uncomfortable for the person sitting in middle. Hence I would call it a 4 adult seater vehicle instead of 5.

Interiors:

Hyundai i20 interior dashboardThe quality of plastics used is very good and instrumental panel captures the immediate attention. It has aux-in and ipod/usb ports built into the mp3 system. It is very well laid out with smooth lines and soft edges. Even a/c and music controls are well placed. The music system can be controlled from the driver seat with ease. Also, the side mirrors can be adjusted with electronics. Another interesting aspect about i20 is that it has a very large boot space, which can easily fit it a lot of luggage if you are planning for a vacation!

Engine, Driving Comfort and Mileage:
Ride quality is incomparable with i10 and much better than Getz. However, I felt at times the drive was very bumpy. This may be attributed to Bangalore roads or the condition in which the vehicle was. The car is totally in a different league with respect, ride, build quality, directness of steering, tough body and good tyres with a respectable petrol engine of 1.2 litres Kappa felt smooth. But not smooth enough due to the bumpyness which I have mentioned already. The gear ratios seemed very short, resulting in often gear shifting at low speeds making driving a little bit stressful in heavy traffic. Also, I noticed that pickup in the second gear was poor. However, gear changing is as good as in any Hyundai branded car. Company sales executive claimed a fuel efficiency of 12-13 kmpl in city limits for i20. I doubt that, don’t go for Hyundai car if you have mileage as priority.

Price:
As usual, pricing is a big prolem for Hyundai cars. Getz failed because of pricing for its segment cars and here again we have another example. With an on road price of 5.6+ lakhs for the basic i20 model, I feel it is on the higher side. The Swift is undoubtedly the king in this segment and has the best looks, the best engine in both the petrol and diesel variants as well as the best servicing network amongst competitors. Mentioned below is the onroad price in Bangalore for i20 versions of Magna, Asta and Asta(O).