Having undoubtedly seen its photos get leaked on the Internet, Hyundai has finally given the new third-generation i20 an official reveal. The images are the same and there’s still no look at the interior of the car, but the company has at least released a deluge of information to tide us over.
As you have already seen, the B-segment hatchback will be much more striking to look at compared to the outgoing model. That’s in part due to the rejigged proportions – the car now a whopping 24 mm lower, 30 mm wider and five millimetres longer – but mostly because it sports Hyundai’s latest “Sensuous Sportiness” design language, first seen on the latest Sonata.
The most obvious design cue is the massive grille, which is integrated with the sweptback headlights – with arrow-shaped LED daytime running lights – to form a single graphic. The low-set nose and the steeply-rising beltline gives the car a wedge-like side profile, accented by the sweeping chrome window trim and blacked-out D-pillars for that “floating roof” look. Speaking of which, the roof can also be specified in black.
Moving to the rear, the front lighting signature is mirrored in the Z-shaped tail lights, joined together by a lit chrome strip to emphasise the car’s width. A diffuser-like rear bumper insert and an intricate 17-inch two-tone alloy wheel option complete the look.
Again, there are no images of the interior, but Hyundai says the new i20 has a more airy feel inside, with horizontal blades that cover the dashboard to give it a wider appearance. It also claims that the doors embrace the dash in an “elegant, sensual way,” while LED ambient lighting is also available – as are grey and yellow-green trim options.
Meanwhile, the stretched wheelbase offers increased space for rear passengers, and boot space has been increased by 25 litres to 351. In terms of technology, the i20 is available with twin 10.25-inch “visually combined” displays for infotainment and instrumentation, plus wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a wireless charging pad, rear USB ports and an eight-speaker Bose sound system.
Hyundai is also adding its BlueLink connectivity services to the i20, including real-time traffic, fuel price, weather and parking information, cloud-based voice control and the ability to monitor and control the car via the BlueLink smartphone app.
Safety-wise, the car is available with navigation-based adaptive cruise control, traffic sign recognition, lane centring assist, blind spot monitoring with engine braking and autonomous emergency braking with cyclist and pedestrian detection. Also offered is a front departure alert, rear cross traffic alert, a parking assistant and parking sensors with an automatic braking function.
Under the bonnet, the i20 is available with a 1.0 litre turbocharged and direct-injected three-cylinder petrol engines with 100 PS, and as a 48-volt mild hybrid with either 100 PS or 120 PS. Transmission options are a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and a six-speed manual gearbox, and the mild hybrid gets an “intelligent” version of the latter that decouples the engine at a cruise, saving fuel. There’s also an 84 PS 1.2 litre naturally-aspirated four-pot with a five-speed manual, and all models come with engine stop/start.
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Bashers will say this car expected to fail badly because it uses DCT gearbox.
No, it’s because of its rear design.
Depan dah cun but rear looks penyek like kena langgar lori.
Hyundai nowadays = weirdo
normally, any car looks best from the rear 3/4 , unfortunately this is the car’s weakest design , the tail lamp is all over the place.
Its either that the designers were overtly ambitious.
Or , to follow new safety regulations where the tail lights have to be visible from the side.
either way, looks good from the front , and very strong character lines flowing on the sides
I20 looks wayy better than say ….2 series gran coupe
Anyway, I20 is the best looking car in its group. I wonder how the sister KIA car would differentiate
got old 90’s suzuki swift feel
Any expected launch date in Malaysia
Nice car that i couldnt afford. :(