Hyundai i10 (2014)

Synopsis

It’s always nice to see the importance given by international car makers to India. Cars like Hyundai i10 are an example of it. It was specially made for Indian car market and it was globally launched here in India. In 2007, Hyundai positioned it between Santro and Getz. At that time it was very difficult for Santro to take on every possible rival alone as Getz proved to be a big failure and Hyundai needed an alternative. What an alternative i10 has proved to be. It’s been a successful contributor to Hyundai’s car portfolio. It continued the success legacy of Santro in India. In 2010 Hyundai launched the face-lifted version of i10 with kappa2 engine. It is been a hit till now in the Indian market and now it is positioned below i20 which replaced Getz. Next Gen Hyundai i10 has been a perfect competitor for its rivals including the king of its segment - Maruti Suzuki Swift. With this upgraded version, Hyundai will expect the sales records of i10 to get better.

The Next Gen i10 Blue Drive is powered by the 1.1 litre iRDE2 engine, it comes with an easy petrol to LPG shift that offers customers a unique combination of reliable performance and unmatched fuel economy. With separate Petrol (35 litre) and LPG (34 litre) tanks, the customers have an option to choose from LPG and petrol modes. Hyundai i10 blue drive has a special ‘Toroidal’ LPG tank that allows intelligent use of space and makes for larger boot space than conventional LPG-fitted models. Another feature of the Hyundai i10 LPG is AMS – Alternator Management System. Thanks to AMS (while decelerating, the power supply to the battery is normal and during acceleration it limits the power), battery life is increased and so is mileage. Another feature is the Manual Shift indicator (MSI), first in its class, MSI will intelligently suggest you optimum time to change gears, helping you achieve better fuel efficiency. The LPG-kit is ARAI certified and is impact resistant as well. It is also certified by DOE (Department of Explosives). The LPG-kit is also backed by a two year warranty.

Exterior

Earlier simple and sober are the words which were used for i10’s designing. Now, Hyundai has worked on its designing to make it look more aggressive and stylish. With new rivals like Chevrolet Beat which is a trend setter in terms of styling, i10 desperately needed an up-gradation. The most noticeable changes are made to its face. It now has the typical Hyundai styled front grille. It’s a wider hexagonal grille which differentiates it from the outgoing model. New edgy headlights uses clear lens which along with smartly placed bonnet enhance the look of this car. There is a chrome finished strip on the grille just below the bonnet with a Hyundai logo on it. The revised front bumper is a major contributor to its refreshed face. Gone are the boring air dam and round shaped fog lights. The new bumper now houses a bigger air dam which fits well with the hexagonal grille along with much angular fog lights.

However its side profile remains the same except for few changes. Top model of new i10 features body colored door handles, side waistline moulding and ORVM’s with inbuilt turn indicators. Wheel arches are negligible with no option of alloy wheels. It sports full wheel covers on 13 inch wheels. Alloys should have been offered in this car with bigger wheel arches to make it look sportier. Rear of the car has been slightly altered as clear lens are used in tail lights which looks good with restyled rear bumper. It features new reflective lights with body colored strap on it unlike the black one used previously. Boot gate is almost similar to its earlier model with unique body colored boot opener sporting Hyundai logo on it. There is a sporty wiper for the rear glass with an integrated spoiler. The new i10 looks aerodynamic and better than before but it loses out to Chevy Beat and Maruti Suzuki Swift in terms of styling.

Interior

Get inside the car and there is a welcome change waiting for you. It loses its all beige colored interiors which were not appreciated by many people. Now it gets replaced by dual tone beige and brown colored interiors which feel much more premium than before. Nothing much has changed inside except the color as everything is placed the way it was in the earlier model. Sunroof is optional in new i10 which is first in its class. Higher variants get chrome finished inside door handles with a little touch of chrome on the tip of the gear knob. The three spoke steering wheel along with gear knob is now wrapped in leather. The instrument cluster and buttons have blue back light for illumination which looks funky at night. There is a tachometer, digital fuel gauge and odometer with gear shift indicator available in the top model (M/T only).The fit and finish inside i10 is acceptable.

Comfort and Convenience

Despite its small size, i10 has always been a comfortable car. You can sense the amount of space and comfort you have inside. Seating inside for tall people is not an issue either. Front legroom and shoulder room is convincing with ample amount of headroom. Rear passengers also can’t complain much about the space. It’s perfect for an average sized family. Seats are also very comfortable with integrated headrests. Driver seat is now height adjustable with tilt option available for steering to help the driver to get a perfect driving position. Gear lever is very short and easy to use as it fits well in your hand and gives you confidence to use it frequently. There is a capable and powerful AC in this car with heater. Hyundai has stuffed this car with new features including electrically heated and adjustable outside mirrors. All four power windows with driver side auto down function and central locking. Next Gen i10 has a keyless entry with a foldable key and burglar alarm. There is also a rear defogger and washer for better visibility.

Dashboard and Storage

The shape and size of the dashboard has not changed. It has that old texture but with new dual tone of colors, which looks refreshing. The metal finished centre facia is also complementing the new theme. Gear console is very neatly attached to the dashboard. The buttons and plastic used on this dashboard is nice to touch and everything looks well placed on it. Some of the bits like AC vent and buttons on its center facia are black in color. Like before there is no space on this dashboard to keep loose things except its glove box. Though there are map pocket on front doors with front cup holders. There is a rear parcel tray for more storage. Moreover it has a decent boot capacity of 225ltr which is much more than what you get in Beat but it’s less than Swift and Ritz. This space can be increased by folding the rear seats.

Music System

New Hyundai i10 is equipped with a 2-DIN music system integrated in the centre console. It’s a Radio, CD and MP3 player with digital clock. It has an in built USB and Aux-in ports for direct connectivity of your music gadgets like iPod. The new system is also enabled with Bluetooth connectivity which makes it safe to take calls while driving. Audio and Bluetooth controls are mounted on its steering wheel for your convenience. There is an additional 12V accessory socket in the gear console.

Engine and Gearbox

Hyundai offers i10 with two engine options (1.2 Kappa discontinued). The smaller unit 1.1L iRDE2 petrol engine is also available with LPG while the tweaked 1.2L kappa2 engine is available with petrol only. It shares the 1.1L engine with Santro although it’s the refined version of that engine with more power and torque output. This 1.1L engine produces a peak power of 69 bhp at 5500 rpm with a maximum torque output of 101 Nm available a bit late at 4500rpm. This engine is mated with five-speed manual gearbox. Its 1.2L Kappa2 engine (not available now) churns out a maximum power of 80 bhp at 6000 rpm with 114 Nm of torque coming at 4000 rpm. This engine is available with manual as well as automatic transmission. There is a five speed gearbox for the manual variant while the automatic variant of i10 is mated with a four speed automatic transmission.

Acceleration and Performance

Hyundai has introduced the VTVT system in the new i10. This allows this Kappa2 engine to produce power much faster than before. Next Gen i10 is the first car with Variable valve timing in its segment. Due to its low weight and linear supply of power i10 proves to be one of the fastest cars in its class. This car is very responsive as it’s always eager to go. You will be surprised to see the low speed grunt in this car which is very much needed in day to day routine. The power to weight ratio for i10 is best in its segment. This engine is extremely refined and the car feels very silent at high speeds. It’s a DOHC engine which reduces NVH levels. The new i10 feels faster than before and it is even faster than most its competitors including Maruti Suzuki Ritz.

The car reaches 100km/hour in less than 12 seconds with a top speed of 160km/hour; it feels much like a 1.6 engine which never runs short of power. This car is an enthusiast with no sign of turbo lag. It is brilliant in city conditions as its crispy gearing makes your riding fun and you enjoy a power packed performance. Its superb for long runs also as it cruises really well and gives you immense confidence while overtaking. Moreover if you drive this engine on CNG or LPG, you won’t be disappointed. It will save your lot of money without compromising on power. The 1.1L engine has already been tested as it does 0-100km/hour in less than 15 seconds and is better than most of its competitors like Beat, even after having lower capacity of engine. Hyundai focuses on The Kaapa2 unit for i10 as this engine is specially tuned for this car so that it can beat its powerful rivals.

Mileage

This Kappa2 engine is very fuel efficient. Despite being a performer, the new i10 manages to give good fuel efficiency. Thanks to its lightweight construction it returns around12-13km/ltr in city while on highways it can return you a mileage of around 16km/ltr. With LPG and CNG expect its mileage to increase by 1-2km/ltr. Its 1.1L engine is more fuel efficient as it gives a mileage of around 14km/ltr in city and it returns around 17km/ltr on highways.

Mileage

New Hyundai Next Gen i10 is very fuel efficient car returning 20.36 kmpl for the 1.2 kappa2 engine and 19.81 kmpl for the 1.1 IRDE2 engine. This makes New Next Gen i10 one of the most fuel efficient cars in India.

Ride and Handling

The handling of this car is explicit. It feels like any Maruti car with light steering. Koreans have really come close to Japanese perfection when it comes to handling. It’s very handy in city traffic. Its high ground clearance works really well with its suspension but due to its light weight and small size of tyres it feels scary around the corners. You may lack confidence on high speeds as due to its light weight its unable to hold the road firmly and there is noticeable body roll.

Brakes and Safety Features

Hyundai i10 has disk brakes at front with drum brakes at the back. Higher variants of i10 are offered with Front Dual SRS airbags with ABS to make it safer. Other safety features include rear parking sensors, engine immobilizer and impact sensing auto door unlock.

Variants

Hyundai New Next Gen i10 is available in five twelve variants: 1.1 D-Lite, 1.1 Era, 1.1 Magna, 1.1 Blue Drive Era, 1.1 Blue Drive Magna. The 1.2 Kappa models have been discontinued after the launch of Grand i10.

Shades

Hyundai New Next Gen i10 is available in 8 shades: Stone Beige, Sleek Silver, Phantom Black, Ice Silver, Electric Red, Crystal White, Carbon Gray and Garnet Red.

Warranty

There is a 3years/40,000kms warranty on new next gen i10 by Hyundai.

Verdict

New Hyundai i10 is much cheaper than Maruti Suzuki Ritz and Swift and you will get an equally well built and powerful car. Moreover it’s a very fuel efficient car with all desired features in it. Another advantage of this car is its availability with automatic transmission. No other car in its segment offers this much of power with an automatic variant. With smart looks, very light handling and with sufficient amount of power and space, it’s a perfect hatch. There is nothing much to complain about this car and that’s the reason why it has been the first choice for many people. With these changes i10 has mature than before. There is no reason to say that i10 is not worthy. It’s a complete package from Hyundai and it’s surely a complete value for money car. As speculated, Hyundai is planning to introduce the diesel version of i10 which is very much needed as Indians are getting crazy for diesel cars. If it happens, we assume i10 will become Hyundai’s largest selling car in India.