Hyundai i10

Twelve years back Hyundai was born in India. And today they have written a success story in Indian Automotive field. Probably many B-Schools will start focusing on case studies on success of Hyundai in Indian as well as well in International market. Most of Hyundai launches in A2 and A3 segment received warm welcome from Indian customers. The way Hyundai has fought against competition is phenomenal. Let me put few examples to show how flexible and how fast Koreans are:

Santro launch 1 year ahead to wagon R
I 10 launch 1 year ahead to A-star
Getz launch 1 year ahead to swift
Verna launch 8 months before SX4
Even their Ultra Low cost car will be ahead of maruti model by a year or so.

I test drove new kid from Hyundai recently. Hyundai i10 was supposed to be a full model change of Santro. But the market refused to bid farewell to their Santro. As a result there was expansion in product portfolio of Hyundai. Its always difficult for me to understand the fact that one of variant of i10 (Santro FMC) is selling at 6 lakhs.

i10 has got a minor facelift. Bumpers with flattened corners, new head and tail lamps, new front lower grill, Fog lamps give a refreshing look to i10.It seems flattened bumpers with twin front grill is becoming Hyundai family characteristics. These attributes give more compact and techy look to the vehicle. The new external appearance may not be to everyone's liking, but it has indeed changed significantly.

There was a pleasant surprise waiting inside, i10 has done away with all beige interiors. Already there were numerous complaints of weird reflection of dash on windscreen. This problem is now resolved by dark brown colour. But now the interior feels a little cramped. All new Blue illumination makes the interior livelier. New seat upholstery looks good, but semi fabric seats even in top variants is bit irritant.
i10 got even more richer in the field of Features. Features like Bluetooth, rear parking sensors, electrically adjustable ORVMs will fulfil all the desires of intended customers. Gearshift prompter aids in increasing the fuel efficiency. But then most of these features come in Asta version which is quite expensive. I strongly feel that Asta variant is NOT a value for money product.

Other than cosmetic changes, Hyundai has done few refreshing changes in engines as well. The 1086cc four-cylinder unit - now badged the iRDE2 - makes about 3 bhp more (68 bhp at 5500 rpm) and 10.1 kgm of torque. The motive behind this was to make it more powerful than Wagon R. (But I guess that’s only on paper).The valve diameter has increased and so has the lift, leading to better breathing and performance
The output from the 1197cc DOHC 16-valve 1.2, now renamed the Kappa2, is the same, at 78.9 bhp at 5800 rpm and 11.4 kgm at 4000 revs. VTVT in 1.2 litre is a welcome change too. Now as per ARAI figure fuel efficiency of 20.36 makes the car even more attractive.

On the test track, I felt that new i10 has lost the punch in initial pick-up when compared to older i10. But still it is better than other 1.2 litre engines in market. The gearbox is precise and allows for quick shifts, even gear ratios also favour zippy city driving. On the highway the i10's motor feels a bit wanting; it runs out of breath beyond 120 kph. It also doesn't like high speed directional changes. But keep it between 80 and 100 kph and it comfortably cruises. So I will rate it as best City car.

To conclude I would like to make some comparisons. I usually don’t like to compare, but for sale horse like i10 it is important.
Santro owners will not like i10.
I always feel that Santro provides more comfort. Wider and longer seats, adjustable head restraints (in old Santro), comparatively low seating and better utility spaces make Santro better option.

The i10 competes with the Maruti Suzuki A-Star, Estilo and the Ritz mainly. Compared to the Suzukis, the i10 is well-built and has quality components going inside. It is easily the better car compared to the A-Star and the Estilo, while the Ritz would win for its effervescent handling and a muscular 1.2-litre engine.

Why Buy: Size (apt for city driving), Zippy 1.2L kappa engine, trendy styling, airy cabin, Hyundai network, AT option

Why Deny: Top variant are expensive, not designed for taller people.