Since its launch in 2008 the i20 has been one of Hyundai’s great success stories. This ‘super mini,’had been designed for Europe with a very European DNA. It quickly filled the fast growing market for large hatchbacks begun by Maruti’s very successful Swift. These cars offered the inner space of a sedan like the City or Verna but with a smaller boot to make parking easier. The i20 was a classy replacement for the Getz with the stylish new `fluidic’ styling and a very competent set of petrol and diesel engines mated to a 6-speed gearbox to make driving a lot easier. Being easier to drive Hyundai offers a ‘dead pedal’ next to the clutch where drivers can rest their left legs as the clutch does not need to be pressed so often.

These cars soon spawned stiff competition with the Ford Figo, VW Polo, Honda Jazz, Nissan Micra, Toyota Etios Liva and Tata Bolt jostling for space along with Maruti’s classy new Baleno model. In response Hyundai introduced a new `Elite’ model that is much more than just a cosmetics job. It is a little wider and feels much more spacious and the longer wheel base makes it more stable at speed. The ‘fluidic’ design has also been toned down a bit to make for a flatter bonnet and a less sharply creased side profile but the new front grille with a huge hexagonal air dam looks very striking. The wrap around headlights and distinctive tail lights are very classy too. There are 12 model options as well as 8 options with the ‘Active’ badge that is more sporty with roof rails and a slightly higher ground clearance. The looks are also enhanced by the striking diamond cut alloy wheel rims.

All the models are well kitted but only the top models have the gadgets and features that are advertised to pull customers to the showrooms. The i20 can therefore boast of several segment firsts like dual front airbags, adaptive parking camera and a front seat armrest. There are also other gadgets like a reverse parking camera, anti-lock brakes, push button start, smart keys, rear vents for the AC, touch- screen centre display, cool glove box and tilt and telescopic steering.

Great attention has also been given to the interiors where the clean lines of the beige coloured dashboard is striking. It includes a big round speedometer with a matching odometer on either side of a centre display that provides information on fuel consumption, temperature, et cetera  from the on board computer. Buttons on the steering wheel make the infortainment and music easy to manage. The touch screen centre screen provide 3D Map for navigation and control for the sound. The volume automatically adjusts for ground speed.

The trusty 1200 cc 16-valve petrol engine delivers good power delivery at 83 HP and nippy acceleration while the 1400 cc 16-valve diesel engine offers 90 HP but with very impressive torque. While most models are shod with 14 Inch tires the Sportz and Asta models offer bigger 16 inch tires. The i20 is a small car with many big car features.

The i20 is excellent on the road and its ride and handling are good but not especially remarkable. The petrol engine model that I had driven accelerated impressively but the little engine felt a little breathless when I drove one section with four passengers. It felt like a big car to drive though it was really a large hatchback.

The author is regions most celebrated automobile columnist.