Bought the Elite i20 Magna+ MT for my wife about a week back. For the price and the discounts on offer, I think it is excellent value for money.
My search was initially for an automatic with a budget of around 6.0-6.5 lakhs, and I had started with the WagonR 1.2L ZXI AMT. When the BS-VI version was launched recently and the OTR came to Rs 7.27L without any discounts, I had to re-think hard. The practical side of me didn't want to pay so much for a WagonR AMT (no offence!). I considered the AMTs in VXI & VXI (O) briefly but the lack of features for nearly 7 lakh rupees OTR put me off.
Shifted my attention to Hyundai and considered the Santro Sportz AMT initially. The updated Sportz AMT, with a reverse camera & seat belt pretensioners on board, came to Rs 6.31L minus discounts. The Grand i10 CVTs in Magna & Sportz variants were next, at Rs 6.86L & Rs 7.47L respectively (minus discounts). The deals were tempting, but I was wary of the news of the all-new Grand i10 launching in August.
I had a long talk with wife & Dad over this situation, and wife reassured me that she was quite comfortable to drive a manual. That brought the XCent S MT into the picture at Rs 6.74L. We decided to TD the XCent. The minute she got into the Grand i10, she felt it was perfect for her. I showed her the XCent which was standing next to it, but somehow she didn't like it. Just on a whim, I told her to get into an Elite i20 standing next to the XCent. She was immediately taken in by the space inside and the fit and finish. She came outside and checked all 3 cars carefully, and the first thing she pointed out was that the Elite i20 had bigger tyres than the i10 twins! After a short 15-minute TD of the i20 petrol with her eagle-eye observations, she was quite happy. I told her to get into the XCent's cabin afterwards, and she immediately got out after getting in, remarking that it felt quite small now!
The Elite i20 it was. For our budget, the Magna+ MT. Colour chosen was Typhoon Silver as it was the easiest to maintain. The car was nearly 7.45L OTR, but discounts and good relations brought it down to a smidge under 7L (all-inclusive) with zero-dep insurance and the deal was sealed.
For the rupees paid and considering the pricing of other cars in it's range + features on offer, I thought it was a steal.
Unmistakable face.
Sweptback halogen headlamps + high glossy black grille.
The foglamps with the separate DRL section below.
DRLs automatically go off if the foglamps or the headlamps are lit,
or if the parking hand brake is on duty.
Separate turn indicators.
No worry if your body-coloured ORVM takes a hit.
185/70/R14 Kumho Ecowing tyres on steel rims.
Performance is satisfactory so far.
Partial cladding inside the wheel wells.
Body-coloured door handles.
Keyless entry provided but only through the remote key.
Ultra-long roof antenna.
Dual-tone rear bumper houses the parking sensors. No display, just beeps.
Also notice the single rear reversing lamp on the driver side - a Hyundai trait.
No reverse camera on the Magna+.
Flippy key with keyless entry function.
The other key is a normal skeleton one.
Driver door panel has all 4 power windows, with one-touch auto down for the driver window.
Also, power adjustable ORVMs, but folding has to be done manually.
Driver seat has recline function only. No height-adjustment available.
Driver and front passenger doors house a speaker & a tweeter each.
Notice the smart recess for a big bottle?
A 2-DIN Head Unit with Bluetooth, USB, Aux-in & Radio with DRM support.
The system can also be connected to your smartphone through the iBlue app.
Manual AC controls with Eco coating.
Quite effective. Not missing the ACC.
The Aux-In, USB & Power socket below.
Also a nifty area to store your phone in front. In the Asta variant, you get the wireless charger here.
Plain gear lever. Same as my erstwhile Creta SX+. No wonder it looks so cheap.
A fixed armrest! It's always welcome. Good space inside, too.
A couple of storage spaces in front, beside the handbrake.
One of them now has the Swachh Bharat can by default.
Seatbelts with pretensioners, but not height-adjustable.
Day-night IRVM. Size is a tad small.
Separate map lamps up front!
And a sunglass holder too!
Passenger side sun visor has a vanity mirror inside.
The MID in the speedo looks exactly the same as my Creta SX+'s.
Welcome additions to the Elite i20 include a Distance-To-Empty, an average FE display & an instant FE display.
Also, the bottom left blank shows the gearshift prompts (both up and down) when the car is in motion.
Wiper setting has the very useful intermittent function, while the headlamp stalk comes with the front foglamp switch (toggle up).
Grab handles provided for the 3 passengers.
Rear passengers get coat hooks on them (both sides).
Also, notice the height-adjustable front head rest.
Fixed head rests at the rear.
The rear seat, although comfy, doesn't have an armrest and folds fully forward (no split).
Passenger door panel. Just a speaker and a bottle holder.
Tweeter section is blanked out (near door handle).
Wait...what?! Rear AC vents!!
The Mahindra XUV300 at nearly double the price doesn't have these!
A separate cabin lamp for the rear passengers at the centre.
Floor hump is minimal. The 5th passenger will feel welcomed.
![Rumour: Hyundai updates Elite i20 line up with new features-img_0210.jpg](https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attachments/indian-car-scene/1896644d1688379475t-rumour-hyundai-updates-elite-i20-line-up-new-features-img_0210.jpg)