Hyundai i20: the turbo didn't die, it moved to the N Line

Where the turbo went

For years the i20 was the hatchback you bought if you wanted a small turbo engine with a proper automatic behind it. That car still exists. It's just not on this price list.

The 1.0 turbo is now the i20 N Line, listed and priced as a separate model with its own variants. Hyundai has also been trimming the N Line's own range, dropping the dual-clutch from the mid trim so the DCT now sits only at the top.

The practical effect is simple. Everything on the standard i20 list makes 82 bhp and 114.7 Nm. If someone tells you the Asta is the quick one, they're describing equipment, not performance.

The ladder, and where the steps get big

Era opens at ₹6,00,000. Magna Executive is ₹6,75,000, Magna ₹7,05,000, Sportz ₹7,85,000, Sportz Opt ₹8,39,000, Asta ₹8,71,000 and Asta Opt ₹9,25,000.

Read those as steps and the shape is clear. Era to Magna Executive is ₹75,000, which is the jump out of the bare car. Magna to Sportz is ₹80,000 and is the one most people should make. Sportz to Sportz Opt is ₹54,000 and is the best-value step in the range.

After that it flattens into small increments buying small things. Sportz Opt to Asta is ₹32,000, Asta to Asta Opt is ₹54,000. Nothing there changes the car.

The IVT is priced three different ways

Sportz manual to Sportz IVT is ₹1,01,000. Sportz Opt to Sportz Opt IVT is ₹92,000. Asta Opt to Asta Opt IVT is ₹1,19,000.

Same gearbox, three prices, and the most expensive version of the step is at the top where you're least likely to notice an extra ₹27,000 in a long quote. That is not an accident.

If you want the IVT, Sportz Opt IVT at ₹9,31,000 is where it costs least. It's also a continuously variable transmission behind an 82 bhp engine, which means it will hold revs when you ask for a sudden overtake. Drive one on a road you know before you decide it suits you.

Knight and the dual-tone roof

Knight is ₹9,000, wherever you take it. Sportz Opt to Sportz Opt Knight, Asta Opt IVT to Asta Opt IVT Knight, both ₹9,000.

The dual-tone roof is a flat ₹15,000 on the same basis. Asta Opt to Asta Opt DT, Asta Opt IVT to Asta Opt IVT DT, ₹15,000 each time.

Both are cosmetic and both are honestly priced for what they are. Stack them and the top car reaches ₹10,68,000 for an Asta Opt IVT Knight DT, which is a lot of suffix for one hatchback.

The 311-litre boot is the real argument

This is where the i20 wins and keeps winning. 311 litres is comfortably the biggest boot in the segment, and it's the one specification that will change how you feel about the car two years in.

A Baleno, an Altroz, a Swift: all of them ask you to pack more carefully. If you take holidays by road, or you have a pram, or you simply hate playing luggage tetris, this is worth more than any feature on the options list.

It is also the thing least likely to come up in a test drive, because an empty boot looks much like any other empty boot. Put your own bags in it.

Where we'd stop

Sportz Opt at ₹8,39,000. It's the last good-value step, it has what you'll use, and the manual suits this engine better than the IVT does.

If traffic has made the decision for you, Sportz Opt IVT at ₹9,31,000 is the cheapest sensible automatic in the range. And if what you actually want is the turbo, don't let anyone sell you an Asta instead. Ask for the N Line by name and price it as the separate car it is.