By Otsile Kadiege

Despite the ever-growing popularity of SUVs, compact hatchbacks in Mzansi have a considerable slice of the new vehicle sales cake. The third-gen Hyundai i20, which was introduced locally back in May 2021, is one of them after selling 10 995 units since market launch.

We recently joined Hyundai South Africa at the brand’s head office for the launch of the facelifted i20 range. The refreshed compact hatchback gets subtle exterior and interior design and styling tweaks, a revamped naming convention with five model derivatives and improved features.

Exterior design and styling

Outside, the facelifted model gets a newly designed grille, new daytime running lights and a revised front and rear bumper with a faux rear diffuser. At launch, we drove the sporty-looking N Line grade which sets itself apart with model-specific styling all-round like LED headlights, 16-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels, sporty front and rear bumper, N-Line badges, and dual exhaust pipes.

The i20 Premium is available in 5 exterior colours – Titan Grey Metallic, Fiery Red, Atlas White, Typhoon Silver Metallic, and Moonlight Blue Pearl – while the Executive variants come in either Fiery Red or Atlas White, both with a black roof.  Atlas White and a beautiful deep Thunder Blue, also combined with a black roof, are reserved for the flagship N Line derivative.

Interior design and tech

Climbing inside the updated i20 N Line, you are met by a sporty interior which largely remains unchanged. Highlights including a 3.5-inch Supervision digital instrument cluster with TFT multi-information display for the driver, an 8-inch touchscreen with decent graphics and Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity, a wireless charging pad for compatible smartphones, USB and USB-C ports, a small 311 litres luggage capacity, an impressive sounding 8-speaker (including a sub-woofer) Bose Premium Sound System, a sunroof, a three-spoke N Line steering wheel with pedal shifters, an N Line gear shifter, non-slip aluminium-look sports pedals, comfortable N Line branded seats with contrasting red stitching and piping, and more red interior trimmings.

The interior of the i20 N Line looks the part but it’s littered with plastic materials, even on door armrests. It’s also inherently compact and has a smaller luggage capacity than its competitors.

Safety

Apart from seat belts, all new i20 variants have upper and lower ISOFIX attachment points for child seats. The Premium and Executive versions come with airbag protection in case of a crash for the driver and front passenger, while the i20 N Line version also features side impact airbags for the front occupants, as well as curtain airbags that extend to the rear of the car.

The i20 uses disc brakes at the front and drum brakes at the rear, and all variants are equipped with an Advanced Braking System (ABS) and Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD). All versions come with a full-size spare wheel. An Electronic Stability Control (ESC) system forms part of the i20 N Line’s active safety features.

Powertrain lineup

Underneath the bonnet of the i20 are three powertrain options, namely a 1.0-, 1.2- and a 1.4-litre engines. The turbocharged 1.0-litre petrol we are drove churns out a healthy 90kW  at 6 000 r/min and 172Nm between 1 500 and 4 000 r/min. It’s paired with a 7-speed DCT gearbox and has a claimed fuel consumption of 6.9l/100km.

The i20 N Line has firmer suspension settings for improved roadholding and a sure-footed grip in corners. The i20 rides on a McPherson strut suspension with gas-filled shock dampers in front, and a coupled torsion beam axle with coil springs and gas-filled shock dampers at the rear.

Driving impressions

On our day-long stint with the updated i20 N Line, we drove from the buzzing town in Bedfordview to the scenic areas of Bronkhorstpruit. Throughout the day, we enjoyed the drive thanks to the peppy 1.0-litre engine which has been paired with a sporty 7speed DCT gearbox. Believe it or not, the 3-cylinder engine has a cheeky, smile-inducing exhaust note which sounds similar to the Polo GTI thanks to low rpm burbles and ‘vrrpha’ sounds on up shifts. It also has an impressive range of 650km+ on its small sized 37 litre fiel tank capacity.

That said, here are a few low-lights. As mentioned above, the N Line i20 has a firmer suspension set-up which means the ride quality will be a bit choppy on imperfect roads. Other low-lights include a jolty DCT gearbox and low NVH levels. We look forward to spending more time with the updated i20 for a more comprehensive review.

Pricing and warranty

i20 1.2 Premium 5MT – R309,900

i20 1.2 Executive 5MT – R329,900

i20 1.4 Premium 6AT – R329,900

i20 1.4 Executive 6AT – R349,900

i20 1.0T N Line 7DCT – R467,500

All i20s are sold with an industry-leading 7-years/200 000 km manufacturer’s warranty, a 4-years/60 000 km service plan, and 7 years/150 000 km roadside assistance. The service interval is 15 000 km, or annual.