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Hello, this is my first post on this forum and I am happy to share my 9 month review of my Hyundai i20 1.0 Turbo iMT.
I purchased the car in April of 2021 after my long research which lasted about 2 years.
we previously owned a 2007 Ford Fiesta diesel, 2014 Hyundai Verna 1.6 diesel automatic and using the Mahindra TUV300 for a brief period of time. it was finally time to get a new car.
WHY THE I20?
we looked at a lot of cars in the 10-15 lacks budget from hatchback, compact sedans, compact SUV and sedans
I had my eyes on the New Honda City and was keen on buying it but when taken test drive of the petrol automatic variant I did not like it as much I expected. The car was really comfortable but did not give me that wow factor as the previous generation city's gave me. Another downside to the city was that it cannot seat 3 people behind comfortably. me and my 4 friends went for the test drive and we could not sit comfortably, its good for a short city travel but in long tours it is not possible for 3 full grown adults to sit in, A kid might be comfortable in long trips but not adults, so city was out of the list.
My dad Loved our Hyundai Verna and we all loved it in our family, we had to sell that amazing car as we relocated from Gujarat to Tamilnadu. But we had our trust in Hyundai due to the impeccable service provided to us, We once again looked at the new Verna and liked it but thought of going for something else this time. since our running is not going to be much, we decided to go for a rather small vehicle which can be parked anywhere and easy for my sister to drive as well,
So the hunt began. we looked at the Hyundai i20, Volkswagen polo, Honda jazz, Ford Figo and the Maruti Suzuki Baleno.
the ford figo and the baleno were out the list instantly as there was news of ford leaving (which they eventually did) and the baleno AT was the absolute worst to drive ( in my opinion). Even my family did not have keen interest in maruti suzuki overall.
so now the list was down to 3 vehicles.
Hyundai i20
Volkswagen Polo
Honda jazz
VOLKSWAGEN POLO
We took test drive of the polo and I absolutely loved it. the power delivery of the automatic was amazing and the confidence it offered was superb. even though the 1.5 TSI was out of production but the 1.0 TSI was also really good. The only downside to that car is the rear seat space, my parents immediately rejected it after sitting in it for the first minute. that car is an amazing beast but could not fit in our family requirement.
HONDA JAZZ
This indeed was a good and reliable product as it is from Honda. we took test drive of the petrol automatic and I quite frankly did not find it exciting. the power delivery was linear the space and comfort was also good but it could not seat 5 people comfortably. My family complained that their heads were really close to the edge of the roof and they kept hitting their heads on the grab handle so they had mixed opinions about the jazz.
Now coming to the Hyundai i20
We called the car home and they came as the promised time and did not fail us to deliver, we first took the test drive of the Turbo iMT and decided to take the test drive of the DCT the next day. I was keen on only buying the Turbo variant as it makes good power and I wanted good performance. So, we took test drive of the iMT and it was phenomenal. It was indeed a new technology to the market and it was very seamless to use. the gear changes were damn smooth and the car did not give us any jerk and it gave us a sense of control. I know it is never gonna come close to the manual gearbox but it was very convenient and comfortable. My dad loved the car's performance and smoothness and had a smile when driving it, the features were also great and it was overall a great package for the price and it fit into all our requirements, The rear seat space was phenomenal. In looks it feels like a small car but has a lot of space, Hyundai's have a reputation for giving a boat type of feel and being very unresponsive but we never felt that in our verna and I had a feeling that this is gonna do well as our verna, the day we took the test drive of the iMT was in heavy traffic and the next day we took test drive of the DCT variant in heavy traffic as well, DCT is known to heat in traffic and this DCT did too. It was jerky and too eager to go which my father found rather unpleasant. The response was very good but the car was giving a jerk whenever touched the accelerator. so we decided that its gonna be the iMT only. So we requested the showroom to give us a highway test drive and they were kind enough to arrange that. we 5 people went for the highway ride and it was super good, the car gave me good confidence on the highway and all were very comfortable, the back seat could seat 3 people comfortably. so we finalized the i20
After using the car for about 9 months and almost 9000 kms on the odometer, I can somewhat jot down my opinions of this car
THE NEGATIVES
1. This car is a little expensive than the competitors and it is kind of justified for the features offered but they could have priced it a little aggressively.
2. There is no Asta Optional variant which should have been offered in the iMT variants
3. Hyundai should have offered a rear armrest in the Asta variant as I am paying more than 11 Lacks onroad for the car and it is kind of expected.
4.Interior plastics could have been of better quality
5.They should have had a better way to integrate that hideous air purifier like they did in the sonet as it eats one of the cupholders and is just fixed there and cant be removed.
6.They should have given an Auto dimming IRVM. It is for sure needed in a car of this price.
7.Wireless android auto and car play. The lower sportz trim gets that feature and its a little irritating that i am paying more and not getting that feature.
THE POSITIVES
1.Space: The car has a lot of space for a hatchback is very comfortable too.
2.Sound system: The car gets a Bose system with an inbuilt subwoofer and it sound absolutely phenomenal. I love the audio quality and its super good to listen to when driving.
3. performance: The turbo variant gives out power when needed and is really engaging to drive.
4. features: This car has an array of features like connected car tech and what not. It is filled with bells and whistles and if you like a lot of features you will like this car.
5.Fuel efficiency: My main doubt with the petrol turbo was the fuel economy. but to my surprise in a recent trip to bangalore the car did not go below 18kmpl. the maximum i was able to achieve was 23kmpl. In the city too it gives me around 12 to 16 which is very good according to the power this car generates. but mileage ultimately depends on type of driving style
6.Gearbox: the iMT is amazing to drive and is very smooth as well.
SAFETY
The main concern of the people now is safety of the car, though this car does not have a safety rating, i can say from my experience that this is a strong car. I have had 2 encounters till now and the car has held up pretty well. the first time i was rear ended by a Tempo at about 40 to 50 kmph and it did not do damage as I expected. it had scratches alone on the bumper but that also was saved as I had put a paint protection film on that so that was the first test of the safety of the car.
the second time i was hit on the rear left door by a full size truck whose brakes did not work at about 60 to 70 kmph. it was raining that day and he applied brakes but it did not stop the truck and he rammed into me on the right lane of the road. my car moved a bit due to impact but was still controllable to my surprise. the door had scratches and a small dent which was very easy to fix. I did have my doubts about the safety but after seeing the 2 accidents that i have had I am sure this car is built strongly. Although I am looking forward to the NCAP scores
FINAL VERDICT
If you are looking for a practical, fun to drive hatchback which does not make a hole in your pocket, then the i20 is the perfect car for that. And it serves all type of customers. it has 3 engines and 4 gearbox options which caters to everyone. Its a perfect Family Car.
Hope my review helped,.
I purchased the car in April of 2021 after my long research which lasted about 2 years.
we previously owned a 2007 Ford Fiesta diesel, 2014 Hyundai Verna 1.6 diesel automatic and using the Mahindra TUV300 for a brief period of time. it was finally time to get a new car.
WHY THE I20?
we looked at a lot of cars in the 10-15 lacks budget from hatchback, compact sedans, compact SUV and sedans
I had my eyes on the New Honda City and was keen on buying it but when taken test drive of the petrol automatic variant I did not like it as much I expected. The car was really comfortable but did not give me that wow factor as the previous generation city's gave me. Another downside to the city was that it cannot seat 3 people behind comfortably. me and my 4 friends went for the test drive and we could not sit comfortably, its good for a short city travel but in long tours it is not possible for 3 full grown adults to sit in, A kid might be comfortable in long trips but not adults, so city was out of the list.
My dad Loved our Hyundai Verna and we all loved it in our family, we had to sell that amazing car as we relocated from Gujarat to Tamilnadu. But we had our trust in Hyundai due to the impeccable service provided to us, We once again looked at the new Verna and liked it but thought of going for something else this time. since our running is not going to be much, we decided to go for a rather small vehicle which can be parked anywhere and easy for my sister to drive as well,
So the hunt began. we looked at the Hyundai i20, Volkswagen polo, Honda jazz, Ford Figo and the Maruti Suzuki Baleno.
the ford figo and the baleno were out the list instantly as there was news of ford leaving (which they eventually did) and the baleno AT was the absolute worst to drive ( in my opinion). Even my family did not have keen interest in maruti suzuki overall.
so now the list was down to 3 vehicles.
Hyundai i20
Volkswagen Polo
Honda jazz
VOLKSWAGEN POLO
We took test drive of the polo and I absolutely loved it. the power delivery of the automatic was amazing and the confidence it offered was superb. even though the 1.5 TSI was out of production but the 1.0 TSI was also really good. The only downside to that car is the rear seat space, my parents immediately rejected it after sitting in it for the first minute. that car is an amazing beast but could not fit in our family requirement.
HONDA JAZZ
This indeed was a good and reliable product as it is from Honda. we took test drive of the petrol automatic and I quite frankly did not find it exciting. the power delivery was linear the space and comfort was also good but it could not seat 5 people comfortably. My family complained that their heads were really close to the edge of the roof and they kept hitting their heads on the grab handle so they had mixed opinions about the jazz.
Now coming to the Hyundai i20
We called the car home and they came as the promised time and did not fail us to deliver, we first took the test drive of the Turbo iMT and decided to take the test drive of the DCT the next day. I was keen on only buying the Turbo variant as it makes good power and I wanted good performance. So, we took test drive of the iMT and it was phenomenal. It was indeed a new technology to the market and it was very seamless to use. the gear changes were damn smooth and the car did not give us any jerk and it gave us a sense of control. I know it is never gonna come close to the manual gearbox but it was very convenient and comfortable. My dad loved the car's performance and smoothness and had a smile when driving it, the features were also great and it was overall a great package for the price and it fit into all our requirements, The rear seat space was phenomenal. In looks it feels like a small car but has a lot of space, Hyundai's have a reputation for giving a boat type of feel and being very unresponsive but we never felt that in our verna and I had a feeling that this is gonna do well as our verna, the day we took the test drive of the iMT was in heavy traffic and the next day we took test drive of the DCT variant in heavy traffic as well, DCT is known to heat in traffic and this DCT did too. It was jerky and too eager to go which my father found rather unpleasant. The response was very good but the car was giving a jerk whenever touched the accelerator. so we decided that its gonna be the iMT only. So we requested the showroom to give us a highway test drive and they were kind enough to arrange that. we 5 people went for the highway ride and it was super good, the car gave me good confidence on the highway and all were very comfortable, the back seat could seat 3 people comfortably. so we finalized the i20
After using the car for about 9 months and almost 9000 kms on the odometer, I can somewhat jot down my opinions of this car
THE NEGATIVES
1. This car is a little expensive than the competitors and it is kind of justified for the features offered but they could have priced it a little aggressively.
2. There is no Asta Optional variant which should have been offered in the iMT variants
3. Hyundai should have offered a rear armrest in the Asta variant as I am paying more than 11 Lacks onroad for the car and it is kind of expected.
4.Interior plastics could have been of better quality
5.They should have had a better way to integrate that hideous air purifier like they did in the sonet as it eats one of the cupholders and is just fixed there and cant be removed.
6.They should have given an Auto dimming IRVM. It is for sure needed in a car of this price.
7.Wireless android auto and car play. The lower sportz trim gets that feature and its a little irritating that i am paying more and not getting that feature.
THE POSITIVES
1.Space: The car has a lot of space for a hatchback is very comfortable too.
2.Sound system: The car gets a Bose system with an inbuilt subwoofer and it sound absolutely phenomenal. I love the audio quality and its super good to listen to when driving.
3. performance: The turbo variant gives out power when needed and is really engaging to drive.
4. features: This car has an array of features like connected car tech and what not. It is filled with bells and whistles and if you like a lot of features you will like this car.
5.Fuel efficiency: My main doubt with the petrol turbo was the fuel economy. but to my surprise in a recent trip to bangalore the car did not go below 18kmpl. the maximum i was able to achieve was 23kmpl. In the city too it gives me around 12 to 16 which is very good according to the power this car generates. but mileage ultimately depends on type of driving style
6.Gearbox: the iMT is amazing to drive and is very smooth as well.
SAFETY
The main concern of the people now is safety of the car, though this car does not have a safety rating, i can say from my experience that this is a strong car. I have had 2 encounters till now and the car has held up pretty well. the first time i was rear ended by a Tempo at about 40 to 50 kmph and it did not do damage as I expected. it had scratches alone on the bumper but that also was saved as I had put a paint protection film on that so that was the first test of the safety of the car.
the second time i was hit on the rear left door by a full size truck whose brakes did not work at about 60 to 70 kmph. it was raining that day and he applied brakes but it did not stop the truck and he rammed into me on the right lane of the road. my car moved a bit due to impact but was still controllable to my surprise. the door had scratches and a small dent which was very easy to fix. I did have my doubts about the safety but after seeing the 2 accidents that i have had I am sure this car is built strongly. Although I am looking forward to the NCAP scores
FINAL VERDICT
If you are looking for a practical, fun to drive hatchback which does not make a hole in your pocket, then the i20 is the perfect car for that. And it serves all type of customers. it has 3 engines and 4 gearbox options which caters to everyone. Its a perfect Family Car.
Hope my review helped,.