If there is Niche segment up grab or a segment gaining popularity there is no one faster than Hyundai to fill it. Elite i20 has been a great success story for Hyundai so Korean car maker decided to cash in the success story more by introducing the crossover variant of the same as well. Hyundai i20 active is nothing but an Elite i20 with body kit and lift kit to make it muscular, beefier and sportier. Crossover has been around for some time now but with few options like Volkswagen Cross Polo, Toyota Etios Cross and Fiat Avventura. Every car manufacture comes with different names for this category like Hyundai calls i20 active ‘SSV’ Sports style vehicle’. I20 active is available in five variants two petrol and three diesel with the starting price of Rs. 6.38 lakh.
Price:
- I20 active is priced steeply the top variant is around 1.17 lakh more than its counterpart Etios Cross and Rs. 50,000 more than Cross Polo.
- I20 active comes with an initial price tag of Rs. 6.38 lakh for the base petrol variant while top is available for Rs. 8.89 lakh which is priciest in the segment.
- I20 Active is a costly affair but features and Quality of Hyundai may give justification to this price and we hope like its hatchback sibling i20 active price won’t be a hurdle from being a runway success.
Engine and Performance:
- Hyundai has carried forward the same engines of Elite i20 but with minor tweaks such as slightly stiffened suspension, better low-end drivability by 6% in petrol variants and 11% in diesel-powered variants.
- The petrol variants of i20 active are powered to a 1.2L VTVT engine produces 82bhp power and 115Nm of peak torque mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox while the diesel ones are powered to a tried and tested 1.4L DDIS oil burner good enough to deliver 89bhp power and 220Nm of peak torque and comes paired with a 6-speed manual transmission which is an advantage over its rivals (which only have five speed).
- Hyundai has improved the low-end drivability and in-gear acceleration but it has dented the fuel efficiency from 18.24 KMPL to 17.19 KMPL for the petrol and 22.54 KMPL to 21.19 KMPL for the diesel motors.
- Out-and-out performance of i20 active is not so different from Elite i20 especially the engine response remains same. Light, accurate gearbox, short gear ratios and lively engine are i20 active’s USP.
- Ride Quality seems to be a little better than its hatchback counterpart and handling also is pretty good now but the light steering stops it from being a charming car to drive. I20 active feels at home when strolling around the city traffic without any turbo lag.
- Despite of increased Body roll and ground clearance i20 active feels more competent to tackle potholes and rough roads without affecting driving dynamics thanks to tuned suspension.
- Among the two engine diesel one will be the more popular one due to better city drivability and enough punch in the engine. 1.4L Diesel engine is smooth, revv happy, and performs fantastically well as expected. If you are going for i20 active diesel is a better bet.
Space and Dimensions:
- I20 active offers spacious cabin thanks to 10mm more length, 26mm wider cabin and 50mm taller instance than Elite i20.
- Seat compound is same, seats are comfortable and supportive will keep passengers happy during long drives.
- I20 active is tallest, widest and longest as compared to Fiat Avventura, Cross Polo and Etios Cross and has longest wheelbase among all four cars.
- Rear seats are best suited for 3 adults and no one has to fight for extra space as it offers a sufficient amount of legroom and headroom space.
- In the segment Avventura offers best in class ground clearance of 205mm while I20 active comes on second spot with 190mm of ride height after 20mm hike from hatchback sibling. I20 active provides generous boot storage of 285 liters.
Exterior:
- As we already know i20 active is a cross version of Elite i20 which is undoubtedly the best looking hatchback right now. So Hyundai played a safe game while designing the i20 active as they want to cash in the design advantage of Elite i20.
- A lot of enhancement and hard work has been put in the development of the crossover and it shows but the overall appearance of i20 active is subjective yet it looks better than Etios cross and Cross Polo.
- Hyundai claims that the design of i20 active will appeal the youth and to those who live the active style and to compliment that Hyundai has made lot of enrichments up front to make it different from Elite i20.
- At front first thing you will notice is the black muscular bumper with silver skid plate and fake bull bar, i20 active gets new headlamp unit in the form of projector headlamps with daytime running lights and Silver C shaped surrounding around headlamps makes it one of the best looking crossovers in the segment.
- I20 active now flaunts redesigned hexagonal grille with standard five slates instead of unique design of Elite i20 hatchback. Fog lamps have been revised as well now comes in round shape with cornering function.
- Coming to the sides of i20 active which will clearly tell you about its taller stance than i20 hatchback. Dull looking black side cladding gives active the more rugged look while crease, door handles remains same. C pillar is now in shiny black color while i20 has a matte black finish. Matte finish roof rails and short antenna looks cheesy, some will like it, some won’t.
- Rear side has also witnessed some changes like new rear bumper with big round reflectors, fake skid plastic, revised number plate housing but one thing which is same i.e. 3-stageLED tail lamps which is the USP of Elite i20 design and we are pleased that Hyundai did not touched it.
- I20 active is available in some exciting colors like Earth brown, red passion and retro silver shades.
- Overall the outer appearance and exteriors has been redesigned well but if given choice among Avventura or i20 active I would prefer Avventura because it gives the crossover looks perfectly.
Interiors:
- Changes in the cabin are limited though yet it is the biggest strength of i20 active, Interiors are always Hyundai’s power and things just got better with i20 active.
- The dashboard design and layout is same as Elite i20 but two new color schemes are available with i20 active- Aqua blue and Tangerine orange interiors while Elite i20 has beige interiors. We would love to see black brown interiors introduced in international i20 variants.
- In Aqua blue interiors cabin gets blue seats, blue shade on door pads, blue color on dashboard while in Orange interiors of the car gets only minimal touch of orange shade like around audio system, gear knob, A/C vents and seats.
- The things which are same as Elite i20 multifunction steering wheel with audio and bluetooth control, 2DIN audio system with 1GB storage, USB and AUX-in connectivity, Glove box with cooling function.
- Other features of i20 active aluminum pedals, automatic air conditioner, smart key with welcome function which automatically opens ORVMs, rear A/c vents etc. Apart from features quality of material used and fit and finish is of top notch as expected from Hyundai.
- To sum up then, i20 active is the most feature rich car as compared to Avventura, Cross Polo and Etios Cross and has best looking cabin among all. I20 active cabin contains all the elements to wow the customers with some refresh color options.
Safety:
- In safety department as well you will get all the bells and whistles such as two airbags, Anti-lock braking system, rear parking sensors, dual horn, engine immobilizer etc.
- I20 active is equipped with anti-lock braking system and smart pedal system which suddenly applies automatic brake if there is any panic situation.
- Other features like rear camera with (engine control module), automatic headlamps, cornering lights, smart pedal, anti-pinch windows and vigorous body structure makes it one of the safest car in the segment.
- One advantage that Etios Cross has over i20 active is Toyota is offering standard airbags on all variants of Etios cross while i20 active gets dual airbags only on top variant and river side airbag on mid-variant. No airbags for base variant.[checklist][/checklist]
Verdict:
There are few areas where i20 active is outscoring its rivals like refined engines, premium interiors along with long list of features for which Hyundai is famous. Ride and handling is exactly like its hatchback counterpart though low-end drivability has slightly improved but cornering carving is better in Avventura. I20 active is for those who want a car that provides practicality of hatchback with road presence of a SUV but if you are looking for purely crossover then Avventura makes sense because at the end of the day it justifies the purpose of the segment and it is slightly affordable then i20 active.
