i20

Overview

The i20 is what happens when a premium hatchback keeps adding equipment until it nearly catches the compact SUVs on price and beats them on the options list. The cabin is the story: dual screens on the top trims, ventilated seats, wireless charging and a sense of interior design that makes most rivals feel like budget products. The 1.2-litre naturally aspirated petrol with 83 bhp and 114 Nm is smooth and economical if not quick, and the ride is quietly composed over broken surfaces.

There is a CNG factory option in this line-up for buyers who do the highway miles on a budget, and a torque-converter-style automatic that takes the clutch out of city traffic without the hesitancy of an automated manual. Hyundai’s connected-car features and warranty terms round out a package that is easier to justify than the badge suggests, particularly against sub-four-metre SUVs that cost more and carry less boot.

The single, stubborn problem is structure. Six airbags, ABS with EBD and stability control may be standard on the variants listed here, but the i20 carries a two-star Global NCAP adult score, which is behind both the Maruti hatchbacks and the crash-rated SUVs in this money range. It is also priced close enough to compact SUVs that buyers keep wandering into the showroom for a taller car. As a piece of specification-per-rupee engineering the i20 is superb value; as a crash-structure decision it asks you to weigh the equipment against the stars.

• Best-looking, best-equipped cabin in the hatchback class
• Standard six airbags and stability control
• Factory CNG and automatic options