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Hyundai claims a 9% increase in fuel efficiency
Performance – Hyundai hasn’t made any sort of mechanical changes to the Elite i20 facelift save for some retuning that has been done to the engine and chassis. The engines get a tweaked map and the aero ducts in the front bumper aid to a slight improvement in fuel efficiency. In real world conditions, expect a rise of 1 km/l in overall efficiency. The petrol engine remains the same 1.2-litre Kappa VTVT unit that produces 83 PS at 6000 RPM and 115 Nm at 4000 RPM. Refinement levels are excellent and vibrations have been excellently dampened. The engine also feels very silent inside the cabin.
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The petrol engine is refined and offers enough performance for regular usage
The engine maps have been tuned for an increase in efficiency
The petrol engine has decent drivability. It likes to be revved and while performance in the city is very good thanks to the responsive low-end, the engine feels slightly out of breath on the highways, especially when you need to downshift a gear or two to overtake someone. However, the 5-speed manual gearbox is butter-smooth and the clutch is also very light, which again makes driving this car an easy affair. Hyundai has dropped the 1.4-litre petrol engine with the automatic gearbox from the line-up but the existing 1.2-litre engine is all set to get a CVT gearbox soon.
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Hyundai’s CRDI engine is just excellent in terms of performance and refinment
The diesel engine is a 1.4-litre CRDI unit that churns out 90 PS of power at 4000 RPM and 220 Nm of torque between 1500-2750 RPM. This engine gets a 6-speed manual gearbox which is again slick and slots well. The engine is very refined and is easily the segment benchmark in terms of NVH. Low-end driveability is good and post 1500 RPM, the punch starts getting stronger. Even out on the highways, the diesel car performs well and the engine doesn’t feel strained even at speeds above the ton. Within the city, expect the i20 to return about 15 km/l while on the highways, the car will easily deliver 17-18 km/l.
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The Elite i20 isn’t a car for aggressive driving
Driving Dynamics – For most part, the Hyundai Elite i20 facelift retains the driving mannerisms of the older car. Meaning, it is an easy to drive car and most people will like it, but if you’re an enthusiast then you won’t like this car. The steering is still fairly light but even on the highways at high speeds it doesn’t really offer good feedback and feels quite vague. It has been sharpened slightly but the changes aren’t significantly noticeable. The suspension is well-tuned for our roads but the rear suspension has been stiffened a bit and the bounciness of the car has reduced somewhat. The brakes remain as good as before and so do the 16-inch tyres.
