My first car was a Santro Xing XO, a fantastic city car which made my life very easy, for the last 5 years.
Once I started doing long drives from Mumbai to Pune, I realized some of the shortcomings of the car. It was great to drive in the city but didn't inspire much confidence on the highways.
Beyond 120 KMPH, Santro felt a bit unstable. Since, it was already 5 yrs old, I decided to upgrade to a bigger, more comfortable car.
My shortlist process:
Swift (too old)
Swift Dzire (boot too tacky)
Fabia and Honda Jazz (too costly)
i10 (no really good reason to change as it’s as small as my old Santro)
Ritz (ugly back)
Polo (doubtful)
After much consensus, decided on i20 Petrol.
Set the test drive process in motion.
Hyundai has a good range of products, especially, the 'i' series. i10 and the i20.
i20 seems to be an ideal premium hatch for customers looking for a big (comfortable) small city car.
Petrol i20 comes with 1.2-litre kappa engine. kappa is a highly refined engine which produces a maximum power of 80bhp and a torque of 112Nm. With the i20 weighing a little more than a ton, on paper the car feels underpowered, but once the engine crosses 3000rpm, it means serious business. The true power of the car is unveiled.
After a test drive, I decided on the i20 Magna. During my test drive, the car did 0 - 100kph in 12.6 seconds.
Since I had a great experience with JayaBharat Hyundai when buying my Santro Xing, I decided to go to them for my i20 purchase too.
I booked my i20 Magna in Silver colour on Dec 19th, 2010. Was told that the delivery would take around 3 working days. On Dec 23rd, I got a call saying my car is ready for delivery. Went with my parents, wife and the daughter to the showroom with barely controlled excitement.
Here's me and my daughter evaluating the car at the showroom  .
Listened to the sales person explaining all the nitty gritties of the car.
Okay. Time to get the show on the road.
Got in the car with my family and drove back to my home carefully.
Since then, I have driven the car for around 600 kms including 1 long drive to Talegaon and back. The experience so far has been fantastic. Absolutely no regrets, with my decision, so far.
i20 is one amazing car, and this is how I would describe it:
· Excellent styling with clean lines and an aristocratic look.
· Appealing from all angles. Just can't help admiring it.
· Very spacious interiors and extremely comfortable seating.
· Automatic climate control.
· Handles well in city traffic.
· Very classy interiors, quite similar to much more expensive sedans.
· Silky smooth 1.2 litre engine. With mind blowing acceleration.
· Excellent fuel economy of 14 Kmpl in City, even before doing the 1st servicing.
· I am yet to do speeds like 120 – 150 Kmph, just waiting for my first service.
· Fantastic sound insulation inside the cabin, which keeps the cabin silent.
· Rock solid car which inspires a lot of confidence on the highways.
Although the car is pretty fully loaded, the lack of some small details is what made me do some extra fittings.
From Security point of view:
· Gear Shift Lock
· Nippon Autocop
· Micro Vehicle Black Box [a security and messaging device]
From comfort, convenience and entertainment point of view:
· V-Cool film [including front glass]
· Powerful Train horn
· 7" Car Rearview Mirror Monitor with:
· Bluetooth
· Back-up Camera
· Movie and Audio player using Pen drive and SD card
· JVC Amp and Woofer [mingled with the company fitted music player]
· Steering knob [I am so use to]
· Xenon H/D Lamp HID Kit
From maintenance point of view:
· Engine coating
Will keep noting further impressions as they come along, and keep you updated.
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Santro to i20 
