Maxabout.comEditor Review
Hyundai's Answer To Skoda
Wednesday, July 09, 2008Colors
Dashboard
Exterior
Interior
Other
Overview
Hyundai i20 made it's debut at the Paris Motor Show 2008. Similar to its predecessor i10, the i20 will be manufactured exclusively in India and exported to other countries.
Designed and developed in Europe to meet the high expectations of European drivers, and benefiting from Hyundai’s unlimited mileage five-year warranty, the i20 arrives fully armed to succeed in Europe’s ultra-competitive supermini sector.
Design
The all new Hyundai i20 reflects a complete blend of dynamism, elegance, and style with inspiring appeal, versatile interiors, high-end safety technologies, and futuristic car features. It is designed with emphasis on European style and build quality to set a new benchmark in India in the compact car segment.
The new Hyundai i20 delivers a contemporary and elegant look with its slim grille flanked by large air dams, piercing teardrop headlamps, creases on bonnet, and vertical tailgate. The astounding space under the tailgate provides ample space for luggage storage. In addition, striking and prominent lines mated with sculpted panels accentuate the modern and unique look of the car.
Interiors
Lower, longer and wider than the Getz it replaces all over world, the five-door i20 rides on an extended 2525mm wheelbase, enhancing its spacious interior architecture. Luxury and versatility blend seamlessly in the new i20’s spacious and generously appointed cabin.
i20’s list of standard features puts it head and shoulders above the majority of its rivals. The i20’s five-seater interior majors on everyday practicalities, with a 40:60 split flat-folding rear bench with a low lip for easy loading into the 295-litre boot. The i20 offers numerous intelligently positioned interior storage spaces including a large cooled passenger glovebox and two cupholders.
In keeping with its dynamic styling, i20 rides on an all-new platform with front MacPherson strut and rear torsion beam suspension to deliver the taut and alert ride quality favoured by the European market. The new rack and pinion steering setup has also been tuned to deliver quick and accurate responses resulting in excellent urban agility.
The driving position is easily adjustable, and is on the high side, so visibility is excellent, the seats comfortable and the controls are easily accessible. Hyundai has switched to new electric power steering set up for the i20. It’s accurate and weights up nicely at high speed.
Engine & Ride Quality
It has been initially launched with 1197cc Kappa petrol engine with 79 Bhp of maximum power and 110 Nm of torque. Hyundai is now planning to launch a CRDi variant and a more powerful model with 1.4 litre petrol engine. The 1.4 litre generates maximum power of 98 Bhp at 5500 rpm with maximum torque of 137 Nm at 4200 rpm. The engine has been tuned for minimum emissions & maximum economy.
Click here for more details of Hyundai i20 Diesel CRDi & Hyundai i20 1.4
The car's suspension consists of McPherson struts with stabilizer bar in the front and coupled torsion beam axle with coil springs in the rear. The suspension system is combined with gas filled shock absorbers that makes the dynamic i20 an optimum car for Indian road conditions. In addition, the modern and advanced motor driven power steering adds to the driving experience and results in effortless city driving.
Variants, Shades & Price
Presently, the i20 has been launched in 3 variants in India:
- i20 Magna
- i20 Asta
- i20 Asta(O)
The only difference in Asta & Asta(O) is that the O variant comes with side and curtain airbags which is a first for a car in this segment in India.
Fully loaded Asta comes with following features:
- Adjustable front and rear head rest
- Height Adjustable Driver's Seat
- Dash Integrated 2 DIN Music Player with USB port, 4 speakers & 2 front tweeters
- Steering mounted audio controls
- Cooled Glove box
- Electrically adjustable rear view mirrors
- Electrically foldable rear view mirrors.
- ABS with EBD
- Dual front, side & curtain airbags
It is priced at Rs. 4.79, 5.59 & 5.82 lakhs for Magna, Asta & Asta(O) respectively in New Delhi for the 1.2 kappa variants.
Safety
It is protected by the extensive use of high-tensile steel in the Hyundai’s robust chassis, airbags fitted as standard, active headrests, front seatbelt pretensioners and latest generation anti-lock brakes, electronic stability control, and Electronic Brakeforce Distribution. This is the first compact car in the Indian car market that is equipped with eight airbags for improved safety of its driver and passengers.
It is likely to replace the Hyundai's B-Segment Hatch - the Getz - all over the world. But in India Hyundai continues with the Getz prime and sells both the models side by side like they are doing with the Accent & Verna.
Hyundai i20 Promotional Video: