Hyundai India has just launched its newest offering, the i20 Active which fights it out in the recently developed pseudo crossover segment. We compare it to other crossovers in the same segment.
Exteriors – The Hyundai Elite i20 looks attractive and the i20 Active is based on that itself. The front part of the crossover is just gorgeous while the side profile also looks quite good. The derriere of the i20 Active is again a looker and overall the car has a very rugged styling philosophy. The Fiat Avventura also gets a lot of styling changes over the Punto Evo. The Avventura packs in some stylish design elements and it is one of the best lookers in this segment. The Toyota Etios Cross and Volkswagen Cross Polo are jokes at the name of a crossover. Both the hatchbacks come with body-cladding stuck on them and appear right in your face as wannabe SUVs. The Etios Cross looks hideous while the Cross Polo looks no good either.
Interiors – When we come to interiors, the i20 Active has a very functional and premium layout for the dashboard and all other controls. The quality of materials used is good and the build quality is also decent. The Avventura comes with minor tweaks over the Punto Evo’s interiors and the build quality is good but the fit and finish is just not up to the mark. The Etios Cross gets the worst interiors here. The Cross Polo again gets similar interiors as the Polo and the build quality and fit and finish are just excellent.
Engines – All the cars here are offered with both petrol and diesel engines. In petrol variants, the i20 Active, Avventura and Etios Cross 1.5 generate similar levels of power and torque with slight variations while the Polo 1.2 MPI feels the most outdated. All petrol variants here get a 5-speed manual transmission. The diesel variants again have similar power and torque outputs but the Etios Cross is the most under-powered vehicle out here. The i20 Active is the only one to get a 6-speed transmission.
Verdict – The Hyundai i20 Active and the Fiat Avventura are both very good efforts by their respective companies. The i20 Active comes with better after-sales service and overall quality while the Avventura scores high on the fun-to-drive factor. The Avventura could have been the winner of this comparo if it came with better engines. So, the Hyundai i20 Active wins the crossover comparo followed by the Fiat Avventura. The Toyota Etios Cross and the Volkswagen Polo are nowhere close to being as crossover as their rivals and hence they get left behind.
i20 Active vs Avventura vs Cross Polo vs Etios Cross – Petrol Spec Comparo
i20 Active vs Avventura vs Cross Polo vs Etios Cross – Diesel Spec Comparo
