While Hyundai may have announced it had honed the new i20 for comfort rather than sharp handling, it’s styled the three-door variant of that car to look much meaner than the five-door. It has a notably more steeply raked A-pillar, and a generally smaller, sleeker-looking top.
It even uses a design trick (the black line above the rear lights) to visually separate the roof from the body of the car, but we already knew that from the explicit teaser released in September.
Engine range is left untouched, but it gets a new front bumper, different grille, as well as a new rear spoiler. Also new are the 17-inch rims, which can be matched to a new Tangerine Orange exterior finish that can have matching interior elements.
It is receiving a new 1.0-liter turbocharged petrol engine “later in 2015.” Maybe that version will get the stiffer suspension this sportier new look deserves.
No word on the i20 N performance model.