Southbound

EXPLORING THE HERITAGE CITY OF HAMPI IN THE ALL-NEW HYUNDAI i20

The very place that you are standing right now is the testimony of our glorious past”, said one of the locals pointing out to the numerous structures around us. We have driven down close to 800km from Mumbai to visit the heritage city of Hampi to experience the unseen side of the country and also live through the bygone era of opulence and a great legacy. And to do that, we had the all-new Hyundai i20, a hatchback that has won the hearts of many over its years of existence.

It all started with Hyundai handing over the keys of the red hatch in Mumbai. While the team did not blurt it out, I could feel the sense of scepticism about the choice of a hatchback to travel the long distance considering its cabin space, comfort and performance compared to an SUV, which would have been an obvious choice. But to their happiness, the i20 not only accommodated us comfortably but also offered sufficient space to carry our equipment all the way and back. But then what is life without some thrill, right? Instead of taking the conventional route to Hampi from Mumbai via AH47, we took the much busier route passing through Pune, Solapur and Vijaypura to see if our little red driving hood could take on the city heat without affecting our comfort. And happily, it did.