[Sunrise]

Great to see the hottest hatch from Hyundai reviewed. Strangely that the sales charts have not seen a big change since this launched, i would have expected sales to jump up a little( or did they?)
Another thing- the previous version had a bouncy rear ride, is that still an issue? Even though Hyundai claims mileage figures as high as 14( from owners) i have seen rarely anyone report more than 12-13 in city drive, which is a little let down(including me)
Hope that is settled in the newer launch with the VTVT engine.

[arvi86]

Absolutely fantastic review and great photos there Stratos! This took a very long time coming, the first official Team-BHP Hyundai review. I completely agree with every single point in the review. The i10 is one of the best hatchbacks for an average Indian buyer.

On a different note, I happened to drive the i10 Blue recently, the environment-friendly variant of the i10, which went on sale in UK and other select European markets recently. The 3 cyliner 998cc Kappa engine comes equipped with features like stop-start system, alternator management system, low rolling resistance tires (which is nothing but the same under-specced tires that we get in India), gearshift indicator and an electric power steering.

The full story is given here in my blog - ANYTHING ON WHEELS: Driven #4: Hyundai i10 Blue. Kindly excuse me as its just my driving experience penned down there and nothing detailed or exceptional like the reviews here. Team-BHP rocks.

I just want to restress the fact that i10 Blue would be an excellent car in our crowded cities and the fuel consumption and emissions would be conisderably reduced, but the big question is - Are we Indians ready to pay some extra money to create less damage to our environment? Because, in UK, Italy and other markets, the i10 Blue is more expensive than the 1.2L Kappa variants with similar equipment levels. At those price levels, the i10 Blue would venture deep into our midsize sedan segment, so the chances of succeeding is very less.

[motortechie]

@Stratos : Excellent review . The i10 is surely a good hatchback for the city. A true all-rounder . I just however would like to ask if you had faced the strange phenomenon of the RPM rising when the clutch is pressed at low speed as reported in this thread ? http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...ed-normal.html

@Mods: I am aware that there is a separate thread on this. However i thought it would be relevant to ask the query here as Stratos has just completed an official Test Drive & Review.

[Stratos]

Originally Posted by motortechie

I just however would like to ask if you had faced the strange phenomenon of the RPM rising when the clutch is pressed at low speed?

Nope. We did not encounter any such thing. I do remember checking that particularly, since the RPM shot if I pressed the brake pedal while the car was standstill. Later figured it out to be my big shoe touching the accelerator pedal slightly as both pedals are closely placed.

[rohan_iitr]

A very balanced and unbiased review !

Did you get a chance to drive the i10 with irde2 engine ? We would love to hear about the driveability of the irde2 also.

Is this really the first official Team-BHP review of a Hyundai car ?

Rohan

[dipen]

Our test car - the top end i10 - is on the pricier side. While there is barely a Rs.10,000 difference between the 1.2 Asta and the Swift Zxi on paper, the Maruti is equipped with climate control & alloy wheels, which the Hyundai lacks.

Originally Posted by sidindica

Now all the virtues make the i10 a strong seller and approx 15-16,000 cars are sold every month, despite the controversial price band.

The i10 is a much newer model compared to the Swift. The swift is not much of a hit with ladies (view issues, hard gearshift, easy of drive). Plus the I10 has had a consistent discount of close to 30k on most 1.2 models which explains the actual price difference, while the Swift has just started offering discounts on the petrol models.

And I also hear about average AC and steering noise on the i10s, none of which has plagued my santro.
Will Hyundai do something about it ASAP?

As far as I have noticed the older i10 for sure seems to do its job very well with respect to AC.

[misquitas]

Excellent review, Stratos, and awesome photos. A review of the I10 was long, long, overdue, but its better late and never. I had hoped for such a review when I was planning to buy a car in December 2010, but the very useful posts of I10 owners and our test drives of various cars in the segment eventually tilted our impression towards the I10.

Thanks, also for making a mention of my post (retrofitting a luggage lamp on the I10 Magna) of the I10. For the benefit of other I10 (face-lift) owners, variants from the Magna and below (Era and D-Lite) do not have an intermittent wiping facility (for some strange reason). But there is an easy way out: Simply remove the wiper switch lever and replace it with the one fitted on the Sportz.

As far as I am concerned, while the I10 may appear "expensive" to many, I find the I10 1.2 Magna variant real value for money for the Rs 4.5 L budget as it has all the right frills and fitments (4 power windows, tachometer, electric rear view mirrors, etc). Plus, you can officially custom-install some features of the Sportz/Asta on the Magna as well at a fraction of the cost, like what I did on my Magna.

While you have covered all points of the I10, I think you may have missed one vital factor -- Fuel Efficiency (or did I miss it somewhere in the review?)

Contrary to most claims that the I10 suffers from poor FE, I'm glad to record good FE figures on my I10 under "real-life driving conditions" in Goa. I have done three FE tests (auto cut-off) so far and my FE has been 18.7 kmpl, 18.4 kmpl and 17.4 kmpl. As far as my detailed experience of my second FE, read it here at:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...ml#post2221720

The same thread also captures my experiences of the I10.

Melvyn Misquita

NOTE TO MODERATORS: Just a suggestion, but I think it would be nice to know just how you all conduct a road test of each car, so that we amateurs can understand and appreciate the background of the road test in a better way. For example, a short paragraph or 'rider' (either at the beginning or end of the review) on...

* Distance - how many kms you covered during your road test.
* Time - how many days it took you to conduct the road test.
* Place - which places you covered during the road test.
* Type/condition of vehicle at your disposal during the road test.

Such inputs and other relevant background comments regarding the road test would definitely be welcome. But this is only my suggestion. Continue with the great work on team-bhp.com.

[wildon]

Originally Posted by nagarjun

Wildon, I am not sure if there is a boot release switch in i20. Atleast I haven't noticed it in my Asta. There is only a fuel lid opener. If its really there, then I must stupid in not noticing it in my 15months of ownership.

that's correct its fuel lid opener,
@Mods please do correct it.

[narayan]

The facelifted I10 is indeed a looker except for a few design bits in the bumper area which is not to my taste.

This PLUS the VTVT engine PLUS the other feature enhancements variant to variant makes this i10 a very good bargain in comparison to the pre-facelifted model. ( thanks to competition )

[samabhi]

Originally Posted by dipen

As far as I have noticed the older i10 for sure seems to do its job very well with respect to AC.

I feel that the AC even with the older 1.2 i10 has the same problem. It just doesnt get cooler and all I can say is, its only sufficient to make you feel normal, but definitely not chilling. Blower at 3 is the minimum and I often put it at 4. All this with the sun film on all the windows, excpet on the front shield.


About the RPM rise, I noticed it in mine too and I even see with the AC on the RPM tip moves ahead and when I turn off AC, it comes down.

[aniketi]

i10 is a good car, no doubt about that. But some how in looks department it lacks. Its not a eye catcher for sure. Doesn't look very sporty or elegant like Swift.

If we compare top end of i10 & Swift, price different is not much. Swift has best engine in K12. Also Swift has 2 main features which i10 dont have as mentioned in the review, that are ACC and Alloy wheels. Swift looks are much better, sportier than i10. Then isn't Swift a better buy over i10? IMO it is.

[misquitas]

Originally Posted by samabhi

I feel that the AC even with the older 1.2 i10 has the same problem. It just doesnt get cooler and all I can say is, its only sufficient to make you feel normal, but definitely not chilling. Blower at 3 is the minimum and I often put it at 4. All this with the sun film on all the windows, excpet on the front shield.

About the RPM rise, I noticed it in mine too and I even see with the AC on the RPM tip moves ahead and when I turn off AC, it comes down.

I find the AC quite effective on my I10, at least much better in comparison to my Alto, a friend's Wagon R and my brother-in-law's Ritz. For certain, I don't expect my I10 to be an ice box and I'm more than happy to have the blower on 1-2 when the AC is on. And yes, I have put sun film on my I10.

Originally Posted by aniketi

i10 is a good car, no doubt about that. But some how in looks department it lacks. Its not a eye catcher for sure. Doesn't look very sporty or elegant like Swift.

Aniketi, looks are always subjective and each person has a different notion of a "good-looking" car. More important than just a "Good-looking" car, it should be a "Good" car, which it is, by most parameters. Nearly all tall-bodied hatches would never win beauty contests and they were never meant to be "eye-catchers". Tall bodied cars are meant to be as roomy as possible with easy ingress and egress. Most people who buy tall hatches don't always buy them for their looks, but for their practical/functional aspects -- easy ingress and egress, better driver's view of the road, taller sitting position -- something that "shorter" cars may not have.

My wife, many of my friends and I think that the Swift is no "eye-catcher" anyway, so much so that my wife refused to even consider a Swift, when we wanted to buy a car in December 2010. But that does not mean others will not love the looks of the Swift and I fully respect their opinions.

Originally Posted by aniketi

If we compare top end of i10 & Swift, price different is not much. Swift has best engine in K12. Also Swift has 2 main features which i10 dont have as mentioned in the review, that are ACC and Alloy wheels. Swift looks are much better, sportier than i10. Then isn't Swift a better buy over i10? IMO it is.

I can't compare the top-end variants of the Swift and I10, but I had compared the I10 1.2 Magna and the Swift LXI when we bought the I10 in December 2010. I found out that the I10 Magna had more/better features than the Swift LXI and was a better buy. For me, ACC and alloy wheels mean nothing and I don't miss either of them anyway.

To make sure I got my information right, I downloaded the Swift brochure from the official site and compared the features of the LXI versus the I10 1.2 Magna. The I10 1.2 Magna has the following features that the Swift LXI lacks:

1. Electric ORVM
2. Coloured door handles
3. Coloured door mirrors
4. Front/rear power windows
5. Central locking
6. Tachometer
7. Sun visor (co-driver)
8. Day/night rear view mirror
9. 12V accessory socket (2 nos)
10. Gear shift indicator

For me, these 10 features on the I10 are far more important than ACC and alloy wheels. I don't mean to be rude to Swift owners and I'm sure the new Swift would be a much better package. I was, however, forced to post my views merely to react to the contention that Swift is "better" than the I10. Both cars address a different section of customers and there is no point comparing apples with oranges.

[oxyzen]

Excellent review!
EDIT: Chevy beat top end is at 4.65L. 4.2L is without ABS, alloys and Airbags.

Punto & Polo should have been in the comparison chart as well. They too have 1.2L engines and priced similarly.

-I understand the Kappa2 engine is one of the best in business besides K12. And that too coupled with the butter smooth gearshift makes an ideal powerplant.
-Ergonomics and interior design as well as quality is class leading. Nearest competitor IMHO is Beat.
-The only letdown is Ride and Handling. But how many people driving in city give a damn about handling. Ride quality is no doubt below par but still acceptable.

But the question is is it worth to go for I10 when there are Figo and Beat which are approximately 60K cheaper straightaway?

[ash_blore]

excellent review. Very useful. Any information on the fuel economy of the manual and the AT variants?
One of the weak points in the earlier version was the AT fuel economy. I hope they have done something to improve that!

[Mpower]

I did test drive the manual version along with the AT I ended up buying.

The gearshift was so awesome that for a moment I wondered why I'm buying the AT. In fact it was a notch better than the Civic I was driving that day. Combine that with a sweet engine and light clutch and this one heck of a joy to drive machine in traffic.

Too bad the steering and chassis (ride/handling) have absolutely no hint of sportiness.