Hyundai i20 long term review - Introduction

The new Hyundai i20 joins Auto Today's long term fleet over the course of the next year or so we'll talk you through our likes and dislikes and tell you what it's like to live with the popular premium hatchback.

Entering the Auto Today garage this month is the new third-generation Hyundai i20. This particular car is the diesel variant that features a 1.5-litre motor developing 100bhp of maximum power and 240Nm of peak torque. Transmission duties are handled by a 6-speed manual gearbox and in this fully-loaded top of the line Asta (O) trim costs Rs 10.60 lakh (ex-showroom). And you don’t need me to tell you just how good it is having laid claim to the prestigious Indian Car of the Year title this time around. This may be the i20’s introductory month in our long term fleet, but I’m actually quite well acquainted with this particular car already. This very i20 was my companion for the Great India Drive featured in the January 2021 issue that saw it tackle snow and icy roads, terrible highways and extreme temperatures without faltering. This car was also part of a recent comparison/road test in which it took on the Tata Altroz and came out on top despite being significantly more expensive. The price of the top-end trims of the i20 has been a point of contention since its launch but as Abhik pointed out in the aforementioned road test, the long list of features, which is quite simply unmatched in this segment, and the overall premium feel the i20 manages to exude make it worth the money. Some noteworthy features include six airbags, a sunroof, 10.25-inch touchscreen, Bluelink connected car tech, a Bose audio setup, LED projector headlamps, LED tail lamps and wireless charging to name a few.