Hyundai i20
With the lockdown lifting in stages and the number of active Covid cases going down, we were blessed with a month of going outdoors and shooting. Not that things are back to normal but we are inching towards a new normalcy and that means work as usual for the Hyundai i20 longtermer. The i20 has been more than impressive thus far and being a diesel makes it the choice of backup car on shoots. Fuel prices have been forever spiraling and diesel has constantly been nudging Rs 90 per litre in the NCR. This means less fuel in the tank than before but looking at a cumulative range upwards of 600km on the instrumentation always makes me breathe a sigh of relief. The 1.5-litre turbo-diesel is a jack of all trades. It packs enough go to shame the turbopetrol counterparts and I always have the last laugh while filling up with more fuel efficiency and range to boast about. Being a diesel and a smooth one at that, it’s easy to stick the i20 in second or third gear and feather the throttle for the cameraperson to get their perfectly stable shot. I wish the clutch had better engagement and disengagement upon using the pedal as with repeated efforts to smoothen the operation, I’ve rarely had success as a slight lurch always manages to creep in. This aside and paired with the superb ride quality, the i20 remains smooth even when pushed hard. I really can’t stop harping about the ride quality in my reports because it is simply that good in this class. The suspension’s ability to cope with changing road surfaces, going from smooth expressways to rough back roads, the versatility of it just amazes me. Usually, such levels of compression and damping is reserved to aftermarket suspension components that focus on high-speed handling but Hyundai has done a stellar job of offering topnotch suspension for the i20.
BEING A SMOOTH
DIESEL ENGINE, IT’S EASY TO STICK THE I20 IN SECOND OR THIRD GEAR AND FEATHER THE THROTTLE IN TRAFFIC