Dec 01, 2013 12:37 PM
164150 Views
(Updated Dec 01, 2013 12:41 PM)
With the Indian car market flooding with numerous car brands, choosing a car is akin to winning a war now-a-days. Every middle class person wants to buy the best bet from the segment and with the discounts and freebies offered by the dealers, settling for a real VFM car can be real tough. I will share some experience over buying an i10.
Petrol or Diesel
Since the car was meant to be mostly driven in city and it would cover around 500 kms per month, petrol was the best bet. Hence decided to shortlist the cars based on our requirement. Maruti was the first priority in almost every Indian family. We did not want to spend a bomb and decided to settle for a hatchback in the range of 5-6 lakhs (on-road).
The cars that were shortlisted after TD were:
1.Maruti Wagon R – Easily a winner in its segment with the refined K-Series engine, tall-boy design, neat interiors, ample head room and leg room, this new kiddo in the block is an all in all, had it not been for the lack of outright performance where the engine gasps for breath in city traffic. The car simply cannot pull and with the AC on, the performance dips even lower.
2.Maruti Swift – Perfect and Zippy engine – almost a love at first sight but it is overpriced plus the dealers are not ready to offer any discounts and accessories. Dealers in the city were quoting 6.8L on road for the Vxi model with zero discounts.
3.Maruti Ritz – Rejected because of the rear hatch design and the high mounted dash(offering poor visibility in crowded places). Otherwise a good zippy car just as the Swift.
4.Honda Brio – Gem of an engine – the gearbox is mated to proper ratios to handle low end torque and deliver outright performance in city traffic. A completely balanced ride with Honda’s reliability badge, we decided to shortlist it! The suspension performed brilliantly over rough patchy roads and the steering control was a bliss in maneuvering in city traffic. Small turning radius was just a no-brainer! (The only thing that mattered was the design of the rear hatch:()
5.Honda Jazz – Again a brilliant car with 1.2 iVtec engine, but with poor ground clearance hence rejected it in the first go!
6.Toyota Liva(P) – The center mounted odo and the blunt interiors looked dull, hence did not consider it.
7.Hyundai i10 – Never decided to go for this car owing to multiple complaints of low mileage as reported by the owners. But the 1.2 Kappa2 engine took my mind away. The positioning of the seat is a real comfort and the car was loaded with features which were welcomed by the family. The dealer was offering a neat 30K discount which was really lucrative. Hence it was a green signal to go ahead!(*Since the car was meant to travel some 500Kms within the city, hence mileage was not a big concern)
8.Hyundai Grand i10 – The higher dash and zero discounts compelled us from taking a TD itself.
9.Hyundai i20 – We wanted a compact car that will be easy to tackle and maintain. Maneuvering an i20 in city traffic and parking hassles led us to buy something a tad smaller.:)
10.Ford Figo – The Figo TDCi is real class of a car. But there were no surprises in the petrol version. Hence decided to keep it aside.
11.Chevys/Volks/Nissan– Rejected due to poor After Sales Service, less resale value and wafer thin Service networks.
About the Car:
After having driven cars of almost all segments, I now wonder why the i10 keeps selling in numbers even after numerous complaints on mileage and A.S.S. The fluidic design is an eye catcher and with the neat and balanced interior the i10 is soothing to the eye. The car is easy to maneuver in city traffic with the 1.2 engine providing outright performance when you need to fill the gap on a short notice. Balanced ride and proper use of clutch and gears can yield a mileage of 13-14 kmpl even in city. The tachometer integrated with the dash is really a no-brainer. Maintaining a 1500-2000RPM continuously can yield good mileage figures even in bumper to bumper traffic. The steering response is good at lower speeds although I found it a little lifeless at higher speeds. Below are my observations:
Positives:
1.It has got premium fit and finish for a car worth 5.1 lakhs.
2.The blue back light on the dash looks a class above and adds to the gen-x feel.
3.High seating position gives a good view of the road ahead.
4.The low end torque is required for the perfect city ride making frequent downshifting of gears a history.
5.The i10 is renowned for the fastest 0-60 for a hatchback of its segment.
6.The ride is almost balanced on most roads however a little body roll can be observed at tight corners.
7.Good resale value.
Need to improve:
1.Normal city run gives mileage around 11-12kmpl (with AC) and 12-13 (without AC).
2.Seats could have been made for comfortable.
3.The Sportz version lacks features like keyless remote entry and safety features like ABS and EBD.
4.Tyres need to be upgraded soon for better road grip and handling.
Verdict: If mileage is not a concern in the first place, this car can be good buy. But Hyundai is discontinuing this 1.2 version and going ahead with 1.1 iRDE version of this model. The 1.2 is now only available in the Grand i10. Pick your poison! :)
