If you have been planning to buy a hatchback for a while but are unable to set your finger on one alternative, then let me ease your worries. The Hyundai Elite i20 is probably your best bet in today's age and date. The Indian hatchback market is today flooded with options. While considering the purchase of a vehicle one needs to be wary of many factors like features, engine performance, price, comfort, safety and much more but there are other factors which can come into play like cost of ownership, maintenance, frequency of service, etc.
The Hyundai i20 ever since its launch has been one tough nut to boot and competition has found it extremely tough to post great sales figures while competing with this hot hatch. But what makes the i20 so special is the package which it offers. For starters the car has one of the most powerful engines in the segment, a time tested 1.4L CRDi engine which posts figures like a top speed of 180kmph and a 0-100kmph time of 11.9 seconds. Even on the fuel efficiency front this hatch is not far from the industry leading Baleno with a fuel average of 18.4kmpl compared to the Baleno's 22.5kmpl.
But does performance mean everything? The answer is no. So what are you really paying for? Well for starters, Hyundai has always maintained great quality in its line up and the i20 is no exception. The quality of materials is very up-market and has a great touch and feel. The seats be it fabric or leather are comfortable to say the least and the vehicle provides adequate room for five occupants a fact which does not hold true for a few competitors. The i20 also comes with a few features which gives it an edge over competitors. While most vehicles in the segment come with the usual start/ stop button and more such basic yet handy features. Hyundai goes the extra mile to provide second row a/c vents and a cooled glove box as well.
On the safety front as well the i20 comes loaded with features like ABS, crash sensors, driver and passenger airbags, impact beams, day and night RVMs, automatic headlamps and a rear view camera. The i20 does not just provide comfort and convenience but also gives buyers an extremely safe cabin. So the big question still remains, how big a dent will this make on your pocket? The top spec diesel variant of this vehicle which comes fully loaded with the features and specifications we discussed above will cost you Rs. 8.8 lakh ex-showroom Delhi. When compared to the top spec Baleno the top variant of the i20 is a little more expensive but comes with a bigger engine and more features.
It all boils down to cost of ownership and maintenance. While Maruti Suzuki has been the king of this arena, volumes and numbers play a great role in bringing down the cost of ownership be it parts or service cost. Hyundai has achieve those economies of scale to ensure that owners of their cars will be able to afford and maintain the cars with ease. In terms of servicing the i20 is one of the most economical and pocket friendly to maintain with an annual service bill of approximately Rs. 4,300. Availability of parts for this product are also not an issue and one does not need to spend unnecessarily on parts as the Hyundai brand offers high reliability on its products. The overall package makes this one of the best offerings in the segment and definitely your safest bet.
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