Hyundai i20 1.4 CRDi - Test Driven

[Zinam]

NOTE: This is NOT The Automotive India's Official Road Test Report.

Hi All,

I know its too late for the Test Drive Report of i20 Diesel.

But here we go!

Exterior

The car looks more reserved & conservatively styled. To say it has got more the European genes rather than a global looks.

The front view of the car doesn't give a appealing look, but the side & rear view is really excellent.

The Bold lines on the side starts from doors & ends at tail tamps which is unique in premium hatch.

Interiors

The interiors are quite good looking & you can find more plastics even in i20 like its sibling i10. The quality of plastics can be improved, but still competetive than other cars in this segment.

i20 comes with leather wrapped Steering wheel & Steering mount Audio controls which will never let you take your hands off while driving!

Height adjustable driver seat and tilt and telescopic steering gives plenty of options to find the perfect driving position.

And there is a unique glove box which is Air conditioned & keep your Coke cooled all the times.

Comfort

There is plenty of space inside and there is also a decent amount of head room.

This car can easily carry 3 adults & leg room is quite comfy!

The car has got good road visibility too.

Handling & Performance

This is where i20 scores over all other cars in B+ segment.

The EPS is really accurate & to say it oversteers which gives you enough spirit to take on any corners!

i20 has got 1396cc Common Rail Diesel Engine & has 90 PS of power under the hoods.It has also got 220Nm of torque & Turbo just kicks in suprisingly at 1900rpm & this makes i20 the best available diesel hatchback in India.

The Asta variant comes standard with 14-inch alloy wheels with sporty 185/65 R14 Apollo Accelere while the lower spec Magna variant will run with 175/70 R14 tyres on steel rims.

The above proves the car is just above the other cars in Handling & Conerings!

Safety

This is the only Hathcback to have 6 airbags & has got 5 Star ratings from Euro NCAP!
i20 has also got ABS which is suprisingly doing wonders at high speeds & 100 - 0 will make no pain to stop with out any jerks!!

Pricing

This is where other cars like Swift & Vista scores over.
But to say the truth, this car is not overpriced for the features, quality & safety it offers! Even the basic Model comes with ABS.

Hyundai i20 1.4 Magna Diesel with ABS Rs.6,50,021*

Hyundai i20 1.4 Asta Rs.7,16,691*

Hyundai i20 1.4 Asta (O) With Sunroof Diesel Rs.7,55,430*
*-Ex Show Room Mumbai

Hope you all enjoyed the review

 

[sriharsha]

good review buddy. is this car better than swift etc. in terms of handling?

 

[Zinam]

To frankly say we can compare i20 only with Skoda Fabia & not any other cars till date.

Its even on close move with Skoda.

 

[raj_5004]

great review buddy. you have covered almost every aspect precisely.

 

[Zinam]

great review buddy. you have covered almost every aspect precisely.

Thanks Raj!

Even Punto doesn't come close to i20.

I have test driven Punto 1.4 Petrol Emotion Pack Today & its great quality car & has very good build quality!

But i miss the grunt in punto which i got in i20.

May be i think i should have test driven the diesel verison! But unluckily Diesel cars have gone out for some Car Mela!

 

[RSM]

The Asta variant comes standard with 14-inch alloy wheels with sporty 185/65 R14 Apollo Accelere while the lower spec Magna variant will run with 175/70 R14 tyres on steel rims.

The above proves the car is just above the other cars in Handling & Conerings!

Check other's specification also
For Punto - 160/80 R14 for Active & Dynamic, 175/70 R14 for Emotion and 195/60 R15 for Emotion Pack.

And for stability and handling, i20 is actually is worst in this segment, if you compare with Skoda, Jazz or Punto.

 

[Zinam]

Check other's specification also
For Punto - 160/80 R14 for Active & Dynamic, 175/70 R14 for Emotion and 195/60 R15 for Emotion Pack.

And for stability and handling, i20 is actually is worst in this segment, if you compare with Skoda, Jazz or Punto.

I cannot say i20 is worst in stability! Compared to Punto's (R15) stability it might be less stable on cornerings.

But we cannot rate a car based only on stability

Hey RSM, nothing like biased or in favour for Hyundai or Fiat, just telling the facts. We are actually here to speak about these only

 

[RSM]

But we cannot rate a car based only on stability

I agree, thats why i20 is best selling car in this segment.

Hey RSM, nothing like biased or in favour for Hyundai or Fiat, just telling the facts. We are actually here to speak about these only

No issues. Even i am a great fan of i10. I like this car as nothing else in small car. I am planning to take this (automatic version) for my wife sometime next year (she doesn't know yet).

 

[Zinam]

Here is the Rating chart for i20 CRDI with ABS

 

[karthik.a]

Nice Review Zinam,but is i20 worth for 7lakhs?

Karthik.

 

[RSM]

is i20 worth for 7lakhs?

Karthik.

People think so.
And its the upper end model price. i20 is available from ~6 lakhs.

 

[Zinam]

Hmmm.. I can say its worth the buy considering few facts below!

The engine is absolutely silent unlike Skoda Engines & never misses the grunt & torque!

Handling part is extremely good & Tyres could have been some what wider.

i20 has both wheel Disc brakes unlike anyother car in this segment!

Boot space is decent enough among competetion where i20 has 285Lts & skoda has
300Lts.

Now will you say it is over priced ?

 

[Arun]

This thread is turning out to be i20 vs. the Punto! [lol!]

Precise review buddy!! All aspects covered in complete detail!!

I don't think the i20 is overpriced. It is priced just fine!

 

[vijay]

firstly, nice review zinam covered almost all parts to be said.Coming back to i20, here what hyundai tried to give is premium hatchback where all sedan features are included, and its crdi mill is superb to drive within city as well as highways.Base magna model gets ABS as well asl all wheel disc brakes, safety features as airbags, curtain airbags on top end is of its class in this segment.Good built and decent space and quality of plastics surely makes this car worth buying.Best thing about this 1.4 mill is its lower end grunt which was missing in its 1.5 crdi mill, easy to manuever inside city without feeling heaviness of the diesel mill like getz.Asta and AstaO comes with alloys wheels which even Honda doesnt offer on its Jazz which is priced above 8Lacs.Its our mindset not to go beyond 5.5-6L for a hatchback and i20, GP,Jazz are out to change this, smaller car with all safety features, gadgets you get from higher end vehicles are available in hatchbacks with some premium.

 

[Crazy cat]

Nice write-up. A professional review, i'd say. You covered all aspects. I too like the rear and side looks of i20 only, front could've been better.

I've not been even close to an i20. But, i've read some reviews in mags and they say that the handling is not upto the mark. And also they noted that the CRDi engine is not driveable with more turbo lag.