The new Hyundai i20 has all the elements to be a proper hot hatch with the most powerful turbo-petrol engine in class and a DCT gearbox. But will it deliver in the driving front in the rear world. Stay tuned for a first drive review very soon.
Hyundai is all set to launch the new i20 in India tomorrow. The third-gen premium hatchback has been completely overhauled from its predecessor. Apart from a funky new styling and feature packed interiors, the new i20 will also get a turbo-petrol engine for the first time in its lifetime. While a turbo-petrol engine is not new in this segment, the engine on the Hyundai i20 will come mated to a 7-speed DCT gearbox and that’s a huge segment first feature. The new Hyundai i20 could very well be the hottest hatchback in this segment and here’s why we think so.
The i20 will be powered by the same 1.0L, three-cylinder turbo-petrol engine that does duty on the Venue. The interesting fact is that the engine will be offered in the same spec of tune as in the Venue. That means this engine will be producing 120hp and 172Nm of torque in the i20 as well. Hyundai offers the same engine on other cars as well – Grand i10 Nios and Aura – but have detuned them in these cases. Reserving the numbers not only gives the i20 the best-in-class numbers but given the fact that the i20 will be lighter than the Venue, performance should be pretty sprightly as well.
The 7-speed DCT gearbox on the new i20 will also be a very novel feature given that no other premium hatchback boasts of this, no not even the Volkswagen Polo. Unfortunately, Hyundai is not offering paddle shifters on the new i20 as they do on the Venue with the same engine-gearbox combination. Along with a DCT gearbox, Hyundai is also offering their new 6-speed iMT gearbox on the i20 and while it’s a very easy and convenient gearbox to use, purists might be put down by the fact that there’s no option of a proper manual gearbox with the turbo-petrol engine.
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As for the competition, it is only the Volkswagen Polo that currently comes with a turbo-petrol engine. The 1.0L three-cylinder turbo-petrol engine on the Polo produces 110hp and 175Nm of torque. The engine comes mated to either a 5-speed manual or a 6-speed torque converter unit. Yes, the Polo has the upper hand with the 5-speed manual gearbox and it also has the best ride-and-handling balance which will be quite tough to beat but the i20 is more powerful. If the Hyundai lives up to the standards of ride and handling set by the Polo, it will be a commendable feat indeed. That we will know only after we have driven the new i20.
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Very soon, the Tata Altroz too will benefit from a new turbo-petrol engine. The 1.0L three-cylinder unit comes from the Nexon but has been detuned to produce 110hp and 140Nm of torque. The engine will come mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox at launch while a DCT gearbox will be added to the lineup later. The i20 turbo-petrol is again more powerful than the Altroz turbo-petrol but it remains to be seen how the DCT gearbox compares in both the cars. As for other cars in this segment – the Maruti Suzuki Baleno, Toyota Glanza and Honda Jazz – none come with a turbo-petrol engine or DCT/torque converter gearbox. The new i20 has all the elements to be a proper hot hatch. But will it deliver in the driving front in the rear world. Stay tuned for a first drive review very soon.
