Here we go and despite the elastic and senseless clutch pedal, the shifting is an unexpected delight. Fairly light, but with a short reach and well-defined action, it’s a pleasure to row through the gears. It’s a necessity, however, because while 118bhp seems healthy for a city car, the long gears, the slow nature of the engine, and the odd throttle calibration, which only seems to give you the last 20bhp if you step on the pedal, mean he feels rather listless. Fortunately, he feels like spinning, but more low growls would be welcome. The automatic version has 20 lb-ft of extra torque, but you’re missing out on the right gear shift.
Getting it out of Eco mode, which it defaults to every time the car is restarted, certainly helps, but that doesn’t entirely solve the problem. Sport mode will even match rpm on downshifts, but with the pedals set up so well for the heel and toe, it’s satisfying to stay in Comfort mode and do it yourself. If only you could have the Sport’s heavier steering in comfort.
After all, the i20 N Line is really fun to ride on B-roads, with a taut chassis, direct steering, supportive seats and precise cornering thanks to 215-section Hankook Ventus Prime tires. There isn’t a lot of throttle adjustment, but it might be a bit too much to expect. The ride quality isn’t too firm, especially since you get some driving dynamics in return.
The interior is mostly familiar i20 stuff, but with better seats and a nicer steering wheel and gear knob. Our full review of the regular i20 has all the details, but in short, it’s quite spacious, the infotainment system is excellent, and the dashboard looks modern but is made entirely of hard plastic.
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Source: www.autocar.co.uk
This notice was published: 2021-08-20 13:29:52
