[motorguy]

I got my i10 automatic about 6 months back . I always wanted to post an ownership review on the car but wasn’t a member of Team-BHP then.

As a start, let me present the things I like about the car:

- Relatively good build quality
- Nice looking interiors without the too plasticky look.
- Features that would be in any higher end car such as a decent integrated stereo, steering wheel audio controls, Bluetooth connectivity, sunroof, and factory installed rear parking sensors
- solid feel to the various door panels

What I didn’t like

- the pricing which was almost like a current Honda City price (Rs.7.2 L on road)
- despite being the highest end model, no alloy wheels
- severely undertired which makes highway driving somewhat of a pain
- Relatively poor FE for the automatic (despite what the ARAI figures of 21 per liter)


The Purchase

I had a 2010 Swift Zxi earlier . This version didn’t have an integrated stereo or audio controls, the current stuff that is present in most cars. Also my wife, having learned driving abroad, didn’t know how to drive a manual. Since we are just two at home, she felt it didn’t make sense keeping 2 cars so I got on to the task of buying an automatic which she could drive. Unfortunately in our budget (of about 8 lakhs), there weren’t too many choices . I basically boiled down to a Maruti A-star Auto and the Santro Auto. At the same time, the i10 Next gen with all the gizmos came out and I decided to check it out.. The Bangalore Advaith Hyundai dealer brought a test drive car around to my house and did a couple of rounds in it. My wife didn't do any test drive – her take was as long as its automatic, its OK.

I decided to pay the initial booking amount of Rs.2500/-. I told the dealer that I wanted the white colour and Advaith said that they didn’t have it in stock. In fact they didn’t have this model in stock, but was expecting it in a month, as its not a model with too much demand. I guess the price point is a bit too high, considering a small hatchback. A couple days back , I was feeling the pinch of waiting, and decided to call a couple of other Hyundai dealers. Most didn’t have the model in stock. However, Trident Hyundai on Palace Orchards, told me that there was a car coming in about 4 days with the colour I wanted. I immediately rushed there and booked it. I then called Advaith and asked me to refund my booking amount. They refused, pointing a clause saying that if I canceled, I would forfeit the amount. One more thing with Advaith – they never told me of a Rs.10,000 exchange cash back which I would get which the Trident guy told me during the first call itself. This really got me and I pointed this out to them . They gave me some reason saying they don’t have any information about that. I told them if they were trying to withhold discounts from a customer, I would shoot of a mail to Hyundai. They then apologized and even gave me back my Rs.2500 booking amount.

Now the wait starts – Trident called saying the car is on its way from the Chennai plant but will take a couple of days more . So, instead of getting it in 4 days, I got it in about 8 days – better than a month anyway.

Delivery

They called me on Saturday morning and told me that I could pick up the car at about 2:00PM. I went to Trident and sure enough the car was there. The sales adviser was courteous and explained the various features of the car.

The car comes with a folding key with an integrated open/lock buttons (for the security system) and a regular spare key. Unfortunately if one breaks the folding key, replacements are very expensive and difficult to get (about Rs.10,000 according to the Hyundai dealer). I know for a fact that this is a way for Hyundai to make money, since the blank key fobs are available abroad on the Internet for just a couple of dollars. Also, unlike the i20, they only provide one folding key for the i10 so I generally use the regular key unless I really need to lock the car with the security system.

The number plate however was not ready and he said it would take a couple of days more. I had to call repeatedly after a few days, since no information was coming from them. I finally got the plate after a week.




The Auto Transmission and FE

The i10's automatic tyranny doesn’t deliver as nice a driving experience as the manual one. Perhaps its just that I am more used to having the car move on my terms rather than the car deciding on shifting gears on its own. Also, the first thing I noticed when driving with the automatic is that the fuel efficiency is quite bad. Though the ARAI figures for the i10 state 21 km/l, I sometimes get only 8.5-10 in the city and on the highway, perhaps stretch it to 12. Most people tell me that because its an auto, FE is less. I cant believe that totally since abroad, quite a few cars are automatic, and I really haven't heard people complaining about FE.

But, on the positive side, its a dream to drive in the city, especially in heavy traffic. No shifting, - just put it in drive and it moves.



In Car Entertainment

The integrated stereo that comes with the i10 is not an upper end one, but sound decent given the price one pays for the car. Though the stereo for the Sportz model doesn’t come with Bluetooth connectivity, this one does. Also on the Asta, audio and phone controls on the steering wheel are provided. However, I feel that the audio controls on the steering lack some things, which could have been easily added. For example, the audio controls only have a volume up and volume down button, and a seek button. Unlike many cars which have steering audio controls, there is no “mode” button. Hence if one wants to shift from radio to CD, he has to take his hands off the wheel. Also for some odd reason, there is no Mute button.

On the Bluetooth side, though one can make calls, some features like reading your SMS messages off the car stereo display is absent. Also on the steering wheel, there are “dial” and “disconnect” buttons. There is also a dummy below these buttons where in foreign models there is a voice activated switch. Unfortunately in the Indian Asta model they haven’t included this feature.

USB and Aux connectivity is provided.. The car manual however (for some odd reason) says that when connecting an iPod, the Apple USB cable should not be used as it will damage the stereo – they recommend to buy the Hyundai USB cable. I don’t think that it is even available with any Hyundai dealer because when I asked them this, their faces were blank. I did connect my Apple iPod cable and had not problems with it so I really don’t know the reason for suggesting that the Apple cable will damage the stereo.





The Sunroof

One of the reasons I bought the Asta model was because a factory installed sunroof was provided. I kind of regret this now. After reading the various issues and problems that can come up with having a sunroof and the danger of anything like a coconut falling on the glass, I probably shouldn’t have gone for it. Also, now I see that because of the dust and grime, it will never be open anyway. I do open it once or twice a week only the run the sunroof motor.






Engine

The engine is a Kappa2 with variable valve timing (VVT). I have no complaints as it is smooth but the pick up sometimes suffers, probably because the gearbox is automatic and I have to wait for gears to shift. I guess it wouldn’t b the same with a manual transmission.


Seating

The seating in front is very comfortable. The front seats have integrated headrests (cost saving feature?) and have a decent amount of leg room in front. The driver's seat has a height adjustment as well. In fact the best testimony to the comfort of the front passenger seat is my 75 year old mother's comment, that this is the most comfortable seat that she has ridden in (and her car is currently a Ford Icon, whose seats are very comfortable). She never said that about any of my former cars, which were the Swift and earlier an Esteem. The rear seats are a bit cramped though and requires some adjusting when sitting down.



Other Features

Some other features provided are factory installed rear parking sensors. This is a very useful thing. However if one has an accident on the rear, it will take some time to get a spare bumper according to Hyundai service. This is because they don’t sell too many of this model.



Hyundai service experience

My service experience has generally been good. My wife had a small accident where an auto hit the right fender a couple of days after we got the car. I brought it to the Trident Hyundai service for the repair. The fender was repainted, but when I inspected the work, there was a small dot (dip) on the paintwork. I pointed this out, and the adviser tried to keep insisting that that was normal. Anyway I told him I wont accept the work, and then he agreed to re-do it. The work was done properly the second time.

The second issue I had was with the remote locking. Sometime it just wouldn’t work- i.e. the key led would light, but the car would lock or unlock. I brought it to Trident and after a lot of trying to find the issue, one smart mechanic found out it was a contact in the ignition key cylinder which was slightly defective. Since they didn’t have this part, he manually tried to bend the contact a bit. The problem has not recurred since then.

The only thing I observed during the servicing when they would wash the car, is that they never lifted the car and under washed it. In the wash area, there is also no lifter. Anyway I will point this out during the next service.

So, this has been my experience with the i10 Auto Asta. It has generally been good one and I am quite happy with the car. Would like to hear from others on their experiences...

[arvi86]

Let me the first to congratulate you on your new acquisition. Though a bit expensive, what you have bought is arguably one of the best city hatchbacks in India right now. Wishing you many years and thousands of miles of happy motoring in the new car.

The ARAI approved mileage figures that you are quoting is for the manual i10. But, none of the manual i10s I have seen till now has ever given something similar to those figures. With an automatic, you can very well forget about it and enjoy the nice driving experience that this little hatchback gives you.

[Saanil]

When you get an Automatic just forget about FE - This is the rule you should follow. There are literally no options in the automatic hatchbacks segment. A-star and i10 are the only two modern options.(Is Santro automatic still on sale?). I was shocked to see the price of this variant of i10 but then you bought this for convenience in city driving which I am sure you must be feeling. Also I think Bangalore tax must be contributing a lot to this insane pricing. Enjoy your ride and keep updating the thread with FE figures.

[libranof1987]

Congratulations on the i10!

The car really looks really good in white. 7.2 OTR, man! that's a lotta money.

I drove a Manual some time back and the tyres are 1 size short. You could up size them when it's time to change. Try checking with a tyre dealer about an exchange.

Not sure if there are any i10 AT owners on the forum; maybe you could check with Hyundai if the FE figures are normal.

Does Hyundai not provide Alloy wheels on any variants of i10? Surprising a 7 lakh top-variant doesn't come with alloys.

How convenient is the sun-roof btw?

Have a great ownership period!

[motorguy]

Originally Posted by libranof1987

Congratulations on the i10!

The car really looks really good in white. 7.2 OTR, man! that's a lotta money.

I drove a Manual some time back and the tyres are 1 size short. You could up size them when it's time to change. Try checking with a tyre dealer about an exchange.

Not sure if there are any i10 AT owners on the forum; maybe you could check with Hyundai if the FE figures are normal.

Does Hyundai not provide Alloy wheels on any variants of i10? Surprising a 7 lakh top-variant doesn't come with alloys.

How convenient is the sun-roof btw?

Have a great ownership period!

Thanks for the comments. Right now, I'm not going to upsize but definitely when its time to change. I checked about the alloys with Hyundai when I bought the car - they were asking for Rs.20,000/- for a set (not sure if its 4 or 5 wheels).

The sunroof is convenient but there's always the risk of things falling into the car including bird droppings, etc. So I guess its not a great idea to have the sunroof.

[sandeep108]

Congrats on your buy. FE should improve by 10-20%, once the engine / tranny run-in period is over. If it is of any consolation, many manual i10 owners (including me) are also complaining of poor FE.

[revintup]

Congrags

I always envy an auto box owner especially if its in front of me in a traffic block.The auto embossing seems to be laughing at me while i heave and pull on the gear stick.

Dont worry about losing your remote key and having to shell out 10k for a replacement.Flip keys are available at local sellers and would come much cheaper.Using remote locking is always more convenient.

[bluevolt]

Congratulations for your Hyundai i10.

You will love the autobox while driving in heavy city traffic.

Please do keep the thread updated.

Wishing you happy motoring!

[blackasta]

Congrats - even if it is a little late to say so.
I am a bit skeptical of the 2nd key - it looks like a cheap duplicate. When i got my i10 Asta gen1 - I got both keys with remote lock integrated in keyfob (there were no flippy keys then). Request you to clarify this issue with other gen2 i10 asta owners in the forum (Harbir has recently got one for his better half).
Safe driving!

[motorguy]

Originally Posted by blackasta

Congrats - even if it is a little late to say so.
I am a bit skeptical of the 2nd key - it looks like a cheap duplicate. When i got my i10 Asta gen1 - I got both keys with remote lock integrated in keyfob (there were no flippy keys then). Request you to clarify this issue with other gen2 i10 asta owners in the forum (Harbir has recently got one for his better half).
Safe driving!

Have confirmed directly with Hyundai - its the same key. They only give one for the i10 Asta but for the i20 they give 2 folding keys (but no regular key).

[shamanth]

Ok, in city What you are telling of mileage of 8.5 to 10 kmpl is correct for most AT cars, maybe can streach it to 11-12 kmpl with being soft of gas pedal.

Not sure why your highway mileage is so low. My santro AT gives mileage of 15-16 kmpl in highways, My ANHC AT gives mileage of 16 - 20 kmpl in highways. i10 being same family of santro gear box should atleast give 15 kmpl.

Maybe i10 gives lot less mileage compared to santro, one of my collegue was complaining his i10 AT is giving 6-7 kmpl in city, will check with him how its in highways.

[motorguy]

Originally Posted by shamanth

Ok, in city What you are telling of mileage of 8.5 to 10 kmpl is correct for most AT cars, maybe can streach it to 11-12 kmpl with being soft of gas pedal.

Not sure why your highway mileage is so low. My santro AT gives mileage of 15-16 kmpl in highways, My ANHC AT gives mileage of 16 - 20 kmpl in highways. i10 being same family of santro gear box should atleast give 15 kmpl.

Maybe i10 gives lot less mileage compared to santro, one of my collegue was complaining his i10 AT is giving 6-7 kmpl in city, will check with him how its in highways.

The other thing is normally I am a slow driver (usually max of 50-60 km in the city, or even less), with all the autos and buses on the road. The last thing I want is a knock on the car by them. So, its possible because of the slow driving its possible FE might be less. On the highway though 12 is the max I got - but this was when the car had just run after 800 km after purchase.

[shamanth]

yea, in Bangalore traffic the mileage you get is pretty decent. May be you can check for in highways now after service, it should have improved

[jacksons]

Originally Posted by motorguy

The other thing is normally I am a slow driver (usually max of 50-60 km in the city, or even less), with all the autos and buses on the road. The last thing I want is a knock on the car by them. So, its possible because of the slow driving its possible FE might be less. On the highway though 12 is the max I got - but this was when the car had just run after 800 km after purchase.

Congrats motorguy for top end i10 Auto. Normally people driving slow, opt for automatic cars and me too. I bought A Star only for two reasons than i10 are FE and price of the car.
Have happy miles and enjoy trouble free ride.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Congrats motorguy. i10 Asta is the most feature-packed hatch you can buy in the market for now!

Mileage has been one week point discussed in various ownership reports. I guess thats the only main weakness of an otherwise perfect city car.

Originally Posted by motorguy

I got my i10 automatic about 6 months back .
I had a 2010 Swift Zxi earlier . This version didn’t have an integrated stereo or audio controls, the current stuff that is present in most cars.

Swift ZXi didnt have integrated stereo?