Girls and gents, please welcome the Hyundai i20 Turbo iMT to the Autocar India long-term fleet. It’s an fascinating substitute for the Hyundai Venue Turbo that I referred to as ‘mine’ for the higher a part of a 12 months. Compact SUV to hatchback is a reverse migration of kinds, after which there’s the gearbox. The place our long-term Venue featured a traditional 6-speed guide gearbox – , the three-pedal selection – the i20 Turbo is specced with an clever guide transmission (iMT). Right here, gear adjustments are affected through the gear lever however there’s no clutch pedal to modulate. The half manual-part auto setup sounds extra complicated than it’s in follow.
EASY DOES IT: You continue to should shift gears however with no clutch to take care of, driving stress is enormously diminished.
For one, it doesn’t take all that lengthy to get used to the association. You’ll shortly study that the automated clutch modulation could be very clean and the system is intuitive. There aren’t any jerks or delays and it feels surprisingly subtle in a approach that the technologically superior AMT doesn’t. I’d have an iMT over an AMT, thanks very a lot. The {hardware} behind the scenes works so effectively that, in flowing visitors, you’d usually are likely to neglect the job of really shifting gears is yours. Beeps and a gear change indicator on the MID are your automotive’s approach of reminding you of what must be completed. That this i20 feels extra auto than guide is an enormous win for the iMT gearbox.
SCREEN AWARDS: The ten.25-inch touchscreen is superb. It’s slick to make use of and the graphics are crisp.
In fact, not having a clutch pedal to take care of makes life infinitely higher on Mumbai’s crowded roads. A lot in order that I even discover myself open to the thought of venturing out in rush hour visitors to satisfy mates throughout city. Who’d have thought, a gearbox would have such a bearing on my social life. Hyundai’s iMT promo movies present the driving force tapping his unburdened left foot to the music. I utterly relate to the visuals. The i20 creeps ahead easily, strikes with grace even on inclines, and as a plus, gearshifts on the 6-speed gearbox don’t require a lot effort both. Even the odd fast shift has been catered to exceedingly effectively. No complaints on gasoline effectivity up to now, which has been hovering across the 11.5kpl mark, recorded nearly solely in crawling visitors.
CUTTING CORNERS: iMT misses adjustable rear headrests that must be commonplace in a automotive as dear because the i20.
There are additionally different issues I’ve taken to fairly keenly. The touchscreen will get an enormous thumbs up. The ten.25-inch unit is large nevertheless it’s additionally effectively positioned and doesn’t distract you. The crisp graphics and slick interface additionally make it really feel leading edge. If Hyundai may additionally throw in wi-fi Android Auto/Apple CarPlay, it’d be excellent. I haven’t discovered a neat strategy to plug my cellphone in. I’ve warmed as much as the digital instrument readout although. I’m nonetheless not a fan of the counter- clockwise tacho however then once more, I confer with the digital velocity and RPM readings, relatively than the bar-like meters themselves. Greater than something, the intense instrument’s show, together with the big touchscreen, uplifts the look of issues contained in the cabin. I additionally like how the blue ambient lighting on the door pockets provides extra color and vibrancy inside. What additionally makes the endless commutes extra tolerable is the Bose sound system. I’m no hardcore audiophile however there’s a discernable depth to the sound.
WIRED UP: There’s no neat strategy to join your cellphone. Wi-fi Android Auto can be welcome.
Shifting from a compact SUV to a hatchback adjustments your view of the world and fairly actually so. Personally, I’m fairly alright with the i20’s decrease seating vis-à-vis the Venue, and visibility can be fairly good, because of the big glasshouse. Nonetheless, I do sense my mother and father, who’d be visiting quickly, received’t take fairly as readily to the drop down into the decrease cabin. What’s additionally enjoying on my thoughts forward of their go to is the shortage of adjustable rear headrests. Frustratingly, no model of the i20 iMT will get this fundamental security characteristic which is one thing that must be commonplace in 2021.
I’ve been pining to drive to Goa for a while now however with a resurgence of COVID-19 circumstances in Maharashtra, the journey doesn’t appear to be it’ll occur any time quickly. There’s nonetheless time, then, earlier than the i20 iMT can stretch its legs. For now, it’s life in a metro.
Additionally see:
Hyundai Venue lengthy time period overview, closing report
Hyundai Venue lengthy time period overview, second report
