EVO India C\The Resource Centre

Date: 01/05/2015 Page No: 34 Location: Main Circulation: 10000

Edition: National

Test location: Pune

Crossover hatchbacks

are the craze. Should you be

considering one? Photography: Vikrant Date

Triple test: Hyundai i20 Active v Toyota Etios Cross v Fiat Awentura

Copyright of the article is with the publication

••• NOBODY WANTS cheap-that's a given now. The Nano's story is all too familiar, as is

that of the Datsun Go; cheap is no longer best and that's where this new breed of crossover hatchbacks are finding demand. Logically there is no... well... logic to spending a lakh of rupees more for some plastic cladding, but there is an increasing subset that wants to look different and is willing to pay for it. And thus we come to the three protagonists here today.

Despite the 4x4-aping styling, all these crossovers are front-wheel drive only, so they are much more suited to driving on the road than off it. Small petrol and diesel engines keep running costs low while taking advantage of excise duty incentives for small cars. All are hatchbacks with some plastic cladding, one has the spare wheel mounted on the tailgate and an altimeter on the dashboard, one has had its ground clearance raised by 10mm, one has nothing but plastic cladding. The perfect recipe for success in this curious niche is still somewhat obscure, but the key factors could be plenty of interior space, smart styling, efficient engines and a strong record for reliability. Moreover, some sort of recognisable personality should

ThrillOfDriving.com | GVO India 35

emerge. A successful crossover must also drive like a car - SUV-ishnessisavice.

The Skoda Fabia Scout was the first car to introduce this crossover concept on a regular hatch, but did not see much success and was soon disbanded. VW then introduced the Cross Polo that only saw some body cladding and roof rails to distinguish it from the regular model. But the arrival of the Toyota Etios Cross gave the segment its biggest hit to date. Introduced in 2014, the Etios Cross remained mechanically identical to the Liva hatchback, but smart styling gave it more visual appeal (that the Liva really lacked on the looks department also helped).

Fiat entered the convention of these hatchbacks-on-stilts with the Avventura, making real effort to mask the fact that it was a Grande Punto underneath, even mounting the spare wheel on the back of the car. And the latest entrant in this cross war is Hyundai with their i20 Active. After the runaway success of their i20 Elite, it's no surprise that Hyundai wants to be in the mix of things in this segment as well. We've had to omit the Cross Polo from this test, despite it being an obvious competitor, since we couldn't get our hands on a press car in time for this shoot. Which leaves us with these three contenders.

Despite the 4x4-aping styling, these crossovers are more suited to driving on the road than off it

of the roof impinges on back seat passengers' head room and there's just about enough leg room.

The Punto has always been fun to drive but that changes a bit with the Avventura. Dynamically, this Fiat feels like an incomplete package. Although the Punto it's based on is actually a very good handler, without compromising on ride quality, the revised suspension geometry, increased ground clearance(by 20mm) and altered weight balance (thanks to the rear wheel being on the body) means the front end feels strangely vague and disconnected while body roll is also more pronounced. From the driver's seat, it exacerbates the sense of wallow. The steering is the only saving grace and actually feels too good for the car it's in. Had the suspension and especially the brakes (which feel very spongy) matched the quick, progressive rack, this would be the start of a great enthusiast car. As it is, though, the rest of the car seems to want to relax, but the steering won't let it. It feels like a lazy pug being pulled around the living room by a shrieking toddler. And it's not having any fun.

Another unseen factor that the Fiat has going for it is perceived build quality. The interior and exterior door handles feel solid, while the doors close with a solid thud, giving you a sense of security. The interior is smartly laid out with the altimeter dominating the centre stack. The entertainment system is good, while the orange theme on the displays gives the interior a nice, premium feel.

So why is it in third place? It has a big personality, but not all of its aspects are likable. Its interiors are just about spacious enough, but not the most comfortable. The front seats are a bit hard and flat. It also feels short in the bottom cushions, making it feel as if they slope forward. Also the rear seat is not very spacious, as the curve

1: The Etios Cross comes with an aggressive looking front bumper and

faux skid plate. 2: Orange accents around AC vents and gear lever lend a

sporty touch to the i20 Active interiors. 3: Fibre optics inside the Avventura tail

lamp lens look upmarket

FIAT AVVENTURA

Fiat's attempt at a crossover hatch, made its debut in 2014. While it's based on the Grande Punto, Fiat has made a real effort to make the Avventura look like a small SUV. People shop for these vehicles seeking two things: practicality and personality. And the Avventura has plenty of personality. On the outside, a bold nose and the spare wheel mounted on the hatch attract attention on the road. The smart curves, with just the right amount of chrome on the body, make for excellent sight on the road.

Specification Fiat Avventura

Engine In-line 4-cyl. 1248cc

Transmission Power 5-speed manual 92bhp @ 4000rpm

• Distinctive styling, steering feel, ground clearance

Torque 209Nm@2000rpm

Weight 1260kg

0-100kmph 16.0sec (est)

Top speed 170kmph (est)

Dynamically flawed, ponderous ride, spongy brakes evo rating

Price ?8.2 lakh (ex-Delhi)

• •••*

36 GVO India | May 2015

Hyundai i20 Active v Toyota Etios Cross v Fiat Awentura

Specification Toyota Etios Cross.

Engine Transmission In-line 4-cyl,1364cc I 5-speed manual

Power 67bhp § 3800rpm

Torque 170Nm § 1800-2400rpm

Weight 1030kg

O-IOOkmph 13.9sec

Top speed 168kmph

S3 Peppy performance, interior space, planted handling • Generic looks, plasticky interiors I evo rating

Price ?8.0 lakh (ex-Delhi)

• ••••

stack is ergonomic and user-friendly. While the centrally mounted instrument cluster may not be to everyone's liking, it is clear and easy to read. The Toyota bears the lowest price in this group and also remains the shortest and narrowest. You may think that this may lead to having to leave a family member or two at home, but it manages to liberate plenty of interior space. There's plenty of leg room for rear occupants, plus decent head room, and it will carry five in relative comfort without doing harm to the cargo capacity.

Mechanically it remains the same, which also means it is the lightest

| in our group. Toyota has worked I hard on the Etios Cross, to make it

feel secure and comfortable on the road, and its efforts have paid off. The ride is well suited to town as well as highway driving, striking a good balance between ease of use and stability. The ride has a firm edge, but that's more about feeling the road than aiming for sporty handling - it never feels harsh, even on bad surfaces. On the road, the Toyota feels stable and planted. Its good road manners continue even when the going gets rough on the road, making it confidence inspiring enough to pilot the little Toyota on dirt.

We argued over the steering feel. I thought the Etios Cross felt a bit

j loosey-goosey on-centre, requiring I too many corrections while on the

highway. Abhay thought the easy, light feel had good response to driver input and discovered that once the wheel was a couple of inches off-centre and loaded, it delivered proper heft and response and also telegraphed road textures.

Nothing demonstrates the smoothness of the Toyota more clearly than its drivetrain, which proved super smooth. The five-speed transmission is seamlessly, almost telepathically responsive to the driver's inputs. Leap off the throttle, then jump back in a second later, and there's no delay in response. At idle too the engine was very smooth, proving the importance Toyota puts on attention to detail.

TOYOTA ETIOS CROSS

The Toyota Etios Liva has earned a reputation of being one of the more reliable hatchbacks with great interior space and practicality, but it was never exciting in terms of its looks. That's the biggest appeal of the Etios Cross - style. This new iteration looked heftier with an aggressive front bumper, body cladding and roof rails. But despite their best efforts, you could say that the Liva Cross looks a little generic - which is a big drawback in a class yyith more stylish looking cars.

The interior trim, although it looks a little cheap, is actually of very good quality. The switchgear feels perfectly laid out and the centre

HH

HYUNDAI ACTIVE 120

Attention to detail is an important part of any good business plan. The key to getting a customer to buy your product is not just selling the coffee table; it's to sell the coasters that they will set on it, the storage boxes they'll stuff beneath it, and even the food they'll snack on when they gather around. Similarly, the Active i20 carries forward what the Elite started, by getting the details right. It's not just the content that impresses (that's sort of a given, these days), but the evident attention to sheer convenience that puts the i20 a significant cut above the others.

On the outside, there's the tapered greenhouse, the aggressive grille and fender flares. The funky new wheels along with the gloss black finish on the C-pillar add character to the smart taillights that float in nicely with its design. Inside, the orange-black theme adds a fresh feel to the already stylish layout. It also carries forward all the quality and features from the Elite. It is evident that on their newer models, Hyundai has really upped the game in terms of interior quality along with fit and finish levels. The i20's controls and switchgear have a nice singular level of tactile consistency, while knobs and buttons boast finish and feel that are rare in non-luxury vehicles.

We only wish that their chassis engineers had made the car a little more exciting to drive. As with the Elite, the Active isn't particularly interesting on winding roads. The Active gets slightly raised suspension compared to the Elite, which sounds as if it might make the chassis lazier and make it less willing to change direction. But surprisingly, it doesn't. In fact.it absorbs all the bumps and undulations on the road much better, giving the driver more confidence to carry speed through a corner. The amount of steering effort required remains minimal, which makes for a comfortable driving experience, but feel remains absent throughout. Which is a shame because there's

a lot of potential here. The Active's body control is better than both the cars and its overall balance is surprisingly neutral. If you could steer the i20's chassis with the Fiat's steering, you'd have a lot more fun than you do in either car on its own.

Like the Fiat, the Active too has mushy brake pedals, but it's more consistently and progressively mushy. In the Fiat, there's far less pedal feel, and you only know you're slowing down when you look down at the speedo. In our theoretical mash-up, we'd take the Fiat's gruff little 1.4 turbo petrol (sadly not available on the Avventura) over the 1.4 turbo-diesel available in the Hyundai, though the i20 does

Specification i20 Active

Engine Transmission In-line 4-cyl.l396cc 6-speed manual

Power 89bhp § AOOOrpm

Torque 220Nm@1500rpm

Weight 1185kg

0-100kmph NA

Top speed NA

• Styling, features, body control B Steering feedback still missing, engine lacks character evo rating

Price ^8.9 lakh (ex-Delhi)

••••-&

HH 12 KY5924

Hyundai i20 Active v Toyota Etios Cross v Fiat Awentura

The new generation petrol engines on offer in these models are pretty economical

manage quick enough acceleration and boasts excellent fuel economy, but lacks character. The power delivery is linear, making it very user-friendly while pottering around in town and the sixth gear makes it a breeze on the highway. And that's where the i20 really shines, in the way it has been designed. It's a tool that makes your life easy and pleasing, a perfect example of intelligent design. Now in its second

generation since its introduction, the i20 has steadily been improved, and we all feel its build quality deserves special recognition. In other words, Hyundai gets the stuff right when it comes to how and why a vehicle is screwed together. You understand it intuitively, and it feels completely natural to drive.

All three vehicles come with capable petrol and diesel engine options. You might think that a

diesel engine is your only voice for top fuel economy figures, but don't be hasty-the new generation petrol engines

on offer in these models are pretty economical as well, while offering sufficient performance and better refinement. Modern petrol engines are more efficient than ever, and though they cannot match the efficiency of a diesel, they will cost less to buy and run. So, if you're unlikely to clock high mileage, it would be worth considering a petrol. But whatever engine

you choose, it is the style and practical virtues of a crossover that attract buyers to these vehicles and encourage them to pay the premium over the regular variant, which is bound to ensure this segment continues to boom.

And that's what this mix and match segment is all about. You want to feel that wee bit more special, to justify the premium you pay over the regular hatch. That's where the i20 Active scores its biggest win and should steamroll its competitors - if this segment takes off like all these manufacturers hope it would. O Aniruddha Rangnekar (@anniruddha_ar)

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