Subtly updated Hyundai i20 debuts with more safety and colours

Having committed itself to another generation of the i20 back in February, Hyundai has debuted the now subtly updated present iteration due to go on-sale in the third quarter of this year.

What has changed?

Although appearing almost unchanged from its world premiere in 2020, the updates to the third generation i20 outside consists of a new honeycomb grille, a new front bumper with L-shaped air inlets on the flanks, a resigned rear bumper, reworked taillight clusters and new alloy wheels ranging from 16 to 17-inches.

On the colour front, no less than eight hues are offered, of which three, Lumen Grey Pearl, Meta Blue Pearl and Lucid Lime Metallic, are new.

Carried over is Atlas White, Aurora Grey Pearl, Phantom Black Pearl, Dragon Red Pearl and Mangrove Green Pearl, as well as the option of a two-tone finish on some.

Inside

Retaining the same dimensions as before and also boot space that ranges from 352-litres to 1 165-litres with the rear seats down, the i20’s new interior accommodations comprise a revised 4.2-inch TFT instrument cluster display on lower-spec models, a secondary type-C USB port, ambient lighting on some models as well as a Bose sound system.

Debuting is what the automaker calls a Lucid Lime interior pack that sees the colour in question featuring in the form of accents on the doors and air vents, and stitching on the seats, doors, steering wheel and gear lever gaiter.

While higher-end models haven’t undergone any revisions to the 10.25-inch infotainment system or 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, in addition to keeping the wireless smartphone charger, an expansion of safety and driver assistance systems has taken place.

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This includes a City and Pedestrian Detection function for the Forward Collision Avoidance system, improved Lane Following Assist, Blind Spot Monitoring and Rear Cross Traffic Alert systems, plus a new navigation-based Adaptive Cruise Control setup.

Power unchanged

Underneath the bonnet, no changes have taken place, meaning buyers in Europe are privy to two petrol engines; a normally aspirated 1.2 delivering 63kW/118Nm and a 1.0 T-GDI rated at 74kW/172Nm.

Opting for the 48-volt mild-hybrid version of the latter increases outputs to 88kW/200Nm, and sees the standard six-speed manual gearbox make for the clutchless six-speed ‘box called iMT or Intelligent Manual Transmission.

The hybrid does, however, come with the option of a seven-speed dual-clutch ‘box, which cannot be specified with the non-assisted T-GDI or the 1.2, the latter only being available with a five-speed manual.

At present, Hyundai has not expanded the mentioned revisions to the scorching i20 N that rivals the Volkswagen Polo GTI and Toyota GR Yaris on the Old Continent.

Sales date to be announced

For Europe, production originates from the Izmit Plant in Turkey or in the case of South Africa, from the Chennai Plant in India.

Given its end-of-year debut, expect Hyundai South Africa to only make the updated i20 available in possibly the final quarter of 2023.

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