Hyundai Motors India is the fully owned subsidiary of the Korean automobile company, Hyundai Motors. Now the second largest car manufacturer in India after Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai’s Indian arm was established in 1996. The first Hyundai car was introduced in 1998. Since then, Hyundai has performed very well in all the segments in which it had a presence. Hyundai has given many best selling cars like Santro, i20, i10, Getz, Grand i10, Xcent, Verna, Accent and the like. Amongst these, certain cars like Santro, i20, i10 and Verna are some of the most preferred Hyundai models in India.
Hyundai had introduced the Elite i20 in India in 2014. It replaced the earlier model, i20 in India. This car is placed between the Grand i10 and Xcent as a premium hatchback. The car accounted for record-breaking pre-booking figure and it continues to do well in the market even after months of its launch. In fact, Elite i20 was named among the top five best selling cars in India during the first quarter of this year.
A stylish car with attractive looks, stunning design language and dazzling features, the Elite i20 price ranging from INR 4.90 lakh to 7.67 lakh. This car had its global debut in India, which indicated that Hyundai consider India as one of the most important markets in the world. This car is the first from Hyundai India to be launched with the latest Fluidic Sculpture 2.0 design language. This fresh global design language offers a European appearance to the car.
However, barring some cosmetic changes, the Elite i20 has not undergone an engine upgrade. Hence, it runs on the same engines on duty on the earlier versions. As such, an 1197 cc, 4-cylinder, 16-valve 81.8 bhp 114Nm engine powers the Elite i20 also. The engine is connected to a five-speed manual transmission gearbox. The diesel engine of Elite i20 is a 1.4L 1396 cc, four-cylinder, 16-valve, U2 CRDi unit of 88.7bhp and 220 Nm, which is mated to a 6-speed manual transmission. It comes with improved fuel efficiency and performance.
Elite i20 is not available in automatic option. However, both petrol and diesel variants are offered in five trims each – Era, Magna, Sportz, Sportz (O) and Asta. The interiors are world class and offer large space for comfortable travel. It also offer a large boot space of 285-liter to hold the luggage of the whole family.
However, Hyundai has not equipped the car with certain safety features like airbags for all passengers. Hence, the safety features cannot be said to be at par with the earlier versions. Despite that, the Elite i20 is a good hatchback, which makes driving a pleasing experience.
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