It’s the little details, though, that really set this car apart from the throng. Backlit USB slot and 3.55-mm jack to make plugging in your tunes that much simpler, and these flanked by twin 12V power outputs so that you can charge more than one of the numerous devices people seem to carry around with them these days. Even that little slot sitting snug below the a-c controls and which looks as if it’s there to gobble in your ATM card is, in fact, a ticket-holder, meaning you don’t need to flounder around in that little pocket of time at a toll stop where you juggle putting away the receipt and driving forward at the same time.
Before I get into the details of performance, it’s imperative to mention that I was driving the Asta trim 1.4 CRDi diesel engine version of the Elite. Step on the gas and you’ll find that turbo-lag is present, but not very apparent. 90 PS of grunt and 220 Nm of torque translate into a greater degree of fun on open roads. The car’s power can be drawn out from as low as 1,200 RPM, although it really bares its teeth after you’ve hit the 1,800 mark on the rev count. The front McPherson strut and rear torsion beam axle suspension system, though still on the softer side, isn’t a deterrent to open road fun either. This is because the suspension isn’t as willowy as in some of Hyundai’s other cars, which is a huge boon when driving down the highway with the little dips and bumps that are ever present, and even while cornering.
The Elite i20 doesn’t inspire anything but confidence in you when you’re taking the car round a bend quickly, and this is because Hyundai have struck a balance between ride quality and handling in the Elite that was lacking before. The feedback from the steering wheel is also greatly improved, and the lightness of the steering itself means the car is a wilful turner, and doesn’t require any effort to manoeuvre even in the tight spots of city by-lanes. Handling then is a far cry from its predecessor and quite impressive overall.
Going back to highway driving, the six-speed manual gearbox mated to the 1.4 CRDi engine means highway driving isn’t just fast, but also economical ― something backed up by the staggering 24 km/l we got out of the car on the highway. The Elite is no city-slacker either, as it still gives 18 km/l when driving around in densely populated urban areas. Another factor about the Elite you’ll notice when driving around the city is how refined the engine is. At low revs, it operates really quietly, something that helps keep the stress factor down when driving through traffic. A car that goes fast needs to stop fast too, and the Elite does manage that without losing its composure despite the fact that it has been fitted with drum brakes in the rear to go along with the discs in the front.
All things considered, is the Elite i20 the absolute best driver’s hatch in its price range in the market (the Asta 1.4 CRDi costs Rs 9.16 lakh, OTR Pune)? It isn’t, but it comes very close to the top, and this shortcoming is mitigated by the comfort, style, and practicality that this car brings to the party, which means that Hyundai have, in fact, done it again and created a car that will give its competitors a pause for thought.
