It looks like Hyundai’s i20 supermini is toughening up. Our snappers have spied a rugged, jacked-up version of the i20 in heavy disguise. Set to be known at the i20 Active when it arrives in the UK in 2016, the car will make it’s European debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September.
Billed as a more upmarket Dacia Sandero Stepway rival, the i20 Active is already on sale as the i20 Cross over in India. We’re expecting the European version to be very similar to that, with beefier grille and bumper designs, chunky side skirts and tough body cladding all-round. A raised ride height also features, but don’t expect this Hyundai to follow a Land Rover through a swamp.
Like the Dacia Sandero, the i20 Active will most likely be front-wheel drive only, as the cost of adding a four-wheel drive system would not be justified by extra sales. It’ll get the same range of two naturally-aspirated petrol and two turbodiesel engines as the standard i20, although both will eventually receive the firm’s all new 1.0-litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol which will arrive at the end of this year.
As for the price, we don’t expect the i20 Active to see much more than a £1,000 increase over the standard i20, although it’s not clear what trim levels it will be offered in yet.
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