Hyundai i20 N Line
Nothing like a nippy hatch for the daily commute — it just makes every day better
Road noise has reduced considerably, grip in the dry and wet has improved too
DRIVE HAPPY TO AND FROM WORK. It’s the one thing you do every weekday of your life, yet little thought is paid into what you drive to work. You calculate mileage and resale costs and spares and service, you don’t value driving dynamics enough. And that is honestly the most important factor. If resale costs top your priorities, you are looking at a depreciating asset as an investment, which is questionable in the first place. Now everyone can’t afford a Porsche, but there are a handful of good performance options at affordable prices too. If you are a motorcyclist, the choices are endless, but in the car space, for a daily commute to work, you have a few. The i20 N Line tops that list, the other two being SUVS ― the Venue N Line and XUV300 Turbosport. Am I missing something here? The car space at sub-15 lakh rupees is quite boring otherwise, isn’t it?
The i20 N Line is so good, and fairly popular that it encouraged Hyundai to launch a Venue N Line, and for good reason. I’ve been living with the car for over six months, and over these six months, the stiff suspension has only been an asset. It took a little getting used to, but the more you drive it, the experience only gets better. Not once have I held my back after a day behind the wheel thinking, wishing it was softer. The surefootedness brings a smile every time, even at a stop light. Turning right or left to the next road, when I am the first car out at a stop light, I shift the gearbox to Sport mode, and give a healthy squirt of fuel in the cylinders, these are short bouts of joy I have every day. I smile to work and back from work, and I look forward to weekends when I take my dog for joy rides. He’s also a car nut.
The thing is, the stock tyres were a bit worn out and hard after the heavy abuse they had endured over 10,000km at the wheel. We swapped them with Continental UltraContact UC6 rubber on all four wheels. Ever since, we enjoy our drives a whole lot more. Road noise has reduced considerably, grip in the dry and wet has improved too. A bit of a downside is the efficiency. Better grip comes at the cost of efficiency, marginally reducing by 0.5kmpl. I have rectified that with a switch to XP95 from regular fuel. XP95 is `7 costlier to a litre however the engine runs a lot smoother and efficiency has gone back up to the CEAT SecuraDrive days. ⌧
Anand Mohan (@anandmohan2810)