Hyundai i10 Kappa: Sportz or Asta?

[DAutobot]

After researching the car I want to buy I have finally decided to go with the Hyundai i10 Kappa. Within the available models I have shortlisted the Sportz and Asta. The key features that the Asta provides on top of the Sportz variant are Airbags and ABS. The overall price difference OTR in Pune is around 65K which is sizeable.

This will be my first car. Given the fact that my driving is likely to be 85% city and 15% highway I am unable to decide if Airbags and ABS and any other additional features that the Asta may provide are really necessary.

If anyone has already been through this process and has some insights please do share them with me. Also please advise on what accessories/upgrades should be bought along with the car.

[jango]

DAutobot congrats on choosing the i10 as your first car. I am sure you will be really happy with the decision. I too was stuck in a similar dilemma early last year when i decided to go for the i10, finally i ended up with the kappa Sportz.

Like you said the only difference between Sportz and the Asta is ABS and Airbags ( Sunroof comes optional in the Asta as well ). Both the airbag and ABS are safety features are i would stronly recommend you to go for the Asta if budget is not a constratin.

Coming to accessories i would recommend you to upgrade all four tyres immediately to 175/70/R13. Upgrading the tyres gives a lot better control over the car and improves the ride quality too. ICE is upto you :-)

Hope that helps..

[blackasta]

I drive an i10 Asta A/T, and following differentiates it from the sportz model

leather wrapped steering + handbrake + stick shift knob
ignition key reminder
auto headlamps off
keyless entry
front fog lamps
ABS
Airbags
seatbelt pretensioners
impact sensing auto door unlocking

The first 5 are utility/luxury features and the last 4 are safety features.
You may have feature 1, 4 & 5 fitted aftermarket.

If you think you need these, you can go for Asta if budget is not a problem.

Of upgrades, get seat covers, and alloy/tire upgrades to suit your taste.

If you like sticking to 13" , get 175/70R13 tires, and if you wish to upsize,go for 185/60R14 tires.

[Su-47]

I bought i10-Sportz about a year back, and, now I repent on cringing on 50K and not going for Asta. Evertime you have to brake on gravel or sand, you wiill thank yourself for getting a car with ABS.

If you can shell out the additional 65k without putting unreasonable load on your finances. I would say go for Asta, it is more VFM.

[phamilyman]

Boss,

i10 Asta it has to be. You get 100x morons per kilometer in the city than elsewhere. And you don't drive below 30 all the time that you won't need safety, wouldja?

of course, if finances trouble you, take a Spark LT option pack that's much cheaper!

[nnandi]

Asta has the much-needed safety features (ABS, Airbags). So if you think you need them, then the choice is Asta. Otherwise in case budget is a constraint, then Sportz is a good buy with a tyre upgrade for better road gripping/braking.

In ICE, you don't have a choice for Headunit upgrade, as they are factory fitted, but you can and should definitely change the speakers, as they suck big time!!

[TheDoors]

I got the Sportz about 2 months back. Since the car was purely for City driving, I did not go in for the Asta. But sometimes I do regret not buying the Asta. Very recently I had the experience of how not having ABS affects the braking on loose gravel.

if your budget permits, go for the Asta which has ABS + Airbags. Always worth paying extra for safety.

As for the accessories, I would recommend seat covers and a nice set of alloys. Personally I feel a tyre upgrade many not be required since your usage will be mainly city. The stock tyres are good enough.

[blackasta]

Originally Posted by nnandi

Asta has the much-needed safety features (ABS, Airbags). So if you think you need them, then the choice is Asta. Otherwise in case budget is a constraint, then Sportz is a good buy with a tyre upgrade for better road gripping/braking.

In ICE, you don't have a choice for Headunit upgrade, as they are factory fitted, but you can and should definitely change the speakers, as they suck big time!!

hey nnandi, could you possibly suggest some speaker upgrades? It would benefit me also apart from Dautobot
Also, what are the stock speakers in i10 sportz? and are they same in asta?

[madhukar_n]

i have i10 sportz AT. I did not consider asta mainly for money !!
I have no comments on the security aspects mainly ABS and airbags, but i personally did not feel like paying that much for that.
sportz is VFM. it has everything needed.. no need for any upgrade.

Also one suggestion on the tyre upgrade, it is a tricky situation.. u cannot upgrade to 175/70R13 on the stock rims. u need to buy alloys to upgrade the tyres. so it is an expensive proposition if money is the criteria. i have not upgraded the tyres and i am happy with it, no handling issues.

[DAutobot]

Thank you for your feedback so far. While budget is not a constraint I am a bit reluctant to spend money on features which I may not need. I wish Hyundai had an option like Maruti where you could opt for a Sportz+ABS option. Based on the couple of instances I have read here ABS seems to be useful in sand/gravel and the road on which I travel seems to be under construction on a regular basis.

Originally Posted by madhukar_n

Also one suggestion on the tyre upgrade, it is a tricky situation.. u cannot upgrade to 175/70R13 on the stock rims. u need to buy alloys to upgrade the tyres. so it is an expensive proposition if money is the criteria. i have not upgraded the tyres and i am happy with it, no handling issues.

I was hoping to upgrade to Michelin XM1s but if the upgrade is interlinked with putting alloys as well I might leave it for the future.

Originally Posted by blackasta

hey nnandi, could you possibly suggest some speaker upgrades? It would benefit me also apart from Dautobot
Also, what are the stock speakers in i10 sportz? and are they same in asta?

I would be interested to know this as well

Also any recommendations on seat cover options/range and places to install in Pune?

Cheers,

Chetan

[blackasta]

Originally Posted by DAutobot

Based on the couple of instances I have read here ABS seems to be useful in sand/gravel and the road on which I travel seems to be under construction on a regular basis.

Actually, there are reports that ABS might INCREASE braking distances in gravel/sand.

Anti-lock braking system - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - read the effectivenes part.

[Su-47]

I know about the increase in the distance, but, I guess you've not been in a situation where your wheels locked up and the car started skidding in a direction where you didn't want to head (lets say a tree trunk, scary). Its about being able to control the direction under hard braking. I still curse myself for not spending those 50K for the Asta.

[JayD]

D.A, if within your budget, go for the asta model by all means. All the smaler features can be retrofitted, but ABS and Airbags are very valuable features which canot be retrofited. Also, its best to get the safest model which your wallet permits. I did the same with thee i20 crdi asta option pack.

[blackasta]

Originally Posted by Su-47

I know about the increase in the distance, but, I guess you've not been in a situation where your wheels locked up and the car started skidding in a direction where you didn't want to head (lets say a tree trunk, scary). Its about being able to control the direction under hard braking. I still curse myself for not spending those 50K for the Asta.

@ SU47 (its called berkut right?)
Ya thats true. I have experienced ABS working while I drove on fresh fallen snow in US, and it literally feels that the brake is failing time and again !! The brake just holds and releases, and continues like that! But one remains in control of the car I must say.
Though snowfall shall be a miracle in Kolkata , ABS might be greatly useful in water soaked streets in monsoon, and dusty highways in summer/winter.

@ JayD

additional to ABS / airbags, pretensioning seat belts and auto door unlock on impact also cannot be retrofitted IMO. Also key reminder (central locking won't lock while key is in ignition) is a nice feature preventing lockouts, and auto headlamp off prevents battery drains. All in all, if one looks at these things, i10 Asta is not so much overpriced!

[Mi10]

Well,

Sportz is a good option if you drive 80% city, else if budget doesnt hold you back, go for the Asta, its a VFM for those features.

P.S: I brought a Magna, because the other two models have a 'mediocre' ICE - which is not to my liking