Hyundai India is prepping up to launch the next generation of the i20 premium hatchback in India. The cars have started reaching dealerships and launch is slated for this month-end or early next month. Overseas, Hyundai has come up with the lunatic i20 N with a 204hp 1.6-litre turbo petrol engine. The hot hatch is heavily inspired by the WRC Rally i20 model and packs in a host of technology.
Hyundai has blended its renowned rally and racing heritage with the new Sporty Senseous design of the new i20. The result is blistering performance, athletic handling in a road-going family hatchback. At first glance, you may not have the keen eyes to see the deeper bumpers and may take it as a normal i20. But if you do have a pair of keen eyes, you will notice sportier grille with a front lip spoiler placed below the bumper with red accents.
The front grille is designed in the chequered-flag design and also gets the N logo. Moving to the side profile, you will notice the 10mm lowered ground clearance and the hatch sits on bespoke 18-inch alloy wheels. The brake callipers are painted red with N lettering and the side look is further enhanced with side skirts finished in sporty red. At the rear, the i20 N gets WRC-inspired roof spoiler which adds downforce whereas the rear bumper gets diffuser-like finishing.
Stepping inside the all-new Hyundai i20 N, we have a new N steering wheel and a stubby manual stick shifter. The whole dashboard is black with contrasting blue inserts for added drama inside the cabin. The front seats are replaced with sporty N seats with integrated headrests. The N steering wheel gets two individual and customisable N buttons finished in performance blue colour and we also get a "Rev" button to activate rev-matching for the gearbox.
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Coming to the heart of the matter which is a 1.6-litre T-GDi motor and it churns out 204hp and 275 Nm of torque. The power goes straight to the front wheels via a 6-speed manual gearbox. The i20 N loves to be chucked in corners as the mechanical limited-slip differential makes it a cakewalk and downshifts will be enticing thanks to auto rev-matching. The car weighs just 1,190 kg and offers fantastic power/weight ratio and the result is 0-100 km/h in just 6.7 seconds and a top whack of 230 km/h.
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The Hyundai i20 N sits below the i30 N but doesn't feel smaller. We have got customisable driving mode along with Normal, Eco, Sport and N which customises the engine, steering, stability control and exhaust sound of the car. The digital instrument cluster also tells the driver to shift at the right time and the launch control comes handy to launch perfectly.
The performance is blistering and it doesn't take a toll on tech as the i20 continues to come with 10.25-inch touchscreen offering both Android Auto and Apple Car Play. The Hyundai i20 N will go on sale in Europe this year whereas the India launch is highly unlikely. Share your thoughts on this and be a part of interesting automotive discussions, join our Whatsapp group here
