Performance- one of its kind and 24/7 ready to hit the road!

Performance- one of its kind and 24/7 ready to hit the road!

Whenever we want to buy our first car there would be too many questions rising in our minds and to tackle those questions, we categorise them by a different perspective. Buyers have their own list to judge a car; some want a powerful engine with a good level of comfort, while other needs practicality with great fuel efficiency. Ok, if I say that there is a car that meets all your standards and offers a great value for money that will be only the Hyundai i20 Elite. I have a 1.4L U2 CRDi Asta (O) variant and I found it suitable for my day-to-day commuting and highway driving as well. As our city roads are not so good, driving on these roads are like a big punishment but thanks to the suspension of Elite i20, all potholes are absorbed by the dampers and provides a comfy ride. The steering is quick in feedback and super light in action which supports me in city traffic, thanks to the electric motor that assist the steering system. Based on the company’s new design philosophy - Fluidic Sculpture 2.0, which makes it distinctive from others. This premium hatchback offers well-designed interior, use of top-quality materials and a sophisticated driving experience. Overall a perfect balance between quality, driving dynamics and most important comfort. The design of Elite i20 is trendy and youthful which feels up-market in its class and confident on roads. Performance and mileage: The diesel engine is very refined and peppy which allows you to accelerate in a blink. Yes, there is bit turbo lag but due to turbocharger which comes in action at a particular rpm, so there is no problem after 1200 to 1400 rpm. My car is equipped with a 1.4 L U2 CRDi diesel engine. It has four cylinders with four valves each for intake and exhaust process of combustion. The engine develops a maximum power of 88.7 bhp at 4000 rpm and a peak torque of 220 Nm at the very low range in between 1500-2800 rpm. The high-end torque is developed at low rpm that helps in increasing the fuel efficiency of the hatchback. As we know, lower the rpm, higher will be the efficiency. The fun begins now when great meets the precise and efficient transmission, the engine is mated with a 6-speed manual transmission. Shifting of gears is lightening quick and so soft that you can shift just by using two fingers. From standstill to 120kph, it takes somewhere between 12 -16 seconds, which is far better against its rivals. Add to this, when it comes to speed I can easily touch 140 kmph or more than that when there is a need. Though it is a diesel engine, so there will be some vibrations and noises outside but it is noticeable that vibrations level of Elite i20’s engine is quite low against all competitors.   Features: There a long list of features, but here I will discuss only those which are the USP and my favourite too. As I discussed earlier I have a top variant, so it has all the gadgetry like – a good audio system with 7” inch touch screen and navigation function and tilt & telescopic power steering wheel. It also gets Smart key & engine start / stop function, fully automatic air condition with rear vents, cooled glove box, in-built navigation, Supervision cluster with colour TFT LCD which is one my favourite; it delights the mood through its magnificent lighting, and offers great practicality with lots of storage space around the cabin. Coming to safety, the company has added non-negotiable safety features in Elite i20 like – Anti-lock braking system (ABS), Driver and passenger airbags, Auto Headlight control and Rear defogger. If I talk about the barking system, Hyundai car’s is always good in this department and in the case of Elite i20, it offers disc at the front while drum brakes at the rear. Fuel economy and maintenance: Despite being the heaviest car in its segment, which also decreases the power to weight ratio, it offers best in class fuel economy. As I am a mechanical engineer by profession, so I know all the basics of engine RPM and gear ratios and I drive according to that. Hence, my i20 manages to return a good mileage of around 16+ kmpl in city traffic and 21+ kmpl on highways. I would say the overall fuel economy will be around 17 or 18 which is well enough for an engine size like this. Maintenance is something not much to worry about, my experience is quite good. My car has done around 23,000 Kms and it gets proper service on every 5000-7000 Kms and that costs around approx. 5000 rupees, which is not too costly. Recently, I also changed the old tyres with new pairs of Ceat tyres. Service Availability: After the Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai motor offers a great network of service across all cities. The company offers genuine spare parts at a reasonable price at every dealership. Overall Experience At the end, I can say that it feels a bit more expensive against its rivals especially Maruti Suzuki’s Baleno, but it doesn’t matter when you have a crush on her looks. I would highly recommend it to someone who loves the performance and looks.