2018 Hyundai Elite i20

Small updates to design and spec make the Elite i20 better than ever

- Rohit Paradkar

The Maruti Suzuki Baleno may be the new king of hatchbacks, but the 2018 Maruti Suzuki Swift is still one of the most important contenders in the premium hatchback space. It’s launch at the 2018 Auto Expo, then, meant that its competitors had to sharpen their claws and prepare for the fight. The Jazz is ready with a facelift that we saw at the 2017 Tokyo Motor Show and that should hit the market sometime this year. The Hyundai Elite i20, on the other hand, is updated for 2018 with cosmetic changes and equipment upgrades and the model was launched at Auto Expo just a day before the prices were announced for the all-new Swift.

We got a chance to sample the 2018 Elite i20 in Mumbai in its new shade of sunburst orange, in the range-topping Asta trim. The cosmetic changes are minimal but easy to notice. The three-pot detailing of the taillights has made way for a new pattern made up of horizontal lines (and somehow reminds me of the Mercedes-Benz GLA’s taillights). It is surprising that Hyundai did not make use of more efficient LED lighting for it. The reflectors and fog/reversing lamps placed on the rear bumper have been re-profiled too.