Hyundai i20 Elite: The premium hatchback

Hyundai i20 Elite: The premium hatchback

1. Exterior As I have mentioned in the title i20 undoubtedly gives you the feel of a premium car. From the first look of the exterior, you would see the sharp lines and sturdy stance of the car. Unlike other premium hatchbacks, the front hexagonal grille makes the i20 meaner and aggressive looking hatchback. The fluidic design of Hyundai gives the car more a look of a small SUV than a hatchback. 2. Interior The moment you get inside the i20 elite you will see why the Hyundai claims it to be a premium hatchback. The finish of the dashboard, the touch screen stereo and navigation system, the steering mounted controls and leather wrapped steering wheel, will give you a sense of sitting in a premium sedan. The plastics used in the car are of high quality and gives a nice finish to the interiors. The two-tone black and beige colour scheme is followed from front to the back with matching colour scheme for the seats. The car meter console is well illuminated and provides you with a variety of information. The touch screen console for stereo and navigation is very easy to handle once you get acquainted with it. However, I am still trying to get used to most of its settings. The best feature which I liked is that the rear camera view is now displayed on the 7-inch screen instead of the top rear view mirror. It makes the image big and bright so you would not miss a thing when putting the car into reverse. The glove box cooling is excellent new touch to i20 elite, this is a feature which is not available in many top end sedans. The cup holders are in abundance and well placed throughout the car. The seats are comfortable and offer good lumbar support and thigh support. I am on the heavier side so prefer wider seats, and undoubtedly i20 has one of the most comfortable and cosy seats. The rear air conditioning vents are a life saver from the increasing heat in summer.   The top end has dual airbags, which is required for safety but I would have personally liked four airbags. One of the things I feel Hyundai has missed is a sunroof which would have been a great feature. Before buying the i20 I looked into a lot of videos of the car and I noticed that i20 car in the UK has a sunroof. So was a bit disappointed not seeing the same in the i20 India version. I apologise if I sound too fixated on the sunroof as I honestly feel it’s a small feature but for a car to be called premium hatchback, a sunroof should be a must. 3. Drive Some background I would like to share, before buying the i20 I was unsure and checked the Honda jazz and VW Polo. But one thing which made my decision strong for i20 was the drive. Unlike VW Polo and Jazz, I personally felt the i20 more steady and powerful. The engine has the right punch once you exceed the 2000 RPM. However, being a diesel car you would end up shifting gears more often than a petrol car inside the city while driving. But it should not be a deal breaker as the engine offers a good amount of torque, so with just a little push of the accelerator, the car gives you all the power you need. The brakes have been very effective till now. 4. Fuel Efficiency The car so far has offered good fuel efficiency, I cannot be a hundred percent sure but I assume the car is offering around 18 kmpl in the city. 5. Cons The cons I have found so far is the height of the rear window, it is placed high so people sitting on the rear seats may feel a bit uncomfortable. The C pillar in the very wide, so you have to be careful while putting the car into reverse. However, once you get acquainted with the car it would not matter anymore as the rear camera and mirrors is all that you need to reverse your car. Please note most of the cars are now coming with wide C-pillars. 6. Conclusion I have personally received a lot of compliments from my friends regarding the car interiors and features. When I got the car I wanted a black colour, however, at that time Hyundai did not offer the black colour for i20 elite, so people looking to buy the i20 elite there is good news as i20 is now available in black colour. My personal opinion is the car is better than Polo, Jazz and Baleno. Would suggest anyone looking to buy hatchback should at least take a test drive before making the decision.