Overall A Good Car To Have. Review on Hyundai i20

This is about my 2013  igen i20 Asta  CRDi model that I have recently purchased. I had been to several dealers for about 1 month to finalize on the final choice. Had i20/Maruti Swift/Honda Amaze. My budget was in and around 8-8.5. I wanted all  the gizmo's and features available in that range to be inbuilt in the car.

So here goes-

Dealers

Maruthi dealer was the least friendly among the companies mentioned here. I guess the sales rate of maruthi has made them grow horns. Have to say that maruthi personnel were quite not bothered as to whether or not I buy the model. They just for name sake came and explained the car price and delivery dates etc.  was the least amused. Had to wait a long time to go on a test drive, as there were no cars available.

Honda Amaze dealer was also not that great. They were not interested in reducing the rate of the car at all. Went for a short test drive. The personnel there was a lady and she kept on asking me , so sir when can we fix on a date for purchase.

i20 dealers know how to treat a customer. Now I'm aware of the fact that, as soon as we own the car, they might show their true color. But in that case all company dealers are the same. But Hyundai at least makes us feel important till we buy the car. They greeted us with a smile, explained in detail about the car. Gave us tea/coffee. I believe I went for test drive at 3 times. And all the time, the car was readily available, and didn't need to wait.

Power and performance

What I noticed is the power of all three cars. And maruthi was lagging in this field by miles. It gave 74 bhp for a 190 Nm torque along with mileage of 23. Well this doesn't mean the ride quality is bad. The handling is exceptional. But I needed power, the pickup is what mattered to me, along with mileage. i20 gave an exceptional 89bhp power and a torque of 220 Nm along with mileage of 22.

Power is even more in Honda's Amaze, which is 98 bhp and 200Nm torque along with mileage of 25. But I was told that Honda's engine parts are all imported from out of India. If some replacement was required, I might have to wait for several days , before getting the parts delivered.

1 con I noticed for i20 is that under bonnet insulation is not present. Though i 20 is refined on the engine sound and vibrations, it would have been better if an insulation of some sort was present. In fact i'm searching for getting this done from the outside market, rather from the showroom.

Features and Gizmo's

Feature wise maruthi/honda falls behind i20. There is no question about the zillion features given by i20. light sensing headlamps, rain sensing wipers, 6 speed gearbox, Dual air bags for both driver/passenger, push button start, Tilt & Telescopic steering adjustment, reverse parking sensors and camera, drivers armrest, Electrically Adjustable & Retractable side mirror, Daytime Running Lamps(LED), Rear wipers with water splash, Bluetooth connectivity, all 4 wheels get disc breaks(a feature in i20 which is not there any other car in its class), are some of the features which not available in Honda Amaze and Swift.

Remaining features are present in all cars. Its exceptional to note that, i20 has the capability to read your phone contacts and when connected, it displays the contact name. The GPS will have the voice guidance come out through the car speakers. Its awesome.

The boot size of i20 is around 316 litres/ honda amaze is 400 and the least is with maruthi 205 litres. The interiors of Honda amaze is just like that of Brio. Not at all up to the mark for 9.5 lakh sedan. I am really amazed that 9.5lakh top end car(Honda Amaze) doesn't have reverse parking sensors/camera or CD player/Bluetooth connectivity/Automatic climate control stuff

Ride and Handling

I would give 5 stars to Honda on ride and handling.No doubt. There was no turbo lag at all for Honda amaze, and the pickup is unbelievable. But to be said, the ground clearance of honda amaze is really awful. For high humps, if you don't slow down, then you are in for a hit.

The 6 speed manual/ 4 wheel disc's on the i20 will give you an exceptional feel on highways. But that said, the handling is not up to the mark. The steering is unpredictable at turnings on high speeds. But hey you are not racing all the time. In city, the loose steering is quite handy too. There is a bit of turbo lag in 2nd gear, but if you don't go according to the car's advice on gear change and rev hard and reach 20-25 and then change to 2nd gear, I can assure that the said turbo lag wont be there.

Maruthi handling is also quite good. No wonder its an enthusiastic drivers car. The feel you get in riding and handling is second to none.

Final verdict

I chose i20 since I loved the engine performance/features/exterior and interior looks.The premiumness. Do rate if you find this helpful, and comments would be appreciated for me to improve my writing. Do check out my other reviews also.

Thanks and cheers.