2021 Hyundai i20 Review: Good Enough To Justify The Price?

1. 2021 Hyundai i20 Overview: The Third Generation

The i20 is one of the most important cars of Hyundai. It’s has been more than a decade since the i20 was launched for the first time in the Indian market and over that dozen years, the South Korean firm has continuously given the i20 updates and generation changes. The third-gen Hyundai i20 has come to us for quite a period. While its predecessor, Hyundai Elite i20 has found nearly 7 lakh takers over its 6-year presence, all eyes are trained on the new Hyundai i20 to see if the latest hatchback car can carry forward the legacy. Does the 2021 Hyundai i20 get the right formula of success as its the older generations? Let’s find out in our 2021 Hyundai i20 review.

2. 2021 Hyundai i20 Exterior Review

A quick look at the new third-gen Hyundai i20 tells us enough about Hyundai’s latest Sensuous Sportiness design philosophy. Visually, the India-spec Hyundai i20 looks largely identical to the Euro-spec version, barring some minor tweaks. Having said, the design of the new i20 is edgy and stylish but it might be polarizing.

Front View

The focal point at the front of the new Hyundai hatchback is the large honeycomb frameless grille. The swept-back headlamps look sharp and so are the foglamp housings. The front facet of the i20 adopts the massive usage of cuts and creases which enhance the aggression and sportiness quotient. It’s obvious that the Hyundai i20 gets the most aggressive face in the lineup, contrasting to the bold and delicate front fascia of the Creta or Venue.

Side View

Sharp cuts and lines also make ways to the side profile of the Hyundai i20. The 16-inch machine-cut alloy wheels are reminiscent of the Hyundai Verna’s. The tip-forward silhouette makes the i20 unmistakable in the profile that’s sporty enough to lure in young buyers. There’s also a sharper shoulder line, angular composition on the doors and an unconventional C-pillar that raises the bar of uniqueness in the model.

Rear View

At the rear, the Z-shaped LED tail lamps are some other prominent details in the new i20. It might receive polarizing reactions but it is surely distinctive. These taillights are connected by a reflector chrome trip, complementing the car’s width. Interestingly, there’s the black applique under the rear windscreen in the hatchback and that reminds us about the Tata Altroz.

3. 2021 Hyundai i20 Dimensions: Length, Width, Height & More

Compared to the outgoing model, the new Hyundai i20 is larger by a margin. The overall length has been raised by 10 mm to 3,995 mm. While its height remains the same, the overall width is increased by 41 mm to 1,775 mm, making it the widest car of the segment. The wheelbase has also gone up from 2,570 mm to 2,580 mm, giving the new i20 a better road presence. All these changes have made a positive effect on the interior space along with the driving stability of the new model. Speaking a bit of the platform, the new i20 is underpinned by an all-new monocoque platform that hands over it a lightweight structure, thus translating into a lower kerb weight compared to the previous-gen model.

4. 2021 Hyundai i20 Interior Review: What does the new i20 have to offer?

While the interior has been the Elite i20’s strong suit for good reasons, Hyundai has strived to do the same with the new-gen i20 hatchback and even more.

Interior Design

The 2020 Hyundai i20 boasts of an upmarket cabin, courtesy of many modern design elements. The dashboard rolls out a modern touch and borrows a lot of design cues from some German brands. The dash is low-set which gives us good visibility upfront while the touchscreen and instrument are also friendly with our eyes.

The AC vents are placed horizontally while the buttons for the climate control are neatly integrated for convenient use. The horizontal slats extending from the AC vents might be overdone for some but we think they work well to give us the sense of spaciousness on the inside. The plastic quality is good and the fit and finish levels are better for this price point. The all-black cabin enhances the feel of premium as always.

Comfort Features

Hyundai is well-known for packing its cars with bucket loads of features for convenience and comfort. The massive 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto supports. There is also a 7-speaker Bose sound system, power sunroof, smart air purifier, steering-mounted audio and Bluetooth controls, Hyundai BlueLink with OTA updates (for higher-spec trims), cooled glovebox, rear AC vents, tilt & telescopic steering and many others.

About the space and seating, the new i20 does better than its predecessor in this aspect. Thanks to the increase of 10 mm in the wheelbase, the Hyundai i20 gets a lot more knee room and legroom for the passengers that’s the icing on the cake here. However, with three abreast in the second row, the shoulder room is rather inadequate. Things can be enhanced with two people sitting with the armrest dropped down. However, it sadly misses out on the bottle holders this time. The front seat scores well in terms of comfort. It gets fabric seats for the lower variants while leatherette seats are exclusive to the Turbo version only.

Another highlight in the new Hyundai i20 is the trunk. The boot capacity of 311 litres is not the best-in-segment but it can store a lot of luggage for the weekend getaway.

Safety Features

The third-gen Hyundai i20 is built with the most comprehensive safety package to provide maximum protection to the occupants. The safety features include six airbags, ABS with EBD and ESC, vehicle stability management (VSM), emergency stop signal (ESS) and the segment-first tyre pressure monitoring system. Moreover, the i20 also packs itself with hill assist control, rear parking sensors and camera with display on the infotainment, auto headlamps, day/night IRVM, Isofix child seat mount, engine immobilizer, high-speed alert, driver & passenger height adjustment seatbelt and more.

5. 2021 Hyundai i20 Drive Review: Engine & Gearbox

The new-gen Hyundai i20 comes with three engine options and each has its own gearbox option. With various engine-gearbox combinations, the Hyundai i20 commands a notch above the model it replaces regarding the performance. There’s a 1.2-litre Kappa petrol engine that puts out 88 PS of power and 113 Nm of torque. This engine comes mated to either a 5-speed MT or a CVT option. The 1.0-litre turbocharged petrol motor can push out 120 PS against 172 Nm and can be had with either a 6-speed iMT or a 7-speed DCT option. Lastly, the 1.5-litre turbocharged diesel burner bumps out 100 PS of max power and 240 Nm of peak torque, making it the most powerful version in its segment. This engine comes coupled with a 6-speed MT only.

We had a chance to drive both the 1.0-litre turbo-petrol DCT and the 1.5-litre diesel MT versions of the i20. Since the Hyundai i20 is one of the few hatchbacks that offers a diesel mill so let’s dive into this variant’s performance.

We’re so excited to drive an i20 diesel that gets an ARAI-rated fuel efficiency figure of 25.2 kmpl. This engine is not an outright punchy one but it feels quite tractable at most of the rev-range. The level of turbo-lag is not much and the build of speed at low rpm is likeable actually. The 6-speed MT plays smoothly here and the clutch is well-weighted as well. With the nice spread of power, the Hyundai i20 diesel seems an easy hatch to drive both on the city and highway. In our acceleration test run, the Hyundai i20 diesel can sprint up from 0 to 100 kmph in around 11.14 seconds.

As for the turbo-petrol engine with a 7-speed DCT unit, it’s not surprising that the range-topping hatch feels much livelier than the diesel manual one. The 7-speed DCT is stress-free and works in tandem with the engine to keep up with the city traffic. The 3-cylinder engine is grunt and torque. You’ll also fall in love with the low level of engine noises when cruising down the town.

6. 2021 Hyundai i20 Mileage: Is the new i20 fuel efficient?

The new Hyundai i20 returns 25.2 kmpl for the diesel-manual variant while the petrol-manual version delivers a fuel mileage of 20.35 kmpl. The petrol automatic i20, on the other hands, gets an ARAI-rated fuel economy rating of 20.28 kmpl.

7. 2021 Hyundai i20 Prices & Verdict: Should I Buy One?

The latest Hyundai i20 is on sale within the price range of Rs 6.79 – 11.32 Lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). At this introductory price of Rs 6.79 Lakh, the new i20 is rather on the steeper side in the competition. However, do note that Hyundai has loaded the base i20 Magna trim with many top-notch features to justify the prices it carries. The new Hyundai i20 has certainly taken a higher leap in the aspects of space, comfort and road manners, thus closing the gap with its biggest rivals Maruti Baleno and Tata Altroz. If you are seeking high and low for a gorgeous-looking premium hatchback loaded to the gills with electronic bits, the 2021 Hyundai i20 should be taken into account then. For the previous generation of Hyundai i20, please visit Used Hyundai i20 on Indianauto.