[misquitas]

Many have asked me to justify my decision to opt for a petrol car (I10 1.2 Magna), when...

1. My budget was about Rs 5 lakh and diesel cars were available at around this price range.
2. My annual travel is about 15000 kms and the general trend is to opt for a diesel with this amount of driving.
3. The better fuel efficiency of a diesel car.
4. The higher cost of petrol viz-a-viz diesel.
4. My initial preference for a diesel car.

I have posted some of these points elsewhere in this forum, but for the benefit of those following this thread, here is the explanation.

I had a faced similar predicament here in Goa on whether to buy a diesel or a petrol car, before I worked out the following calculations:

My budget: About Rs 5 lakh
My options: Ritz LDI (about Rs 5.2 lakh) and I10 1.2 Magna (about Rs 4.4 lakh)

Difference: Rs 80,000

Cost of driving Ritz LDI:

Cost of diesel: About Rs 40 per litre
Ritz FE: 19 kmpl (approx)
Cost per km: Rs 2.1

Cost of driving I10:

Cost of petrol: About Rs 56
I10 FE: 16 kmpl (approx)
Cost per km: Rs 3.5

Benefits of driving Ritz LDI over I10: Rs 1.4 per km (Rs 14000 per 10,000 kms).

My approx. annual drive: 15000 kms. So benefit of driving Ritz LDI over I10 would be about Rs 21,000.

Now, if I were to put Rs 80,000 (price difference between Ritz LDI and I10) in a mutual fund / company fixed deposit, I would earn about Rs 8000 (10%) per year.

So, net benefit of driving Ritz LDI over I10 would be:

Rs 21,000 - Rs 8000 = Rs 13,000

Now, if I were to drive the Ritz for about 15,000 kms each year, I would take about Rs 6 years (Rs 13000x6 = Rs 78000) to break even.

In my opinion, the I10 seemed a better bet, as I would still stand to gain for the first 6 years. Even better is the fact that after 6 years I would still have the Rs 80,000 cash at my disposal, should I need to buy a new car at that time.

These figures are merely for the fuel costs for the car. I assume that maintenance costs of petrol and diesel cars and other factors are the same.

Pressing of a few buttons on the calculator had left me surprised. Mind you, I worked out only the fuel costs to move the car from Point A to Point B. Point is, I found out that even if...

...One's annual driving is about 15,000 kms
...The difference of fuel rates (between diesel and petrol) per litre is about Rs 16 (as of January 1, 2011)
...A diesel car gives you a fuel economy of about 3 kmpl more than a petrol car,

...one can still be smiling with a petrol car (in my case, the I10) for the first 5 years or so. The hefty Rs 80,000 that one pays upfront to buy a diesel car is generally the culprit to ensure the benefits of a petrol car during its prime time, which, in my case is about 5 years.

Then again, if you dig deeper, there are other little benefits in store. For instance, the road tax and insurance of a vehicle (the non-negotiable costs) is generally calculated as a percentage of the ex-showroom cost of the car. Hence, the insurance and road tax of a Ritz LDI (which is about Rs 80,000 extra) would always be higher (by about Rs 3000-Rs 5000) than the I10. There, some more savings for the petrol car owner.

[Live To Jive]

Originally Posted by misquitas

Another sales person at a Hyundai dealer was unaware of identifying a vehicle and period of manufacture on the basis of the VIN number. I happened to download the VIN identification chart of the I10 from a thread on this forum. When I succeeded in identifying the details of the I10 on the basis of the VIN, the sales person was impressed with this knowledge and quickly asked me if she could make a photocopy of the VIN identification chart for her reference.

Can I have it too. Please post a link to the chart.

[LithiumSunset]

Originally Posted by misquitas

Many have asked me to justify my decision to opt for a petrol car (I10 1.2 Magna), when...
...one can still be smiling with a petrol car (in my case, the I10) for the first 5 years or so. The hefty Rs 80,000 that one pays upfront to buy a diesel car is generally the culprit to ensure the benefits of a petrol car during its prime time, which, in my case is about 5 years.

Then again, if you dig deeper, there are other little benefits in store. For instance, the road tax and insurance of a vehicle (the non-negotiable costs) is generally calculated as a percentage of the ex-showroom cost of the car. Hence, the insurance and road tax of a Ritz LDI (which is about Rs 80,000 extra) would always be higher (by about Rs 3000-Rs 5000) than the I10. There, some more savings for the petrol car owner.

You are absolutely bang on with these calculations. It gets even better when you compound that 10% interest on 80k over the ownership period.

Its only with CNG where the additional outflow for the kit becomes justified and it starts to pay you back within a year.. (http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...ml#post2192024)

[Live To Jive]

Originally Posted by LithiumSunset

Its only with CNG where the additional outflow for the kit becomes justified and it starts to pay you back within a year..

Unfortunately this option is not available to a majority of us. There don't seem to be any plans to set up CNG filling stations in the rest of India.

[LithiumSunset]

Originally Posted by Live To Jive

Unfortunately this option is not available to a majority of us. There don't seem to be any plans to set up CNG filling stations in the rest of India.

You are right LtJ, I forgot to add that this is an option only for those areas where CNG is available. Although I understand that there would be more regions that will see the availability of CNG in the coming years.

So till such time, the Petrol vs. Diesel debate is simple to decode if you look at the total cost of ownership and not just the running cost on fuel, which many people do.

For some the fun element of the Diesel Drive is more important than their wallet, these people are indeed lucky..

[misquitas]

Originally Posted by Live To Jive

Can I have it too. Please post a link to the chart.

Check out the following link:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...ml#post1862738

In case you want to print the details in an A4 page, download the file at:

Hyundai i10 VIN Explained.doc

Originally Posted by LithiumSunset

You are right LtJ, I forgot to add that this is an option only for those areas where CNG is available. Although I understand that there would be more regions that will see the availability of CNG in the coming years.

So till such time, the Petrol vs. Diesel debate is simple to decode if you look at the total cost of ownership and not just the running cost on fuel, which many people do.

For some the fun element of the Diesel Drive is more important than their wallet, these people are indeed lucky..

It is true that many may prefer the 'diesel' feel, but till such time as diesel cars are about Rs 80,000-Rs1,00,000 more than their petrol counterparts, I know which variant I would opt for.

[misquitas]

I wish all our team-bhp members a Happy New Year 2011. This day was made special by the fact that we just completed 1000 kms on our I10. The numbers 1 and 0 seem to have played an interesting role in this little milestone.

On 01-01-11, the 19th (1+9=10) day when we took delivery of our car and the 10th day after our 10th anniversary, we completed 1000 kms on our i10.

I shall piece some of my experiences on the I10 shortly. I should be giving the car for its first service next week.

[misquitas]

Our I10 completed 1000 kms on 1/1/11 and we have enjoyed the drive so far. Here are some of our experiences (which are largely in comparison with our Alto) of the I10.

1. The three-spoke steering wheel is quite nice to hold (see below picture) and I have had no problem steering the car so far. What I have noticed is a little "hump" on the lower spoke. I like this and wish it had been present on the two other spokes as well as it makes it easy for a thumb to press the horn.


The nice little "hump" on the lower spoke of the steering. I wish it had been present on all spokes.

2. While the dark brown dashboard has minimised the reflection on the windscreen as opposed to the previous beige dashboard, a "U" shaped reflection of the instrument cluster is quite visible on the windscreen and can be a minor annoyance during a bright day. I plan to buy a dashboard cover to eliminate the 'U' reflection.

3. I was initially disheartened when I realised that there is no boot release lever below the driver's seat. I was prepared accept the fact that I would have to pull the key out of the car and go behind to manually lock/unlock the boot door, a procedure similar to my Alto LXI. Then one fine day I realised that when the 4 doors were locked the boot door would get locked as well and when the four doors were open, the boot door would unlock as well. I then learned that the central locking system works for the 4 doors and boot door as well. In other words, if the driver locks/unlocks his door, the boot door gets locked/unlocked as well. I really enjoy this feature as it has made it so much easier to lock/unlock all doors & the boot door by merely locking/unlocking the driver's door. I'm not sure if other hatches (apart from Alto) have this feature. If they do, it is a great convenience indeed.

4. The Gear shift indicator is a useful feature and I am loving it. The 'gear shift indicator' (Hyundai, what an idea, Sirji) is a god-sent for the light-footed drivers like myself to extract maximum mileage out of the I10. But I'm not sure how effective it would be for the performance-oriented drivers.

I would have, instead, preferred if the gear shift indicator would have been permanently displayed on the LCD. In the present system, the gear number temporarily appears on the LCD only when a 'wrong' gear is in operation and it tells you which gear to change to. A permanent gear shift indicator on the LCD would have...

a. Continuously displayed the present gear in operation and this would have helped newer drivers to know which gear they are in, without having to actually look down on the gear stick. In case the 'wrong' gear is in operation, the arrow up or down could then have appeared on the LCD to indicate the need to shift to the 'correct' gear.

b. Eliminated the 'blank' space on the LCD when the correct gear is in operation.

I feel that this blank space (when the 'correct' gear is deployed) on the LCD is being wasted to some extent. It could also have been put to use to display other useful data (such as clock, temperature, approximate fuel economy, etc.)

5. There is an unusual gap near the quarter glass on the rear windows. While all door frames are flush on line with the body of the car, I find it unusual that there is a gap near the quarter glass on the rear window. The photo that I have clicked would explain this more accurately. This gap looks a bit odd and I find it odd that Hyundai preferred to have that gap, instead of bringing it flush in line with the body, like the other door frames.


An unusual gap near the quarter glass on the rear windows.

6. The defogging option on the windscreen works like a gem on the I10. On my Alto and brother-in-law's Ritz LDI, the defrost feature was simply ineffective to clear the mist inside of the windscreen. Following the user manual, I turn the thermostat to the hottest position, switch the lever to allow outside air intake, and switch the blower position to the extreme right position (the windscreen vents only). With a few seconds, the mist inside the windscreen vanishes away.

7. The gears have been quite nice and I have had no problem slotting into different gears. The position of the gear stick is also nice and I don't end up brushing against the passenger next to the driver's seat, like it happens on our Alto.

8. I have figured out a way to keep the clock on standby mode on my JBL 333 head unit. Readers of my previous post will be aware that the JBL 333 does not have a feature to permanent display the clock. Given the fact that the I10 1.2 Magna does not have a clock on board, I was initially forced to put on the head unit and press the 'display' button each time I wanted to see the clock (displayed for 5 seconds).

As s shortcut, I now activate the AUX position on the JBL HU before shutting down the car. Once the car is started the next time, the 'AUX' option automatically comes on and remains continuously on the LCD (unless of course, I want to listen to the Radio or music from the SD card/Pen drive). This then makes it easier to simply press the display button each time I want to check the time.

8. Besides the glove compartment, I would have preferred some more cubby holes on the dashboard of the I10. At present, the only slots to keep the odd objects (mobile phone, etc.) are below the AC rotary switches and in the slot below the JBL head unit. If I had the Sportz or Asta variants, the integrated music play would have eliminated the two slots for the aftermarket head unit.

9. I initially preferred the manual window winding knobs on our Alto. But the 4 powered windows on the I10 has made it convenient for the driver and passengers to regulate the windows. The window 'lock' switch on the driver's door is a major plus feature as it prevents our 3-yr-old daughter from independently activating the window near her door.

10. The day/night mirror is also a very useful fitment on the I10 and I simply cannot understand why Maruti chose to omit it on the Ritz.

11. I would have preferred if the I10 had a wider opening (like the one on the Alto) to insert the petrol pump pipe. A wider opening would have enable a more accurate brim-to-brim filling of fuel from any pump to check the Fuel Efficiency (FE). With a narrow opening on the I10, it makes it slightly difficult to see and ensure brim-to-brim filling of fuel and I am forced to rely on the auto-cut off system of the fuel dispenser. I however feel that different pumps may may different auto cut-off points, which may mess up with my FE calculations. Hence, I now plan to fill fuel only at one dispenser at a petrol pump near my house, whenever I want to check the FE.

I will record some more observations as and when the opportunity arises. I plan to undertake our I10's first free service next week. More details to follow.

Thanks,
Melvyn

[DRIV3R]

Originally Posted by misquitas

3. I was initially disheartened when I realised that there is no boot release lever below the driver's seat. I was prepared accept the fact that I would have to pull the key out of the car and go behind to manually lock/unlock the boot door, a procedure similar to my Alto LXI. Then one fine day I realised that when the 4 doors were locked the boot door would get locked as well and when the four doors were open, the boot door would unlock as well. I then learned that the central locking system works for the 4 doors and boot door as well. In other words, if the driver locks/unlocks his door, the boot door gets locked/unlocked as well. I really enjoy this feature as it has made it so much easier to lock/unlock all doors & the boot door by merely locking/unlocking the driver's door. I'm not sure if other hatches (apart from Alto) have this feature. If they do, it is a great convenience indeed.

This is how most central locking systems work.

6. The defogging option on the windscreen works like a gem on the I10. On my Alto and brother-in-law's Ritz LDI, the defrost feature was simply ineffective to clear the mist inside of the windscreen. Following the user manual, I turn the thermostat to the hottest position, switch the lever to allow outside air intake, and switch the blower position to the extreme right position (the windscreen vents only). With a few seconds, the mist inside the windscreen vanishes away.

AFAIK, it should be with the coldest position on the thermostat. With the AC on.

10. The day/night mirror is also a very useful fitment on the I10 and I simply cannot understand why Maruti chose to omit it on the Ritz.

Ritz has it. Anti glare IRVM.

[misquitas]

Originally Posted by DRIV3R

This is how most central locking systems work.


AFAIK, it should be with the coldest position on the thermostat. With the AC on.


Ritz has it. Anti glare IRVM.

Thanks, DRIV3R, for your comments. I too used to put on the AC with the coldest position on the thermostat on my Alto LXI, until I read the I10 manual suggesting the hot air blower option. In both cases, it has been effective. The only advantage with the hot air option is that I do not need to unnecessarily put on the AC.

Regarding the D/N mirror, the 'Anti glare IRVM' on my brother-in-law's Ritz LDI is hardly effective to ward off the power lights reflected from the rear internal rear view mirror. Somehow, I prefer the I10's D/N mirror which features a little switch to tilt the angle of the mirror (when needed) to deflect the lights reflected from the rear internal rear view mirror.

[kevinephraim]

Originally Posted by misquitas

2. While the dark brown dashboard has minimised the reflection on the windscreen as opposed to the previous beige dashboard, a "U" shaped reflection of the instrument cluster is quite visible on the windscreen and can be a minor annoyance during a bright day. I plan to buy a dashboard cover to eliminate the 'U' reflection.

Hi Melvyn,
I own a 2009 kappa 1 i10 and i have the same problem (sun glare reflecting of the beige dashboard). What is this dashboard cover that you intend to buy and use. Do post some pics of the same when you do. I do not know if i can get it in Pune.
Thanks,
Kev

[puneet8796]

Originally Posted by kevinephraim

Hi Melvyn,
I own a 2009 kappa 1 i10 and i have the same problem (sun glare reflecting of the beige dashboard). What is this dashboard cover that you intend to buy and use. Do post some pics of the same when you do.

Same here. Please let me know the dashboard cover which you intend to put.
I tried finding one here in Bangalore without success.

[misquitas]

Originally Posted by kevinephraim

Hi Melvyn,
I own a 2009 kappa 1 i10 and i have the same problem (sun glare reflecting of the beige dashboard). What is this dashboard cover that you intend to buy and use. Do post some pics of the same when you do. I do not know if i can get it in Pune.
Thanks,
Kev

Originally Posted by puneet8796

Same here. Please let me know the dashboard cover which you intend to put. I tried finding one here in Bangalore without success.

These dashboard covers are pretty common here in Goa and cost about Rs 600. In Belgaum, they may be even cheaper. I may be making a trip to Belgaum in January-end and will get more details about these dashboard covers.

[kevinephraim]

Originally Posted by misquitas

These dashboard covers are pretty common here in Goa and cost about Rs 600. In Belgaum, they may be even cheaper. I may be making a trip to Belgaum in January-end and will get more details about these dashboard covers.

@ Melvyn
Where in Goa are they available? Can you put up a picture for us to see? I have a few friends in Goa, maybe they could buy one for me and send it over. Else i had planned to get a piece of dark rexine cut to size and pasted on the dashboard.
Kevin

[revved_up]

Hello Melvyn..!

Very nice review, this is by far one of the best intial car ownership reveiws that I have read.

I have also bought a i10 magna this (last) december, I really liked your idea of changing the wiper lever for getting the intermitent option. I might be doing the same.

Also, I am very impressed with the drivability of this car. I drive a Swift VDi and this car is my wife's car, i was very much impressed with the pulling power of this car and the low end torque which comes very handy in city driving. Apart from that my car returned a FE of 20.3X km/ltr on the first tankful (within the first 1000 kms.) which I feel is really nice. Although most of my drive was on highway and I was constantly driving with a light foot and always putting the car in the gear which the "gear change Indicator" suggested and also ensured the top speed never exceeded 80 Km/Hr.


I saw that you have not installed fog lamps right now, but are they available? I checked with 2 dealers in delhi and also one dealer in chandigarh. As per them fog lamps for the new i10 have still not come. Leave the fog lamps, in Delhi the i10 cars are being delivered with some aftermarket mud flaps.. which look very bad IMO.
Thankfully my car is bought from chandigarh and the dealer happened to have the orignal mudflaps, the same ones that you car has. Believe me, till date i have not seen even a single i10 next gen with orignal mud flaps. I feel so lucky

I have also upgraded the tyres to Michelin XM1+ 174/70/R13 and alloys, and the above FE figures are with the new tyres. I was sure that there will be no drop in FE figures after the fatter tyres.. since I have been using Michelin tyres in my Swift and am very happy with them.

Would really appreciate if you could let me know about the fog lamps, because I feel the front of the car looks very incomplete without them.

Thanks in advance and happy driving!

Edit:
Just wanted to share some pics of my car, since i never got the time to put an exhaustive review like yours. Sorry for hijacking your thread.

At the time of deciding alloys(2 differents alloys):


After the alloys and new tyres