[Arkin evoisrevo]

The story of my i10:


I'd like to be as precise and crisp as possible.
We bought the little angel an year ago for my grandparents who needed an upgrade from their 28 year old Premier Padmini, which they might never let go of, inspite of booking (and later canceling) a Fiat Uno back in the nineties, thinking of a Santro in 2003, and the Spark when it was launched.
It joined my stable, then consisting of the M800 and a 2009 Indigo LS (replaced by the Fiesta) this very day a year ago.

By the twist of fate, my grandpa doesn't drive anymore thanks to his health, so the car has been with me.He'll be back in action in due course of time when I shall return it to him or buy him another car.

Enough blah-blah now.
The car is a 1.2 Kappa i10 Magna MT, crystal white in color, and has clocked ~ 13,500km as of now.
The car has done 80% of its mileage on the highway, since we have our Fiesta TDCi ( 2 months younger) for office/college commute.
Buying:



Cost us 4 lakh at Trident Indiranagar. We got insurance and the ext. warranty were free from Hyundai (that was the running offer), a few accessories free with the car at the dealer.
Paid 4-lakh in cash at 9 AM, took the delivery at 7:30 PM the same day.
Had a bad experience with the Manager Harish the next day as he'd made frivulous mistakes in the Temp. Regn & Warranty documents.
We were not informed that the no on the red papers stuck on the car was not the temp. reg., but the dealers TC no.


Accessories:
Mats, flaps, car cover, remote locking fabric seat covers, and rear parking sensors (4) free with the car. (The last 2 were accommodated after a bit of bargaining)
I got 3M tints, gareware icecool for the Fr. windshield, the OE rear spoiler, and ICE at EVO Thumbs up to Mr Satya.
Window frames and rear number plate area covered with black Vinyl at Wasi's at Shivajinagar. (Mr Satya sent me there)
ICE:
Boston Comps and a Pioneer 4290 head unit. Pretty sufficient for us, and the quality is decent too.

Now about the car.
Exterior:

As usual, looks are supposed to be subjective, but I personally love it's looks.
Interior:


AWESOME. Airy, comfy and spacious for 4 people, with TOP NOTCH plastic quality. I prefer beige interiors, since they do not tend to catch visible dust as compared to the darker dash of our Fiesta and M800. The OE upholstery is delightful too.

Performance: Performance is very satisfying overall.

Amazingly zippy in the city, and leaves all the others behind when the signals turn green and when recovering from the sudden decrease in speed over speed breakers.
The perfect city hatch with its compact dimensions and the torque available.
Highway performance at 80-100 is pretty decent for a city hatch, and even at 120 the engine doesn't run out of breath. Push it a bit harder, and it will. In fact, we've pushed it to 150, and is pretty satisfactory at the speed, but we don't prefer pushing the car over 100-120, given the handling & structural integrity of the car.

Handling & Stability:

PERFECT in the city, and is satisfactory on the highway. Steering feedback could've been a shade better. The tires are really narrow, which makes the typical tallboy stability of the i10 at high speedsworse. But at least, overall Stability is better than my Santro's or Estilo's (relatives') and the WagonR's.
Ride:

Ride quality in the city is good, while on the highway, it is pretty average, and won't win any awards. On bad roads, the ride in the rear is on the bumpier side.
Kit:
For 400 k, powered windows all around, central locking, and a tachometer is what you get, and you can't really complain, but intermittent windshield wipers and rear headrests are sorely missing. I do not think these would've cost Hyundai 3-5k more anyway. I also wish it had a 3 point seatbelt for the rear middle passenger, but then, few cars below 10 lakh offer this feature.

Build Quality:
BQ is satisfactory, but not at par with the Fords & Tatas. This is the only thing that limits the i10 from becoming an all-rounder.

Reliability:
* * * * *
Not even a SINGLE major problem or niggling problem so far except for a small problem with the central locking system (went dead for one door, fixed in the 1st service) and windshield washer throw, which can be ignored.

After Sales service.
A.S.S is pretty average, and we aren't completely satisfied. But basic servicing is done to 90% perfection. We just got the 3rd (free) service done. 10000 km down the line, and we expect a bill of around 5-6k.

Fuel Efficiency:
I get 10-12 kmpl in Bangalore city. 14-15 kmpl under mixed conditions. I estimate the highway FE to be 16-17 kmpl.

Plans for the future:
We might replace it with a Jazz or Aria, but no signs of such plans in the near future.
And even if the plans do materialize, the i10 will stay.
I'm thinking of upgrading to 14" alloys & tyres, or fatter 13" tyres at least. Also thinking of adding rear speakers.

I sum up by saying that the i10 suits most of our needs. An excellent city car. a decent highway performer (with better tires). Cheap to own and buy. Just perfect.

Tell my what you think guys. Questions are welcome.

[charthom]

Originally Posted by Arkin evoisrevo

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I sum up by saying that the i10 suits most of our needs. An excellent city car. a decent highway performer (with better tires). Cheap to own and buy. Just perfect.

Tell my what you think guys. Questions are welcome.

Can't agree more,Mate.But not exactly cheap to buy.Have been driving an i10(1.2 Kappa Asta) for the last 3 years. Wanted to sell it off on acquiring an ANHC. Could not. Could not deny the sheer quality of the car- I withdrew my ad on T-BHP and apologised to the bidders.

With upgraded tyres(175/65 R14 Michelin XM1+ ) I am getting only 10 kpl average in the City and an overall of 15-16 City+highway,which is not great.
I found the brakes too sensitive. And the ride is bumpy on even marginally bad roads. Otherwise a delight of a car. Very stylish and powerful. The front passengers foot well is not wide enough-hence the front passenger will not be the most comfortable. Ditto for rear seats. For solo City drives-outstanding.

I have not faced any problem so far,except the brake sensitivity.

The Hyundai A.S.S. too has been good so far (have been dealing with them for 11 yrs now)