Hyundai Elite i20 review, road test

Spread in front of the driver is a dual-tone dash that looks very busy with a surfeit of buttons. The large buttons that flank the display screen feel wonderfully damped, but the screen itself is disappointing, with its small display and basic fonts. The dials are large and easy to read and the multi-information display in between offers a wide range of readouts for various functions, but curiously, there is no fuel consumption readout or the very useful ‘distance-to-empty’ countdown.

 

What truly lifts the ambience of the cabin is the generous use of silver trim. The surrounds of the buttons, gear lever, audio system and steering boss have a fine silver outline that looks very premium. Look closely though, and you’ll find the dash plastics a tad hard and shiny. The roof lining too is a bit flimsy and the carpeting does have the odd crinkle. For fit and finish, the i20 can’t quite match the VW Polo, which has raised the segment benchmark with its recent facelift.

 

Speaking of benchmarks, the new i20 is easily the most spacious car in its segment. The well-bolstered and amply adjustable front seats make it easy to find a comfy driving position and the nicely crafted steering wheel sets the tone for the overall cabin quality. However, in terms of comfort, we did have mixed reactions about the foam density; some of us found the seats a touch too soft and lacking in lower back support. Also, while front and side visibility is quite good, the massive C-pillar creates blind spots large enough to hide motorcyclists, so you have to be a bit careful when reversing.

 

The wide-opening rear doors mean ingress and egress is easy. Once inside, rear-seat passengers won’t have any qualms about the space on offer – the longer wheelbase clearly helping here. Legroom is particularly good and the rear seat also scores well for good back and thigh support. However, the sloping roofline limits headroom for taller passengers and the bolstering on the seat’s outer edges hampers comfort when seated three abreast. Also, the slightly high window may limit visibility of shorter passengers.

 

For convenience, there’s lots of storage space. The central armrest doubles up as a storage bin, and especially useful is the bin in front

of the gear lever that has two 12V sockets and is large enough to hold any of the new crop of XXL smartphones. Mention must be made of the air-con system which gets a larger and more powerful compressor. The cabin cools very quickly and the auto climate control system regulates the temperature very effectively.

 

Feature-packed interiors are a Hyundai hallmark, and that’s quite evident in the new i20 as well. The top-spec Asta which we tested is handsomely kitted with equipment that includes automatic headlamps, push button start, automatic climate control, an eight-speaker audio, Bluetooth connectivity and a rear-view camera. However, features such as rain sensing wipers and the sunroof available on the previous i20 have been shelved. Also, though the Asta variant has keyless entry, only the driver’s side door gets a request sensor; on the cheaper Grand i10, both front doors have it. But even more disappointing is that Hyundai has skimped on the six-airbag setup found on the older i20 and the top trim here gets just two instead. It’s a shame that Hyundai pays just lip service to safety.