Complete Guide on Buying a Hyundai i20

Launched in 2008, the Hyundai i20 has been on sale for over 16 years. That’s a pretty long run by all means and a noteworthy achievement for a car that opened up a new segment. As the first premium hatchback in India, the Hyundai i20 has achieved segment-defining success and has been a fabulous premium car to people who wanted a hatchback while steering clear of the tags of ‘mediocrity’ and ‘affordable.’ Even today, the Korean hatchback has a unique premium charm to it, which makes it stand out. While hatchbacks are no longer as popular as they once were given the growing SUV space, the Hyundai i20 is an appealing car in its price bracket, especially for an urban lifestyle. If you plan to buy a Hyundai i20, this complete guide will help you understand this car better and help you bring home the best variant for your use case.

Hyundai i20 Specifications

Hyundai i20 Variants

The Korean carmaker sells six variants of the Hyundai i20: Era, Magna, Sportz, Sportz (O), Asta, and Asta (O). All these variants are available with a 5-speed manual transmission, while Sportz, Sportz (O), and Asta (O) are also offered with a CVT automatic. The i20 is available in the following colour schemes: Amazon Grey, Fiery Red, Atlas White, Typhoon Silver, Starry Night, Titan Grey, Atlas White with Abyss Black roof, and Fiery Red with Abyss Black roof. Here is a full list of Hyundai i20 variants and their ex-showroom prices.

Best Hyundai i20 Variant to Buy

The base Era variant of the Hyundai i20 offers the most basic features such as tilt and telescopic steering adjustment, front power windows, day/night inside mirror, front 12V power outlet, front cabin lights, internally adjustable outside mirrors, and more. This variant misses a music system, steering-mounted controls, remote central locking, and power mirrors. While this variant can do just fine for someone with a tight budget, due to a slightly higher cost, the next variant, Magna, appeals better.

In addition to the Era’s features, the Magna adds a tire pressure monitoring system, remote central locking, 8-inch touchscreen infotainment with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, a 6-speaker music system, rear power windows, and more. All these features make the Magna variant a fantastic value-for-money offering for someone who doesn’t want to stretch their budget further.

In addition to Magna’s features, the immediately higher variant, Sportz brings a rear camera, rear defogger, cruise control, height-adjustable driver seat, automatic climate control, cooled glove box, and a sunroof (Sportz (O)). For the incremental cost over the Magna variant, the Sportz is a good value option but not the best one.

The next variant, Asta adds several good-to-have features such as the Bose sound system, alloy wheels, ambient lighting, LED headlamps, wireless phone charger, puddle lamps, and more. For the premium it asks over the Sportz variant, the Asta is the most value-for-money variant of the Hyundai i20 line-up.

The top variant of the i20, Asta (O) adds voice commands for the sunroof, telematics, 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment, and adjustable rear headrests. Surprisingly, instead of wireless smartphone connectivity, the Asta (O) variant offers wired connectivity. The Asta (O) isn’t a recommended variant unless you are looking to own the aforementioned features. In comparison, the Sportz and Magna offer better value.

Hyundai i20 Warranty & Service Cost

The Hyundai i20 comes with a standard warranty of 3 years/100,000 km. This warranty period can be extended up to 7 years at some additional cost. As far as service cost is concerned, the first and second services are done free of cost and post that the service charges are around Rs 1,804 at 1 year/ 10,000 km, Rs 2,213 at 2 year/20,000 km, Rs 5,294 at 3 year/30,000 km, Rs 5,126 at 4 year/40,000 km, and Rs 5,902 at 5 year/50,000 km.

Why you should consider the Hyundai i20

With over 1.4 million units sold so far, the Hyundai i20 is acclaimed as one of the most successful Hyundai cars in India and it’s not without reason. The Korean hatchback has multiple advantages and here are the most prominent ones among them.

Stylish

Across its run since 2008, an attractive design has always been a huge draw of the Hyundai i20, even though its design has evolved a great deal over the years. The current generation Hyundai i20 looks sharp and exudes a sporty vibe, something driving enthusiasts take a shine to. Such an appeal is the result of a rather sharp silhouette, the parametric grille, edgy and angular headlamps and tail lamps, and chrome finish on door handles and kinked window line, all along with diamond-cut alloy wheels. The sporty design is accompanied by fantastic colour options to suit different tastes.

Segment-leading Space

Compared to its rivals Maruti Baleno, Tata Altroz, and Toyota Glanza, the Hyundai i20 has the largest cabin. It’s the widest offering in the segment and has the longest wheelbase, giving it ample legroom and shoulder room for rear passengers. In fact, the i20 is wider than many cars from the higher segment, such as the Hyundai Verna, Honda City, Volkswagen Virtus, and more. Such a width also gives the i20 a strong road presence. At the same time, while its boot space is slightly smaller than those of its rivals, it is spacious enough for most of the requirements.

Premium Cabin and Feature-Wealth

As mentioned, the Hyundai i20 has a unique premium charm to it. The Korean hatchback feels a class above on the inside as Hyundai has generously used good quality plastic, especially on the dashboard and its surrounding elements. The seats are garbed in premium leatherette upholstery, adding to the overall premium quotient. Moreover, these premium interiors tie exceptionally well into the design. For example, the digital instrument cluster and the free-standing touchscreen appear very fitting according to the design, especially with horizontal ridges running under them. Everything in the cabin is put together well and spells ‘Advanced.’ This isn’t misleading because the i20 is quite a loaded car and offers a host of upmarket features which elevate the cabin’s atmosphere, for example, ambient lighting, a 7-speaker Bose sound system, a single-pane sunroof, a cooled glove box, a wireless charger and more.

Refinement & Reliability

The Hyundai i20 is powered by an extremely refined 1.2-litre naturally aspirated engine. This engine delivers power linearly, offering a smooth drive. Depending on the requirement, you can own this engine with either a 5-speed manual transmission or a CVT automatic, which should be an ideal choice to drive through stop-and-go traffic. In addition to being refined, this engine is very reliable as are all other components of the Hyundai i20. As a matter of fact, high dependability is one of those advantages of the i20, which attracts buyers the most and has kept it strong in the game throughout its run.

Why you should not consider the Hyundai i20

While the Hyundai i20 is hard to fault, it has certain limitations which might not be the traits you prefer. Here are a few points which might give you second thoughts while buying an i20.

Lack of Fuel-type Options

The Hyundai i20 is available with only a naturally aspirated petrol engine. In comparison, the Maruti Baleno offers a naturally aspirated petrol engine, which is also available with a CNG kit, and the Tata Altroz is available with a naturally aspirated petrol engine, a turbo petrol engine, and a turbo diesel engine. Moreover, the NA engine of the Altroz is also available in a CNG variant. This means the rivals of the i20 offer a variety to buyers, while it doesn’t. Moreover, the i20 also lacks the sporty 1-litre turbo engine, which it used to offer and now has been offered only with its sporty counterpart, Hyundai i20 N Line.

Misses a Couple of Key Features

The Hyundai i20 doesn’t offer 60:40 rear seat split and a rear armrest and it would have been better if it did. The benefits of the 60:40 rear seat split manifest themselves particularly when you need some extra space for the luggage, while travelling with four passengers. Same is the case with the rear armrest, which often offers essential comfort and storage space on long journeys.

Expensive Automatic Variants

While the Hyundai i20 is a comparatively more expensive car than its rivals, the most significant price gaps are in the automatic transmission variants. Someone looking for the convenience of an automatic transmission can buy the Maruti Baleno AMT for as low as Rs. 7.95 lakh (ex-showroom) and Tata Altroz DCT (ex-showroom) for as low as Rs. 8.60 lakh, whereas the range of Hyundai i20 IVT starts from Rs. 9.43 lakh (ex-showroom). Now, one might argue that the CVT automatic is a better automatic transmission than the AMT, which the Maruti Baleno offers, and it’s a valid point. But all things considered, even an AMT is an automatic transmission and over the years it has proven to be capable enough to offer convenient clutch-free drive.

Summary

As the pioneer and longest-running premium hatchback from the second-largest carmaker in India, the Hyundai i20 has proven it to be a dependable family car and one of the most successful Hyundai cars. This buying guide explains the key specifications of the Hyundai i20 and what makes it worth serious consideration if you want a premium hatchback as your next car. The i20 is the largest and striking premium hatchback, it feels a class above on the inside, and you can be sure that it won’t trouble you with frequent visits to service centres or mechanics. At the same time, its automatic variants are slightly more expensive than those of its rivals. Moreover, it’s only available with a naturally aspirated petrol engine and lacks a rear armrest and 60:40 rear seat split. All the same, these are minor limitations for a car as capable as the Hyundai i20.

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