[Chitta Pradhan]

Has any one taken a test drive of new i20? If yes, what's the experience - particularly on ride & handling. Eagerly awaiting an official review. The wheel base has been increased & now it is exactly same as Verna. Again even on top end version, i20 doesn't have the average FE on the MID. Don't know why Hyundai skipped this. Is it because they are not confident of FE of i20?

Written from phone

[Raghav_K]

Originally Posted by chncar

Couple of questions if you don't mind:

What is the OTR price of the top end diesel in Chennai?

I assume you have been able to test drive the car before booking, how does the diesel engine perform - does it have noticeable turbo lag like on the older car, or has it been tuned for better city driving like the 1.1 on the i10 Grand?

OTR for top end diesel is 8.9 Lakhs

I did test drive the car. I own a diesel Verna, and i did not have to upshift gears to get over turbo lag in lower speeds like i have to in Verna. The engine is more responsive than Xcent 1.1, and i feel this has been tuned better. I have not driven the older i20, so cannot compare.

Originally Posted by needmorebhp

Will you mind sharing booking amount?

10,000 INR. I had pre-booked it before launch.

Originally Posted by The Hurricane

I just can't understand why would Hyundai reduce features

Asked the same, to the Sales Manager. He said it was because the management wanted to keep the price in the same range as older i20, so they had to cut down some, to add others. I feel all the above features could be provided with an extra 50,000 or so. Maybe they would launch a Asta(o) sometime later.

Originally Posted by Chitta Pradhan

Has any one taken a test drive of new i 20? If yes, what's the experience; particularly on ride & handling.

Did a test drive. The ride is better than my 2012 Verna, and i feel new i20 can take curves with confidence. Felt like driving a big car, compared with Xcent. The driving position is set a bit low, or the dash is a bit high, so view of the front end is zero. I did not find the A pillars to be very obstructive. The engine was responsive, and it should help in getting ahead of traffic/overtaking.

The MID has no Average FE and Distance to Empty. No clue why Hyundai skimps these.

My only gripe was the steering was extra extra smooth. Not sure if it's a good or bad thing. It sure does help in city traffic.

[Chitta Pradhan]

Originally Posted by Raghav_K

OTR for top end diesel is 8.9 Lakhs

I did test drive the car. I own a diesel Verna, and i did not have to upshift gears to get over turbo lag in lower speeds like i have to in Verna. The engine is more responsive than Xcent 1.1, and i feel this has been tuned better. I have not driven the older i20, so cannot compare.


10,000 INR. I had pre-booked it before launch.



Asked the same, to the Sales Manager. He said it was because the management wanted to keep the price in the same range as older i20, so they had to cut down some, to add others. I feel all the above features could be provided with an extra 50,000 or so. Maybe they would launch a Asta(o) sometime later.



Did a test drive. The ride is better than my 2012 Verna, and i feel new i20 can take curves with confidence. Felt like driving a big car, compared with Xcent. The driving position is set a bit low, or the dash is a bit high, so view of the front end is zero. I did not find the A pillars to be very obstructive. The engine was responsive, and it should help in getting ahead of traffic/overtaking.

The MID has no Average FE and Distance to Empty. No clue why Hyundai skimps these.

My only gripe was the steering was extra extra smooth. Not sure if it's a good or bad thing. It sure does help in city traffic.

Did you miss the refinement & power of your Verna 1.6. Some Web test drive reports suggest that the steering weighs up with speed & is confidence inspiring. During your TD could you test that. Is the AC efficiency ok?

Average FE is absolute must now a days. Many cheaper cars has this. Why Hyundai ,, you are not providing this basic a feature in the most pricy hatch.
Overall, how much of a miss/gain was the elite diesel in comparison to your 2012 Verna diesel. Lesser gear change requirement & better ride are surely encouraging.

[Bigzero]

A very subjective opinion from a first-gen i20 owner , based on a quick look at the latest version in the show room ( no test drive done )

- the doors feel lighter and thinner - perhaps reshaped for more space
- the seats are thinner and the rear seat really looked like a bench
- the rear seat angle looks and feels better than the old-gen one; could be more comfortable on long runs
- boot looked similar in size
- I liked the old gen front-seats better - it hugged you well.
- the dash looks impressive and well thought through, however I didnt like the fact that they brought beige into the dash
- I like the old-gen ( the very first one ) dash better - was simple, subtle and not so much in-your-face. )
- the plastic quality seems to have gone down a notch - still very good if you look at the competition.

Overall my feeling as I left the showroom is that they missed a trick in really making it stand out from the grand i10 as far as features are concerned ( of course they have attempted to create some more space but that too doesnt show through .. ).

Still a good premium hatch. if they have improved the road manners a bit - esp on high speeds, you have a good option at the top end of the scale.

I am still hoping against hope for one of the manufacturers to come out and release a real hot-hatch with big engine and big space :-)

[rbp]

I have never seen a car being stripped of its features with each upgrade, like the way Hyundai has done with the i20. The new so called premium features are all just cosmetic stuff IMHO.

I own the first gen i20 CRDI ASTA (O). This version came with 6 airbags, sunroof, all discs which really made it feel premium.

With the current version, I just fail to understand what is so premium about this car. If I had to buy a car [hatch] today, i20 will definitely not be in that list.

The only good thing about this new car is the better ride quality and handling compared to the old car. I forgot one thing the rear AC vents, the first gen AC was third grade.

[nainan]

Originally Posted by Chitta Pradhan

Has any one taken a test drive of new i 20? If yes, what's the experience; particularly on ride & handling.

I tried the 1.2 petrol yesterday for a short ride. The suspension seems to be stiffer and gave a good amount of confidence. The engine seems to have been tuned as compared to the outgoing model I found it to be more responsive though I did not get a chance to go over 60kmph.

The entire driver information system has some configuration options like for one touch lane changing you can decide the number of times the indicator flashes and you can turn off some warnings. I did see a distance to empty.

[adimicra]

^ i agree with sentiments of some of the owners of the previous gen I20.
I feel Hyundai is banking a lot on the design - both exterior and interior - to give it the premium feel and make it stand out.
The blackened C pillar with the wonderful tail lights and the chiseled body does make the car a looker no doubt and the interiors are very well put together. These may be enough to sway the buyer in its favor. Plus they have increased space in the rear which along with rear AC vents will make it a better option for a family car.

Yes, but at the end of it, the new I20 is a letdown considering no changes to the powertrain of no addition of any major features. The previous gen stood out in the highly crowded premium hatchback/compact sedan segment with its huge array of features which were years ahead of the competition.Unfortunately, the same is not true for thre new avatar of the car ... it's hard to find a USP actually.

[sidindica]

Quick test drive:
So it did turn out to be a nicer car after all, but not the nicest. I found the power delivery in the diesel to be more linear and much more driveable now. The steering is typical Hyundai, overlight at parking speeds, and weighs up well as speeds climb, but not that reassuring, still a tinch better than the grand i10. The stock audio is improved, and seat comfort is above average. Ride is much improved, but still not in the league of euros. Petrol costs 1.5 lakh cheaper and is peppy till 80 kmph, and for city drive, its a nice choice as torque spread is linear. Over 80, the limitations of small 1.2 begin to show. But, under hard braking, the petrol fishtailed, somewhat not a good sign. Diesel remained composed, but discs were solely missed. Engine refinement is ages better than the polo, though.
Again, its a neutral family super mini, not an enthusiasts car. After driving the diesel i20, I felt more secure driving back in my punto. Maybe that old school hydraulic steering has spoiled me a lot.

[Raghav_K]

Originally Posted by Chitta Pradhan

Did you miss the refinement & power of your Verna 1.6. Some Web test drive reports suggest that the steering weighs up with speed & is confidence inspiring. During your TD could you test that. Is the AC efficiency ok?

Overall, how much of a miss/gain was the elite diesel in comparison to your 2012 Verna diesel. Lesser gear change requirement & better ride are surely encouraging.

AC efficiency was pretty good, but i test drove in the evening. It chilled quickly though.

My test drive was in a semi-busy road, so i touched only 80, and was in bumper to bumper traffic for sometime. I felt more comfortable driving i20 than Verna, in those situations. The highways may be a different story.

And regarding distance to empty, i did not check the MID settings. I asked the Sales guy if it's there and he said no. He could've been wrong, i guess.

[vijayk]

Booked Elite i20 diesel Asta (red passion) yesterday. As per sales person, I will get VIN allotment from company within 3 days and delivery within a month.

Went with a pen drive and checked the music system. It is really good with settings I have done for my liking. AC is also good and cooling the cabin quickly (it is around noon though not checked the rear AC vent). One nice improvement is on reverse camera display where the line markings are changing the direction (like curve) depends on the steering wheel movement. So you can precisely know where the rear end is going.

[Raghav_K]

Yes, the 4 speaker+4 tweeter combo sounded very well.

Where did you book? Hyundai motor plaza or Kun?

Did you opt for zero deprecation insurance?

[vijayk]

Originally Posted by Raghav_K

Yes, the 4 speaker+4 tweeter combo sounded very well.

Where did you book? Hyundai motor plaza or Kun?

Did you opt for zero deprecation insurance?

HMP. Its Hyundai's own insurance. Yea I asked for full insurance (B2B). He said it will cost around 5K extra. Did you get more detail?

[giri1.8]

Originally Posted by Chitta Pradhan

Average FE is absolute must now a days. Many cheaper cars has this. Why Hyundai ,, you are not providing this basic a feature in the most pricy hatch.
Overall, how much of a miss/gain was the elite diesel in comparison to your 2012 Verna diesel. Lesser gear change requirement & better ride are surely encouraging.

One reason for this might be lower real-world FE of Hyundai's petrol engines, we have had hyundai in our family and FE was not close to what they claim.

[Raghav_K]

@vijayk: yeah they said it will cost 5k more at HMP. I opted for it, and was told it will be added to the quote at final payment.

[vinjosep]

Originally Posted by vijayk

Booked Elite i20 diesel Asta (red passion) yesterday. As per sales person, I will get VIN allotment from company within 3 days and delivery within a month.

Originally Posted by Raghav_K

Yes, the 4 speaker+4 tweeter combo sounded very well.

Where did you book? Hyundai motor plaza or Kun?

Did you opt for zero deprecation insurance?

Did you also receive a VIN number for your booking directly after the launch, considering you had booked prior to the launch?

The VIN details would be shared by Hyundai directly or by the dealer? Again via email or sms?

Thanks.