[Tony2298]

Hello all

Wish all of you an auspicious Gudi Padwa/Ugadi! Hope this year brings you all happiness and good health.

Today, I finally took ownership of my new wheels and let me give a spoiler alert, I'm totally in love with it already!

Background

Our journey with Hyundai started almost since the inception of the OEM in India. If you all remember, the plethora of ads which Hyundai made along with SRK to familiarise the Indian audience with their brand and later launched a car, perfectly tailor made for India, the Santro. It was a beautiful piece of engineering IMHO. The 1.1L 4cylinder epsilon engine had extremely good NVH and short gearing made it perfect for pottering around city, plus the car had loads of space and even had quite chiller of an air con. No doubt it was a smashing hit and one which established Hyundai as a household name in India.

https://youtu.be/93iXFF89qX8?si=tlOW_QAJiHDfo2YM

My maternal uncle gifted my grandpa a beautiful red Hyundai Santro back during the springs of 2000(oh, so wonderful time to live life!). My grandparents meticulously took care of the car as it became embodiment of their son and got it regularly serviced at Hyundai ASC only.


The car was kept by us for a long time but sadly, its paperworks were totally out of order and nobody was interested in retaining the car(except me but who cares) and the car was sold for as good as scrap but I tracked the owner and saw the car again recently and I wouldn't like to comment much about it but all I can say is the car is still in running condition.

The story continues when I bought my first car, the 1st gen Hyundai i20 Asta. Another beautiful piece of engineering, it was clearly made for Euro markets, no doubt about that, the doors and overall construction was so high quality, it showed why it scored a perfect 5star EuroNCAP crash safety rating, plus it being a Hyundai, was generously equipped with gizmos and had stuff even unheard in luxury sedans during those times!

The car served me faithfully for all these years and even helped me in saving my life many a times, when I was fatally injured and ambulance never arrived on the spot, it was my i20 which helped me out and if it were not for the car, I wouldn't have been alive today!

As life progressed, decided to indulge and reward myself a SUV. Saw many, many cars but at the end, zeroed in upon, the Hyundai Tucson CRDi 4WD A/T in Phantom Black shade! The reason was simple, more than anything else, it was a car which punched way above its weight.

Both the machines are so damn terrific!


It has been one of the best purchases of mine, I've done so many long trips with it and each time I get behind the wheel, it makes me so happy and thank my lucky stars that I'm owning this masterpiece!

Now coming to this time around, when I finally decided to upgrade my old i20, initially it was not Hyundai which was in my mind since I did want to try out other brands too.

Cars considered

• Honda Amaze ZX MT- I've been an admirer of Honda for a long time, some of their cars viz the 8th gen Civic, Accord 3.5V6 and CRV 4WD are still one of the most sought after cars for someone looking for luxury and reliability along with some FTD quotient. Therefore I decided to give a try to Honda. Sadly, however for some reason or other, I wasn't even given a TD of the 3rd gen Amaze. One dealership even blatantly refused to give me a TD even though they had 2 new TD Amaze cars. Then there was the cars' average exteriors and boring interiors, all in all I felt like compromising too much, just for a Honda badge and i-VTEC engine, therefore dropped it.
  
  
• Maruti Dzire- This was one car which genuinely impressed me totally and in fact I loved it way more than the Amaze. The exteriors looked smashing, the interior was quite nicely designed and was loaded to gills with features, plus, MSIL surprised us all with a perfect 5star rating which is truly commendable. The 3cylinder engine is also quite good with extremely well controlled NVH, loads of low end torque which along with an extremely light clutch made city driving a breeze. I won't delve into further details as I had already penned my initial impressions in respective thread and will crosspost the link to the same.https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offic...ml#post5909893 (2024 Maruti Dzire Review)

Cutting to the chase, after giving some thought, I booked the Dzire ZXI+ MT in Pearl Arctic White shade, I was initially given a waiting period of approximately 45days but was assured of delivery before that, also I've to say, the whole dealership and SA were always very cordial with me throughout, top marks to MSIL there!

However, where MSIL betrayed us which left me totally shattered, was the fact when they suddenly decided to launch the new Dzire in commercial segment as TourS when even though they clearly said they wouldn't during the launch of the new Dzire.https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/comme...-launched.html (Maruti Suzuki Tour S based on new-gen Dzire launched)

Yes, I do understand a big chunk of MSIL sales comes from commercial segment only and everybody does things for the best of their interest only but this led to increased demand and subsequent production constraints which led to rationing the production of ZXI+ models and prioritising the production of CNG models and this took a toll for customers who had booked the ZXI+ variant as MSIL increased waiting period extending to more than 16weeks for the higher-end variant!!

I absolutely needed a car as Tucson was being overused for both highways and short commutes within the congested city, with which I wasn't at all comfortable with. Therefore, with a heavy heart, dropped the booking of the new Dzire but I'll still say, it's a fantastic machine and one which I wholly recommend even above the Amaze!

Therefore, was again back to square one but I decided enough is enough, will now speed up the entire process and close the topic once and for all now. Honestly, I wasn't keen to overspend and also go for mainstream brands only with good after sales and service support.

After some thought, it was clear, all the ways were leading me towards my trusted loyal brand only, Hyundai.

I don't like the Aura at all and therefore chose the i20. The variant I finalised was the 1.2L NA petrol with simple 5MT because simply speaking, it perfectly suited my requirement since for anything else, I always have a 2000cc CRDi beast with 185BHP/400Nm at my disposal at all times already in my garage.

The variant I selected is the Asta(O) top-end variant since I didn't wanna lose out on anything and I always prefer top end variant for whichever vehicle I buy. Even my 2012 Honda Aviator scooter is top VX model with front disc brakes! Plus it was only the high end variant which had rear wash wipe feature, a non-negotiable for me considering the amount of monsoon we receive here in MH.

Regarding dealer, even though there are a zillion dealers in my city, I finalised on the oldest dealership of the city, the very same one from where my uncle picked up the Santro for my grandpa 25years ago! The people were rather professional, if not very friendly or cordial like MSIL but I don't have any complaints or grudges against any of them as they delivered all their promises and then some.

They gave me a rather good deal, initially I wanted to opt for insurance by myself but later they gave me a cool discount on the insurance and therefore, agreed, plus their final offer included 4th year extended warranty and some basic accessories too.

Upon asking for loyalty benefits, they clearly said, Hyundai doesn't have any loyalty bonus for i20 which is sad considering there are many loyal customers of like me who should be honoured in some form considering we're still choosing them despite having so many options.

Still, upon my further insistence, the GM agreed to throw in 11,000Rs worth of free accessories, underbody coating etc to which I gave them a counter offer of giving me complimentary Shield of Trust running repair package which includes replacement of wear and tear parts viz brake pads, suspension arms, wipers etc for a period of 4years/45k kms to which they agreed. Plus, during final payment, they reduced the pricing by another 5k! That's why I didn't even bother to call any other dealer and closed the deal with them only.

The car was booked and next morning itself I received a message, of the car being billed and loaded, VIN was also shared, as much as I was excited, I became a bit skeptical of the car being an old stock sitting idle at Hyundai's yard which was being given to me, also since the VIN was 17digit code only, it was not possible to know the month of manufacturing, the year of manufacturing though was 2025 itself.

Therefore, kept faith in God and waited for the car, also I did want to carry out PDI by Zekardo but was prohibited by the dealership as according to them, its not permitted by Hyundai itself, I took things with a pinch of salt but decided to wait for the car, see it in person and then decide. They however did allow me to inspect the car by myself in as much depth as I wanted before final payment which was fair enough IMO.

The car arrived couple of days later and was informed by the SA, that it was a fresh, March manufactured model, Phew! Upon visual inspection, the car was as fresh as it could be, all the plastics and trims intact, the tyres absolutely brand new, again March25 manufactured only. The interiors were having that delectable new car smell, the tapes etc were all intact as well and odo read just 25kms(distance from yard to showroom). I felt a nice vibe with the car and was totally convinced of it, cleared the entire payment then and there itself and asked SA to carry out the rest of formalities.

In the meantime, had to leave the city due to my work schedule and therefore my initial preferred delivery date of 28th March(birthday of my respected elder brother) wasn't possible as I was able to return during evening of 29th only.

However, the SA continued to process things from his side. Insurance was issued by my preferred company only and there were some minor corrections in the address which was promptly endorsed. The RTO work was also complete by 29th afternoon, however due to it being a weekend and subsequent Gudi Padwa and Eid, there was a hell lot of demand of HSRPs and therefore it would take a couple of days since I receive the plate.

Delivery Day

The night before the delivery day I didn't even get a wink of sleep even though the whole day was quite exhausting for me and was just stalking her photo in my phone and having a grin plastered on my face.

Visited the showroom during noon hours, everything was arranged properly by the showroom and since it was a festival all the stuff was prepared accordingly.

The HSRP hadn't arrived by then and SA promised for a home fitment whenever it would arrive which was fair enough for me, in the meantime they stuck paper plates as makeshift arrangement.

The delivery experience was FANTASTIC. Apart from the usual unveiling ceremony, the showroom arranged for a thorough puja ceremony too and car was already decorated with a garland, photo session was also done however unfortunately there was a power outage at that moment itself and dealership couldn't make the photo frame but the SA promised me to deliver it when he would come for HSRP installation.

There she's like an adorable bride wearing her beautiful white wedding gown, waiting for me!

Apart from all of this, the showroom was kind enough to give us some freebies, a box of chocolates and a really delicious chocolate cake too! From our side we gave a box of sweets to them as a token of appreciation.

The delicious cake, arranged by them only to honour the birthday of my elder brother!



Final checks done, owners' manual filled, we drove off and what a surreal experience it was, I just couldn't describe in words! Headed to the designated fuel bunk to redeem 5L fuel voucher, however since I wanted to fill her up with Shell didn't do any top up and headed straight to nearest Shell bunk and filled her up to the brim.

The first song to be played will be none other than my favourite artist, KK, we miss you sir, please come back and give us some more evergreen songs, please!


Her first proper meal, hope she likes it!


Just look at her eyes and that smile, seems like she too has taken a liking towards me!


Headed out to Lemon Tree and had some Chinese which I must say was delicious! Since it was a Sunday l decided to go to M.G Road and do some window shopping or so I thought!

Now while roaming I don't know what got inside me but I decided to become totally foolish and behave immature and went inside Apple Store, which was bustling with customers owing to auspicious occasion, I was already quite frustrated with my current iPhone 13 which was just causing me so much trouble that I had to always rely on ZFold and over stressing it and therefore decided to bite the bullet.

Initially, the Cashify agent quoted quite a low ball offer for my iPhone13 citing severely degraded battery health but the body was absolutely in pristine condition without any dents or cracks, therefore negotiated a bit with him and since I'm a loyal customer of that specific store, we finally settled on a fair enough resale.

I initially decided to buy the 256GB variant of the 16Pro since my Fold is already having massive 512GB capacity, however the sales guy(a known buddy of mine) suggested me to upgrade to 512GB and upon deeper thoughts I too decided to upgrade the storage since it would future proof my iPhone as I really don't wanna spend on cellphones for long time now. Asked for further negotiations and was given a very good deal for the iPhone and to further sweeten the deal, the sales buddy also threw in a couple of freebies too.

I couldn't be happier enough today!


What a better way to test out the camera of my new iPhone than to click some photos of a beautiful model like my brand new i20. Just look at her eyes, she's gonna kill me with her sexy looks!


Even her derriere is so damn curvy and sexy!

[Tony2298]

New footwears

Since the next day was the last day of the month, I decided to end it with a complete baring post by gifting me and my fancy ride some nice shoes!


Jokes apart, as you know i20 comes OE with Ceat SecuraDrive tyres which are just crap and sadly its more or less the same story with every mass production cars and bikes, I just couldn't have lived for 35-40k kms with those tyres and had already decided no matter which car I would've bought I would get the tyres swapped with Michelins.

The tyre dealer is my good friend and offered me cool resale for those crappy Ceats and thus it was a no brainer for me to go with the upgrade! Plus he was kind enough to throw in free balancing and a hell lot of freebies too!

The Primacy 4ST is undoubtedly one of the best tyres in the market right now, I've been using it in my SUV for almost 15k kms now and the experience has been SUPERB. Dry and wet grip, road noise, comfort and silence are unmatched! Only negative is the fact that since they're imported tyres, they are available only for select sizes and offer ONLY CONDITIONAL WARRANTY unlike the competitor brands which offer unconditional warranty on a pro rata basis, so if unconditional warranty is non-negotiable for you, alternatives include Bridgestone Turanza 6i, Yokohama BluEarthGT etc, they've received quite good feedback from the users, in fact I myself got 5 new Bridgestone Turanza 6i tyres for my dad's beloved WagonR and experience has been fantastic, you can read more about it here https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techn...ti-wagonr.html (Carrying out major repair of my beloved Dad's Maruti WagonR)

The experience of Michelins with the i20 is FABULOUS. The grip levels are amazing, the rolling resistance is incredibly low and it literally feels like the car is gliding over a magic carpet and tyre noise is next to nil, it's luxuriously quiet!

Both my cars have the best footwear, hope they're enjoying it!




I'm linking this YT video where the owner of the tyre shop describes in depth about the USPs of Michelins and while some people have commented that Sardarji is too biased towards Michelins, let me reassure you as an end user, he is 100% true!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiEZyKFSy7U

A special note on tyres

I've noticed the fact that every mass market OEM provides cheapest and most inferior quality tyres as standard fitment. Even some OEMs like Honda which used to provide high quality Michelin tyres in their cars not too long ago have dropped their standards and provides rubbish Bridgestone Ecopias with their Honda City and ask any City owner, he will have only negative feedback regarding OEM tyres. VAG too provides average Ceat/MRF/GoodYear even in their performance oriented cars like Virtus GT. Hyundai too once provided excellent Bridgestone Dueler H/P/B250s with their cars but have completely switched to poor Ceat/JKs.

Now I do understand that OEMs work on a very thin margin and they need to save cost wherever possible and thus the tyres have to bear the brunt of the same, therefore instead of bashing the OEMs, as an informed customer we should decide if those tyres are actually roadworthy or not and take a call, since it makes no sense on holding on to them for 30-40k kms knowing that they're of inferior quality.

What I've also noticed is that people spend a hell lot of money on detailing, retrofitting parts and installing high end accessories in their fancy rides but giving ZERO importance when it comes to tyres. Even after they're considerably worn they continue using them and posing a serious safety threat. I hope the ones reading this thread, do regularly inspect the tyres of their vehicles and never compromise and get nothing but the best for their rides.

HSRP Installation

Later during the day I was informed by the SA that HSRP has arrived, initially I requested for home installation but due to some delay from their end, decided to visit the showroom myself and get the job done by today itself since I can't hold my patience anymore to go for a long night drive on the express highway with her!

HSRP installed, all set for long outstation trips now!


As of now odo stands just a shade under 100kms and while its too early to comment, as per Team BHP rules its imperative to list down pros and cons in ownership reviews, so here we go:

Pros

1. The music system- Its terrific man! Once you get the equaliser settings according to your taste, you'll thoroughly enjoy the system, in fact my mom said its quite overpowered for a small hatchback and was constantly asking me to dial down the volume but jokes apart I'm really enjoying the audio system and its imperative for me to have a good sound system which is exactly why I use Sony WF1000XM4s as they've far better audio output as compared to Samsung buds/AirPods and especially with LDAC, its terrific. Even my Tucson has fantastic 8speaker Infinity sound system which also sounds so damn good. Only small negative is the fact that rear speakers are quite weak as compared to front ones and it reminds me of my old i20 which had a generic 6speaker system with same problem of front bias.
   
   
2. The infotainment system- The 10.25" screen is fab in terms of resolution, smoothness and UX, it is literally at par with my iPhone 16Pro and Galaxy ZFold5! Other OEMs should learn a thing or two from Hyundai/Kia about making some nice infotainment system. Even reverse camera quality is SUPERB and it literally feels as if it’s an iPhone camera! Even during dark, the resolution doesn't degrade. Impressive!
   
   
3. NVH- Its supreme, Hyundai does know a thing or two about making their cars refined whether it be the original Santro, my old i20 or my diesel beast, the Tucson CRDi and its no different with this new i20, the engine is supremely refined and even the road and tyre noise is very low even on concrete surfaces thanks in no small amount to the excellent Michelin Primacy 4ST tyres! It's the best gift I could've given to her, for sure!
   
   
4. Smoothness- I don't because its brand new or the way its made, the car feels DAMN SMOOOOTH(I guess it deserves the title track of Carlos Sainz, F1 fans will get this), the steering, gearbox and clutch has that oily, effortless feel to it, similar to my Tucson.
   
   
5. Bone Chilling FATC- My first gen i20 was built for European markets and was thus fitted with 90cc compressor which just couldn't cope with the harsh tropical heat of India and therefore all owners of 1st gen i20 unanimously complained about subpar A/C performance. Hyundai took note of this and with the Elite i20 upgraded the FATC with powerful 122cc compressor which in fact was a bit of overkill for a small hatchback but is totally welcome considering harsh Indian heat, that car even won the comparison Overdrive India did while carrying out a test of air-conditioning of various cars across segments, what a comeback! https://www.overdrive.in/news-cars-a...an-hatchbacks/
   
   I guess the compressor is carried forward with the new gen i20 as well and even with temperatures nudging well above 37 degree centigrade and no sun films, FATC manages to cool down the cabin very quickly so much so that my mom asked me crank it down as the things were getting too cold within 5minutes of switching on the car, even keeping it at 22 degrees is more than sufficient even during afternoon time in heavy traffic! Its a similar story with my Tucson and my house with Carrier, OGeneral and Daikin doing a fantastic job of cooling my home during this terrible heatwave!
   
   Apart from that it includes the usual pros associated with Hyundai cars of in-general fuss free ownership experience and wide after sales and spares support network.

CONS

1. Weird omissions- In a car so well equipped, there are some glaring omissons too. Firstly, the lack of an Auto Dimming IRVM, Hyundai ought to have provided it at least in the top spec Asta(o) variant considering the NLine gets it, I will definitely try to install the same if possible with the help of my trusted ASC. Secondly, lack of foglamps, the pre-FL variant had it and so does the NLine, why this step-motherly treatment, Hyundai? Not everyone wants 118BHP to potter around city and carve corners when all you witness is long traffic snarls, dug up roads and in general whole work in progress type of vibe of cities like Mumbai, Pune etc. Just give a true top spec loaded to gills top-end Asta(o) variant in the 1.2NA model like you used to do back with the iGen i20 which had some never seen before features for its segment!

   https://youtu.be/-YA_P5-WCCY?si=QeshmPwcwl-e3jqJ

   
   
   
2. Below average headlights- This has been the complain with the pre-FL i20 too and even with other premium Hyundais viz Creta, Verna and even new gen Tucson. I don't know why Hyundai is cutting cost on such an important feature, I'm literally baffled! I do plan to install projectors inside the headlights as I do know some competent shops in my city who have done a fab job with even high end cars viz Innova HyCross, Skoda Superb, Mahindra XUV700 etc. Let's see how it goes.
   
   
3. Lack of attention to detail at few points- Now it’s not a very big con as such but still it’s something which I noticed especially coming from my other Hyundai, which is lack of illuminated power window switches, my first gen i20 had it for all of 4doors, my Tucson has it as well however the new i20 skips it which is kind of sad considering Hyundai has equipped it with blue ambient lighting on centre console, door pads etc, making illuminated switches would've driven the premium quotient up by few notches, definitely.
   
   Related to above mentioned point only, there is just one request sensor located on driver’s door whereas passenger door gets none and it’s a bit of an inconvenience at times, my Tucson has it on both side and even the iGen i20 had it. Weird.
   
   
4. Questionable safety- Coming to the elephant in the room, the car definitely lacks heft of the 1st gen iteration which in fact was a 5star EuroNCAP rated car and was included in Top5 safest European cars back then. The pre-FL version scored an average 3star rating which is not very bad but not great at the same time. Now I was totally aware of this fact which is why I had initially chosen the new Dzire which scored a perfect 5star at GlobalNCAP but when that didn’t happen I had to do a bit of compromise and decided to go with the i20 as it’s anyways my secondary hatchback for mostly city runabouts, plus it has all the essential safety features viz 6Airbags,ESP,TC,ABS etc.
   
   
5. Not really a con, but the car has light beige interiors and seats are kind of lint magnet and can get easily soiled, will have to keep an upholstery cleaning foam inside the car at all times just to be on the safer side. Personally speaking, I never eat/drink inside my car as it always leaves some residue in hard to reach areas which just kills my OCD. Its one of the very reasons why I don't have too many friends or a GF(yet) because I'm a bit too restrictive whenever it comes about my cars, no food, no beverage, no vulgar music, no overspeeding, no dirty clothes/shoes and so on. Maybe I'm a bit too much for others but I don't regret even one bit for this attitude of mine.

Apart from that, really LOVING my new friend, she's really damn good and I still couldn't believe my fortune that I could actually make her my own, really looking forward towards this new love story between me and this beautiful chick who just gives me a killer smile each time I look into her eyes!


I thank everyone from the bottom of my heart reading this thread and my lovely parents' who showered their purest blessings to me and wherever am I and whatever I do, it could've had never been possible without them and I remain forever indebted to them!


Thank you
Tony

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[yedukrishnan199]

Congratulations on the i20, I always loved its design and stance, the car is feature rich and offers loads of space, one of the few hatchbacks I truly like. We even considered the DCT when it was available on the standard i20, but decided to go for an SUV this time. Hope you have many great miles and memories with it!

[Vikash Kumawat]

Congratulations sir for the new i20.

Hyundai is the brand which gives us indians the quality of global standard, interior plastic has always been superior, we have a Grand i10 2017, which is 1,50,000 kms driven and the plastic and NVH is as same as new, no rattling noise so far.

We are also thinking to add the new i20 in our garage, I have seen people getting massive discounts on i20, though I am thinking for the Sportz variant, but the discounts making the 2nd top Asta as same as Sportz.

[yedukrishnan199]

Originally Posted by Vikash Kumawat

We are also thinking to add the new i20 in our garage, I have seen people getting massive discounts on i20, though I am thinking for the Sportz variant, but the discounts making the 2nd top Asta as same as Sportz.

Some variants of the i20 are getting discounts closer to a lakh at some dealerships, meanwhile, the official discounts are only up to Rs.65,000. The Asta is a much superior choice over the Sprtz and is worth it for the added features.

[Rohit_Quad]

Congratulations buddy . Please keep updating this thread with servicing bills and milage figures down tha lane.

[supernova105]

Hearty Congratulations on the i20 Tony, looks smashing in White with those clean lines
It is one of the most sorted hatchbacks on sale currently.

I remember connecting with you on the Virtus thread regarding quotes around Pune,
and I guess I saw your new i20 thread on twitter as well, thinking that maybe I've seen this Tuscon somewhere on the forum's travelogues.
Now it clicked!

Hope you have amazing drives on the expressway occasionally with the i20 as well, notwithstanding the other torque monster in your garage

[LakeWalker]

Congratulations on the car. The i20 is undoubtedly one of the best-looking cars in India right now.

[Cyborg]

Congratulations and all the best on acquiring the new lady in your life Tony! Very well written ownership report.

With you thanking God and His representatives on earth (our parents) with so much fervour it’s no wonder you are attracting all positives from the universe. With their blessings nothing is impossible or unattainable.

Enjoy your i20 and have a happy life.

Cheers