<p>The real performer for the Hyundai Elite i20 is its 1.4 litre CRDi diesel motor which manages to surprise many. However, Hyundai has also equipped this premium hatch with its older 1.2 litre Kappa petrol engine which also manages to perform well on the Indian roads. Churning out 90 PS of peak power at 4000 rpm, its 1.4 diesel motor manages to deliver a good amount of torque at 220 Nm starting as low as 1500 rpm. What really makes its diesel motor a champion is the way power is delivered onto this front wheel drive car. The linear power delivery offers a great response when the accelerator pedal is pressed hard without much turbo lag that diesel motors are normally used to. The availability of 6 gears, despite offered only in manual transmission, reduces added pressure on the rev meter which makes city driving and coasting on highways an easy task. Coming onto its petrol unit, the age old 1.2 litre Kappa engine manages to generate a decent 83 PS of peak power at a high 6000 rpm along with a maximum torque of 115 Nm at 4000 rpm. Offered with only a 5 speed manual gearbox, the petrol unit somehow runs out of power when switching between low and high speeds which does results in frequent gear changes. But when driving under idle conditions and not too much troubling the engine with variable speeds, the petrol unit is a decent performer. The overall handling of the Elite i20 remains quite nimble which infact goes over the top at times due to its very light steering. This is great for city driving but when cruising on highways at triple digit speeds, the light steering doesn’t exudes confidence. Its suspension setup is on the softer side which is great for city driving as this premium hatch soaks in bad sections of the road quite happily.

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