Getz, set, go

The Hyundai Getz finally gets a hot engine... a diesel!

Slot it into second and stomp the pedal. You'll be taken aback by the sound of the tyres squealing and yelping for traction... wheelspin!

Keep at it and you have left the other cars well behind. Stick it into third and the speedometer needle's already inching towards the 100 kph mark.

The rush it gives you makes you breathless, and it's time to bring it to a halt anyway, as the next traffic signal steps in to reel in your velocity. Welcome to daily stoplight drag races without having to pay through your nose for the unleaded. Say hello to the Hyundai Getz Prime CRDi. And goodbye to boring office commutes.

The hot hatch phenomenon is something that has escaped us Indian enthusiasts. The closest we had something resembling one was the 100 bhp Fiat Palio 1.6 GTX... we still have it, but slightly emasculated and bereft of the evocative GTX badge.

Now we have the unlikeliest of car makers giving us a hatchback that has picked up where the GTX left off. By borrowing the Verna CRDi's drivetrain and shoehorning it into the Getz, Hyundai has given us the most powerful production small car in India. Petrolheads may not be pleased, as the fuel of choice is diesel!

Displacing 1493cc, the DOHC 16-valve four-cylinder motor in question, with the help of a variable geometry turbine, develops 108.48 bhp at 4000 rpm, which is as powerful as hatchbacks get in India.

But wait, that's not its piece de resistance, the 24 kgm of torque available between 1950 and 2700 rpm is. This same engine earned the Verna the Business Standard Motoring Performance Car Of The Year 2007. When a diesel car gets an award like this, you know that things are indeed changing. And it has indeed changed the way you look at the Getz now.

Both the petrol engine options in Hyundai's grown-up hatchback, the 1.1 and the 1.3, pale in comparison. They run out of steam by the time you even think of hitting three-digit speeds, making the Getz an unexciting car to drive. Don't get me wrong. My personal car is a Getz 1.3 which I have been driving for over three years now, and am extremely happy with the experience. It is refined, comfortable, spacious, reliable, well-built and is a smooth car to drive. It's just that you really need to whip it to get barely a hint of an adrenaline rush. Second-gear wheelspins? Perish the thought.

This, on the other hand, is a slightly psychotic machine. It has all the above mentioned attributes of the Getz, but the difference this time around is that when it sights an open road, it smells blood.

When it does that, it dismisses the standstill to 60 kph time in 4.8 seconds, while the 100 kph mark is attained in just 11.1 seconds. Well, if you are asking, that's a couple of tenths down on the GTX's spiritual successor, the Palio 1.6 Sports. Its passing speeds "" the 80 to 120 kph timing "" puts it in a league well above its class. At 8.8 seconds, it is comparable to Civics and Corollas. And we managed to achieve a top speed of 171.2 kph.

Oh, we don't get open stretches of road all the time, where you can do justice to this rabid oil-burner. So it will simply toe the line in urban zones where you can potter about at low speeds.

The availability of torque at less than 2000 revs means it is easy in stop-and-go traffic conditions. You'd think that a turbocharged diesel motor can be quite a handful because of turbo lag, but here, thanks to VGT, you'd barely notice the turbo kicking in. There is a slight hitch however.

A diesel motor means a heavy clutch, so your left leg is in for some heavy duty during rush hour. Wait, that's not all. While the petrol Getz's gearbox is extremely snappy and a delight to shift, this five-speed unit (remember, it's borrowed from the Verna) is rubbery. It is not as slick and the dog-leg manoeuvre to engage reverse is slightly cumbersome.

Well, having a diesel engine up front also means a host of different sensations compared to the petrol Getz versions. Vibrations are apparent and you can feel it coursing through the steering wheel to your palms. And that diesel rumble is apparent too.

Still, I think Hyundai has done a great job of keeping the unpleasant diesel sensations where they belong. At the end of it, it's a small car, and if they have managed to keep noise, vibration and harshness at bay, it is a commendable effort.

The Getz is really built well and it shows. Inside too, the quality of materials is quite good for a vehicle in its class. The dual-tone dash gives it a premium look while the beige interiors make it look even more spacious.

Compared to the Prime facelift, the difference is more apparent to me as my early Getz features black plastic all around. What I think Hyundai could have avoided is that tacky wood finish plastic scattered all around.

One element that Hyundai has worked on in the Getz Prime, and deservingly so, is the suspension. The McPherson struts at front with a torsion beam and a torsion beam/coil spring setup at the rear has been tweaked to make the ride a bit more pliant.

Gone is the tendency to roll "" especially the sideways movement on bad roads "" in comes better damping, and it absorbs impacts without affecting passengers. The outcome of this is however is that the Getz Prime CRDi has a tendency to dive and pitch, even more so with a heavier engine around the nose.

Still, it's not too much of a cause for complaint, as the suspension is now more sorted for making occupants more comfortable. Okay, so it may have a hot engine under the hood, but it is not that great a handler. It is not exactly a corner carver, though it does its job around curves without much fuss. It's not the kind of car that will leave a smile on your face around curves, unlike the Swift, for instance. But with that motor under the hood, all is forgiven.

What is unpardonable however is that the Getz CRDi comes in only one variant and Hyundai will not give you ABS for this model, even as an option.

The car deserves it, hopefully like with the Verna, Hyundai will eventually come around. The sole GVS version of the Getz CRDi costs Rs 5.97 lakh ex-showroom Mumbai, which makes it quite pricey. But remember, this engine also has the capability to really stretch that litre of fuel.

So what are you waiting for? Fire up the engine, potter about till the blue temperature indicator goes off in a few minutes, slot it into second and stomp the pedal...