The newly-launched Hyundai i20 Active takes on the Fiat Avventura, VW Cross Polo and the Toyota Etios Cross. All cars are hatchback-turned soft-roaders, and are available with petrol and diesel engines.
All cars are slightly longer, wider and taller than their respective hatchback siblings thanks to their new bumpers with skid guards, side body cladding and roof rails. However, the wheelbases remain the same, and the i20 Active emerges the winner with 2,570 mm separating the front and rear wheels. The i20 Active is also the widest of the lot, and the tallest.
Hyundai and Fiat upped the ground clearance of the i20 Active and Avventura for differentiation, while the Cross Polo's ground clearance is identical to the regular Polo. In case of the Etios Cross, thanks to 15-inch wheels (the regular Etios Liva gets 14-inch wheels), ground clearance is up by 4 mm.
At 294 liters, the Cross Polo has the largest boot, followed by the i20 Active, Avventura and Etios Cross.
Hyundai i20 Active Diesel vs Rivals -
All cars inherit their engines from their respective hatchback cousins, but in the case of the i20 Active, torque delivery has been improved. Excluding the Etios Cross, the segment here produces power in the range of 90-93 PS, and torque between 209-230 Nm.
The i20 Active, Avventura and Cross Polo have a power-weight ratio between 74-78 PS/tonne, while the Etios Cross has the lowest 66.01 PS/tonne. The detuned nature of the Etios Cross's engine helps it in the fuel efficiency department with a best in class 23.59 km/l. The Cross Polo has the lowest efficiency here at 20.14 km/l.
Coming to pricing, the Avventura has the lowest starting price, though it should be mentioned that the Etios Cross is equipped with dual front airbags as standard. The top-end i20 Active costs INR 40,000 more than the Avventura, INR 51,000 more than the Cross Polo and INR 117,000 more than the Etios Cross.
Hyundai i20 Active Petrol vs Rivals -
The Fiat Avventura is exclusively offered with the more powerful 1.4-liter petrol engine, while the Etios Cross gets an option of a 1.2- and 1.5-liter engine. The Cross Polo 1.2 MPI was launched in January this year, and finally the i20 Active borrows its 1.2-liter mill from the Elite i20, but with better torque delivery.
The i20 Active and Avventura have a power:weight ratio of about 75-76 PS/tonne. The three-cylinder engine of the Cross Polo puts up only 64.93 PS/tonne, while the light weight of the Etios helps both engine variants with class-leading power:weight ratios.
The Etios Cross is the most fuel efficient car in this segment followed very closely by the i20 Active. The higher capacity 1.4-liter motor, and the heavier kerb weight makes the Avventura the least efficient car here.
Also Read: Hyundai i20 Active Review
Speaking of prices, the i20 Active is only INR 15,000 more than the Etios Cross, though it should be mentioned once again that the Toyota comes with dual airbags. Also note that Hyundai is not offering a top-end variant on the i20 Active petrol.
