Pleasure in every ride!!. Review on Hyundai i20

I purchased the fully loaded, Asta O, 1.2 lt version of this car in May 09 after conducting thorough research and test drives. I previousely owned a Hyundai Getz GL & later Maruti Swift ZXi.

EVALUATION & BOOKING OF i20:-

I researched and test drove cars like City(Manual), Fiesta(Diesel &Petrol), Linea, Fabia(Petrol), Aveo(Petrol), Ikon Diesel, Fusion(Diesel & Petrol), I 20(1.2lit Petrol), I 10, Accent(Petrol) & Logan(Petrol) for over a month.My parameters were VFM, Riding Comfort, Engine performance, Fuel Efficiency, Re occurring Maintenance cost, Re sale value.Top of my list was City(Manual), Fiesta(Petrol) & i20(1.2 Petrol). After working out the cost, City was working out to be expensive considering my company reimbursement so ruled out; Fiesta was next and was negotiating with SC Ford in March 09. They were offering a total discount of about 45k in cash/kind. Come April, the dealer suddenly informed that Ford had withdrawn majority of discount and was now offering just about 15k. I was really upset and then drove to Modi Hyundai for a re trial of i20. I had an earlier feeling that though i20 was a great smooth car, the AC was pretty weak during the peak summer. After re trial, I was told that may be the earlier trial car of i20 may have had some cooling issue with AC, this retrial car’s AC was still not a chiller as in larger cars in peak summer and that the engine was of 1.2lit capacity. As I needed the car very badly, I began negotiations for a i20 Asta 0 with 6 airbags, ABS/EBD etc. Modi Hyundai sales guy was not ready to negotiate nor offer anything free with the car. I then moved on to Shreenath Hyundai, where I took the 3rd trial of i20 Petrol. The ride again was satisfactory. During negotiations, I was not given any discounts but was offered accessories/coatings valued at 22k which I immediately accepted and booked the Silver color(it has the second lowest sunlight IR heat absorption after the white color). Took delivery of the car in May 09.

Here is my impression about the car-

EXTERIOR:- I consider the design very European(Designed by a German guy), forward looking, sensuous, with a combination of smooth curvy lines and contours on the front & side. Overall, if I personify it, it tends to be muscular but feminine. The best suited color for this car is White which looks awesome!

INTERIOR:- Hyundai interiors has never been disappointing contrary to Maruti Swift, and am very happy about what they have provided. Plenty of cubby holes all around- 2 holes around gear, goggle storage below the dash board, one each on the doors and a spacious cooling glove box. The best part was the design of the central music console which plays Audio & mp3 CD with 3 equiliser adjustments, Fader & Balance controls. There are 4 large speakers, one inside each door and 2 smartly concealed tweeters on the front door levers. The music play back is very good for the car though not the best as in a BMW! Now for the music junkies, the lower part of the console has a USB2 socket where you can operate any USB2 storage device to play your mp3 or use the Aux in socket with any mp3player headphone output. I play 8gb pen drive and then recently a 500 gb Transcend Storejet25 with about 20gb music which worked very efficiently. One caution is that the central display shows only the primary folder name storing the mp3 files. The car has a steering mounted music control which I consider is very convenient and effective!

The plastic & fabric of construction around is very good with a brown-beige tone combination. Metallised door levers look very elegant so are the AC knob rims. The automatic climate control works well and keeps up the comfort factor all round the year. Leather wrapped steering wheel feels great so do rear mirror controls & door glass controls. Seating space is sufficient for 3 in the rear and has adequate leg space. Boot compartment is really bigger with a automatic lamp than Maruti Swift but smaller than Fiesta.

ENGINE PERFORMANCE:- The engine is not meaty and is lean with a decent torque & bhp for city driving. Sometimes, you feel the acceleration lag like a stretched spring when you wish to acclerate real quick! Torque is good or better than Maruti Swift over inclined surfaces and does really well. You can steer the car very well in the 5th gear at speed of 30 kmph with regular petrol of Indian oil.

RIDE COMFORT:- The riding comfort over distorted road is very good but not the best as in a Fiesta which deserves a 5 star on this one!. Road grip is good and handles well at tested speed of about 100kmph. This car scores well over Maruti Swift which gives you a really hard time if you sit in the rear seat.

SOUND INSULATION:- This is the best part of the car which is equipped with sound insulated body & glasses all around which significantly offers you a nice quiet ambiance. During Diwali, a sutli bomb exploded beneath the car while driving and yet did not shake me up! Initially I thought the car had a faint horn and complained to the dealer! This insulation is very good Rajeev_Vermacially of you wish to enjoy hi-fi music! You may still hear the tyre traction noise transmitted to the cabin though(this is very relative)!

FEATURES:- There are a host of class leading features of 6 airbags, electronic steering(can swing the car with a finger and I thoroughly enjoy this!), ABS/EBD, remote locking(separate button for boot door), automatic climate control, inbuilt music console, 6 speaker system, rear view mirror opening button, rear view mirror adjusting button, car lac coating on the car(your car looks new still after 1 year), music control on steering, smooth cable mounted gear shift(feels like slicing butter with hot knife and thoroughly love it!), adjustable steering, 14' alloy wheels, height adjustable driver seat, 60/40 fold able rear seat etc

MILEAGE:- This car returned with 12.5-13kmpl in city driving(not through severe traffic congestion though) during dry season and about 11.5-12 kmpl during monsoon season in city. I have not traveled out of Mumbai yet. You know, I have the habit to drive with the highest gear number at any speed to economize fuel and it works!

CONCLUSION:- This car never disappointed me ever nor made me felt cheated for the money I paid for it and that too, after new cars have been launched in these 6 months. This car is not a racer, though a comfy wonderful office & a family car. Hyundai has come a long way and is now a formidable global player deploying cutting edge technologies and getting their cars designed by professional Western design houses thereby slowly shedding the Korean underdog tag perception. Kudos to Hyundai for this great car!

Update @ 8-10-11(after 2 years of ownership)

I have driven about 19, 500 km so far and am pretty satisfied except for the following new observations-

-Co passanger seat rattles when no one is seated

-Rear hatch makes shattering sound when you run over rumblers

-Faulty steering wheel rack & pinion bush kit gets worn out in days and every bump on road makes a rumbling/vibrating noise from the front wheel. Hyundai has sent an internal confidential note to all their authorised service centres that there was an inherent design defect in the electronic steering wheel assembly and replace the steering wheel kit/ steering columns free of cost whenever custom take outers become agitated about the problem