[sidindica]

With the polo TSI officially priced at 8.08 lakhs (without discounts) this ones a no brainer.

The polo's only flaws are
-Its Dated and has poor rear legspace
-Doesn't have projectors
-Dicey service and resale

But when its traits are bought into picture, being 0.15s slower isn't a big deal. Slap in better tyres on the i10 and it too will become slower. A car is not about having 0-100 only, its about overall value. The polo has good discounts and the OTR price paid makes it infinitely better value than the i10. You get 16" alloys, cruise control, rear wiper, all 4 adjustable head restraints, front centre armrest, better MID, better build/safety/paint quality, illuminated glove box, better suspension/steering and lots of aftermarket support, heck even in stock form its way more fun. Plus its a size bigger and in the long run will be more desirable too. And parts are now localised so maintenance upkeep should be in similar ballpark as the Hyundai.

The problem with the i10 is its neither here nor there, a mid variant which is poorly equipped and priced at 7.7-7.75 ex showroom, a class below and as a package it trails behind the Polo TSI.

Hyundai could have used this opportunity and launched a "N line" pack in the nios which looks different and drives differently, like the European model. But, this segment is more about relaxed driving and you have the 1.2 MT and AMT options available in i10.

What's the positioning of this car? Absolutely no idea, only time will tell.

Have driven both cars back to back and as a package the polo it is. The timeless looks and chuckability factor and better equipment list is too impossible to ignore.

[landcruiser123]

Great review, thanks for sharing. Hyundai needs to sell the 118BHP version with the DCT. In a market that is filled with AMTs to the brim, a refreshing change is welcome.

I'm going to ask the Kitna deti hai question - what is the ARAI rated FE?

[RSR]

Lovely review!

It's hard not to like this pocket rocket. The 1.0 Kappa Turbo-GDi is a masterstroke from Hyundai-Kia!

What I find a bit difficult to digest is the 1 lakh rupee premium over the 4-cylinder 1.2 Kappa NA. Remember, this is the 100 PS tune with a 5-speed MT as opposed to the 120 PS tune with a 6-speed MT on the larger cars like Venue, Sonet & upcoming i20.

Hyundai-Kia have a gem in the form of the 1.0 Kappa T-GDi and I'm glad they are democratising modern GDi turbos, but they should make it more affordable.

The 7-speed DCT would make this car very expensive, but the clever iMT should be a great addition. I hope they provide it soon, along with more variants.

[Reinhard]

Originally Posted by Omkar

The Hyundai Grand i10 Nios 1.0 Turbo Petrol is on sale in India at a price of Rs. 7.70 lakhs (ex-showroom).

A nice review. Thanks for this. Hyundai/KIA really are throwing the kitchen sink at all the car segments, aren't they? Quite an interesting & exciting package this.

Although the 3 cylinder induced vibrations & judders of open door panels are so similar to my Alto K10's behaviour at idle. Just not something we can ever associate with a Hyundai hatchback.

It would be interesting to see how the market responds to what is a sporty hatch but commands a good 1 lakh rupee premium over the commuter variant which idles smoother!

Hyundai uses tarot cards / magic 8 balls to decide trims for sure. I have no doubt now. A TGDI pocket-rocket car only in the Sportz trim and not in the top of the line trim & also missing an automatic. I have no other explanation for reasoning behind this. And these weird goof-ups in trim loading and feature spread have been fairly consistent in Hyundai line-up.

[alphahere]

Originally Posted by Omkar

Yikes!! No labelling on the fuel flap or cap indicating the car's diet. The fuel cap doesn't even get a string to keep it attached to the base. Please ensure that the fuel pump attendant fills the right fuel in your Grand i10 Nios; someone mistakenly putting diesel will destroy the high-tech turbo-petrol motor:

Petrols generally do not have a fuel badging and I think the possibility of mis-fuelling is almost non existent on a petrol car unlike with a diesel one. I mean to misfuel a petrol car one must be hell bent on doing it on purpose; no possibility of an unknowing mistake happening.

Hyundai is certainly not new to turbo petrols. My previous Elantra 1.6 T-GDI 7-DCT with the same red 'Turbo' badge that had over 200 horses from 2017 times

[GTO]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

The ubiquitous 1.2 NA petrol (to keep up with the sub-4m rule!) had truly capped the hatchback segment to 90ps low-torque options.

Excellent point and well said! 90 PS upper car indeed. I was a bit apprehensive about these small turbos, but after driving them, I am blown away.

Originally Posted by sidindica

With the polo TSI officially priced at 8.08 lakhs (without discounts) this ones a no brainer.

True, but only for enthusiasts. For someone who wants a fast hatchback, but not the Polo headaches (reliability, dealers, after-sales), it'll be the Hyundai that's the no-brainer. And that's not even bringing in the old design & cramped rear seat of the Polo. I can tell you this = I had F-U-N with the Aura Turbo on an early Saturday morning. There is no compromise in the pleasure department.

I'm just happy that both cars exist in the market, bringing some excitement to a boring commuter segment. Cars like these prove one doesn't need to spend lots of money to have fun. I am a big fan of cheap + fun.

Originally Posted by alphahere

Petrols generally do not have a fuel badging

They should change that with these high-tech direct-injection turbo-petrols. I recently filled up the Thar Petrol and by the time I stepped out, the attendant was already reaching for the diesel's filler .

[alphahere]

Originally Posted by GTO

They should change that with these high-tech direct-injection turbo-petrols. I recently filled up the Thar Petrol and by the time I stepped out, the attendant was already reaching for the diesel's filler .

Right. But that's about the max the attendant can do right? Reach for the filler nozzle and hold it. He won't be able to insert the diesel nozzle into the tank filler neck for a petrol car because the dimensions of the neck and the nozzle are made so. I don't suppose they'd be lame enough to pour the fuel from the air into the tank? But the reverse is possible. They can insert a petrol nozzle into a diesel car filler neck. That's where we would need to be careful to stop them.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by alphahere

Right. But that's about the max the attendant can do right? Reach for the filler nozzle and hold it. He won't be able to insert the diesel nozzle into the tank filler neck for a petrol car because the dimensions of the neck and the nozzle are made so. I don't suppose they'd be lame enough to pour the fuel from the air into the tank?

My parents had this experience straight out of the showroom with our Hyundai Xcent Automatic in 2014. The petrol bunk was adjacent to the dealership, the free coupon was provided by the dealership to this dealer so it was assumed they know these cars inside out - and also the new car excitement (first AT drive experience for father with it's resultant quirks) resulted in them not stepping out - and getting diesel filled in!

Same happened very recently with wife's best friend with her Seltos 1.4 TGDi. Both cases - no major damage. Stopped the car as soon as vibrations started. Fuel lines and injectors had to be cleaned and fresh petrol filled in.

Hyundai shouldn't have skipped this at all! A lot many drivers prefer not to step out of the car during a refill, especially in the current COVID scenario.

PS: Our car was from the initial lot - so no, the attendant couldn't have confused the car with an Xcent cab.

[AMG Power]

Originally Posted by Dr.Naren

Yes it got slightly better numbers than Polo 1.0 TSI.

The better timing for Hyundai is only for the 0-100 timing and upwards of 140kmph. For the 0-90 and 0-120 and 0-130 timings the Polo is faster.

At the 100 mark, there is a gear change which would have reduced the timing for the Polo.

Upwards of the 140kmph the Hyundai is better.

[IntoTheStorm]

I considered this one before going for Polo 1.0 TSI because ( my observations).

- Lacks big car feel and heavy build of VW
- Tyre size (195 in case of Polo)
- Missing key features/offerings (for me):
1. 6 speed MT
2. Telescopic steering
3. Auto dimming IRVM
4. Rear wipers
5. Cooled glove box
6. Adjustable rear headrests
7 15000 km service interval

- Not a big fan of digital speedo (prefer analogue dials).

- Ride and handling is good, but not as good as Veedub.

[gururajrv]

Just rewinding to a few years back - Hyundai was known for their weak petrol motors offered on their wide range of cars. It was uninviting to drive, to say the least as I’ve driven an i20 and i10 petrol. They felt extremely weak. Everyone kept saying they should refer to Maruti’s 4 pot motor that makes their cars fun to drive.

But now? Tables have turned and how?! Damn with a turbo mated to their engines on their i10! MSIL is busy introducing and scrapping good engines like RS & 1.6D whilst Hyundai has been efficiently scaling up their thoughts and offerings.

Maruti sure should learn from Hyundai. I have a strong feeling it’s going to be Hyundai -> Kia -> Tata -> MSIL / M&M that’s how this decade is going to be ruled!

Way to go Hyundai!

[turbowhistle]

WOW, Hyundai has surely come a long way with these engines. Previous gen i10/i20 kappa engines were seriously boring to drive unless you had a very heavy right foot and a deep pocket to foot those bills.

I love how the Hyundai did a Uno Reverse card move :lol and it should reward them for next 3-5 years. The only grouse I have with this car is those puny tyres. It begs to thicker rubber and that should improve the stance as well.

[BashfulKlutz]

Rated the review five stars!

I strongly prefer my cars being strong and fast, though I don't own one currently. This i10 Nios turbo-petrol seems to be a nice example of that.

What is also nice about the Hyundai 1.0 T-GDI motor is that on taking it to the redline, it growls melodiously, almost like a V6 (Faisal Khan's review of the Aura T-GDI embedded here, though one may have to listen to it carefully over his shouty talk).

https://youtu.be/5DRdMUE5EsA?t=1115

I really hope more such offerings will be launched here, while wondering what is taking Tata so long to launch the turbo-petrol Altroz, and wishing my grandfather would go for this to replace our aging Alto.

[arjab]

Originally Posted by dhanushs

Damn. Hyundai does seem to have some amazing tech up its sleeve. So glad to see they are focussing on enthusiasts.

I’d actually love it if they bring in THIS here...

HMIL was doing a feasibility study of launching "N" cars as halo models as well as bringing in the Genesis line with the Palisade. Don't know what's the latest update on that

[CARDEEP]

IMO the turbo petrol is a must for most newer cars as they simply lack on the initial torque. If the body shell is on heavier side (like my brother's 2014 i20), the performance can be dissatisfactory for few.

I drove the i20 last Sunday & realized the weight is culprit in (so called) dull performance of the premium hatch. I had always wished Hyundai adds turbo charger to it's hatchbacks (my brother thinks otherwise) which can make the proformance better for my style, as the Ford Aspire Diesel seems to have spoilt me.