The i20’s one.-litre immediate injection turbo-petrol motor delivers a nice sporty driving choice for all those who seek out it and now with the N line, Hyundai wishes to choose the excitement up a notch. The i20 N Line also indicators the beginning of Hyundai’s N overall performance division in India and we will soon see much more N Line types with the risk of complete-blown N overall performance automobiles coming in the long run.
So, what does ‘N’ represent? The N division, set up in 2019, is Hyundai’s overall performance model akin to M by BMW and AMG by Mercedes. The firm states the letter ‘N’ stands for Namyang, the company’s headquarters in South Korea where the vehicle is made and for Nurburgring, the race keep track of where Hyundai develops and great tunes these types.
Beneath the N umbrella Hyundai has complete-blown N automobiles, which have even larger powertrains, fully redone suspension programs and other race enhancements for almost each individual region like the steering, gearbox, brakes and differential. The N Line – which is what we have – are types that mainly occur equipped with sporty styling enhancements, alongside with some light-weight overall performance upgrades to locations like the brakes and suspension.
The i20 N Line has a markup of Rs fifty,000-one,00,000 around comparable variants of the i20 and shares the standard automobiles 120hp, one.-litre turbo-petrol motor, as properly as the 7-velocity dual-clutch computerized transmission (DCT) and the 6-velocity clever manual transmission (iMT). It is priced involving Rs 9.eighty four-11.75 lakh (ex-showroom).
What is the i20 N Line like to travel?
Let’s get straight to the heart of the subject. Other than the evident go more rapidly styling bits, the i20 N Line attributes a few important mechanical upgrades around the standard i20, and the fantastic news is that these do increase its sportiness. The first amid these upgrades are its dampers, which are thirty p.c stiffer than the standard car’s and permit the N Line to tackle corners in a flatter, much more athletic way and decrease entire body roll. What is nice is that the stiffness does not choose out a large amount from the convenience and the journey does not come to feel overtly stiff whilst working with lousy roads and potholes. The car’s freeway manners are substantially nicer as well, and it feels even much more certain-footed at high speeds.
The next transform is its steering come to feel, which is a large amount heavier than the regular vehicle. The on-centre come to feel is nicer and the vagueness from the i20’s steering has been eliminated. The additional weight surely ups its engagement ranges by building it a large amount sharper to point, consequently infusing a larger degree of driver confidence.
The 3rd region of enhancement is the addition of rear disc brakes. Not that the regular version’s brakes were being lacking, but getting discs at all 4 corners feels much more reassuring. On the total, all these enhancements designed to the now capable chassis of the standard i20, have enhanced its driving dynamics building the i20 N Line a legitimate driver’s delight and one particular of the nicest driving hatchbacks all-around.
So fantastic is the N Line’s driving prowess, that it eggs you to travel more difficult and try out to extract much more from the motor. The turbo-petrol motor is carried around from the regular vehicle, unchanged, and whilst in standard guise it does the career quite properly, in the N Line, it feels like it could have some much more power, because of to the capable N Line chassis. And where this motor allows you down is in its delayed power supply beneath two,000rpm, which can get troublesome at minimal speeds, leading to sluggish off-the-line responses.
The rest nonetheless is great as the motor retains its healthy mid-selection overall performance and is rev-joyful. So it will very easily spin earlier 6,000rpm. And when you travel with a heavy foot, the new twin-tipped muffler emits a raspy note, notably on the outside the house.
Paired to this motor is the same 7-velocity dual-clutch transmission (DCT) and 6-velocity iMT (semi-automated manual transmission) from the regular vehicle and we really come to feel Hyundai skipped the prospect to offer a proper manual.
The DCT is smooth in its procedure, and arrives throughout as a properly-sorted gearbox in most situations. Straight-line overall performance is potent and Hyundai promises a -100kph time of 9.ninety seconds, similar to the standard edition, as the N Line’s 10kg weight attain around the standard vehicle is negligible.
If you have professional the erstwhile Volkswagen Polo GT’s dual-clutch computerized transmission, you would come to feel that the Hyundai’s feels slower in comparison, specifically whilst taking manual regulate by using paddleshifters. There’s a Sport mode that holds gears a little bit longer than ‘D’, but on a winding uphill climb, you can get caught involving its shorter next and tall 3rd gear ratio. Simply because of its extensively-spaced (lower) gear ratios, it typically loses steam and breaks momentum and in these kinds of situations its weak off-enhance overall performance is further amplified.
Shifting aim to the iMT, this 6-speeder receives a proper manual shifter minus a clutch pedal. This smooth-slotting transmission is a practical compromise for all those trying to get freedom from a clutch pedal in crawling website traffic, whilst still seeking to row through gears manually. What is nice is that the motor feels much more responsive with the iMT and since of the greater-spaced gear ratios and the simple fact that you can keep onto gears, it is a large amount much more enjoyable on winding hilly roads. For all its merits, nonetheless, the iMT is not a transmission that’ll permit speedy shifts, and since it lacks a clutch, it doesn’t permit for exhilarating off-the-line launches. But involving the two, this is certainly a greater choice. Expect -100kph sprint periods in the area of 11 seconds for equally, DCT and iMT, related to what we attained in our assessments with the regular vehicle.
What are the other N Line precise improvements?
As for the exterior, the i20 N Line receives ample enhancements. The front bumper receives minimal tweaks which search a little bit much more intense and its chin, completed in crimson, seems to be exclusive, as does the refined crimson strip on the sideskirts. On the vehicle with the Fiery Pink paint shade, silver highlights swap the crimson therapy. Other improvements include a new all-black front grille which sports an exciting chequered flag-influenced style and design. Spicing up its side profile are black mirror housings, new diamond-lower sixteen-inch alloys and crimson front brake calipers. The rear receives a new bumper, twin muffler guidelines, as properly as a roof spoiler with side wings completed in black. And just to be certain you don’t blunder it for the standard i20, Hyundai has slapped ‘N Line’ badges on the front grille, side fenders and tailgate.
On the within there are a number of minimal-lease plastics but the N Line tweaks do uplift the cabin. It attributes splashes of crimson, irrespective of the entire body shade. The seats element a quite sporty crimson piping and the ‘N Line’ branding, as does the new steering which feels exceptional to grip. Then there are some crimson highlights on the air vents, door handles and gear lever. Talking of which, the iMT’s change lever is so fantastic, it will very easily pass muster in a substantially much more pricey sportscar. Continuing the crimson topic on the within are new crimson ambient lights as well. On the total, the seats are comfortable and house, storage and practicality are aplenty,
Is the N Line greater geared up than the regular i20?
What really grabs headlines is the base N6 iMT variant which is particularly properly geared up and priced competitively at 9.eighty four lakh ex-showroom. This variant very easily justifies the Rs one lakh quality around the Sportz variant i20 turbo iMT. The N6 receives you a large amount which include the entire body kit, diamond-lower alloys, front and rear disc brakes, ESP and a sunroof. Apparently, even even though this variant receives a scaled-down 8-inch touchscreen (in contrast to the 10-inch unit in the best-spec N8 variant), this new-era unit receives wi-fi Android Auto and Apple CarPlay whilst the best-spec receives a wired connectivity.
The best-spec N8 variant is loaded to the gills with 6 airbags, Bose audio procedure, LED headlamps and a large amount much more. It also receives new connectivity attributes by using the Bluelink smartphone app taking the rely to fifty eight. Among other features, it attributes voice command to work the sunroof and driver’s side window, as properly as around-the-air map updates (sixteen updates in 8 many years). The N8 variant priced at Rs fifty,000 much more for the DCT and Rs ninety five,000 for the iMT than the Asta O variant of the regular vehicle, is not as fantastic benefit as the N6 variant in terms of attributes, because of to much less additions around comparable i20 variants.
Should really you get one particular?
When the i20 is pricey to start out with, the fantastic news is that the phase-up for the N Line is only marginal and is an truthful attempt to renovate a regular hatchback, into an enjoyable sporty proposition. Absolutely sure, a a few-pedal manual gearbox setup would have additional a larger degree of driver engagement, and the engine’s overall performance must have been enhanced to match its dynamic capacity, which is one particular of the ideal all-around. But the little beauty and mechanical tweaks have upped this hatchback’s desirability and sportiness various notches. And with a racy persona complementing the i20’s strengths like a spacious interior and class-leading attributes, what you get is a quite attractive package deal. One that can satisfy equally driving fanatics and household hatchback purchasers alike.
