Apr 15, 2009 02:03 PM
8507 Views
Finally it happened. My black beauty arrived in
style and elegance. And of course I have already
fell in love with her.
The story started when I planned for a new car.
I was owning Alto LXI for past 3 years and was
really comfortable with it. But recently
thought of upgrading to a better one came into
my mind and have started the hunt for a new car
almost 2 months back. I was very much biased
towards Maruti due to their better track
record, mileage, service and resale value. I had
short listed Wagon R duo, Estillo, Swift,
Dezire and A-Star. Wagon R was dropped as it is
an old model, estillo as my wife is against the
looks, Swift(petrol) due to mileage and Dezire
due to price. I have zeroed into A-Star and
took a test drive of the same. Was impressed by
the car, but again was disappointed by the rear
and boot space. Still it was the only option
left. Next I increased my budget a bit and
wandered for a diesel option. Swift and Dezire
diesel were in the radar, but Dezire was out of
bounds. I test drove Swift diesel and was so
happy and almost finalized it, till I came to
know that there is a booking period of 3 months
for it. I could never wait for more than a week
after booking a new car(who could:))
My friend advised me to come out of the Maruti
circle and look for alternatives. I done a
small research and the alternatives were indica
vista, indigo dicor, i10, santro LPG, spart,
UVA and fabia. Later two were dropped of due to
price factors. Tata was a “no no” for two
reasons. indigo had a poor built quality(as
per me) as I can see that the finishing touches
in the body were poor as well as the interiors
looked cheap. Vista was a totally different
story, and had a classy finish and performance.
I would have gone for the same, if it would
have not been under the indica(read taxi)
classification. Spark, though a good vehicle,
looked bit feminine and the back side looked
like it came out of a cartoon show. And finally
I ended up at Hyundai showroom for test drive.
The showroom team was friendly and instantly
helped me to take four test drives. Santro
ERLX, Santro LPG, i10 IRDE and i10 kappa. both
santros were same in everything, pickups, power
, drive comfort etc, except the fuel. I was
neither impressed nor annoyed, as I have
already tried my cousin's santro and its the
same, tried old technology. I had to wait for
15 minutes before the test drive vehicles came
in. First I tried the IRDE engine. It was
spacious than santro and power and driving
comfort was great. The gear shift was very much
impressive and the interiors were marvelous.
Next I test drove the 1.2 L engine, which had
all options including ABS, air bags etc. The
driving comfort was similar to the 1, 1 engine.
They said that the kappa(1.2 L) engine is more
powerful. But I didn’t get a chance to compare
the power of both engines as both performed
very well. It didn’t took me more time to
decide on the car - Its Hyundai i10. I opted
for the kappa engine as they said it has a
newer technology and better fuel efficiency. I
booked the car the very same day. Initially I
thought of opting for the blue or red, but
finally settled on the black variant. The most
difficult part was when they said I have to
wait for 7 - 8 days after booking, which I
anyway agreed.
I didn’t follow up on the car, as I was very
busy with work and forth coming holidays. On
the fifth day evening the dealer called me and
told me that the car is ready and I can collect
it. Being an auspicious day, I said I will come
and collect the car the next day.
Next day morning I went to the showroom with my
family. I met the dealer and he completed the
paper works and all formalities very quickly.
He explained me some warranty and other
details, but my mind was wandering throughout
the showroom looking for the new car. Then he
took me to the delivery area where the black
beauty was waiting for me. I was so much
impressed by the very first look. The delivery
happened quick. I was also impressed the way
some other salesmen also came down to
congratulate and wish me a safe ride. They also
play a congratulation song, when a new car is
delivered. Though it will not make any
difference, it will give you a sense of pride
and happiness in owning a new car.
In last 4 days I have covered almost 300
kilometers. I am totally satisfied by the way
it is. Very good performance, good power, easy
to drive and very peppy. I have not yet checked
the mileage, as they told me that initially for
kappa engine, they have set the fuel
consumption to a high level, so that engine
will get a good initial treatment. They will
tune correctly only after 2nd service from then
I will get amazing mileage.(Hope that’s true).
Anyway the times survey has put i10-kappa at
par with Alto on mileage, and I am more than
happy to get 18kmpl, if I get it.
Few things which impressed me initially
- beige interiors are cute, and gives a classy
looks. As said by some reviewers, I was not
disturbed by any reflection in the windshield.
adjustable steering column. So comfortable.
so peppy, I love riding it
power and pickup, so amazing
space, space and space everywhere:)(compared to alto)
factory fitted power windows, including the auto mode at driver's seat.
and the cool looks.(I love black i10, and equally love the white shade as well.)
Something which I think, could improve
clutch pedals are bit high. A dead pedal would have been comfortable.
Wipers do not have an intermittent speed, like the first level in Maruti cars.(Or is it that its available and I am not aware of?)
The carpets are very good, but gets really dirty during rain.
Anyway it was a very good choice which I made in opting for i10 kappa. Will update you the reviews as and when I cover each milestone
