[akshaysehgal]

Hello BHPians!

I recently became a proud owner of an i20 N line N8 DCT (polar white, date of delivery - 14th March 2022), and I thank the Team-BHP forum for helping me make this decision and for providing me a platform for sharing my ownership review & experience with the car (1246 km on road as of the posting of this article). I hope this account of mine may assist, inform and entertain the car enthusiast community here.

Choice & Decision -

Being my first car, I wanted to ensure that it was from a reliable brand and preferably a hatchback that I could continue using as a secondary car when the time came to buy a larger family car in the future. The options I started investigating were Baleno, i20 Asta, i20 N line, VW Polo, Tata Altroz, Tata Tiago, Kia Sonet, Venue, and Honda Jazz. The two cars that caught my eye immediately were the i20(s) and Polo. Very soon all my online car comparisons basically turned into how well a car would compare against these two. After reading a bunch of opinions on Team-BHP and videos from YouTube, I decided on i20 N Line. Some of the criteria that helped me make this decision were (in order) -

1. Looks! - It’s classy, sporty, angry, and edgy all at once and the interior feels extremely premium in spite of the plastics. A major part of the decision was due to the fact that I had watched a LOT of views of the i20 N & i20 N Line European versions and the interiors/exteriors felt quite similar to the Indian version
2. Amazing test drive(s) - Had about 4-5 of those and the car’s handling felt super intuitive and fun
3. Features - Excellent tech features (being a tech guy in AI/ML space, this was super important for me. Lots of data and stats visible all around, plus great integrations with other devices
4. Competition - Tons of comparisons with amazing cars such as VW Polo GTI, Fiat Punto Abarth which are legends in their own right
5. City driving - Hot hatch for comfortable city driving (I am not a sedan person and I decided to avoid an SUV as my first car)
6. Uniqueness - Since the time I got to know about this car I have probably seen just 3-4 of these on-road and it's definitely a head-turner
7. Reliability - My family owns a Verna (12 years and running) and a Creta (7 years and running), so Hyundai was highly recommended to me
8. Budget - My budget was around 14-18 and it fell right into the Goldilocks zone for me

Booking & Delivery -

This phase was nothing short of a roller coaster for me. I was hell-bent on finding the Red Monotone color with silver skirts. So, after promises of delivery within a month, Himgiri Hyundai in Gurgaon took my booking right after my test drive for the same color. Unfortunately, they got back to me a week later informing me that they would need to modify the booking since Red monotone was discontinued which was extremely disappointing. My next choice was white monotone as the red accents on it stand out the most, making it look sporty yet classy. So I asked them for the same, and was told that white would be available even earlier than the red one!

Sadly, after 1.5 months of barely any responses to my WhatsApp messages for updates on the car delivery and multiple missed calls to the showroom, I had given up hope of getting the car at all and started test driving other cars. Every week, I would make multiple calls to them only for them to pick up after 3 to 4 attempts and tell me that the car should be available by next week.

This is when my brother-in-law stepped in and helped me find another showroom from Faridabad (Bohra Hyundai) which claimed they could arrange the car in white within a week! Skeptical, we physically went there and gauged how trustworthy the situation was. Based on that we made another booking before canceling the previous one for the same car.

It was beyond my expectation when they told me they had arranged the car and would be able to deliver it in just 4-5 days by exchanging their i20 N Line in a different color with another dealer (which they didn’t disclose). I was very very skeptical about this at first but after a pre-inspection (following the excellent article on this on TeamBHP to the T) on the 5th day of the booking, it was delivered to me in a net 6 days after booking!

Hats off the Mohit from the Bohra Hyundai, Faridabad, sales team for being one of the most proactive and professional sales guys I have ever met, and thanks for making me feel like a valued customer! This was Bohra Hyundai’s first N-line sale as well and they were really really proactive with the updates.

The biggest pain of the process was the payment for the car since I was not taking any loan and was paying the full amount upfront within ~48 hours of time. Tip for anyone looking to do the same - NEVER use HDFC bank for large immediate transactions. The best banks to do this are SBI & ICICI as they allow up to 5 lakhs RTGS transfers within the first 24 hours of adding a beneficiary. A week after I got my car, I actually remembered to cancel my booking with Himgiri and got my full amount refunded since they promised me a Red car at the time of booking but couldn’t even deliver a different color in the promised time.

Ownership experience -

I still experiencing new things daily as I am writing this and so I cannot provide an extremely organized compendium of facts and opinions, but for a good starting point, I will add a bunch of my experiences with the car for now and will keep updating these as time goes on.

Acceleration & Overtaking - I was careful in keeping my revs under 4k for the first 500 kms as recommended by the online owner’s manual. However, I had a scary moment the first time I tried to overtake a car. The initial delay in accelerating from 1st to 2nd gear is actually quite significant and so at lower speeds when you put your foot down, expect a massive burst of acceleration after a short delay. This issue disappears at higher gears where the car just infinitely delivers more and more power as you push the pedal down. This is reflected in the torque curve shared by Hyundai for this engine. It delivers ~120bhp at 6000 RPM but the torque curve actually continues its upwards trend even into the red line area which they chose to hide (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/iipcache/166291.jpg). But after a few days of driving the car, this becomes muscle memory and it's not really an issue at all. A trick I use when trying to overtake quickly is to push the paddle shifter (-) to one gear lower for overtaking and then quickly switch from D to S to D again for changing back to automatic mode immediately. I rarely use the S mode other than this (only when I need to show off!) but the audio feedback from the car, exhausts notes in particular, as well as the responsiveness of the car, are significantly improved in this mode. Will definitely try to fit the S mode more often with my regular driving going forward.

Steering & Parking - Probably the most amazing part of the car! It’s quite precise and on sharp turns, you can feel the car turning around you as the pivot, which is an amazing feeling to have. The steering is heavy, and bulky, especially with the paddle shifters which makes the digits super happy when grabbing the wheel. The turning signal has a “soft” indicator (tap it gently for 5 ticks) and a “hard” indicator which works like a standard indicator would. While turning with headlights switched on, the corresponding side light (fog light?) turns on to further illuminate the direction, which is really helpful. The rear visibility is really good, especially with the auto-dimming IRVM and adjustable ORVMs. The sensors behind the car are responsive and the rear camera is crisp & clear even at night. The rear camera view is visible on the infotainment system when you jump into R mode and stays there when you are at lower speeds even if you enter D model, which has come in handy frequently. I especially appreciate the dedicated rearview cameras button next to the headlight adjuster which helps a ton on a rainy day.

Braking & Tires - The one thing I have fallen in love with even more than the acceleration, after driving the car for some time now, is the disc brakes on all 4 wheels. The confidence I have with the car at higher speeds actually shows. Once you get a hang of it, you can bring a car to stop extremely quickly without even the slightest jerk. The biggest disappointment here was the fact that they painted only the front ones red. I am planning to rectify this aftermarket and would love to hear from some experienced BHPians for some guidance. I have not changed the factory CEAT Securadrive tires for something else as a lot of folks told me they were actually pretty decent types already. I plan to use these for now and later replace them with some of the recommendations made in this thread already.



Features - There is a lot to cover here but I will give some of the important ones a quick overview (in order) -

• Carplay - The most useful feature of the car is the apple CarPlay for me. I am truly disappointed that N8 doesn’t get the wireless CarPlay as N6 but I still use it all the time for Maps, Music, and Phone calls. I have it properly configured to suit my needs and have set the google maps to cover the full 10.2-inch screen, instead of the two-thirds default setting.
• Navigation - The inbuilt navigation is also amazing and actually shows stop signs and other important information directly on the gauge cluster as well! It has some issues with specific locations so I generally use google maps on CarPlay. Avoid using apple maps completely though. The controls on the steering are very intuitive and do a great job controlling CarPlay features so no complaints here. The only thing I can think of is the fact that there is no pause button on the steering controls, only mute.
• Real-time stats - Next is the gauge cluster, specifically the real-time mileage and the tire pressure. I switch between the 2 and keep checking on them very regularly. Turbocharged engines are especially sensitive to throttle inputs when it comes to fuel efficiency, I am still learning how to maximize the same while being able to enjoy the sportier side of the car. The real-time mileage indicator is a great learning tool for that. During my trip to Agra, on the cruise at 100, I was averaging a milage of 25-30! But in the city, with my unrefined novice driving, it's usually around 8-9.
• Sunroof - The sunroof is too small to be practical (my 2-year-old nephew enjoys peaking out of it occasionally) but it actually something that I use regularly. I open it slightly for the hot air to escape with the AC on auto whenever I turn on the car, and I regularly pull the roof cover for moonlight to shine through the glass during especially beautiful nights.
• Auto AC - The AC auto function is very useful as well. I start afresh drive with this until the car is properly cooled and then switch to my preferred settings. The fan at top speeds can be a bit noisy but the weather control buttons are really intuitive and easy to handle without even looking. The rear AC vents are a great touch as well!
• Bluelink - The blue link app has been very useful from time to time. I often forget to lock the car when parking it at my home and I end up getting a notification on my phone that the car was not locked. This I remedy quickly with the remote locking feature. I don’t use the remote ignition very often as it takes a year to actually work (Vodafone/idea network if I remember). The iPhone app has limited features as compared to the android one, as I have heard, so hoping they make those updates soon on the iPhone!
• Interior lighting - The welcome lights and the electronically opening ORVMs are a great touch and add a bit of personality to the car! The red interior lighting is aggressive but I plan to change the yellow bulbs in the roof lights to warm white soon. I wish there was more lighting on the driver-side door controls. For now, I have learned to feel the button shapes and use the controls as if they are laid out in braille but I still hit the wrong buttons often.
• Wireless charging - Wireless charger is useful, but not really. Since I have to use a cable for the CarPlay, I rarely end up using it. The issue though is when you accidentally forget your phone on the wireless charger. It keeps on charging and draining the battery even if the car is completely off. The car is polite enough to warn you that the wireless charger is being used when you turn it off though.
• Vehicle warnings - The car warnings are great though. Leaving your door/sunroof open, leaving the key inside the car, leaving the phone on the wireless charger, improper gear when turning off the car, etc, are all displayed clearly on the cluster along with audio alerts. One issue that I figured out rather quickly was the fact that if you accidentally forget to put your car in P when turning off the car, the car makes a big ruckus, and the only way to stop that is by shifting gears to P, turning on the car, and then turning it off again. Just pushing it into P without turning the car on doesn’t work. My biggest complaint here is the speed at which the seatbelt safety sound gets triggered. I am not sure if this is a govt mandate or just their choice, but anything above 20 kmph apparently triggers it and it just doesn’t stop even if you slow down, which is very annoying when you are just trying to move your car out of the parking to take out your other family car. I really don’t want to invest in the fake seatbelt clips as safety comes before convenience so I am wondering if the speed limit can be modified to a bit higher for the sound alerts. I am sure there must be a way, but I am hoping for a legal way that also protects my car warranty.
• Storage - The door storage and the cooled glove box have decent space, but the storage between the two seats is quite disappointing. I regularly use the cupholders for storing smaller things like coins or small papers since the wireless charger has my phone sitting on it which I need quick access to each time I step out of the car. The storage under the hand rest is decent too but since there is no organizing there, it’s really hard to find smaller things that you drop into it. I have placed an order for seat fillers and I hope they could help with this a bit. Overall, the storage isn’t that great in general.
• Hill assist - The hill assist is extremely useful in my personal usage, especially since I have somewhat elevated parking. It kicks in when I am trying to climb into the parking area via the ramp right after I have turned towards it. You need to hold the brake for 2 seconds on an incline in D mode for hill assist to kick in. It gives you 2 additional seconds of braking even after you release your foot from the pedal allowing you to safely move to the accelerator without the car rolling back.
• Smart keys - The smart keys are a great touch and I rarely use the buttons on them at all. For the most part, I leave them in my pocket. I usually only use the unlock button on the driver’s side door handle to lock/unlock the car. It has a 1-foot proximity sensor to the key. Anything above that, and it doesn’t allow someone to open the car. This got apparent especially when I swapped seats with my brother-in-law one day when he was driving and we made a stop. I had the key still in my pocket and got down from the passenger side, while my brother-in-law got down from the driver’s side and attempted to lock the car with the button but in vain since it exceeded the 1 feet distance between the sensor in the driver side door handle and the key in my pocket. You can safely forget the key in the car as well since the car makes a ruckus if the key is still inside when you try to lock it.
• Headlamps - The biggest issue (and the most dangerous) with the car that I have is that the LED headlamps are absolute garbage. I am not sure if this is just me, but I plan to raise this quite aggressively during my first servicing. The low beam, high beam, and fog lights combined are not enough to drive on an unlit road. The light intensity is extremely low even when you are the only car on the road on a dark night. On the lowest angle setting for the low beam (which I needed badly so that I could see the road bumps right infant of me), there is a weird shadow in the middle which illuminates the road unevenly. All of this is very dangerous and I would love to know if other i20 N line owners have had a similar issue.
• Car Boot - Another issue is the car boot. I am not sure if this was a design issue or it's just a standard thing with other hatchbacks as well but the lip around the boot under the rear spoiler (where the boot hood closes) accumulates a LOT of dust and grime and has to constantly be cleaned. I haven’t had an instance where anything has leaked into the boot, however. (will post a pic soon)

Accessories & Mods -

A couple of days back I met the owner of a highly modded VW Polo GT who aptly made the comment - “Sare major mods toh already factory se hi lag kar aaye hain” (Some of the major mods already come default from the factory). So, I have not done a lot with the car right now. Below is the list of the minor accessories/mods that I have already installed, ordered, or planning to get in the coming weeks -

• Red tow belt (Installed) https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B09...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
  
  
  
• N Line 3D Boot Mat (Installed) https://hyundaimobisin.com/products/...45/3d-boot-mat
• N Line 7D Car Mat (Installed) https://hyundaimobisin.com/products/...dual-layer-mat
  
  
  
• N Line Tire Valve Cap (Installed) https://hyundaimobisin.com/products/...tyre-valve-cap
• Red Door striker covers (Installed) https://hyundaimobisin.com/products/...-striker-cover
  
  
  
• Sparco neck pillow RED (Installed) https://hoonistash.com/
  
  
  
• N Line Car Pillows (Installed) https://hyundaimobisin.com/products/...-line-branding
  
  
  
• Car Headrest Hooks (Installed) https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B09...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
• TUSA Digital Car Tyre Inflator (Installed) https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B07...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
• Duracell car charger Type C (Installed) https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B09...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
• Red Fast charging USB cable (Installed) https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B08...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
• N Line key cover (Installed) https://hyundaimobisin.com/products/.../924/key-cover
• Keychain Tag & Piston keychain (Installed) https://hoonistash.com/
  
  
  
• Hyundai i20 Car cover (Installed)
• Windscreen ticket holder (Ordered) https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B08..._1?smid=&psc=1
• N Line Cup holder coasters (Ordered) https://hyundaimobisin.com/products/...holder-coaster
• N Line Seat Gap Filler (Ordered) https://hyundaimobisin.com/products/...eat-gap-filler
• Cup holder type air purifier (Ordered) https://hyundaimobisin.com/products/...r-air-purifier
• Door Edge guards (Ordered) https://hyundaimobisin.com/products/...oor-edge-guard
• Non-slip Dash Mat (Ordered) https://hyundaimobisin.com/products/...-slip-dash-mat
• Red paint on rear disk brake calipers (TBD)
• Some minimalistic stickers for car interior (TBD)
• More powerful Horn (TBD)

A quick note on the authentic N Line accessories. They were even more difficult to get than the car itself in my personal experience. I got most of them after around 1.5 months of placing the order, but it was worth it. I was skeptical about the Red N Line 7D mats based on the photos I saw, but they are absolutely amazing in person and the Hyundai photos don’t do justice to them. I compared them physically in the showroom side by side with the i20 Black/Grey 7D mats and preferred the N Line ones immediately.

Another special thanks to Hoonistash.com for helping me find the Sparco Neck pillows. I loved them at first sight and tried for so long to find them on common e-commerce platform but they were all out-of-stock. Hoonistash was able to send these to me within 2-3 days along with the amazing keychains and some car fragrances which was amazing of them.

Since the car is mostly black inside (including the roof) with red accents, anything added to the car really brings color to the interior. I am a minimalist and this falls right up my alley.

TLDR;

On the day of posting this article, I just completed a weekend trip from Delhi to Agra and back (via Yamuna expressway) completing a total of 1246 km and now my car is due it's first free servicing. It was an amazing trip and I am so glad I crossed the 1000 km milestone for the car on an amazing road like that, cruising at 100 kmph.



The car is extremely fun to drive, gives you a ton of confidence at high speeds, and is smooth yet a road monster when you need it to be. It looks amazing and feels premium, for the most part, reminding you of its more powerful distant cousins from Europe. It’s rare, exotic, and brings a smile to my face each time I am behind the wheel.



-----------

Regards,
Akshay Sehgal
i20 N line N8 DCT PWT

[GTO]

Great review, thanks for sharing . This is one of the best petrolhead hatchbacks on sale in India. Am told that Hyundai is pleasantly surprised with the response to the N Line and is hence planning N Line variants of other models too. In the last week alone, I've spotted 4 N Lines in Bombay.

Wishing you a minimum of 150,000 joyous km with your N Line.

[Chrome6Boy]

Great review! Wish you make KMs of fun and safe driving.

We own a Venue DCT. We found that on the steering wheel controls the volume button and the track skip buttons are reversed. To make it clearer, you push up on the volume button to increase the volume, however on the track skip button you need to push down to go to the next track which is completely unintuitive. Also the voice command button brings up the Hyundai assistant and not Google assistant / Siri.

Is this the case in your car too?

[akshaysehgal]

Originally Posted by Chrome6Boy

Great review! Wish you make KMs of fun and safe driving.

We own a Venue DCT. We found that on the steering wheel controls the volume button and the track skip buttons are reversed. To make it clearer, you push up on the volume button to increase the volume, however on the track skip button you need to push down to go to the next track which is completely unintuitive. Also the voice command button brings up the Hyundai assistant and not Google assistant / Siri.

Is this the case in your car too?

Thank you!

The track change button is definitely reversed for me as well. It seems that Hyundai tried to make the direction of the song change "intuitive" by this design change since you would also swipe down to find the next song in a playlist on your phone. Sadly though, they ended up making it more un-intuitive for most people. I am getting comfortable with it slowly though.

Regarding Siri/Google Assistant, it only replaces bluelink voice commands when you activate Andriod play or Apple car play, sadly.

Maybe there is a way to turn off the bluelink assistant from the settings, and if you do that, maybe the default one switches to the assistant available to the connected Bluetooth device. I have to test this, but let me get back to you soon if this works.

[ChiragM]

Originally Posted by akshaysehgal

Acceleration & Overtaking - I was careful in keeping my revs under 4k for the first 500 kms as recommended by the online owner’s manual. However, I had a scary moment the first time I tried to overtake a car. The initial delay in accelerating from 1st to 2nd gear is actually quite significant and so at lower speeds when you put your foot down, expect a massive burst of acceleration after a short delay. This issue disappears at higher gears where the car just infinitely delivers more and more power as you push the pedal down. This is reflected in the torque curve shared by Hyundai for this engine. It delivers ~120bhp at 6000 RPM but the torque curve actually continues its upwards trend even into the red line area which they chose to hide (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/iipcache/166291.jpg). But after a few days of driving the car, this becomes muscle memory and it's not really an issue at all. A trick I use when trying to overtake quickly is to push the paddle shifter (-) to one gear lower for overtaking and then quickly switch from D to S to D again for changing back to automatic mode immediately. I rarely use the S mode other than this (only when I need to show off!) but the audio feedback from the car, exhausts notes in particular, as well as the responsiveness of the car, are significantly improved in this mode. Will definitely try to fit the S mode more often with my regular driving going forward.

Braking & Tires - The one thing I have fallen in love with even more than the acceleration, after driving the car for some time now, is the disc brakes on all 4 wheels. The confidence I have with the car at higher speeds actually shows. Once you get a hang of it, you can bring a car to stop extremely quickly without even the slightest jerk. The biggest disappointment here was the fact that they painted only the front ones red. I am planning to rectify this aftermarket and would love to hear from some experienced BHPians for some guidance. I have not changed the factory CEAT Securadrive tires for something else as a lot of folks told me they were actually pretty decent types already. I plan to use these for now and later replace them with some of the recommendations made in this thread already.

Welcome to the N Line club Akshay. It is a lovely car.

Do use the S mode while overtaking. It keeps the engine on the boil and downshifts aggressively leading to some lovely exhaust noises. I usually leave it in S during outstation drives. In the city, it is mostly in D.

I do know someone here in Bangalore who has painted his rear brakes red. Let me see if I can dig up pics and share them with you. You may need to PM me on this as I may forget

I've continued with the stock tires as well and it serves the purpose for me.

Do read my ownership review as well: https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-...ip-review.html (Our first car comes home | Hyundai i20 N Line DCT | Ownership Review)

[akshaysehgal]

Originally Posted by ChiragM

Welcome to the N Line club Akshay. It is a lovely car.

Do use the S mode while overtaking. It keeps the engine on the boil and downshifts aggressively leading to some lovely exhaust noises. I usually leave it in S during outstation drives. In the city, it is mostly in D.

I do know someone here in Bangalore who has painted his rear brakes red. Let me see if I can dig up pics and share them with you. You may need to PM me on this as I may forget

I've continued with the stock tires as well and it serves the purpose for me.

Do read my ownership review as well: https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-...ip-review.html (Our first car comes home | Hyundai i20 N Line DCT | Ownership Review)

Thanks ChiragM, your ownership review was one of the best accounts that I read before deciding on the car! Thank you for the amazing review

I have to get BHPian status to PM you but hopefully, I would be able to soon. I did see the red calipers for the first and only time in pics from the Bangalore meetup and it looked amazing. I think you are referring to the same person. Would love to connect with them.

I will try using S mode for outstation drives. Thanks for the tips!

[pd1108]

Excellent review Akshay. Congratulations on your first car ownership. You seem to have the best car as your first one. Enjoy KMs of tarmac munching

[venus1975]

Congrats on your first Car, Akshay! Thank you for sharing your experience through this excellent review and great photos.
How do you find the driving comfort during long drives? Many reviewers have felt that the driver's seat is not very comfortable due to inadequate under thigh support.

Wishing you great memories with this beauty!

[akshaysehgal]

Originally Posted by venus1975

Congrats on your first Car, Akshay! Thank you for sharing your experience through this excellent review and great photos.
How do you find the driving comfort during long drives? Many reviewers have felt that the driver's seat is not very comfortable due to inadequate under thigh support.

Wishing you great memories with this beauty!

Thanks, @venus1975! I was able to find the perfect location & time of the day to get these pics!

I have had only 1 "long" trip which was to Agra (and back) via Yamuna expressway. The ride was super smooth and very comfortable, with no complaints at all. I am sure you can find significantly better seats in the market of course, but I never felt uncomfortable. I am sure with the N line's tighter suspensions on harsher roads, I would be able to share an updated view on this.

I have however heard people talk about the difficulty of finding the right seat configuration (height, lean, distance). I found mine after a bit of tweaking. It is as low as possible in height (will talk about the reason for this next) and but tilted backward. The reason for the backward tilt is that you get more lumbar support that way, else the seat feels too upright and strains the back. The side and base bolsters are super grippy and large, so you feel well snugged in the seat and can properly lean back on a long drive (better still with a good neck rest accessory).

Coming to the height setting being at its lowest - There is a big reason for that. I found that I have a better view for my height (5'11'') when the height is the lowest since the IRVM is quite big and positioned quite low, which can be a big blind spot if your seat is high.

Regarding the thigh support, I am not sure if I felt any issues with that even with my height and build I feel quite well supported, but everyone has their own preferences of course.

Basically, the only comfortable way I found for the seat configuration is similar to that of a sports car. Low, a bit leaned back, and neck supported with a good neck rest.

Do check this seat configuration out if you plan to test drive or ask your friends to try it. Maybe it makes a difference!

[akshaysehgal]

2000 km Update:

Happy the announce the car looks and feels better with each passing day, like a good piece of art !




I have had a bit of time to make some observations on the car -

Positives -

1. The "turbo lag" has become non-existent because of the muscle memory I have developed. Now the car smoothly accelerates exponentially from 0 to 100.
2. The most insane band in the acceleration that I found is 80-110 on S mode.
3. The paddle-shift method was good to overtake, but on the suggestion of multiple BHPians, I have come to realize that the S mode is actually a significantly better mode to drive on highway roads. You get all the power you want when you need it, and the car is always in the right gear, perfect for overtaking at higher speeds.
4. On advice from a car-enthusiast YouTuber Prithwi Raj, as well as some family members, I have started using 95 Octane fuel. The owner's manual states that the engine needs 91 octane and above. With this fuel (xp95), the mileage has significantly increased and I find the car has a lot more power at lower rpm as well, especially before the turbo kicks in. Also, I found that Indian Oil's xp95 is much better than HP's Power fuel. I am avoiding Power 100 though.
5. The polar white + red highlights stand out so well! I was confused about the color at the time of buying the car but I am so glad I chose this.
6. Last but not least, I still can't believe how good the steering is. It's a perfect weight and very accurate for its segment.

Negatives -

1. Each time you come to switch the display from the rear camera (in R mode) to drive, you have to switch to the Apple Carplay again. I have mapped it to the custom "star" button but it's still a hassle to tap it each time.
2. The car has its moods (which I was told other cars have too!). One out of seven days, when you start the car for the first time, it feels like the car has a hangover and is super lazy until the engine heats up. Though, seeing this personality that the car has, always brings a smile to my face. So it's not such a bad thing after all!
3. The car is a dirt magnet, especially in Delhi NCR's dust. There are too many "crevasses" in the car's body which end up collecting dirt very quickly. This includes the door handles as well. You have to wash the car very regularly.
4. The boot space is sufficient for me and my wife traveling for a week (1 large and 1 medium suitcase, with some bags), but introduce a third person and suddenly the car reminds you it's a hatchback.
5. The tyre pressure changes very often. It usually fluctuates from 31-28 for front wheels and 30-27 on back wheels based on the weather conditions. I am exploring if Nitrogen is a better option but would love to hear from BHPians who have had experience with it.

[chaitanyakrish]

Originally Posted by akshaysehgal

[h3]I have started using 95 Octane fuel. The owner's manual states that the engine needs 91 octane and above.

If we already use normal 91 octane fuel, do we need to wait until it becomes empty or can we mix 95 octane fuel?

[akshaysehgal]

Originally Posted by chaitanyakrish

If we already use normal 91 octane fuel, do we need to wait until it becomes empty or can we mix 95 octane fuel?

You can start using it over a partially filled tank. What I usually do is to get a full tank when my fuel is around 10-20%. With subsequent tank fills, the overall octane rating will get closer to 95.

[Slash]

I've just about completed my 1st service and done around 1K kms in my N8 DCT. I love this car to bits. I found the car very capable of meeting the crawling city traffic as well as spirited driving. The 2 things that really make this car stand out are proper tyres and XP95. I upgraded to Michelin Primacy 4ST straight from the showroom and I found them to be excellent. As for fuel, unfortunately XP95 is always running out of stock these days so I fill normal petrol just how much I need for a day or two and try and stock up full once available. Now I'll probably start topping up XP95 midway instead of bottoming out. There's no need to worry at all about mixing the two occasionally. All you end up is missing some of that XP95 low end power which helps with turbo lag. I also felt that the exhaust note had more grunt when sprinting with XP95.

I found the steering wheel slightly off centre by around 5 degrees starboard which makes me really itchy being half OCD. I can't recall how and when that could have happened, so I'll just get the alignment done locally nearby.

Coming back to that exhaust note - one day I hope to rig up a bluetooth windproof mic right next to the muffler and relay it to my speakers inside! If it works it might sound awesome...

[sagarpadaki]

Originally Posted by Slash

I found the steering wheel slightly off centre by around 5 degrees starboard which makes me really itchy being half OCD. I can't recall how and when that could have happened, so I'll just get the alignment done locally nearby.

Do note that the steering wheel centering on the Elite i20 and later needs calibration with an OBD tool after alignment which is not available with most local alignment centers. Since you are in Bangalore, suggest you visit Madhu's enterprises for getting this checked. They have the required tools for this kind of job

[Slash]

Thanks a million for this! I wouldn't have known otherwise. I checked that the Langford road one is closed permanently and there one at Wilson garden so will head that way today.