Hyundai i20 Active awesome

Hyundai i20 Active awesome

The Hyundai Active i20's recent global unveiling in India is proof that the carmaker is intent on getting its domestic market focus right. However, it also indicates that the new Elite i20 didn't want to give the new Volkswagen Polo or the Fiat Punto Evo much of a head-start. Even the segment leader, i.e. Maruti Suzuki Swift, looks a bit dated as compared to these new models. Needless to say, facelifts and new generations are the need of the hour.Though the previous i20's Fluidic design was received well in India, Hyundai is looking to widen its horizons with the rather European-esque Fluidic 2.0 design philosophy. The company claims this shift in the design philosophy was to transform the car's image, i.e. it wanted the Elite i20 to come across as 'bold' instead of 'youthful'. To be honest, it wasn't love at first sight for me, but I can only hope that I will eventually come around. The new Fluidic 2.0 styling certainly allows the Elite i20 to look bolder; the hexagonal grille at the front is hard to miss. It feels like it is staring at you, a little too much, I would say. However, the sweptback head-lamps and the sleek fog-lamps on the bumper help bring the much-needed 'cheer' to the hatchback's front fascia. The absence of daytime running lights, which looked nice on the outgoing model, is quite strange.Moving on to the side profile, the new 16-inch alloys, offered only on the Sportz and Asta variants, definitely add to the Elite i20's sporty appeal. The remaining trims have to make do with 14-inch rims. That said, it is really the rear where the Elite i20 scores brownie points, thanks to the 'Alfa-Romeo meets Veloster' tail-lights. Let's not forget the blacked out C-pillar that blends in equally well. Now, the cabin. Its nice and pleasant inside the Elite i20; the dual-tone beige and black interiors look good and so does the neatly laid out dashboard. What is really impressive though, is the fit-and-finish. The quality of the plastic used is very good. Since it is a Hyundai product, the presence of lots of features is a given. The 3-spoke steering wheel has a nice upmarket feel to it and comes with lots of controls mounted on it. The hatchback gets a front centre armrest with storage, a steering-sensitive rear parking camera, and a 2-DIN audio system with 1GB storage among other features. Despite all those features, I found myself wishing Hyundai had added a touch-screen mutlimedia player and made dual airbags a standard offering across all trims, for that is when the car would have truly been 'un-compromised'.Next point of focus is room in the rear row. Since the Elite i20's wheelbase is the longest in its segment, there is little doubt that the rear row gets quite a decent amount of legroom and headroom. The seats are firm and comfortable, with good under-thigh support. Even though the transmission tunnel doesn't eat up much legroom, seating 3 people in the back might be a little bit of a squeeze. Then there are also the AC vents in the rear row.