15k KMS and a honest opinion on HYUNDAI ELITE I20 CRDi

Hello friends! To begin with, i am not going to focus on Buying experience or Servicing and maintenance, since we all know that Hyundai is at least very very close to Maruthi if not equal in these areas and its always a great experience buying, service and maintenance from Hyundai/delearships. Car under review: Hyundai I20 Dual tone CRDi (Diesel) 1. Appearance: Outside: Great looks, feels big from outside and the Dual Tone appeal is heart filling. The aerodynamic design from the front looks like a ship that can sail any distance on the road without much ado. The diamond cut alloys look stunningly beautiful if maintained clean. But that is how much i can say about the design from outside. From side and back the car looks great but a expected design - yet the car looks extremely beautiful and gives a confidence inspiring stance. The 2.0 design language adapted by Hyundai makes one feel proud to own this car and appreciate its beauty. 2. Inside: As every one is aware - this is where Hyundai leaves most of its competition behind including the Marutis. The plastic quality is definitely up market and one can feel the premium-ness of I20 the moment they sit inside the cabin. The buttons, steering mounted controls, knobs everything are top notch and crisp to use. Automatic AC is very powerful and can cool down the cabin really fast. We didn't even feel the 42 degree temp near Bellary (Karnataka). Nobody was ready to step out of the car for a break! The orange inserts around AC vents and over the gear knob enhances the feel good factor and add to the premium feel of the car. The AC vent for rear seat passengers is a real boon. The seats are very comfortable and the front seats can accommodate a big bum easily. The driver seat height adjustment allows you to position yourself as per your driving convenience. The Telescopic and Tilt steering too will help the driver for a better driving position. The rear seats are very comfortable with thigh support protruding from the bench seats at the rear. It has got a great Head room, leg room and shoulder room for each of the 5 occupants making it a complete 5 seater fully grown hatch! The car AC is also equipped with an IONizer that crystallizes the dust particles to keep the air clean from dust - a good feature considering the pollution in Indian cities. Now coming to the "TOUCH SCREEN MUSIC SYSTEM WITH INTEGRATED REVERSE CAMERA" -- The touch screen gives a good sense of touch and is intuitive. The phone gets connected super fast and seamlessly. There is a Autolink feature but never tested it. There are 6 speakers and also 4 tweeters near the door knobs to enhance the quality of the sound and music. The reverse camera is a delight and a highlight of this car. The parking lines are beautifully calibrated with the steering and one can blindly believe the guidance lines while parking/reversing (Disclaimer: Please be careful as this is "my suggestion" only. Seeing around would definitely help avoid risks). 3. Engine: The 1.4L U2 CRDi Diesel Engine is a gem. On paper the figures are 89BHp and 220 Nm of torque which are a much better figures than a Baleno or a Jazz/WRV. The engine gives a great initial pickup with no typical diesel engine lag whatsoever. But the surge of power once the turbo kicks in is not as huge as in the swift but it gives a decent and adequate linear push. The turbo hits as early as 1750rpm and generates enough power and torque to keep the driver smiling. Overtaking is a breeze in this car. The engine sounds super refined compared to competition cars. The NVH levels are perfectly managed and no matter what - engine sound doesn't bother you. Do turn off the music if you are love to hear the Engine doing its duty!!! The car is well insulated to make one feel at ease within the car. 4. Driveability and driving dynamics: Now this is one thing where Hyundai has come off the ages and have improved tremendously compared to their previous genre of cars. But still the I20 lacks the fun and peppiness of a Swift or a Polo or even the Punto. However every car is built for a target group of customers and I20 is more a family car than something that can be put to test on a track and that is how exactly this car has to be driven. GREAT CAR FOR CITY AS WELL AS HIGHWAY DRIVINGS. HAVE DONE CONTINUOUSLY 550 KMS WITH FAMILY WITHOUT A BREAK AND NO BODY PAINS OR STRESS/FATIGUE TO NONE OF THE OCCUPANTS WHATSOEVER. Done a top speed of 170Kmph and very stable at that speed as well. Only if Hyundai had matched that with good shock absorbers and brakes it would have been a perfect highway car. There are a few negatives about the car which i think would be a turn off factor for buying I20 Elite: -- The Dual Tone is "ASTA" which is top end model. Within Asta there are 3 models which is "ASTA", "ASTA DUAL Tone" and "ASTA Optional". The Asta Optional gets everything but Hyundai should have at least included a rear wiper and "auto up" in Dual tone. Also, there is no Auto dimming rear view mirror inside which is available in Baleno. These are things which one might miss out while choosing Dual Tone Asta Elite I20. -- With Hyundai one would expect a smooth and feel good shock absorbers. But Hyundai has completely failed in giving good dampers. The dampers are not present at all and the Car feels like a below 5 lakh car when one goes through a speed breaker or an uneven surface. That is really not so premium about the car. Its a piss off factor. Just to clarify - Shock absorbers are great - only the dampers aren't just present and that spoils the game. -- The ABS brakes are not as good as something like a Swift or Polo or even a Honda. Sometimes the car just refuses to stop and one has to push really hard during emergency breakings. The absence of EBD is another negative. The brakes just don't give the confidence inspiring feel factor. To sum it up: A great family car, premium feel and a wonderful diesel engine. To driving enthusiasts - still you can buy if you want to mix family drives with a touch of enthusiasm purely because of a very good engine. For a pure fun lover - Not a car for you. Shoot back if any more information is required about the car. Since i am a car enthusiast, do feel free to ask about any car. Thanks; Abhijit.