Jun 16, 2009 07:54 PM
13882 Views
(Updated Jun 16, 2009 08:15 PM)
After loads and loads of research from Chevy spark to indigoCS, from Indica vista to Maruti Ritz, I finally settled for a car which I had never considered as a choice. Y? for no real reason. Frankly I considered Spark since this was the car which my mom was supposed to drive and I already have a Wagon R LXi (you can check my previous review) and I never wanted to move from Maruti to any other car company( since the past 15 years we are having Maruti-Brand loyal I guess), but then one fine morning without any thought Iwalked in Hyundai Showroom and saw the i10.
Almost finalized on i10 Era the 1.1 engine since it was fitting in my budget and was getting good features (power windows (front), body coloured bumpers, beige interiors etc), but I came to know that Era has thesame Santro’s epsilon engine 63Bhp. And then came into the light the 1.2 Kappa which SRK has been advertising as breaking the laws of automotive engineering and blah blah.
Costing around 23 grand more, I was getting new engine of higher capacity(1.2L) and higher power (80Bhp) and preferably after few years more resale value then the 1.1 i10. So without much of thinking went to the dealer and finalized the car in the evening, perhaps my fastest decision ofbuying a car ever.
Coming to the car, the i10 looks small from outside and isquite spacious inside. There are beige interiors which give you a luxury feeling and there is space too. It can accommodate 5 persons easily if they would weigh around 70-75 kgs.
i10 1.2 Kappa Magna model is what I have got. It has got vanity mirror, all four power windows, body coloured bumpers and ORVMS (internally adjustable), radio antenna, clock and boot tray as its basic features. This one is the base model of Kappa series. Spending 27 grand more will get you the Sportz version which has integrated Mp3 player(no USB) indicators like door open indicator,rear wiper and defogger, 3 options for wipers etc etc.
The best part about the car is the gearbox and the gearshift. The gear shift is a breeze and the integrated gear console in the dash looks and feels great. There are 2 cup holders, spaces for magazines in the doors (front). There are integrated speaker provisions in the doors(all 4 of them) so you wont need any additional drilling for getting those speakers.Ofcourse if you want woofer or higher sized speakers then you will have to use the tray in the boot. The driver has the control of all the four power windows and there is a window lock too in which all the power windows except the driver’s get locked.
Boot space is good enough to accommodate couple of suitcases and some “samaan” here and there. While the Wagon R is tall so you get more space vertically, i10 is more in width so it would feel that the space in the boot is less.
However coming to the back seat since it is more in width and hence it is easier to accommodate 3 people of moderate weight (as saidearlier). Please note that you wont get the 60-40 split seat option here.
The car is silent and sometimes you wont feel that the engine is on at all. Still in traffic the 80Bhp engine lags in pick up with AC on and again you will feel the difference. Comes with a motor drivenTilt power steering(EPS) as indicated in the dash console which is very responsive and light. There are indicators for Handbrake on, Power Steering, Engine malfunction, low fuel warning lamp for your ready reference.The speedo has a digital odometer and two trip meters. The speedo console looksextremely beautiful at nights with the green and red light combinations.
The AC is powerful enough and it can cool the cabin within minutes if you keep it at position 2; So cool that after sometime you will haveto keep it 1. The AC knobs are good and good quality plastic has been used.
Got the car before one week and have driven close to 800kms,the car is giving me an mileage of about 13 kmpl in city with ac on all the time.
Coming to the negatives, I haven’t found many since the caris new will be updating as and when I get come to know but there are some:
The beige dash will reflect in sun and hence you will haveto get adjusted to the reflection.
There are no spaces to keep your bills, toll tickets or thebeneath steering space as in Wagon R to keep your glares.
Apart from the difference in at higher speeds as compared to1.1, in city you wont feel much of a difference in pick up with the AC on.
Am not comparing i10 with AStar and in comparison with other models as in Maruti Ritz, The new KB series is quite peppy churning out 85Bhp from the 1.2 liter engine. It’s a good car, but then the cramped rear space and the boot looks like someone has slapped the rear and the showroom salesperson was saying its European styling!! And cost wise the basic model w/o any features like power windows costs some 10 grand more than the 1.2 Kappa. Chevy spark is cheap but quite frankly don’t really have trust on the after sales service and does not look that good in comparison with i10. However there are huge discounts going on Spark and with the new beige interiors (which will cost2000 more dearer) its not a bad deal for the budget tight people.
Any queries? Kindly feel free to contact..
