Hyundai i20 was very hit in the Indian market both in terms of sales and fan following and the car did fairly well to compete with Maruti Swift. The first generation i20 rules the Indian road for 6 years and now company bid the farewell to old generation car in favor of its successor. Hyundai Motors India has launched the 2nd generation of i20 in India. They called it Elite i20. Hyundai tries to deliver the more premium features for relatively the same price.
We took the test drive of Elite i20 Diesel (top variant) here in Udaipur. We ride the Asta variant which is the top variant of Elite i20. Performance wise the car is same as another model, the only difference you’ll find is the features. Here is our Hyundai Elite i20 Review:
Hyundai Elite i20 Test Drive Video
Exterior – Does it really looks like a premium hatchback?
From the first look, the German style will immediately catch your look. The front you’ll see the Hyundai logo and below that there is a hexagonal grilled surrounded by chrome, new wraparound headlamps, integrated, hood sharp character lines integrated with the front bumper and Turn indicator outside mirrors.
On the back you’ll find dual tone rear bumper and rear combination lamps. The side window is merged with C-Pillars to give the car a premium look.
In terms of dimension, the length of the car is 3985 mm, width 1734 mm and height 1505 mm. The 170 mm ground clearance is perfect for Indian road, I find no problem when riding off-road.
The top end model has nice looking diamond-cut 16-inch alloy wheels.
Interior – Premium or Compact like other hatchback?
The interior has dual-tone color all over the place, in the center you’ll find the 2-Din Audio system and AC Console just below that. The seats are comfortable and there is plenty of space for your legs, shoulders and head both for passengers and drivers. The Cabin is spacious as well as silent. You can control the driver seat height, seat back recline and length. The steering wheel is also adjustable to fit with driver comfort.
Below the AC console, you’ll find two 12V chargers, AUX and USB port. There is a space between the dashboard and gear, which again can be utilized for bottle or cup storage.
Seats are very comfortable and overall build quality and fit are top notch. The car is even comfortable for longer person like me on both front and back seats. You can see the improvement in leg room and knee room. On the back seat, middle man may face leg room problem because of that rear AC vent.
Overall, the Interior gives you the feeling of premium car and car is perfect for 5 or maybe 6 people.
Performance, Riding & Handling
Well, there is nothing to say much about Engine. Hyundai carries over the old generation engine from previous mode. The Elite i20 is powered by 1.4L U2 CRDi diesel engine which delivers maximum power of 90PS @ 4000 RPM and maximum torque of 220Nm @ 1500-2750 RPM. The engine is mated with 6-speed manual gearbox.
The engine performs well, but not that great. It takes to pick up the speed, but once it’s past 1700+ RPM and you’ll see bump in power. I ride the car with the AC ON and it’s perform well in both City and Highway road conditions. Through, Elite i20 has a same old engine, but pickup is better than 1st generation i20.
Diesel Engine performance is good, but not not best when compared to Polo or Swift.
The clutch pedal is very lighter than previous models which makes the driving performance smoother in traffic. Gearbox is also smoother and precise, but the position of the gearbox makes me feel uncomfortable, my elbow keeps touching the seat when I change gear.
You’ll enjoy the every moment of your ride no matter whether you’re a passenger or driver. The riding experience is purely bliss, even on the road with potholes, the car did a brilliant job of ironing them out.
The steering wheel performance is also lighter and responsive and driver can easily control the car with one hand.
Features
The Hyundai Elite i20 is loaded with some Smart features which makes your driving is easy. Some of them are Auto Folding Outside Rear View Mirror, Tilt & Telescopic steering, Smart key with Start Stop button, Multi-Function steering wheel with Audio & Bluetooth controls, automatic climate control, cooled glovebox and light escort function.
During the drive, I also noticed that the car won’t allow me to start the engine when one of the doors are open or steering wheel position is not straight. This is really useful and console also reflect which gear you should keep on.
Safety
When it comes to safety, all Premium hatchbacks are very poor in that. Most of the safety features are available only for high end models. The Sportz and Asta model have airbags, ABS and Parking Assist. The other safety features you’ll find is Headlamp escort function, it’ll keep the headlamps ON for a limited time even the car is locked. Smart pedal is another security feature where During simultaneous operation of the brakes & acceleration pedal, the smart pedal overrides the accelerator pedal & applies brake only.
Pros of Hyundai Elite i20
- Sporty Exterior
- Very Good mileage without lowering torque
- Smart features like Smart pedal, reverse camera, open door signal
- Silent and comfortable cabin
- More Legroom, shoulder room and knee room
- Rear AC vents
- Large boot space
- Value for Money
- Escort function and auto climate control
- Smooth ride even on potholes roads
- Front console armrest
Cons of Hyundai Elite i20
- Power pickup only after certain RPM
- Lack of security features on standard variant
- The steering could be better
Performance wise the car is same as another model, the only difference you’ll find is the features.
Visitor Rating: 5 Stars