Cheating ... Never Participate in Rs.150/- Bid -. Review on Hyundai i10

The New Year brought some new cars into my circle... my cousin bought the Hyundai i10 and a good friend of mine picked up the new Scorpio CRDe. Both the cars are over a month old now, with around 4000kms on the clock each.. and I thought it is time for both the initial reviews to be added into MS. Hyundai i10: Though the small-car/hatch segment in India has a number of options, if they are filtered with ’practicality’ and ’peace of mind’ as criteria, you are left with cars from either the Maruti or the Hyundai stables. [Though the Chevy Spark, Fiat Palio etc. are excellent cars, the cost of spares and dealer network are factors which let them down] So what are the factors that are in favor of the i10: 1. New design, maybe not so radical or daring, but decent looks in a small package. 2. Bright new beige interiors. 3. Engine - an up rated version of the reliable Santro 1.1l mill. 4. Hyundai’s good dealer network and reasonably priced spares. 5. Possibly, good resale value.  Being a Hyundai fan himself (His first car was an Accent), when the time came to add a second car into his family, my cousin immediately zeroed in on the latest offering from Hyundai, the i10. Buying experience: All did not go smoothly at first.. we went to both the dealers in Bangalore (Trident & Advaith), being a recently launched product, there were no significant discounts or freebies being thrown in. Also there was some confusion about the waiting period, colors etc. For some reason, Hyundai has not made available some of its best selling colors (from the Santro) in the i10 range.

Finally we booked an i10 Mangna with Trident. D-day!: Delivery was done as promised, ribbon and all.. and off we went to the nearest Ganesh mandir for a quick pooja and then straight onto JC road for ’car-seva’. The i10 comes with 155/80 R13 tubeless stock tyres, perhaps a little too skinny for our taste, with the excellent experience I’ve had with the Bridgestone Potenza 175/60/R13 on my Santro, we bought the same shoes for the i10. We selected a set of decent alloys from ’Aura’. [Aura is an Indian brand, manufactured by Hindalco. They are OEM for Hyundai, but are available cheaper in the open market than from the dealer. They may have limited number of designs and score less on the ’bling factor’, but they are reliable and certainly cheaper than the imported options]. We also added in a ’reverse parking sensor’, fabric seat covers which matched with the interiors and also picked up a ’tubeless tyre repair kit’+ a foot pump. First week: Being a new kid on the block, everyone from the family and also from the apartment block had to check out the i10, make some comments and ask the fundamental question "kya mileage de raha hai". Everyone appreciated the bright interiors and the efficient layout. Being used to the all grey interiors of the older machines, We also faced the irritation noted by other users, i.e. the beige dashboard reflects onto the wind-screen on sunny afternoons. But you quickly do get used to it and stop noticing it. Comfort zone: The car has good firm seats and a high seating position and the adjustable steering does allow you to find your own comfortable driving stance. There is an accessory called ’power handle’, which is the small handle you’ll see attached to the steering wheel on some cars, it makes driving easier at low speeds.. especially if you have to maneuver your car into tight parking spaces. You might want to try it out. Performance: Though the engine on the i10 is the same as the one on the Santro Xing, it is in a different state of tune/ECU mapping, which gives the i10 improved power and torque at lower rpms. i10 power: 66.7/5500, torque:10.1/2800 (Santro 63ps@5500rpm, 9.8kgm@3000rpm). The higher torque at lower RPM translates to faster pickup, less gear-dropping in city traffic and better drivability. Mileage: Well, mileage seems to be hovering around 15kmpl till date, with the AC on, in city, during ’not-so-peak’ traffic conditions. The mileage of the car is also affected by the amount of weight it carries. So ensure that you remove all the unnecassry junk that accumulates in the boot.. water bottles, unused tools, books, CDs etc. Also, unless you are going out of town, you can keep your fuel level at 1/2 tank.. which means around 10kgs less weight for the car to carry (when on full tank). Ride and handling: The i10 being a tall-boy, does not like being thrown around corners, the stiffer suspension setup does reduce body roll a little.  Being a ’front heavy’ car, the rear of the car is quite bouncy over rough roads and rumble strips. The suspension in any car is always a compromise between handling and ride-quality,  the i10 is no exception.

The handling is certainly a noticeable improvement over the Santro. In Car Entertainment: Though the kids will clamor for a sound-system, as a rule, if your car doesnt come with a OEM music system, dont add one till the car is atleast a month old. This is to ensure that you listen to all the little noises that your new car is making and any strange sounds can be noted down to be brought to the dealers attention during the intial services. By the way, our i10 did not make any strange noises etc. so all is well. The ICE aspect has to wait till my cousin makes a quick trip to the US in March, when he is planning to pick up some relatively high-end stuff. Routine maintenance: Like the other Hyundai / Maruti products, the i10 should also turn out to be a reliable performer, just ensure that you stick to the maintenance schedule prescribed by the manufacturer.. and when you get an SMS/call from your dealer reminding you that your car is due for service, take the time off to get your car serviced without fail!