Hyundai i20 Diesel Manual First Drive Review

Slot it into the first gear and depress the clutch, and you’d notice how improved the clutch action is compared to the older ‘Elite’ i20. The new i20 diesel gets off the mark with a smooth and assuring feel but we noticed a slight lag under 1,500rpm. Go past that and the strong mid-range comes into play where the motor becomes quite tractable. That said, at city speeds you can easily get around with the available low-end grunt without any hassle. It’s only when there’s a sudden need of overtaking that the evident lag becomes apparent. So, you’d need to either shift down or step on the gas to get the motor into the sweet mid-range of 1,500-3,000rpm where the torque curve remains flat. But, there’s some amount of engine din that can be heard inside the cabin at this point.

At highway speeds, the same mid-range helps with effortless cruising as well. Maintaining triple-digit speeds won't strain the motor either. And for overtaking at highway speeds, the sharper throttle response in the mid-range eases the effort. But the power does taper off close to the 4,000rpm, so it isn’t viable to wring the engine all the way to the 5,000rpm redline. As for the gearstick, it’s well-gated with light and easy throws and has a little notchy feel to it. In terms of fuel efficiency, Hyundai claims that the new i20 is very frugal with an ARAI-claim of 25.2kmpl.

As for the steering, there’s a slight vagueness around the dead centre. Move past that and it is direct and responsive. Going two and a half turns lock-to-lock the steering feels light and easy to maneuver around the city at slower speeds. And out on the highway it does weigh up nicely but lacks a connected feel which could have made it more involving. Also, you’d need to constantly correct the steering wheel at higher speeds. There’s a noticeable body roll present as well, so the i20 won’t be your ideal tool for corner carvings. On the upside, the brakes on our diesel i20 were solid and did a commendable job of bringing the hatchback to a halt, adding confidence behind the wheel.

Overall, the new i20 tries to strike a balance between a comfortable family hatch and an involving car to drive. Which we think it manages to achieve to a good extent.

Below it is the protruding panel for air-con controls and the centre console now has a ver

tical ‘Coolpad’ for wireless charging. Even if you don’t have a wireless-charging-equipped phone, just slotting your phone vertically there is much more convenient.

Space upfront is more than adequate with good visibility all around. There’s an ample amount of headroom for my height and sufficient shoulder room too. Even the seats offer the right amount of support, especially on the side bolstering, and the driver’s seat can be adjusted for height. Combine it with reach-and-rake adjustable steering, and it’s easy to find the right driving position.

Moving on to the back seats, the scooped-out roof helps with added headroom, while there are acres of knee and legroom on offer. Even seating three abreast in the back seat should be comfortable despite the rear AC vent. On the flip side, there’s no cupholder on the folding armrest and no headrest for the middle passenger. Even the seats don’t get split function, which is a missed opportunity for scoring on practicality, especially since the boot space is rather small at 311 litres. However, you can cram in sufficient weekend luggage for four.

But it needs to be pointed out that we expected better quality of materials inside the cabin. Having said that, Hyundai has spent greatly on equipment and engine options for the i20, and there had to be some way to cut corners in order to keep the prices in check. This befell on the cabin materials. But don’t get us wrong, it’s not degraded at all, just that Hyundai has simply set a bar so high we expected more from the interior too. Otherwise, the all-black cabin feels robust, and soft-touch materials on essential touchpoints or some piano-black/coloured inserts would have elevated the experience.

There’re also some fancy features like smart entry with welcome function, puddle lamps, blue ambient lighting, cornering lamps, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, two Bluetooth connectivity, fast USB charging ports, and the 16-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels.

In terms of safety, Hyundai is offering six airbags in the top-spec version of the i20 along with ABS with EBD, ESC, and hills assist control. Moreover, it also comes with ISOFIX, height-adjustable front seatbelts with a reminder, and speed/impact sensing door locks. So, the new i20 seems tough to beat when it comes to features.