Hyundai i20
As fuel prices still hover close to Rs 100 per litre, let me put a few numbers in perspective for you. Diesel thankfully, is at Rs 86.67 per litre as I write this report and that means a shade over Rs 3,200 fills up 37 litres of precious liquid gold in the i20’s tank. That’s good for over 700km of smiles per gallon and a fuel economy figure close to 19kmpl, all while driving exclusively in the city. Let me save you the comparison and deduce for you that diesels still can’t be beaten in terms of outright range and the more you drive one, the more they pay the initial investment back in the long run compared to a petrol alternative. This of course was no revelation as a fact but the shift in norms and substantial electrification on the anvil does make it seem that the good ol’ diesel engine in small cars may be given the boot very soon. The thought alone makes me want to cherish the experience of virtually owning the i20 for nearly a year now. The hatchback’s consistent fuel efficiency figures have left me impressed on more than one occasion and it would take appalling levels of incompetence as a driver to get anything below 12kmpl. What’s also impressive is how Hyundai has paid attention to the smallest details and made sure that the running data is highly accurate as manual calculations as well as VBox figures match up. Take for example the absence of two traditional trip metres which need resetting on refills if you’re keen on maintaining mileage records. The i20 offers a temporary drive info that gives you distance, average consumption and driving time for the day while the same set of data is available as accumulated info that can be programmed to automatically reset between tank fills. A simple solution that makes me wonder why others aren’t using the same. Now, duly serviced and ready to log some long haul mileage, the i20 will finally get to stretch its legs again on the highways soon.
THE HATCHBACK’S CONSISTENT FUEL EFFICIENCY FIGURES HAVE LEFT ME IMPRESSED ON MORE THAN ONE OCCASION