[ulhas.ahirrao]

Buying an i-10 was a completely emotional decision. I bought it before any of the new hatches (read – beat, Polo, Figo) were launched; only the odd ball Ritz was there. When I went about buying my first car, I had decided that I won’t touch TATA & Fiat (Because of A$$, no offence PURELY a personal decision). So Indica, Punto were out. It left me with Hyundai & Maruti. Swift was too expensive, Ritz though an excellent car spoiled the mood with its back (though I love the car, it drives so well). Finally I settled on i-10. I liked it the first time I looked inside, stunning! I took a TD but it was just naam ke vaste!
So I bought an oyster gray i-10 Sportz, more a decision from the heart than the brains!

After 6000 km, it's a mix bag, a few things I love about i-10-
- Interior looks great and rich
- Leg space is decent
- Gear shift is superb, very smooth
- Steering is very light (I don’t know if the so called steering feedback is poor, never mattered - may be because I am a novice learned driving with the i-10!)
- Noise & Vibration levels are quiet low
- Good FE, I am getting consistently 17-19 in mix driving (city + highway, hardly any AC)
- No expense yet, except Rs. 890 on engine oil @ second service

Few days before I drove my brother-in-law’s Ritz Diesel and I really loved it. I must confess I regretted not buying a Ritz. It is good at precisely what I find lacking in the i-10

- The ride in i-10 is bumpy for sure, specially back seat
- The car feels unstable on corners at high speed, a bit of wobbling on highways (may be up-stocking the tyres will take care of it)
- Braking is not really all that effective
- The windshield reflection, boy It took a lot of time for me to get used to it

As I am using it I can feel the difference in the way it was handling before (when it was new) & now

- Initially it used to pull really well at low RPMs/speeds – higher gears, but now it starts shaking
- Engine noise is also more (a lot more)

Is it because the run-in is over? Or because of the Servo engine oil, I should have put Magnatec? (Actually I don’t know why, maybe the experts can shed some light). Though some sour point, I like this cute little car! After-all life is all about "kuch khatta kuch mitha", isn’t it? Here are some snaps

[MutantX]

Hi Ulhas, Nice little writeup. Sure i10 is a wonderful car. Nice color too. I too just got my i10, 3 weeks back and it has been a wonderful car. I plan to upsize the stock tyres to 185 60 R14 with lenso/momo alloys. All the best with your littleone.

[ulhas.ahirrao]

Originally Posted by MutantX

Hi Ulhas, Nice little writeup. Sure i10 is a wonderful car. Nice color too. I too just got my i10, 3 weeks back and it has been a wonderful car. I plan to upsize the stock tyres to 185 60 R14 with lenso/momo alloys. All the best with your littleone.

Thanks, yes I think I will also up-size the tyres. But how much do you think the FE will drop? Kind of worried about that.

[MutantX]

go for michelin 185/60 R14 which is almost closest to the stock. There would be almost no/very little drop in FE. I was told my the dealer that there would be a gain of 1-2 km/l with the XM1+ 185/60.

[ulhas.ahirrao]

Hey guys,

Just completed one year of my i-10 sportz @ 10,000 km. Here is my take on the i-10 after one year of ownership.

The car:

The car is still growing strong. Honestly I really learned and started driving with my i-10. So I drove many similar cars like Ritz, A-Star, WagonR, just to compare i-10's drive to others. And I must say, I love how i-10 drives.

The 1.2 Kappa engine pulls really well (specially in 3rd gear), is peppy. On top of that the mileage is great (its like eating the cake and having it too). I consistently get 18-19 kmpl. This is indeed great as I am a little spirited driver, and do 100-120 kmph on an open road.

All the pluses in my last post still hold true. Gearbox is still buttery smooth. There is no rattling whatsoever (yeah not even the steering column rattle, Hyundai took care of it). There has been no unwanted incidence except battery getting discharged because of the cabin light, which I left on throughout the night. Otherwise not a single dizzy moment or anxiety. I just turn the ignition key on, car comes to life and I drive.

I have taken it out on some long drives, in and around Maharashtra. Some of them had real bad roads. But no suspension noise, no complaints whatsoever.

The service:

Completed all 3 free services. Garve Huyndai in Pune is great at service. No worries except that they almost forced me to put Servo, when I wanted to put Castrol (raising warranty concerns). No expenditure other than the routine service (Oil + Oil filter) was incurred in the last one year. Now lets see how it goes for paid service.

Conclusion:

For me 'peace of mind' is the most important buying criteria to buy a car. And I am completely satisfied with i-10 and Hyundai. I have almost made up mind of sticking to Hyundai for all my life, will just upgrade the car!

Mods: please add 'Now completed 1 year, 10,000 km' in the title

[shridhar.s.i]

Congrats,
Neat writeup..
Hey have you faced any issues with your Electronic Power Steering because i am hearing some bad comments on them,
I personally love this car as 3 of my family members have it
Add some more pics and also let us know about any long runs you have done so far
Finally, Yes do upsize the tyres but i personally beleive you must also think of going for Alloys (They work better when implemented as a group)..Experts can correct me here
Enjoy the ride

[ulhas.ahirrao]

Originally Posted by shridhar.s.i

Congrats,
Neat writeup..
Hey have you faced any issues with your Electronic Power Steering because i am hearing some bad comments on them,
I personally love this car as 3 of my family members have it
Add some more pics and also let us know about any long runs you have done so far
Finally, Yes do upsize the tyres but i personally beleive you must also think of going for Alloys (They work better when implemented as a group)..Experts can correct me here
Enjoy the ride

Thanks Shridhar, no issues with EPS, except that it remains light even at high speeds.

Yes am soon planning to upsize with alloys. Anyways thanks!

[nandans2005]

Good FE, I am getting consistently 17-19 in mix driving

Couple of friends out here have been complaining about the economy. They are just getting ONLY 10KMPL, not an MM more than this. Ofcourse, they use the A.C always. But will the economy drop so much?

Engine noise is also more (a lot more)

I feel you need to do a comparative study on this. You need to pay more attention and get to the bottom of it.

[ulhas.ahirrao]

Here is the 1st Anniversary pic of my ride!

[Live To Jive]

I plan to upsize the stock tyres to 185 60 R14 with lenso/momo alloys. [/quote]

But your signature says

[COLOR=#777777]i10 Sportz - Euro IV | Stock upgrade Stage 1 - 185 60 R14 Yokohama + OE alloys - Completed | Stage II - Performance Mod - YTS |[/COLOR]

What alloys are you running? BTW what is YTS?