New Hyundai i10 Road Test Review

[Akash]

The small car segment has always been a hot territory in India. A few years ago, when Korean car-maker launched the i10, it successfully achieved considerable amount of sales but with competition only getting stringent, it was a big time for Hyundai to refresh this little car, so that it doesn’t ends up as an under shadowed model in the limelight of new comers. But does the new i10 actually lives up to the expectations of new car buyers or will it leave us in a disappointment? The Automotive India gets a chance to thoroughly check this out.

 

[Akash]

Looks and Design.



Ever since its launch in India, i10 has managed a great fan following, for which primarily the credit goes to its absolutely compact design with fresh looks, nice interiors and of course the Value for Money factor too. Although, the over all body structure of new generation i10 remains same, but Hyundai has now replaced those cute front looks with somewhat seriousness and aggression, and this only where you can find major change in New i10, on exteriors. The car’s front looks little wider, it carries new head lamps and bumper which are itself enough to make some heads turn.

The italic ‘H’ logo of Hyundai sits with a dignified manner in midst of traditional sleek chrome strip on honey comb grill. The each corner of bumper houses triangular fog lamps which are much bigger than before, unlike the round design in preceding version. Outside rear view mirrors are again similar, but now boast trendy integrated LED turn indicators, and a VTVT badge occupies the space where earlier side indicators used to sit. The rear profile still carries joyful tail lamps but with set of horizontal reverse parking lamp and indicator inside. Rest remains unchanged, however you can notice the bumper reflectors carved in an edgy design to give a touch of little aggression and sportiness.

 

[Akash]

Interiors and Comfort.



Interiors are the place where owner and passenger spend most of their time in a car, thus, they are any day a key priority when it comes to car purchase, thankfully Hyundai very well understands same. New generation i10 model gets refreshed interiors with more use of mixed brown rather than a pure beige. This combination not only looks superior but has also solved the dashboard reflection issue which was complain of many previous-generation Hyundai i10 owners. The steering wheel is mounted with audio controls and dedicated Call receive / disconnect buttons as well (applicable when Phone is connected via Blue tooth). The Steering wheel is good to hold but feels heavy at low speeds, behind the wheel is simple yet elegant looking Instrument cluster which has a couple of analog dials for Speedometer and Tachometer respectively. Information such as Odometer, Trip Meter and Fuel Gauge etc. are displayed in a digital console besides the Speedometer dial. Additionally, the console is illuminated in an eye soothing blue color which makes the digits readable quite easily.

The dashboard is silver finished with an In-dash Music System which has Aux-in and USP ports placed down near A/C controls. This looks neat and you won’t have hanging iPod connections or a naked Pen drive hanging at the centre of the dashboard anymore. Air Conditioner is quite effective and chills the cabin in no time. The color combo used on door trims looks different and pleasant. Unlike in the dashboard, there is use of pure beige here. The touch of chrome finish helps making it looks elegant and up market.

New Hyundai i10 comes with a 2DIN audio player which has a decent sound quality, However if you are an audiophile, ICE upgrade is definitely recommended. The top-end ‘Sport’ and ‘Asta’ variants feature ORVM heating facility which proves to be helpful during winters to clean-off the mist on them. The seats are comfortable and provide decent under thigh support, although, front seats get an option of Height adjustment on the top end Asta variant but absence of adjustable Head Rests was felted. The ride is comfortable, thanks to McPherson Strut with coil springs in front and Coupled Torsion Beam Axle with Coil Spring at rear which gulp most of the irritating road patches.

 

[Akash]

Engine and Gearbox.



Kappa engine was always appreciated for its super smooth drive; it was considered the best in its class when launched. Now the New Kappa2 won’t leave you disappointed either. The engine is uber smooth with almost no noise creeping in. Thanks to the well sealed interior cabin and the silent VTVT equipped Kappa 2 engine. This first in class technology takes care of your pocket as well as the Mother Earth. The VTVT system controls the Valve operation depending on the requirement of the engine which in turns leads to a great fuel efficiency with lower emissions. This new 4cylinder 1.2L engine has 16 valves and pumps a power of 80PS (@6000rpm) which directly translates into a peppy drive in almost all kind of traffic conditions.

Well, Initial acceleration is decent enough to get you to a fair speed of 80kmph in no time; the low end torque is just correct giving an instant acceleration in lower gears. Though at high speeds, the hiccup can be felt. But again that’s too much to expect from a 1.2L heart. The gear shift is impressive just like in the previous model. The higher position of gear which Hyundai christened as “i-Shift” makes gearshifts a pleasure; this makes the traffic driving a fatigue free experience overall.

 

[Akash]

Performance and Safety.



Performance of i10 may not be mind boggling but still is good enough to do the normal job of commuting in Start-Stop traffic. Thanks to excellent gear ratios which make it happen. The ground clearance of 165mm makes you carefree of hitting boulders under body. Ventilated discs on front and drums on rear provide adequate braking capabilities and availability of ABS comes as bonus and just adds another star. Apart from this, other safety and security features include Dual airbags, Impact sensing Door Unlocking etc. Also, to keep away undesirable scratches on rear bumper and for the ease of reversing, Hyundai equips i10 with Reverse parking sensors. Also, Keyless entry now comes with a Burglar alarm to prevent any unauthorized entry.

 

[350Z]

New Hyundai i10 Road Tested.

Drive Safe,
350Z

 

[Alto_2428]

Nice review!! Great car!! Good features too..
+1 to you reviewers. Great work..

 

[Akash]

Nice review!! Great car!! Good features too..
+1 to you reviewers. Great work..

Thanks friend. i10 indeed is a VFM and comes packed with some really good features which are new. But sadly, most of these features are present only on the top end Asta.

 

[RSM]

Nice review Akash, well done.

And somehow I am not very sure if i10 is VFM. This is my choice also in small car segment, but IMO its costly.
Also, looks wise, I like older looks. May be with time it will settle down to my eyes.

Few points though -
- Plastic quality of old i10, i felt is excellent. Not sure in new one.
- Ride & Handling score looks to me bit more. Its bumpy in back, even at 70+ KMPH. May be Zinam can confirm.

 

[SandeepK]

Nice review Akash.

Why there is red mark at 30 km/hr and 50 km/hr. Seen similar 1 red mark in
Santro too. Is it speed limit where you get maximum fuel efficiency?

 

[RSM]

Why there is red mark at 30 km/hr and 50 km/hr. Seen similar 1 red mark in
Santro too. Is it speed limit where you get maximum fuel efficiency?

Yes it is showing that till 50KMPH, the FE will be less.
It also has red marks on RPM, so higher RPM will also reduce FE.

 

[Akash]

Nice review Akash, well done.

And somehow I am not very sure if i10 is VFM. This is my choice also in small car segment, but IMO its costly.
Also, looks wise, I like older looks. May be with time it will settle down to my eyes.

Few points though -
- Plastic quality of old i10, i felt is excellent. Not sure in new one.
- Ride & Handling score looks to me bit more. Its bumpy in back, even at 70+ KMPH. May be Zinam can confirm.

Thanks RSM. The plastic quality remains the same, its just that the brown color makes it look cheap. Have a look at the door trims. It will clear your doubts. As for the ride quality, it is pretty good and even the older i10 was good as far as the suspension is concerned. Both new gen and the older one have the same suspension setup.

Nice review Akash.

Why there is red mark at 30 km/hr and 50 km/hr. Seen similar 1 red mark in
Santro too. Is it speed limit where you get maximum fuel efficiency?

Thanks Sandeep The red markings are probably the limits for economy mode.

 

[350Z]

There are a few assumptions about the red mark on speedometer, although some believe it to be an economy point, however, it is also said that it indicates maximum allowable local speed limit, especially in European models.

Drive Safe,
350Z

 

[*Arkin_Young*]

Few points though -
- Plastic quality of old i10, i felt is excellent. Not sure in new one.
- Ride & Handling score looks to me bit more. Its bumpy in back, even at 70+ KMPH. May be Zinam can confirm.

-Plastic Quality is exactly the same. Only the color of the dash has changed, not the door pads and others.
-My Gen1 i10 feels a wee bit bumpy, i.e- Slightly wobbles on subtle bumps. This is not the same with the new one, which is definitely better.

 

[Akash]

-Plastic Quality is exactly the same. Only the color of the dash has changed, not the door pads and others.
-My Gen1 i10 feels a wee bit bumpy, i.e- Slightly wobbles on subtle bumps. This is not the same with the new one, which is definitely better.

I agree with most of your points except for the bumpy ride. The ride quality might have differed in your case due to probably different tires on your car and the car you tded. But overall the ride remains the same because Hyundai has not touched the Suspension setup at all. Its the same old setup as on your i10 Arkin. So the ride remains same which is better than many other in segment.