I bought i20 Sportz – Maharajah Red (1.2 petrol) in December 2011 from Modi Hyundai – Thane. Current status – car is 8 months old, clocked 2000 kms and 2 free services are over.
Merits: In my opinion this is a great looking car offering a good space (cabin + boot), smooth engine, nice fuel economy, lot of creature comfort (electrically folding & adjustable side view mirrors, climate control, bluetooth, steering mounted controls, reverse parking sensors, rain sensing vipers, cool glove box +++++). A/c is also good and gives good cooling effect even with 5 people seating inside. As fuel bill is going up first important thing to know is “Kitna deti hai?” and the answer is a "cute smile" on your face. I am getting 14-15 in city and 18-19+ on highways with full time A/c on (Adopted methods : Full tank, low clutch utilization, no foot resting on clutch pad while driving, widely use 3rd, 4th & 5th gears). My aged parents are happy due to easy entry/exit as well as seat ergonomics which gives you great amount of comfort & due to rear space (generally known as knee space).
Demerits : a) Light steering – May be good for city driving at low speeds but risky on highways and on sharp turns. Do not even think of speeding car on sharp turns. b) Suspension – it is too smooth, I have experienced a ship kind feeling while driving on potholes which is not good as you may lose steering control on tight spaces. Also do not think of having sharp turns as there is a possibility of skidding (Swift does excellent job here) c) 1.2 Petrol engine – is damn underpowered. With this you can not overtake speedy vehicles. You have to downshift and then try but the car will be in its own mood without responding to gas paddle as per masters (your) wish.
Conclusion : A good family car with ample traits made for chauffer driven people.
If you want fun driving straight way go for Swift but, yes with quality compromise at almost same price.