[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).

What you'll like:

• A well-rounded, fun-to-drive hatchback. This Hyundai will leave you grinning
• Fantastic turbo-petrol engine! Transforms the Grand i10 into a hot hatch
• Precise build & quality (including interiors) are among the segment best
• Economical diesel also available, as is a cheaper 1.2L n/a petrol
• Balanced road manners & easy-to-drive nature
• Features such as all-black interiors, projector headlamps, wireless phone charging etc.
• Hyundai's competent after-sales, fuss-free ownership experiences & (upto) 5-year standard warranty

What you won't:

• Merely 2-stars in the GNCAP crash tests (full discussion)
• Turbo-petrol carries a stiff 1 lakh ex-showroom premium over the 1.2L n/a petrol
• 175 mm economy-oriented MRF tyres give up easily. An upgrade to 185 / 195 rubber is mandatory
• Narrow width makes it a 4-seater. Some competitors offer more spacious cabins
• Low speed ride quality is firmer than what one expects in a Hyundai. Bad roads are felt
• Some misses (full size spare tyre, adjustable neck restraints, rear wash & wipe)
• Ordinary stereo. Hyundai’s ICE hasn’t kept up with the times (sound quality = 6/10)

The 2023 Facelift

• Link to report

Note: The Grand i10 Nios' almost-identical booted sibling - the Aura - has been fully reviewed by us here (Hyundai Aura : Official Review). Please check that review for an in-depth look at the car.

[Omkar]

Hyundai made a name for itself by making cars for the conservative crowd in India. Well built, easy to drive and hassle-free cars. However, among the recent releases, the Korean manufacturer is also tapping into the enthusiast crowd by adding a turbo-petrol engine variant to the line-up. Hyundai currently has two turbo-petrol engines in different states of tune - a 1.0-litre, 3-cylinder (Grandi10 Nios, Aura, Venue and Verna) and a 1.4-litre, 4-cylinder (Creta). Both these engines belong to the same Kappa II GDi family and adding these two engines has made Hyundai the brand with the most number of engines & gearboxes on sale in India (Related thread).



Coming to the car that you see here. It's the Grand i10 Nios with the 1.0-litre turbo-petrol engine that makes 99 BHP. And just by looking at the BHP rating, you know that this car belongs to the hot-hatch segment which has seen better days. The BS4 era had a bunch of turbo-petrol cars like the Maruti Suzuki Baleno RS (101 BHP), Tata Tiago JTP (112 BHP) and the Fiat Abarth Punto (145 BHP). But they are all dead. Now we have to start fresh with a new set of turbo-petrol engines. Earlier this year, we drove a BS6 hot hatch in the form of the Volkswagen Polo 1.0 TSI, and from an enthusiasts point of view, we were quite impressed with that 3-cylinder motor.

The Grand i10 Nios launched in August last year with 1.2L petrol and diesel engines. A 1.0L turbo-petrol was showcased at the Auto Expo 2020 and soon launched in February. IMO this 1.0L variant should have been introduced in August 2019 itself as that would have made up for the slightly lukewarm initial market response to the car.

In terms of design, the Nios' compact sedan counterpart, the Aura polarizes a lot of opinions. IMO there are too many contradicting design elements constricted together in the Aura. However, the Nios is definitely easier on the eyes in comparison. Especially in this dual-tone option, it looks well rounded off. Paint options are limited for this turbo-petrol variant, but you can have it in white, red and aqua teal body colours with a black roof for an additional Rs 5,300.

The Nios is offered in four variants - Era, Magna, Sportz and Asta. The turbo-petrol variant you see here is available in only one variant based on the Sportz trim. Since it isn't the top-end, it misses out on the engine push start button, adjustable rear headrests, rear wiper washer, cooling feature for the glovebox and chrome on the door handles + parking brake tip. So how does all of this translate into the price? To put it in simple words, the premium you will be paying for just this turbo-petrol engine is Rs 1 lakh. The top-end 1.2L petrol variant (Asta) is, in fact, cheaper than this 1.0 turbo-petrol variant by approximately Rs 50,000. Basically, you are solely paying for the engine. Our suggestion = go for it. It's a fantastic motor that far eclipses the 1.2L n/a engine.

Hyundai is offering a choice of 3 years / 1,00,000 km, 4 years / 50,000 km or 5 years / 40,000 km as the standard warranty packages. That's quite unique & very welcome! Extended warranty up to 5 years / 1,40,000 km can be purchased additionally. We strongly recommend this extension if your usage is high. Hyundai is further offering 3 Years Road Side Assistance with the Nios.

So what's it like on the outside?

As mentioned earlier, the design is more simplified than the Aura. The grille and the air dam at the bottom form a single unit with horizontal and vertical slats (instead of the honeycomb grille seen in the Aura):


A conventional-looking rear end. Something as simple as this should have been the inspiration for the Aura. You have a wide rear bumper which houses reflectors on each end and a faux diffuser at the bottom. Do note the missing rear wiper and washer!! Sad. Hyundai's measures to cut down on important features to save costs is just disappointing. You get such a high-tech engine, but no wipe & wash at the back?


The wheelbase is the same as the Aura at 2,450 mm, but the length is shorter at 3,805 mm:


Yes, it does remind you of the Grand i10 from some angles. However, the wheel arches and character lines are more prominent on this one:


Halogen projector headlamps shared with the Aura have a unique shape:


Smaller foglamp housings on the Nios look good:


A look at the 'Turbo' badging next to the boomerang-shaped bright LED DRL. Turbo-petrol makes this a properly fun-to-drive car!


Black ORVM housings have integrated turn indicators:


A look at the dual-tone black roof. IMO, a premium of Rs 5,300 for the black roof is very affordable and totally worth it:


15-inch alloy wheels have a different design from the Aura's, and these look better. You get 175/60 R15 tyres with these wheels. Interestingly, the non-turbo-petrol variants in the Sportz trim get 14-inch wheels while the same variants in Sportz trim with a dual-tone body colour get 15-inch wheels (why so much confusion Hyundai?):


Nice design detail on the C-pillar with this 'G-i10' badge:


Big & prominent 'Nios' badging on the tailgate. Do note how the rear parking camera sticks out. The placement is proper for the view it provides on the screen, but it should have been better integrated:


A look at the shark-fin antenna:


Emergency stop signal feature is standard across all variants:

So what's it like on the inside?

Purely from a design perspective, not much is different from the Aura. But instead of the dual-tone black and white theme, you have this all-black interior in the Nios turbo which is more in sync with the overall design of the car. You get red accents at various places that give this car a sporty feel. Overall, this is a nice-looking cabin with sorted ergonomics:


The leather wrap makes the steering good to hold. The bottom spoke gets this gunmetal black-like finish to go with the all-black theme (good attention to detail!):


Zooming in on the contrast red stitching of the leather wrap:


Same funky instrument cluster as the Aura. I like the checkered flag design on the tachometer:


You'll find this honeycomb pattern at various places in the car. Here, on the passenger side of the dashboard and...


...on the centre console below the gear lever:


These knurled knobs have a nice feel to them and the red accents look good too:


A look at the open storage space on the dash and the glovebox. This variant doesn't get the cooling feature in the glovebox though:


Front seats are draped in a combination of fabric and leatherette upholstery. They are good looking, wide and offer a fair deal of support. They have side bolsters, which give good lateral support. However, heavier folk will find these side bolsters digging into their backs. While under-thigh support is good, the back support could have been better. Takes a toll on your lower back over long drives. The actual backrest area is too t-h-i-n:


A look at the honeycomb design pattern on the seats:


This combination of leather and fabric does feel unique. It has a premium feel (to an extent) and you get the comfort of fabric as well. Check out the contrast red accents on the side bolster of the seat:


The 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system is sleek to operate and features Android Auto & Apple CarPlay:


Rear parking camera has a good display and gets static guidelines:


The rear bench gets a bit of a contoured seat base, but is flat overall. The seat is placed low and even medium-height occupants would find the under-thigh support lacking (shorter folk should be okay). The low seats ensure there is adequate headroom:


Since this is not the top-end variant, you miss out on adjustable rear headrests. These fixed ones aren't that bad in terms of comfort, but from a safety point of view, adjustable rear headrests prevent whiplash injuries in case your car gets rear-ended:


Rear A/C vents aren't that common in this segment:


Exposed defogger wires on both sides aren't a pleasant sight:


The boot is approximately the same size as a Maruti Swift's. No 60:40 folding here:

[Omkar]

Driving the 1.0L Turbo-Petrol MT

Turbo GDI engine gets a host of technical innovations. It's quite a compact motor and has its exhaust manifold integrated into the block. The 998cc turbo-petrol engine develops 99 BHP & 172 Nm. That's 19 BHP lesser than the Venue, but with the same torque. Assuming the hardware is the same, you will literally "fly" with a remap that gets you the Venue's 118 BHP:


The Grand i10 Nios turbo-petrol is powered by Hyundai’s in-house developed 998cc, 3-cylinder engine. It's called the Kappa 1.0 Turbo GDI and gets a direct-injection fueling system, electronic wastegate actuator, variable oil pump, oil spray jets for the pistons from the crank side and dual variable valve timing. The same is offered in the Aura. It is also used to power the Venue in a higher 118 BHP state of tune (note: Nios, Aura & Venue have the same 172 Nm torque though).

The 1.0L petrol produces a strong 99 BHP (@ 6,000 rpm) and 172 Nm (@ 1,500 - 4,000 rpm). Both - the power figure as well as the torque rating - put it ahead of most of its rivals, but shy of the recently launched Volkswagen Polo 1.0 TSI (109 BHP @ 5000-5500 rpm and 175 Nm @ 1750-4000 rpm). Sadly, the Nios doesn’t get the 1.0L & dual-clutch AT combination of the Venue. Instead, the lineup has the familiar 1.2L petrol with an AMT. Hyundai has lost out on a crucial advantage as it could have offered a smooth DCT versus Volkswagen’s Polo which recently received a 6-speed torque converter with its 1.0TSI (Related thread)! The Koreans are probably worried about the price point going too high for a hatchback and cannibalisation between its cars. Well, if you don't cannibalise yourself, someone else will gladly do it for you. Most importantly though, Hyundai now even has the iMT clutchless manual transmission option in the Venue which is being received very well by the audience. This iMT option on the Nios could be the trump card for Hyundai against Volkswagen. The Polo AT costs over 9.67 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi), while adding an iMT would add Rs. 15,000 - 20,000 to the cost of the Grand i10 Nios, still making it approximately Rs 1.7 lakh cheaper than the VW!

The Nios turbo-petrol has a kerb weight of 979 kg, while the Polo TSI weighs 93 kilos more. To put things into perspective, the power-to-weight ratio of the Nios is 101 BHP/Ton (Polo = 102 BHP/Ton) and the torque-to-weight ratio is 176Nm/Ton (Polo = 163Nm/Ton). As you might have guessed by now, there is more than enough performance available to keep drivers happy. This is a Hyundai that is fun to drive . We're happy to see this trend & hope to see more of it; even the Creta 1.4L turbo-petrol is surprisingly good on the highway (engine + handling, both).

To start the engine, you need to press the clutch and then turn the key to crank. At idle, it is decent for a triple cylinder, although enthusiasts like us will notice mild vibrations (there is mild cabin shake when cranking too). It’s not like other 4-cylinder Hyundais (e.g. i20) where you can’t even tell if the damn engine is running. On the move, the refinement is impressive! Not many will be able to tell that the engine is missing a cylinder.

The Grand i10 Nios moves off from a standstill in a clean manner. Despite the high power output from such a small turbo-petrol, driveability is satisfactory. In fact, the car clears the second gear speed breaker test. Some lag is there of course, yet it's minimal & well-controlled. Overall city behaviour is decent and the engine does the job as long as the rev counter is 1,000+ rpm (drop lower and you need to downshift). This turbo-petrol is pretty peppy and fast. Throttle response is not the sharpest, but it's fair. As you rev the engine, there is a nice tug from the turbo. Cross 2,000 rpm and the 1.0L engine comes into its powerband. Keep the motor on the boil and it will reward you with satisfying performance. That, clubbed with the small footprint + light steering, makes the Nios quite nimble on its feet.

On the open road, Hyundai’s turbo-petrol is simply fantastic! We loved high-revving this little 1.0. It’s fast, has a punchy mid-range and good refinement for a triple cylinder. The mid-range, in particular, is lots of fun. This engine should be your top choice if you're looking at the Grand i10 Nios. Keep the revvs high, work the gearbox and she transforms into a fast expressway cruiser. Trivia = 2nd gear is so tall that the Nios is a rare budget car that can hit ~108 km/h in 2nd gear itself! This also means that the 2nd gear is genuinely usable from 0 km/h right up to 108 km/h. The engine revvs till 6,600 rpm, which we found to be a little low for a petrol. This rev limit can sometimes catch you out in the middle of an overtaking manoeuvre. When cruising, the car sees 100 & 120 km/h at ~2,100 & ~2,500 rpm respectively. These are neat numbers for a small petrol. Highway driveability is good and you won't find the need to downshift often, although there is some lag in the higher gears. Thus, while passing slow-moving vehicles on undivided highways, it is better to downshift, use the mid-range and fly past them.

In stop-and-go traffic on steep hills, turbo-lag can sometimes catch you out. You'll need careful A-B-C pedal coordination in such conditions.

The gearbox is light, smooth & sure-slotting. Do note that the Grand i10 Nios has a 5-speed MT, and not 6 like the Venue. While the clutch is light, we found its travel range to be on the longer side for a small petrol hatchback.

Coming to NVH levels, the Nios does very well at slow speeds and around town - the cabin has excellent insulation. You shut the door / windows and exterior sounds are noticeably reduced. There’s almost no engine sound heard in the cabin if you're driving calmly. Even while cruising on the highway, the engine is silent enough. Upon revving, you can hear that familiar 3-cylinder thrum though. What we appreciated is that the engine actually sounds nice when revved hard. Enthusiasts will like it, but not regular folk as things get l-o-u-d above 5,500 rpm. At highway speeds, wind noise is minimal, but the cabin isn’t very silent due to road and tyre noise.

The Garrett turbocharger sits at the back:


Smooth & sweet 5-speed MT. The reverse is located up, to the extreme left:


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:

Ride & Handling

The Nios uses a McPherson strut suspension with coil springs at the front and a coupled torsion beam at the rear. Low-speed ride quality is compliant, with small bumps being absorbed well. However, it's not plush. There is a bit of a firm edge to the ride than what we expect in Hyundais. The tune is more mature than the usual soft suspension of Hyundai cars. Ride comfort overall is fine for a budget hatchback, but bad roads are felt and large potholes come in strong. There is a little more side-to-side swaying on broken roads too. Do note that lesser variants with their smaller wheels + taller tyre sidewalls will be cushier. On the other hand, because of the more mature suspension, high-speed ride quality is better than your typical Hyundai. The car feels quite comfortable on the expressway & the rear end doesn’t bounce about excessively either. On the highway, the Nios handles imperfect roads fairly well & tackles smaller potholes with ease.

Straight-line stability at 100 - 120 km/h is acceptable. She can cruise at triple-digit speeds without feeling nervous at all. In the area of handling, the Nios remains neutral, just as you'd expect of a family hatchback. There is some body roll, yet it's controlled since the suspension isn't too soft. However, the car's 175/60 MRF ZVTV tyres are too thin for the turbo-petrol (this flagship engine should have gotten 185 / 195 mm tyres). The car understeers easily if pushed, with the tyres giving up much earlier than the car does. Because of the thin tyre size & rubbish MRF ZVTV Ecotred budget rubber, getting the tyres to squeal is easy. BHPians should most definitely look at upsizing to 185 / 195 mm tyres from a superior brand; it's not a want, but a need.

The electric power steering is typical Hyundai - super light at parking speeds, light enough at city speeds & weighs up alright on the highway. Along with the compact footprint, the light steering makes the Nios an extremely easy car to drive in the city. Its turning radius of 4.7 meters is tight. Since the car is light, the turn-in is sharp and you can really chuck the Nios into corners. However, there’s nothing much to enjoy after that. The steering lacks feel or feedback of any kind, which takes some of the fun away. Overall though, this steering is far better than what we’re seeing in the newer Marutis.

The ground clearance is good enough to go over bumps with ease. However, we didn't load the car up with 4 passengers & luggage to verify. Team-BHP ownership reports will tell us the real-world story.

All variants of the Nios come with disc brakes at the front and drums at the rear, with ABS + EBD. The brakes perform well and have good stopping power. However, the pedal travel before the brakes bite is a little longer than you expect. It's not a problem, but takes 3 - 5 km to get used to.

[Omkar]

Other Points

• Apart from the 1.0L turbocharged petrol engine, the Grand i10 Nios is offered with a 1.2L naturally-aspirated petrol, a CNG version of the same and a 1.2L diesel. An Automated Manual Transmission is offered on the 1.2L petrol and 1.2L diesel.

• Apart from the Fiery Red colour of our review car, the Hyundai Grand i10 Nios is available in Polar White, Typhoon Silver, Titan Grey, Alpha Blue and Aqua Teal shades. The 1.0L turbo-petrol is available only in Polar White, Polar White with Black Roof, Fiery Red with Black Roof (our choice) and Aqua Teal body colours.

• The red highlights are exclusive to the 1.0L turbo-petrol.

• Very sad horn, Hyundai should have given the Grand i10 Nios a more powerful dual-tone unit.

• The "Nios" (like the Aura) is a departure from the 5-letter naming convention of the typical Hyundai line-up (Creta, Elite i20, Grand i10, Verna, Venue and Xcent). The Santro was an exception and so were international models like the Sonata or Tucson.

• First service visit is at 1,500 km / 2 months (just a checkup), second at 10,000 km / 12 months. Subsequent services after every 10,000 km / 12 months.

• Doors auto-lock at 15 km/h. All doors automatically "unlock" when the engine is switched off. As much as we're fans of auto-locking, we hate any kind of auto-unlocking. Our country is too crime-prone for that.

• Try to unlock the doors while driving and you'll face a lot of resistance. The locking knob fights back aggressively! Cool safety feature.

• On setting off without buckling up, the seatbelt warning light in the instrument cluster starts blinking. A warning chime accompanies it. Even if you stop, the light keeps blinking and the chime keeps playing. Despite such measures & more, 75% of drivers in India don't buckle up - related thread. Manufacturers are trying hard, yet the masses simply lack common sense !

• Even with the ignition off, you can electrically fold in / out the door mirrors. Thoughtful.

• The brochure can be viewed here - Grandi10 Nios.pdf

• Credit for some of the pictures goes to Hyundai & their team of photographers!

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to Official Reviews. Thanks for sharing, Omkar! Rating thread a full 5 stars.

Have driven the Aura 1.0 Turbo-Petrol on the highway & loved it . It's easily the most fun-to-drive petrol compact sedan in India (for diesel, its the Aspire 1.5L). Am sure the smaller Grand i10 Turbo is even better because of its smaller size. But unlike the Aspire, the Grand i10 Nios does have a worthy competitor = the insanely fun Polo 1.0 TSI. Happy to see Hyundai offering enthusiast oriented engines in India, and improving the road manners of their cars. In the recent past, I drove the fast Creta 1.4L Turbo on the highway and was pleasantly surprised at how sorted its high speed manners are!

Damn, who would have thought "Hyundai" and "fun to drive" would be used in the same sentence one day .

[SoumenD]

Excellent review. Rated 5*

Originally Posted by Omkar

Hyundai has lost out on a crucial advantage as it could have offered a smooth DCT versus Volkswagen’s Polo which recently received a 6-speed torque converter with its 1.0TSI (Related thread)!

I believe the DCT is intentionally given a skip to be made available in the i20. As that's the real competitor to VW POLO. Would be interesting to see how hyundai prices it. However Hyundai should make this available in the top trim that gets some of the essential features like rear wash-wipe which we can't fit aftermarket.

[sv97]

Great review! It's comprehensive as well as crisp at the same time.

Turbo-petrol doesn’t get the DCT or iMT Automatics seen in the Venue

Would like to point out that kindly do not label the iMT transmission as an automatic as it might confuse the visitors who visit the forum for advice as the iMT is not a proper automatic.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by SoumenD

I believe the DCT is intentionally given a skip to be made available in the i20.

If you don't cannibalise yourself, someone else will happily do it for you

As that's the real competitor to VW POLO

The Grand i10 Turbo & Polo TSI are pretty close in terms of pricing.

Originally Posted by sv97

Would like to point out that kindly do not label the iMT transmission as an automatic

Our mistake, thank you. Corrected.

[7000plusrpm]

Originally Posted by Omkar

What you'll like:
• Hyundai's competent after-sales, fuss-free ownership experiences & (upto) 5-year standard warranty

Mods, in light of this thread (Hyundai India - The occasional serious quality lapse and apathetic manufacturer response!), don't you think it's better to remove the above point from the +ve section or at least have a pointer to this thread for Hyundai cars.

[AYP]

I never thought that a Hyundai will be my pick in a segment. Yes, I would pick this car if I were in the market for a B-2 segment hatch(even over the Figo/Aspire diesel).

Though I would still choose the Polo TSi over this one.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

A Hyundai hatchback with 101bhp/ton and 'fun to drive' mentioned in the positives. How times have changed!

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. Glad to see the direct injection turbo petrols reviving some fun. Nios is a good option, but the timeless Polo TSi is a better bet for the price, or the Rapid Rider TSi - even better!

However, truly looking forward to the new i20 Turbo.

[Striker]

Fantastic review. Really like this new format of publishing quick fastrack initial feedback, followed by a detailed one later. Surely helps those who need to make an immediate purchase decision.

Having owned the first gen i10 for more than 10 years, I'm thrilled to see the current gen offerings with superior engine options and features. Offering the i10 turbo petrol combined with an iMT or even the DCT would have surely nailed it (if and when Kia launches a hatchback, i'm sure it would cover all bases).

The wait continues to see what the upcoming i20 has to offer, really hoping they bring the turbo petrol DCT or even the 1.5 Diesel AT.

[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...

[Dr.Naren]

Nice review!!

Even the first gen Grand I10 was not like the typical Hyundai and Nios should be even better.

Grand I10 Nios turbo is also the fastest hatch on sale in India. Yes it got slightly better numbers than Polo 1.0 TSI. Both autocar and overdrive got better timings on their V-Box. Tall gearing and lighter weight should have helped the Hyundai



https://www.autocarindia.com/car-rev...t-drive-418626

Any idea if the turbo is same in Nios and Venue? If it is same, I see a power bump to 140 HP easily with just a remap .

[xcentrk]

To the point review. Rated 5*.

It was great to see Hyundai is now the only company to have huge engine, gearbox combinations in both Petrol and Diesel.

TD the Aura Petrol and was completely blown away by the drive. It is like I am driving a completely different vehicle. The dynamics, ride, handling and everything is sorted out and now every time I take my Xcent out for spin, I revv it like how I did with Turbo one. Only downer for me was that I felt the vibrations of 3-cylinder since I am now used to that 4-cylinder silkiness.

I never had so much fun with such small Turbo petrol's before. TD'ed a few of them but nothing got me excited. Even though my Xcent did just 60k kms in 6 years and works without any issues, I feel like I should get the Turbo Petrol one, sooner or later. Maybe Verna? Or even Venue? I don't mind. I just want this Turbo Petrol. And that is how Hyundai progressed because I never thought FTD vehicles are not their forte and it belongs to Germans and Ford. But thing have been changing and I never in my dreams thought I will plan to buy newer Xcent(Aura) to replace my older Xcent!

Originally Posted by Dr.Naren

..

Any idea if the turbo is same in Nios and Venue? If it is same, I see a power bump to 140 HP easily with just a remap .

I think so. Because except lower bhp figures, other parameters remain same which should indicate that the Turbo may be same as Venue/Aura.