[Aejaz]

Hi BHPians,
I have a serious confusion going on in my head.
I bought the New i20 Turbo DCT Asta (O) at launch in November last year. Was very impressed with the features on offer but my heart was yearning for a few more, like an auto dimming IRVM, Paddle Shifters paired to the DCT, a sportier steering etc.
Nevertheless I felt it was the best pick for my needs as I wanted a spacious family hatchback which can be fast too wen required.
To my utter dismay, within a year of launch Hyundai came up with the N line with all those tiny features which I sorely missed on my car
Now every single time I see an N Line pass by, i just feel so frustrated and sad. Which got me thinking. 1)Is it worth upgrading to the N Line sacrificing a good 30% depreciation on my car which has no problems at all except for the missing features.
2) Or should I just get a good mod job done with Genuine Hyundai accessories/parts.
Please help me out. And kindly suggest if I can get someone to change my steering, exhaust etc to the ones the N line i20.
I'm in quite a bit of distress, expecting help from the BHP fraternity.

[goandude]

Congratulations on your first post on this forum.
A slightly philosophical take on your dilemma is... There is always something better than what you have so you may have this yearning to upgrade. What's the end point? All depends on your financial fitness vs desire.
PS.. Go with your heart

[audioholic]

Originally Posted by Aejaz

Hi)Is it worth upgrading to the N Line sacrificing a good 30% depreciation on my car which has no problems at all except for the missing features.
2) Or should I just get a good mod job done with Genuine Hyundai accessories/parts.
Please help me out. And kindly suggest if I can get someone to change my steering, exhaust etc to the ones the N line i20.

It would be utter foolishness to sell a car and buy the same car again but a higher variant especially when the fundamentals are the same. Just spend some time and effort to trace these parts and then plan on the upgrades based on the economic hit. I think most of the bits can be upgraded based on how much you want to spend. It just needs some research and ground work.

[Guna]

Technically it should be possible to swap the steering wheel, dampers etc from N-Line but most likely the warranty will be impacted and I am sure the Hyundai service will not encourage the mods.

[SoumenD]

Well if you are ok with the depreciation and additional cost of the N line don’t think twice. But then what’s the guarantee that something better won’t come next year?

Just check with Hyundai A.S.S if they can source the changes you want. Btw do remember the chip shortage has led to insane waiting period for any new car purchase

[Torque250]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

Driving the Hyundai i20 N Line DCT

In manual mode, you can take the revvs to ~6,500 rpm. Keep in mind that it's tuned conservatively & won't allow aggressive downshifts if the rpm level is a little high.

Originally Posted by suhaas307

Where we feel Hyundai missed a trick is they could have tweaked the ECU & TCU for a mild power bump and snappier shifts respectively, further improving the driving experience.

Originally Posted by suhaas307

For a hot hatch, in ‘D’ mode, there is a slight delay in gear changes (whether upshifts or downshifts) when you use the paddles on the steering. This is no DQ200 DSG, that’s for sure!

Citation from official review. I dont think the depreciation amounts justify Auto dimming IRVM, weighted steering, or paddle shifters.
The grass is always greener on the other side.
Also, I believe you're a bachelor(no offence).

[Peri_patetic99]

Originally Posted by Aejaz

Hi BHPians,
I have a serious confusion going on in my head.
I bought the New i20 Turbo DCT Asta (O) at launch in November last year. Was very impressed with the features on offer but my heart was yearning for a few more, like an auto dimming IRVM, Paddle Shifters paired to the DCT, a sportier steering etc.
Nevertheless I felt it was the best pick for my needs as I wanted a spacious family hatchback which can be fast too wen required.
To my utter dismay, within a year of launch Hyundai came up with the N line with all those tiny features which I sorely missed on my car
Now every single time I see an N Line pass by, i just feel so frustrated and sad. Which got me thinking. 1)Is it worth upgrading to the N Line sacrificing a good 30% depreciation on my car which has no problems at all except for the missing features.
2) Or should I just get a good mod job done with Genuine Hyundai accessories/parts.
Please help me out. And kindly suggest if I can get someone to change my steering, exhaust etc to the ones the N line i20.
I'm in quite a bit of distress, expecting help from the BHP fraternity.

You can get genuine Hyundai accessories/ aftermarket mods for small things such as the auto dimming irvm, but changing the steering assembly and exhaust will most probably void the warranty and you will have to shell out big time in case of any incident. I'd not recommend getting a sportier steering/ louder exhaust/ any under-the-hood changes for the sake of serviceability at genuine Hyundai workshops.

If your financial situation allows, you can take a depreciation hit and buy the n-line i20, but keep in mind that the heart always yearns for more, and so any future version that might be released with better features will put you in the same dilemma again.

[CEF_Beasts]

If VW owners can add aftermarket steerings and exhausts to their mod-friendly Polos/Ventos, I see no reason why an i20 can’t have N-Line bits added to it!

I would suggest keep your i20 stock till the warranty expires and then add the desired N-Line bits to spruce it up, this way you can keep the i20 for longer as it will look and feel fresh.

[Capricorn]

Bear in mind you have a family too who would not want to get bumped up every now and then and making it your personal car than a combined family one. The turbo engine is not bad at all. As Peri_patetic99 has already mentioned, you can get genuine auto dimming IRVM with warranty but not the sterring and suspension. Even more risky would be have it oerfectly tuned like the N line.

Instead I recommend a good ECU remap having better in gear acceleration so that you don't have to reprogram TCU. The 10-20% mid range bump will make it as 95% of N line while keeping family nature intact.

From my experience, we curious car enthusiasts, never remain settled for long in spite of having the machine customised to our want. Because the want changes. Wish you many happy miles with existing machine.

[sunikkat]

Not sure how good the Hyundai after market mods availability are, but generally you can get much better suspension (based on your driving preference) than N line from after market. But don’t think steering calibration can be done easily after market.
So while others can warn you of the obvious depreciation hit, it is you who need to decide. Are you okay to take that depreciation hit? If yes, you should go ahead than feeling bad seeing at N Line.
Personally, I wouldn’t as the gap between both in terms of performance (other than the steering feel) is not much.

Other side of it is, a good quality after market suspension and other mods etc will anyway be costly. So by adding them now will cost you almost like the depreciation that you hit. So if you are okay with driving characteristics of stock N line you should go with it now.

[Aejaz]

Originally Posted by audioholic

It would be utter foolishness to sell a car and buy the same car again but a higher variant especially when the fundamentals are the same. Just spend some time and effort to trace these parts and then plan on the upgrades based on the economic hit. I think most of the bits can be upgraded based on how much you want to spend. It just needs some research and ground work.

Have already spoken to 3 Hyundai service centres regarding parts and stuff. None of them gave me a good heads-up.
They were all pessimistic about procuring genuine N Line parts.

Originally Posted by Guna

Technically it should be possible to swap the steering wheel, dampers etc from N-Line but most likely the warranty will be impacted and I am sure the Hyundai service will not encourage the mods.

None of the service centres i contacted have any clue about the parts.
I actually felt these parts are not that complicated to swap. But no positive response from any of the Hyundai people.

Originally Posted by Torque250

Citation from official review. I dont think the depreciation amounts justify Auto dimming IRVM, weighted steering, or paddle shifters.
The grass is always greener on the other side.
Also, I believe you're a bachelor(no offence).

I even went to the extent of putting up a listing on OLX to sell my car- got a somewhat decent price, but I just held myself back in the end.
I just hope i can get a few parts on, at least the Auto Dimming IRVM.

And no, I ain't a bachelor. Got kids

Originally Posted by SoumenD

Well if you are ok with the depreciation and additional cost of the N line don’t think twice. But then what’s the guarantee that something better won’t come next year?

Just check with Hyundai A.S.S if they can source the changes you want. Btw do remember the chip shortage has led to insane waiting period for any new car purchase

I really have been on it brother. Have tried with service centres in 3 different locations/cities. No positive response.

Originally Posted by Capricorn

Bear in mind you have a family too who would not want to get bumped up every now and then and making it your personal car than a combined family one. The turbo engine is not bad at all. As Peri_patetic99 has already mentioned, you can get genuine auto dimming IRVM with warranty but not the sterring and suspension. Even more risky would be have it oerfectly tuned like the N line.

Instead I recommend a good ECU remap having better in gear acceleration so that you don't have to reprogram TCU. The 10-20% mid range bump will make it as 95% of N line while keeping family nature intact.

From my experience, we curious car enthusiasts, never remain settled for long in spite of having the machine customised to our want. Because the want changes. Wish you many happy miles with existing machine.

I got to know from one of the service centres than i can't change the IRVM too. Was quite disappointed at that.
I think maybe i should wait a little to see if N Line parts become available.
Let's see.
I don't wan't to take risk with an ECU remap right now under warranty, although i really want to.

[Aejaz]

Having driven the Polo GT and the N Line, I feel the N Line has come a long way in terms of Handling and steering feel. The brakes are much better than my stock i20 and the paddle shifters do help in quick overtakes. Not as slick as the original DSG but quite close and definitely better than not having paddle shifters.

Only the tyres are crap i felt. CEAT Secura Drive doesn't give good grip and confidence in the corners.

Otherwise, the N Line is a pretty neat package in my opinion.

Has space in the rear to carry a family around, has good enough power when required, decent boot space too.

Although not a true sporty hatchback, ticks all the right boxes for city use.

Hope i can at least mildly modify my car without voiding warranty.

If anyone can get a service centre in south India who is willing to source parts and do a neat job, do let me know.

[shancz]

I had bought the RTR 180 in 2011 after getting no positive news on the ABS version and within a couple of months the ABS version was launched. Quite a big change but since that bike was fulfilling my needs I didn't change. Living with it and during trips I figured out the requirements for the next bike were quite high and way out of RTR territory.
If I had upgraded just for the ABS I would've ended up with the same conclusion and in automotive terms shortshifted

IMO, keep the car, research and do the mods, I see the potential of a smashing upgrade thread here.

If you're short of time on that then I would suggest to drive on for some more time and figure out the needs for the next car. If it still the N-Line then that's your car.
If this process takes 2-3 years then the next Polo/Fabia would've been sorted out too.


PS : If the service centers are out of parts how do they expect to fix the N-Lines which come in for repairs, accidental or otherwise ? If their repair duration goes into months what's the point of buying a Hyundai for its fuss free service ?
IMO you can talk directly with Hyundai on this, I expect you'll get a definite answer, positive or otherwise.

[Torque250]

Originally Posted by Aejaz

If anyone can get a service centre in south India who is willing to source parts and do a neat job, do let me know.

It is pointless to go behind the show room for N line grade steering and suspension setups. When the enthusiast or common man knows the authorised showrooms are doing an upgrade similar to the N line, then what is the USP of N line? Ignore suspension upgrades, they dont even upgrade your tyres at authorised service centres.

You would have extensively researched before buying i20 Turbo DCT which is still a gem in its own way. Rather than letting the can of worms in your heart fester, test drive the N line extensively to see whether it's worth upgrading.

Upon finishing your schooling you would have thought, your mission in life accomplished. But here you are.

[AjinkyaP]

Originally Posted by Aejaz

I'm in quite a bit of distress, expecting help from the BHP fraternity.

Money cant buy happiness but it surely can lower the distress
You should absolutely go ahead with the new purchase if your financials allow you to do so.
It would be a win-win, if you manage to sell the car to someone within your friends/family so the buyer is assured about product being flawless and that means he/she wont mind to shell out higher than dealer/outsider price offer.