Today, the premium hatchback segment in India is one of the fastest growing sectors, with new cars being launched almost once in every 3-4 months. And meeting the massive influx of these high-end hatchbacks into the country are hordes of our fellow countrymen and women, who have realised smartly, if a tad late that premium hatchbacks make all the sense in the world, inspite of its high price.
One super-hatch that people have taken a liking to and is doing good business in India is the Hyundai i20. The i20 is the global replacement for the Hyundai Getz, except in Australia and India. It was launched in India two months after it was first showcased at the Paris Motor Show in October 2008. Being a car manufactured in India but primarily for Europe, where it was expected to do street battles with the likes of the Ford Fiesta and Volkswagen Polo, the i20 was initially launched in India in only a 1.2-litre guise. But post Honda Jazz and Fiat Grande Punto's introduction to the Indian market, Hyundai drove in two additional variants of the i20 - 1.4 CRDi and 1.4 Gamma Petrol, therefore ensuring that it is not completely overrun by Honda and Fiat.
Design
The Hyundai i20 is quite easily one of the better-looking cars from Hyundai's garage. It has been designed so as not to look awkward and incongruous compared to its European competitors. Hyundai's design team 
has not overdone the i20's contemporary and Mercedes SLR/SLK coupe inspired style, and ergo, the car looks neat and attractive without being bold and in the face. With styling borrowed heavily from the i10, the i20 strikes the perfect cord with one's aesthetic taste by way of its fresh design theme, which incorporates creased flanks, flared wheel arches, large cocooned fog lamps, protruding flush-mounted headlamps, sleek radiator grille with an integrated 'H' logo, large air dams and a vertical tail lamp. The various design cues collude to give the i20 some character. However, compared to the prominent and attractive nose, the rear of the car is quite run of the mill and mundane. But it does gel well enough with the curvy and agile overall design of the car so as not to undermine all the good work done by the design team.
Apart from the attractive design, the i20 has been well put together, with body finishing, build quality and fitting being of the highest quality. But then again, Hyundai Motors has always been renowned for its build quality, as well as finishing and fitting prowess.
The Hyundai i20 is built on an all-new platform developed at the company's European technical centre at Russelheim. The 2525mm wheelbase is the longest among its competitors in the country and is automatically translated into a generously proportioned passenger cabin. The broad stance of the i20 along with the longish wheelbase makes sure that there is enough room in the cabin to seat three adults abreast in the rear, one of them a six-footer and two at the front. The seats are generous, well bolstered and comfortable and with modern long-lasting fabric, but they do not hug the passengers the way the Fabia's seats does. Moreover, the seats are positioned low, therefore making ingress and egress a slightly laborious affair.
See specs of Hyundai i20 variants
In addition to the generous cabin space, the i20 has a 295-litre boot with a deep storage bay. The 60:40 split rear seats provide additional flexibility to the storage configuration. At the front of the cabin, there are quite a few cubbyholes for all the knick and knacks that one tends to carry on person. The Hyundai i20 also has a cooled glovebox, which is by far one of the largest among Indian cars.
Like the exterior, the interior of the i20 also appears fresh and contemporary, with no evidence whatsoever of any exaggeration. The dashboard, housing the stylish instrument console wherein lies the air-con and automatic climate control knobs, a modern iPod and USB friendly 2 DIN stereo system, in addition to a small multi information display (trip meter, outside temperature, driving time, calendar, audio display and digital clock) on the top, has been quite neatly laid out, exuding a sporty air. Also sporty and stylish is the three-spoke steering wheel, which encompasses audio controls for the convinience of the driver.
The cabin is decent, being spacious, well built and comfortable. Fitting and finishing once again is of a good standard, with no panel gaps or loose ends, although the material used in the dashboard is not up to the Skoda Fabia's standard. But from an overall perspective, it must be said that the i20's interior appears a tad bland in comparison to its rivals, particularly the Skoda Fabia and the Honda Jazz. For a car with overseas ambitions, the i20's cabin ideally should have possessed the charm, panache and design of a mid-size luxury sedan.
Comfort
The Hyundai i20 has gas-filled shock absorbers and sits on McPherson struts with coil springs at the front and coupled torsion beam axle with coil springs at the rear. The suspension system has been fine-tuned to 
handle the harsh Indian roads. Ride quality seems pretty much par for the course but at lower speeds, the i20 tends to get perturbed by deep potholes and bumps over. However, as the speed increases the ride becomes more comfortable.
Handling in the i20 is decent but it definitely is not its best attributes. Hyundai Motors has clearly put more emphasis on the comfort factor rather than on handling. The steering wheel is light and lacks feel. While a light steering can be beneficial for city driving, the same tends to become a problem when driving down the highway at high speeds. The i20 also tends to finds itself in a spot of bother during fast cornerings and has some body roll.
While its handling might not might be the best, there is no such problem when it comes to comfort. The makers have put much emphasis on comfort and it shows. The i20 gets a 5 star rating for the litany of comfort enhancing features that it carries. The drivers' seat in all the models apart from the base is electronically adjustable. Features such as automatic climate control, height adjustable front and rear headrests, front and rear full size armrests, electronic power steering and multi-functional steering wheel comes as standard across all the variants.
Further enhancing the comfort of the passengers is the capacious cabin. At 3.94 metres in length and 1.7 metres wide, the i20 happens to be one of the longest and broadest hatchbacks sold in the country today. The generous length and width ensures that there is ample legroom, kneeroom and shoulder room for three adults at the rear, plus the two up front.
Engine, Transmission and Performance
Hyundai's top of the line hatchback is available in three engines- 1.2-litre Kappa petrol, 1.4-litre CRDi diesel and 1.4-litre Gamma petrol. The base model under its creased Mercedes SLK like hood carries the same 1.2-litre Kappa petrol engine that is doing duty with Hyundai i10. The all-aluminium, 16Valves, 4-cylinder
motor produces 80PS of maximum power at 5200rpm and112Nm of peak torque. Having to lug a weight that is considerably heavier than the i10's, the 1.2 Kappa is quite understandably not the fastest premium hatchback on our roads today. With five passengers in the cabin, the 1.2's performance is greatly hampered on the highway, especially when overtaking fast moving vehicles. It is during such times that the need for extra horsepower is sorely missed. In excess of 5500rpm and nearing the redline, the engine tends to run out of steam. The base i20 is definitely not a car for the highway but, as a family car for the city, it performs its duty quite decently. Thanks to its good gear ratios, the i20 fits into the role of a city car zipping in and out of traffic rather beautifully. However, additional low-end torque would have been quite welcomed since the car comes to life only past 2500rpm.
The 1.2 Kappa takes 13.36 seconds to reach triple digits. It might not say a lot in terms of speed and acceleration, but it has dollops of refinement, class and fuel-efficiency. With an overall mileage of 15kmpl, the base i20 is a brilliantly economical car. NVH is also at an all time low, even at high revs. There is no engine clatter and vibration when the car is ideal, prompting one to glance at the tachometer to check if the engine is running.
For customers who want a petrol engine, albeit with more power and torque, Hyundai also presents the i20 in a bigger 1.4-litre Gamma petrol engine format. The brand new 16V, DOHC engine comes fully loaded with technological ammunition. Variable valve timing technology (VTVT) bestows upon the 1.4 petrol a brisk rate of acceleration, low emission, smooth drive quality and fuel-economy. Producing a whooping 100PS@5500rpm and peak torque of 136Nm@4200rpm, the 1.4 Gamma is the most powerful hatch in the country today. The engine has been fine-tuned to provide maximum response in both city and on the highway. NVH like in the base model is limited to a minimum, therefore making life for the passengers extremely pleasant. The Hyundai i20 is the first car in India to feature an all-new 4-speed automatic transmission with an overdrive lock switch and makes driving much more effortless and pleasant.
The best variant in the i20 range no doubt is the 1.4-litre CRDi diesel. The diesel besides being powerful and the torqueiest hatchback available in the country speaks volume in terms of drivability, refinement and class. The 1396cc engine mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox is good enough to generate 90PS of maximum power at 4000rpm and a massive torque of 220Nm available between 1750-2750rpm. The ample torque on hand makes the diesel one helluva sprinter and is as ideal for city driving as it for cruising along the motorway. The CRDi has a top speed of 157kmph making it the fastest diesel hatchback in India. 100kmph from zero rushes in at 13.44 seconds. However, low-end power between 1500rpm and 2000rpm is not optimum and there is a pronounced turbo-lag. Past 2000rpm, the engine however revs freely and touches only about 3000rpm when driven at 120kmph.
A true test of any car that dares to call itself a family car lies in its fuel-economy, besides safety. In the case of the Hyundai i20 diesel, fuel-efficiency is optimum, returning a staggering 23kmpl on the highway and 12.5kmpl in the city. The impressive fuel-efficiency to a large extent is due to the hydraulic adjusters and lambda sensor that balances the fuel mixture.
The common-rail design engine has swirl control valves that optimize fuel flow into the cylinders to improve refinement. Then there is the Roller rocker, which ensures minimum noise, harshness and vibrations. A state-of-the-art Exhaust-gas-recirculation (ERG) cooler is employed to ensure that pollution is kept at a minimum.
Safety
The i20 is the proud holder of the coveted '5-star Euro NCAP' rating. Euro NCAP (European New Car Assessment Program) is the organization that came into being in 1997 to test and rate cars for safety (both
occupant and pedestrian). The Hyundai i20 uses extremely strong steel frame, which ensures that there is minimum damage done to the passenger cabin during an accident. To limit pedestrian injury to the minimum, there are safety zone in cowl and crash-absorbing hood have been incorporated.
Among all the premium hatchbacks in the country, the Hyundai i20 quite easily has the most impressive collection of passive and active safety features. The top-end models have been packed with 6 airbags, which includes curtain and side airbags. The multiple airbags in conjunction with the ABS with EBD and brake assist make the i20 a very safe car for one and all.
The Hyundai i20 is available in 7 exciting colours-Sparkle Blue, Crystal White, Black Diamond, Sleek Silver, Silky Beige, Berry Red and Dark Grey. Starting price for the i20 is Rs. 4,80,200 (ex showroom Delhi). The top-end 1.4-litre Asta AT (O) petrol with sunroof sports a sticker price of Rs. 7,72,301 (ex showroom Delhi) and is only Rs. 8700 cheaper than the entry level Honda City sedan.
The Hyundai i20 is not a great car and neither is it ordinary by any means. It is rather the car that dwells between the great and the ordinary. Hyundai's torchbearer in the premium hatchback category is a car that looks good, is quite well loaded, has an eclectic range of engines, drives decently and there is every reason for it to do well in the country.
