Hyundai Elite i20 Cross Spied Once Again; Top Changes In The Upcoming Hatchback Revealed

Hyundai was spotted once again road-testing its 2016 Elite i20 Cross, revealing additional details such as a new brown colour variant, among other things.

Hyundai has been enjoying record sales of its latest Elite i20 hatchback and it is already testing a new variant of the popular hatchback, the Elite i20 Cross.

Shortly after the camouflaged prototype was seen testing on the roads of Chennai earlier this month, new images of a still Elite i20 Cross were shared by Motor Vikatan. Going by the looks, the new Elite i20 crossover shares the same platform as the Elite i20 but there are a few tweaks to justify the "Cross" title.

According to Indian Autos Blog, the smaller alloy rims and missing mirror-mounted turn indicators suggest the spied model is a lower variant of the i20 Cross. But what's clearly surprising is the new colour option.

The i20 Cross is seen in an entirely new brown hue, which is usually found in Hyundai's current Santa Fe series. Other changes include elevated chassis, extra body cladding and silver-coloured roof rails. But the heavily camouflaged prototype ensures it doesn't reveal details of the unannounced crossover.

Some media reports hint at some carried-over features like the critically acclaimed sweptback headlamps along with key specs like the dual front airbag, ABS, reverse parking assist, keyless entry, seatbelt pre-tensioners, infotainment system with internal memory, Bluetooth, rear AC vents, Start/Stop button and more, Indian Cars and Bikes reports.

Hyundai is not expected to make any changes under the hood. According to reports, the petrol variant of the i20 Cross will be powered by the same four-cylinder 1.2-litre Kappa motor with 83bhp. As for the diesel variant, Hyundai will use the Elite i20's 88.7 bhp 1.4-liter U2 diesel engine mated with 6-speed manual transmission.

There is no information about the i20 Cross release, but it is expected to be available alongside ix25 compact SUV sometime in October or November. The Cross variant will be in the range of ₹6.5-8 lakh ex-showroom price and compete against the likes of VW Cross Polo, Toyota Etios Cross, Fiat Avventura.