I went to Hyundai Motor Plaza today to test drive the 1.2 kappa. The car was jsut registered yesterday, so not many pepole seem to have driven the car. The car was a dedicated car and was branded on the exterior. The speedo was working too.
The variant was sportz & exterior colour was red. Outside appearance didnot look very different from 1.1, except the kappa badge near the side repeater & the 1.2 monogram on the rear side.
The most impressive part was the dash, It is superb. There are red inserts just above the glove box and a symmetrical piece near the steering too. Overall its Love at First sight. The red colour on the dash is matched with the same coloured dual tone seats (i.e the centre part is red & the remaining part is beige) This was the first time I have seen an interior in India. This pack is called the Sportz red pack- this combination will be there only if you chose a black or red colour car. For the other cars its the same beige-chocolate combination. The door trims also get the red colour. Overall impression: The best - See it to believe it.
I found one another feature which I have not find in any other car- There is a small pocket on the rear seat back rest where you can tuck in the middle seat belts. I had seen the photo on team bhp for the provision for the side belts, but this is a very good touch.
The drive: Well I went to drive the i10 kappa today, not to rip it (apologies for that), because I dont drive that way 365 days. However, to make me convinced about the power, I tried to accelerate from the nearby signal to the next signal. Wow, the power was good and the best part was it was not harsh. I felt a big difference not only in power, but the sound levels also were better in the kappa than most of the cars in the segment. After the 1st signal, I took the newly built fly over which leads to the Chennai Airport, which gave me a good opportunity to see the cruising & comfort. While returning back, we had a small patch of rough road underneath the Kathipara flyover and I feel the i10 was very comfortable even there. The gear changes were very comfortable and slick, typical of Hyundai cars. The steering also was giving adequate feedback.
The Ac was good, but today wasnt the most hottest typical Chennai day to try out its real efficiency.
I saw their auto transmission i10 kappa also parked there, but as I was not keen on an AT plus I was really short of time, i didnt take it for a spin.
I feel that this car is a very good car
,complemented by the best after sales service of Hyundai.
Actually I have been contemplating between Swift & Getz. Now after the i10 launch & a recent corporate visit to Hyundai Factory. I have made up my mind. No prizes for your guesses...
One more thing which i wanted to add is that I have been seeing a lot of Swifts with damage on their fenders & bumpers. I had written about this in my earlier posts too. I think the swift is "over sized" for our roads and is prone to frequent damages. You buy the swift thinking that you have the most beautiful car on earth & a few months later, you will be driving a bruised car.... well I dont want that. Maruti might be giving me a cheaper option than the i10, but I dont want to make frequent vists to their body shop & ending up spending all the money I saved.
I saw an i10 fully customised with accessories from Hyundai. There is one accessory which i liked - an eye lid for the head lamp. the other accessories were not of my taste.
Now that the decision is made, only thing pending is the VitaminM. I am off to arrange it. I understand interest rates are going to go up again by 100 basis points (around 2500 per lac loan). So I better hurry!
Till then.... I'll be dreaming of catching the i...