At the beginning of September, a pre-production prototype of the new Hyundai i20 arrived at the editorial office, which made a great impression on me after a few hours behind the wheel. However, he lacked one essential detail.
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The pre-production prototype i20, behind the wheel of which I spent several pleasant hours at the beginning of September, made a very positive impression on me. Technically, however, the almost finished car still lacked several important details, such as interior plastics. Yesterday, however, the production version of the i20 was presented to us at the DOX Center for Modern Art in Holešovice, which came in full parade. And literally.
During the presentation, which took place on the roof of the famous gallery, my colleagues and I were able to see three Hyundai i20 cars in the highest equipment and with a mild-hybrid engine 1.0 T-GDI 48V. Of course, we will return to that, but before that I wanted to enjoy what the finished interior of the production model looks like.
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During the first meeting with the i20, I got behind the wheel of a car whose interior was still a long way to go. Instead of traditional automotive plastics, the door panels, trunk trim and parts of the dashboard covered unsightly, hard and shiny plastics, which were used primarily to cover the body and further develop the final plastics.
After the first opening of the door of the production model, a completely new experience awaited me – and of course a much more positive one. It would be quite naive to expect soft plastics in a car of this segment, but the hard plastics used do not look cheap at all and there is not much to complain about.
Personally, I like the two-color combination of plastic trim, where the lower part of the door trim, the center tunnel and the lower part of the dashboard are painted light and elegantly illuminate the interior. There are space for bottles and other small items in the door pockets, while the upholstered door handles ensure that you do not push your hand or elbow even on longer journeys.
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The dashboard, as with the prototype, is particularly impressive with a pair of large screens with a diagonal of 10.25 “and stylish horizontal lines in front of the passenger. These elegantly follow the ventilation vents and continue with a hint next to the door handles and in the lower part of the front door trim.
The motif of horizontal lines is repeated at the rear door, but here the carmaker has already bet purely on hard plastics, ie without upholstery. Again, there is nothing to complain about, only the upper dark part seems too massive. Especially compared to the front door.
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However, the fact that they get one of the best portions of space in the segment could be much more interesting for the crew on the back bench. According to data presented by the carmaker, they should have about 882 mm for the legs, 960 mm above the seat and 1390 mm for the shoulders.
The luggage compartment, which is one of the most spacious in the segment with a volume of 355 liters, also boasts above-standard values. However, while in the tested pre-production prototype there was a double floor with a repair kit, the now presented mild-hybrids hide a 486 li-ion battery with a capacity of 0.46 kWh in the trunk.
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The battery fills the space for the reserve, which should mean a loss of about 25 liters (similar to the reserve). A small loss of luggage volume, moreover in little-used space, is redeemed by the highest power (88 kW / 120 hp) and definitely interesting combined consumption in the range of 5.0-5.2 liters with a manual transmission and 5.0 to 5.3 with a seven-speed two-clutch automat.
The presented cars were exhibited with an automatic transmission, but during the first rides we look forward to an intelligent six-speed manual. It uses an electronically controlled clutch (clutch-by-wire), which brings a number of advantages, especially in terms of operating economy.
The new i20 with an intelligent manual transmission can disconnect and switch off the engine while idling, including when the gear is engaged. In conjunction with the mild-hybrid technology, which consists of a classic integrated starter-generator with a maximum output of up to 10 kW, the smart manual can contribute to reducing CO emissions.2 up to 3 percent. We should talk about real numbers.
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In addition to the exhibited mild hybrid and the already tested supercharged liter T-GDI, however, the new i20 will offer another engine, which we are especially curious about. It is a classic atmospheric four-cylinder with indirect injection 1.2 MPI with a maximum output of 62 kW (84 hp), which will only be available in combination with a five-speed manual.
Although the basic engine has the highest reported combined consumption (5.6-5.8 l / 100 km), the carmaker is expected to account for up to 60% of sales. This is an engine that, according to the traditions of the i20 model, should attract customers for its simplicity and robustness – unlike supercharged direct injection units, it does not even have a particulate filter.
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For fans of sports driving, however, the most interesting model will be the Hyundai i20 N, whose production should start in March next year and will probably hit the markets in the second quarter of 2021. We do not know much about the sharp news yet, but according to the carmaker in the footsteps of the i30 N model.
Again, it should be a sports car for everyday use, but it will be ready for racing circuits from the factory. The carmaker recently released the sound of its engine, but was silent about the technology. However, according to the latest information, it should be a 1.6-liter supercharged SmartStream engine with CVVT technology, which will offer the highest output of around 150 kW (204 hp) transmitted (probably only to the front) wheels via a six-speed manual transmission.
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