Hyundai Elite i20 long term review first report

Mumbai roads can bring out the best and worst in any car. There’s not a single smooth surface in the city, not around where I live at least, and the 7km drive to work in peak traffic takes around 40 minutes. That’s the habitat the Elite i20 has been living in for the past month, so the simple question is, what’s it like to drive in traffic and on bad roads?

The clutch, steering and gearshift are fairly light, so you’re not tired after a long drive. But you get the sense you’re driving a big car (which it is), so it’s not as easy to thread through gaps as with something a bit smaller. The 1.4 diesel engine is fairly alert on part throttle and doesn’t suffer from the turbo lag of the previous i20 — a big boon in traffic. However, mash the throttle hard and the response is far from immediate; there’s a bit of hesitation before you surge forward. Performance isn’t spectacular, but it’s adequate for daily driving and the good thing is that there’s enough torque to restrict gearshifts between 2nd and 3rd gears for most urban duties. Coming off speed breakers, there’s no need to slot into 1st. The i20 pulls smartly from a crawl even in 2nd gear.

Living with a chronic back problem, I’m super-sensitive to seat comfort and found the i20’s bucket a bit too soft. The problem is the lack of lower back support. After a long drive, I could feel twinges running down my spine.

The ride is fairly soft, which is good, but sharp edges do catch out the suspension and you feel distinct thuds and thunks. It’s more audible than uncomfortable, but again, the i20 doesn’t quite smother the jagged mix of tarmac and concrete that I drive over every day, like say, a Tata Zest.

What’s the new i20 like to spend time in over long distances? My next drive up to Mahabaleshwar will give all the answers.

HORMAZD SORABJEE

Odometer: 5130km
Price Rs 9.24 lakh (on-road, Mumbai)
Test economy: 16.7kpl (overall)
Maintennace costs: None
Faults: None