i20 N Line test drive: Liked the car but not the showroom experience

I found it to be unacceptable. I am writing to Hyundai customer service to see if they will ensure that such practices aren’t repeated.

BHPian neil.jericho recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I dropped into a Hyundai showroom as I was interested in checking the I20 N Line and Verna. Prior to leaving for the test drive, the sales consultant asked me if I wanted my Honda Jazz to be evaluated for its exchange value. He called the person in charge to come and check the vehicle condition, while the test drive was conducted. Assuming that the evaluation will happen within the showroom premises (as was the case with a Honda showroom earlier), I agreed to the same and handed over the keys.

The test drive of the i20 N Line was around 15 minutes in duration. The TPMS system showed that one of the tires of the car was under inflated at 21 PSI. The sales person said that it was fine and I could go ahead with the test drive.

Coming from the Jazz CVT, the punch from the turbo petrol was quite something else. It took me some time to get used to the response from the turbo petrol block. The dashboard was a welcome departure from that on my functional if unexciting, Honda Jazz.

The steering was a touch light for such a sporty car. What surprised me was the lack of engine braking while downshifting with the paddle shifters. I’m used to a good amount of engine braking in the Jazz CVT setup but on the i20 N Line, each time I downshifted, it felt as though no retardation was happening. The brake pedal feel was also really off the mark. I suspect that the showroom hasn’t done much in terms of maintenance for the brakes but the lack of engine braking is certainly new to me.

I also liked the large display and appreciated the fact that the maps shows a warning sign in a corner for upcoming hospitals (no honking sign), schools, no parking zones etc. The sales person was able to show me in real time how it was updating as we were passing different buildings. I never even knew that such a nifty feature existed.

There are some discounts running on the i20 N Line this month. Last month, the discount was Rs 20,000. This month the discount is Rs 50,000. For anyone interested in the car, this seems to be a good time to pick it up.

I didn’t expect to like the i20 N Line as much as I did. It’s time to read through this thread from page 1 and learn more about it.

And now coming to the 2nd part of my showroom experience…

When I returned to the showroom, I found that my Honda Jazz was missing. The sales person casually told me that the evaluators had taken it for a test drive without my permission. I asked him to call the evaluators back to the showroom, immediately. In addition to this, I asked to speak to the sales manager.

10 minutes later, there was no sign of either party.

15 minutes after I was done with my test drive, the evaluators nonchalantly returned with my car. Magically, the sales manager also appeared on cue. Where he was for so long when the showroom didn’t have a single other customer till then, was a mystery to me. The evaluators claimed that they called the sales executive who was in the car with me but he didn’t pick up the phone. Hence, they decided to go on a joy ride themselves.

While reviewing the dashcam footage, I found that the Hyundai showroom employees left at 12:05 PM and returned only at 12:33 PM. Their test drive was twice as long as the one which I took.

While this seems to be a common practice at the showroom, I found it to be unacceptable. I am writing to Hyundai’s customer service to see if they will ensure that such practices aren’t repeated.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

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