Asta AT: VFM car with no regards to safety. Review on Hyundai Grand i10

I recently bought a Hyundai Grand i10 Asta Automatic Mid 2015 model.

Overall the car is value for money with an excellent list of features. The dealership experience was positive & the concerned associate was very helpful(shout out to Mr.Ashok for his kind assistance).

The total cost I paid was 6.69L out of the door. This included: 0% dep insurance, teflon & anti rust package, basic accessories package.

Model: Asta Automatic or AT as they like to call it.

My ask was clear - I wanted hatchback with an automatic transmission.

Choices: Brio, Grand i10, Micra, Polo

The king of this segment is Polo. If you have the money - look no further. Go for the GT TSI with its excellent 7 speed DSG gearbox & a supercharger. It will set you back by 9.5L!

I've driven Nissan's cars in other countries & they make excellent machines. However in India - they have not been able to establish themselves well. That being said - the CVT on the Micra is pretty good & is a pleasure to drive. But for well over 8L, I dropped the option.

Brio is a great car - period! Will probably offer better FE than the i10 Grand AT. But its 50k more expensive with very limited features.

Since I don't drive a lot - I settled for the i10.

The Positives:

• The interiors are spacious

  
  




• The dash looks clean

  
  




• The rear passengers get decent leg room

  
  




• The boot is spacious & practical

  
  




• The engine is overall smooth & refined

  
  




• Cabin quality is better than most of its competitors(I owned a Swift for almost 6 yrs)

  
  




• Noise isolation inside the cabin is very good

  
  




• Sound system is ok I'd say. What makes it better is simply by virtue of it being integrated well into the cabin & steering

  
  




• The only CVT which came with a triptronic. Hyndai likes to call it sports mode

  
  




• Loaded with features

  
  

I have upgraded my tyres(immediately after delivery) from 165/65/R14 to 175/65/R14 Good Year. So far its been a good upgrade.

The steering has weighed up well since I did that - previously it lacked feedback & was way to light.

Now The Negatives

• No ABS or Airbags. Not even an option to pay more & upgrade to it. Hyundai does not care if their customers who paid a 70k premium on the AT model happen die in an accident. Very disappointing.

  
  




• Outdated 4 speed transmission on the AT. A more modern 5 speed would have been better(like on the Brio)

  
  




• No active FE displayed nor distance to empty. Very disappointing. Its more an obligatory feature now a days(at least in this segment)

  
  




• Very crappy horn. Had to upgrade to a decent dual windtone.

  
  




• Speakers on the audio system are cheap

  
  




• The rear ac vents do offer cooling but the overall effect is incrementally tiny

  
  

I have driven it almost 300kms so far so I cannot comment on FE. I expect it to be between 10-12kmpl in the city.

Updated(18-Sep)

Milage returned with first 2 tank fills was around 13.2 kmpl(to be precise). I think that not a bad number at all.

Regular stop & go driving in Delhi / Gurgaon. AC on 100% of the time.

Updated(13-Oct)

Milage returned with third tank full was an outstanding 15.2 kmpl(to be precise).

Regular stop & go driving in Delhi / Gurgaon. AC on 100% of the time.

Updated(17-Nov)

Milage continues to be between 13 - 15 kmpl.

Trick to improve milage numbers: just shift to N when idling at a red light. This gear shift allows to shift between N & D while the car is in motion. And it does not jerk when you do that. So not a bad idea I'd say.

Most automatics consume fuel when your foot is on the break while the engine is in D trying to push the car forward.