Why should you buy an i10? A Clinical Review. Review on Hyundai i10

This review is particularly intended at any prospective buyer of i10 or A/A+ Segment car buyer. The i10 considered here is the 1.2 Kappa variant (across trim levels - i.e magna, Sportz and Asta). Lets take up this review bit differently. Lets take a holistic view of a consumer and what he wants from a 4.5 lakh Hatch in todays Indian market. An 'average' A/A+ market Customer may want the following:

Peppy Engine - Must have good low end Torque for easy city drivabillity, must have decent grunt for that occasional highway run.

Good to Decent Mileage - 14-15 km/ltr in city with A/C and about 17km/ltr on highways

Decent Space - Back Seat space, fairly decent boot (250 ltrs) and good cubby holes / glove boxes upfront

Decent Handling: I am not intending to take it to a Track, but neverthless good handling car can sometimes save lives

Safety & other Features: If not pre-equipped, should atleast provide an option of having life saving features like Airbags, ABS with EBD, Seat belts, pre-tensioners etc..

Low Service Costs - Yes, not willing to spend too much on Service.There should be good Dealer Network to Support.

Looks -This is Subjective but atleast should appeal to the majority, oh forget it, it should atleast appeal to my neighbour so that it could turn him green with envy ...lol :-)

Brand Image - Whats the Snob value I am getting here?. Do my peers think high or low of me because of the car I drive.

Now Lets see how your i10 performs in these parameters:

1. Engine & Gear box: Hyundai's new 1.2L Kappa Engine first made it to the i10. (Same engine shared with i20 too). The Engine as such is super refined, very silent - No Vibrations felt. The 1198 cc inline 4 Cyl engine is'nt a revv-monster - but isn't a sloth either. Hyundai have come up with  a very practical engine and it is sure to be seen in its Sales charts. The Engine pumps out a healthy 80 bhp with a twisting force of 112 Nm. you might ask - So whats the big deal - Every other competitor gives out power from 70-90 BHP?. The answer to your questions is wait..err..i mean hold on ..its weight :-).

Its weight of 952 Kgs makes a world of difference. The Power to Weight ratio comes at a healthy 84 bhp / tonne, which is the second only to Jazz (90 Bhp @ 1055 kgs). The Torque is quite good for a 1.2. The Top Speed claimed is 160KM, I guess travelling at 140 km should pose no problem.

The Gear shift has a rubbery feel - Quite 'Hyundai'. Nevertheless has a good throw and precision. Rating: 8 / 10

1. Mileage: What probably bit disappointing me was the Mileage figures in city. The actual figures range from as low as 10km/l to 13 km/l. The point is its not a redline racer not it is a heavy laden car (like a fabia) and it is still puzzling on why this engine cant give a good 15km/l. However, the Highways seem to be a lot better. 16-17 KM/l seems promising. The Auto version is quite a let off with Mileage as low as 8 km being reported. However, that is quite understandable as Indian conditions really makes Auto geared cars toil hard. Rating: 6/10

   
   




2. Space:  Rear seat comfort is good but space is ok. I mean you can except a drawing room oout of a hatch - but still less than Vista / Palio / Fabia and on par with Swift / Ritz  and better than Punto and Alto. The Boot has decent space - ample loading / unloading area. Very Comfy front seats and leg room too. Rating: 7/10

   
   




3. Handling: The appearance though seems very new, the silhouette reminds very much of the Santro. The tall boy design gives very good view upfront but does also giove you good amount of body roll.

   
   

Hard cornering takes the life out of i10. Those skiny 155/80 on 14" steel rims are no match to the power of the car. The breaking too suffers a lot due to the tyres. The UK export version has bigger shoes (175/65 in 14"). You also have no option of alloys even in thier top of the line Asta.

The Suspension set up is soft (like in most commuter hatches) - Good on Indian roads for daily use.   Rating: 5/10

1. Safety & Features: Probably what you can call as a revolution in Indian Hatch market, a Car with an option of having dual Airbags, Anti lock Braking system (ABS) and Electric Sunroof. The above features would however be available with Asta with Price point crossing the 5.5 mark. However, other essentials like  Integrated Audio with ipod support / Aux in (Sportz & Asta), Power windows on all 4 doors, chilled glove box and lots of cute cubby holes to put things around. The Integrated Gear box in Dash (Ritz too has it) does help save good amount of space. The Doors are Solid, the buttons have very good feel -Quite upmarket. The beige interiors along with good quality plastics somehow give you an European feel. The console has a Tacho, Speedo, Fuel Gauge, Temp Indicator and  an electronic Odo and Trip meter. A pretty good job done here by Hyundai. Rating: 9/10

   
   




2. Service: Hyundai can proudly say that they are the second best in Service and Network in India. Good Localisation of parts makes spares relatively cheap. Fairly widespread Service Network with on road assistance makes buying a Hyundai trouble free. The Service Interval is long spaced. The First one at 2, 500 KM, the Second at 10, 000KM and the Third at 20, 000 KM. A good move from Hyundai but then now it seems to be getting common with others too. Engine Oil used is Synthetic, so expect to shell out 750 odds bucks for every oil change. Rating: 8/10

   
   

7. Looks: As said before - purely subjective, so I am just posting my views here. The Front somehow resembles a baby Innova. The Sharp bulbous shaped headlight is a good attraction. The large airdam in front number seems to be a latest fad in Auto town. The Side profile is what I like the most. Very classy, esp the C pillar where the rear windows take a tilt up. The Rear without the Spoiler (in magna) seems as aweful as the first gen Santro. However, some thinking has gone into the tails lights that makes the overall rear just bearable.

Rating: 7/10