We Take A First Look At The All-New Hyundai i20
Back in 2008 Hyundai Getz with its spacious interiors and that powerful 1.5L CRDI engine, was one of the larger-sized hatchbacks available, but Getz was down on features and creature comforts. Hyundai discontinued the Getz and brought in the i20, feature-loaded and bigger and wider than the outgoing Getz, The i20 was an instant hit. Since then the i20 has been a benchmark in comfort and features. In 2014 Hyundai drove in the 2nd generation of i20, naming it “Elite i20”. Today Hyundai Motors India has launched the 3rd generation of the i20. A few days back, we got the chance to look at the car before the official launch, and here is a first look at the New “HOT” hatch in India.
Design:
The New 3rd generation i20 comes with a lot sharper design than the previous two generations that we have seen, Hyundai has been coming up with really contemporary designs lately. The New i20 is more aggressive in design than ever, with lots of sharp lines and creases all over. The company is calling the design language – “Sensuous Sportiness”
When seen from the side, the New i20 has a very European Super hatch look, with a small engine area and large cabin space, and a longer wheelbase. Smart belt lines with a large glass area lend a premium look. The larger glass area also makes the interiors airy.
Apart from looking aggressive from the side, the thing to notice here is that you get 16inch diamond-cut alloy wheels with 195/55/R16 rubber. The pullback type door handles also get request buttons on both sides (The variant here is Asta (optional)).
The front of the New i20 gets a lot of the “Sensuous Sportiness” design language as well, the front is aggressive, unlike any other i20 before this. The Design language speaks a lot about where the company wants to go with its future products. The Front is dominated by the parametric jewel pattern borderless grille, looks pretty neat in my opinion. You also get LED projector headlamps, Foglamps, and LED DRLs with i20 branding on it.
The Rear gets Z shaped LED tail lamps, connecting both the tail lamps with LED, instead of the chrome strip running between them would have added to the oomph factor, But I’m sure aftermarket folks would bring it sooner or later. The Sensuous sportiness design continues at the rear as well. The rear design is a bit polarizing but I like it, it has a distinctly European feel to it.
Interiors
The interiors of the new i20 is very impressive and in-line with Hyundai’s new interiors seen in other Hyundai vehicles internationally as well. The interior on the Top Spec Media Car was in Dark Grey with silver highlights here and there. The choice of materials used and overall build quality felt good, but this is something we have come to expect from Hyundai.
The Centre console is dominated by the large 10inch infotainment system, which also comes with a 7 Speaker (4speakers, 2tweeters, Subwoofer, and an Amplifier) BOSE audio system. Android auto, apple car play and multi-device connectivity are available along with Hyundai’s connected car platform – Bluelink.
The next thing that catches your eye is the digital instrument cluster, looks funky I must say inline with the overall design of the New i20. You also get a MID with a TFT display showing a lot of driving information.
Continuing on the tech available inside the New i20, you get a Wireless Charging Pad for your smartphones and other peripherals but that’s not all there is a cooling pad to keep your gadgets cool while they charge wirelessly. Looking at the bad bad bad air quality we have in our cities, The New i20 comes with an Oxyboost Air Purifier as well which is a first in the Hatchback segment. Oh, and there is a large electronic sunroof that we all Indians love.
There is a lot of space here as the new Hyundai i20 is 10 mm longer than the second generation. At the same time, it is 41mm wider and built on a segment-best 2,580mm wheelbase. The new hatchback gets a ground clearance of 170mm and 311 Liters of boot space. Just trying to recollect all the new features available, yes the new i20 comes with blue colored ambient lighting as well.
Engine:
While some OEMs are struggling to find BSVI compliant diesel motors and others are looking for automatic gearboxes, Hyundai is spoiling the buyer with multiple engines and gearbox options. The 3rd gen i20 gets two petrol engines and one diesel engine option. It gets a 1-liter turbo petrol engine that produces 120bhp of power. This engine option is available with a 7speed dual-clutch transmission or a six-speed iMT transmission.
The other petrol engine available is the 1.2-liter NA Kappa unit that comes mated with a CVT gearbox and produces 88bhp of power or a five-speed manual and churns out 83bhp of power. The diesel unit is a 1.5-liter engine that can produce 100bhp of power and mated to only a six-speed manual gearbox. The company claims that the 1.0 TGDI motor with 7Speed DCT completes the dash from 0-100kph in 9.9secs. Hot hatch figures in the BSVI era, we will surely be testing these numbers in our full review coming soon.
Safety tech
The New i20 is built on Hyundai’s new lightweight K-Platform with 66% AHSS and HSS lending a strong structural build. There are 6 airbags available along with VSM, ESC, HAC, and Tire pressure monitoring. Hyundai is launching the New i20 with a 5years warranty and 3years Bluelink subscription and 3years Roadside assistance.
Pricing
Hyundai has launched the New i20 in four variants – starting with Magna, Sportz, Asta, and Asta(optional). Prices start from Rs 6.79 Lakhs and go up to Rs 11.18 lakhs for the 1.0 TGDI & 7DCT Asta(optional) variant. This time Hyundai has offered the automatic variant in the Top Spec Asta (o) Spec. Stay tuned for a full in-depth review coming soon from BWAutoworld
