[mac_guy555]

Seasons Greetings BHPian’s !! I will get straight to the point. Well, it was time that we bought a 3rd car. Primary requirement was I wanted a second diesel car because I simply love my Hyundai Verna 1st Generation and simply cannot let it go. Always brings a huge grin on my face after 3.5 years of ownership, when I floor the accelerator!!

Below are the cars I short listed:

1.) Volkswagen Polo – 1.2 TDI Trendline
2.) Chevrolet Beat Diesel LT
3.) Hyundai i20 1.4 CRDi
4.) Fiat Punto 1.3 MultiJet 90HP
5.) Skoda Fabia 1.2 Ambiente

I simply love all of the cars mentioned above, Heck if I had that kinda money in my vault I would buy all of them

No offense to anyone who owns the cars above, its just my personal opinion but I rejected the Skoda due to horror stories heard everywhere about the A.S.S. and spare part prices.

I was keen on buying the Polo and everyone loves it for sure. Took a test drive and my Mom was …… Hey, I cant drive this car, its too heavy and big for me. She is 72 years old (and drives a Spark currently).

Fiat Punto …. Mmmmm …. Lovely car for sure !! again the same problem with size and after sales service with Tata Motors got me thinking.

Chevrolet Beat Diesel – I was pretty sure everyone would like this car but somehow it did not appeal to me and Mom found the dashboard design way too high. NO Height adjustable drivers seat in this car !! What a feature not to give in a top end model !! The Chevy designers must have been high when they were thinking of putting in a list of features.

Well, was left with only the Hyundai i20 CRDi which is also one of my favorites. Went in the showroom thinking there must be a December discount and was shocked to hear they cannot deliver a car because it is over booked and forget the discount !! Only petrol cars have discount & ready delivery !!!

Was sitting there …. Wondering what to do now ?? My parents were fishing around and called me over “Hey, what do you think of this car” ?? It was the i10 1.1 Litre Era model.
Dad was asking me …. Why are you so keen on buying a Diesel car when we have to drive it mostly ?? We don’t drive the car daily for more than 30 kms. odd !!
Because I was obsessed with buying a CRDi I glaringly omitted the actual cost difference between a petrol and a diesel car, and was rightly pointed out by my Dad !!
That said, I sat down and calculated, even if I buy the cheapest diesel car which was a Beat Diesel LT and calculate interest on the price difference and only use the car for 30-45kms daily, i.e. yearly usage of 15,000 kms average it will not even save me money !! It looks good only when you go to the Fuel Pump and fill diesel and hand over 1500-2100/- Rs. for a full tank. Other than that, it is no use.

So, we were about to finalize the deal on the 1.1L Era model, full down payment & no loan and I got up to see the i10 1.2L Kappa2 !! Typical BHP’ian’s that we are Ha Ha Ha !!
I knew the Kappa engine was good and this one was EVEN better …. The Kappa2. A full second faster to the 100kph mark …. WOW !! Astonishing fuel economy even with this sort of power …. Claimed ARAI – 20.7km p/l.
Now, I had to buy this car for sure …. And we finally did the very next day !! Taken delivery of a Kappa2 Carbon Grey color model. Tyres given by company are shabby Bridgestone B250’s 155/80 R13” !! Yes that’s not a mistake … 80 is correct.
Immediately went to a Tyre dealer and got them replaced with Yokohama A Drive 175/70 R13, inclusive of balancing, alignment and year membership for Nitrogen.
Those of you who would like to know, I paid 4250/- Rs. extra for all 5 tyres and nitrogen (year mem.)

[mac_guy555]

What I love:
Superb silky butter smooth engine, and it is fast !!
Fantastic quality of interiors for the price (hope this is read by Toyota Etios designers)
2 x Accessory charging sockets (shown in pic)
Turn indicators on the mirrors (factory fitted)
Electronic Gauge for Fuel
Indicator for gear shift to maximize fuel efficiency
Back lighting color of meters
Electric Adjust of ORVM (both sides)
Decent legroom / headroom for a small car
One touch power down for driver side mirror

What I don't:
Elec.Pow. Steering has absolutely no feedback and feels as if it does not touch ground (some drivers will like this, but I don't for sure)
Gear shift indicator placement not in right place (gets eyes off the road)
Power window switches not illuminated (how much can this cost for Hyundai) ??
Useless Bridgestone B250 155/80 R13 tyres factory fitted (got them replaced immediately)
NO steering up/down adjust on this model (again, how much can this cost Hyundai)
2-Din stereo system does not fit well (as told to me by Car accessory guy)
NO DEAD PEDAL !! (Ridiculously glaring omission)

Shall pen down more likes / dislikes if I missed out on something.

[Utopian]

Let me the first one to congratulate you. I10 happens to be the most logical choice for the congested cities and in this grey guise, it is indeed a cutie.
Like all other OEMs, they have let go of the temperature sensor from the IP cluster.

[Carrera555]

Hii Adit,

Congratulations on the newest acquisition. Since you needed a small car mostly driven by your parents, was Brio considered?

[mac_guy555]

Thank you Utopian !! Yes you are right , most companies have let go off the Temp. Gauge.
Supreme confidence that their cars no longer overheat ?? LoL

Hi Carrera ! Thank you very much ! Yes of course it was considered and I would have bought it for sure but unfortunately there are no deliveries and stock with dealers till April thanks to short supply of parts for Jazz & Brio !

[mayankjha1806]

Congratulations, the color looks good on i10. The other day my BIL was comparing some cars and commented the i10 looks the best amongst the others in the similar price bracket.

You did the right thing by not waiting and buying the Diesel, as the running is low. Sometimes we fail to see the obvious and get too much pressed down by the petrol prices going constantly up and forget to see the price difference between the two.

[arindambasu13]

Excellent choice, and more importantly, a very logical one. You are absolutely right that a lot of us overlook the broad picture when deciding between a diesel and petrol car, and more often than not, without analysing our usage patterns, we go with the mass philosophy and book a diesel car. It does look good at the filling station, but then in the long term, breaking even takes a lot of kilometers to be clocked.

In fact, I did the same (Swift VDi), and thereafter changed my booking to VXi- my running being similar to yours. And of course, with a diesel, that kind of free revving, refined driving pleasure as in a petrol is definitely not available. Its an important intangible factor which cannot be put a price to.

Congratulations, and rev hard!

[mempheS.D]

Way to go ! A good choice by the pre-conditions that you had already identified and anlalyzed..

[misquitas]

Originally Posted by mac_guy555

Seasons Greetings BHPian’s !! I will get straight to the point. Well, it was time that we bought a 3rd car. Primary requirement was I wanted a second diesel car because I simply love my Hyundai Verna 1st Generation and simply cannot let it go. Always brings a huge grin on my face after 3.5 years of ownership, when I floor the accelerator!!

That said, I sat down and calculated, even if I buy the cheapest diesel car which was a Beat Diesel LT and calculate interest on the price difference and only use the car for 30-45kms daily, i.e. yearly usage of 15,000 kms average it will not even save me money !! It looks good only when you go to the Fuel Pump and fill diesel and hand over 1500-2100/- Rs. for a full tank. Other than that, it is no use.

I knew the Kappa engine was good and this one was EVEN better …. The Kappa2. A full second faster to the 100kph mark …. WOW !! Astonishing fuel economy even with this sort of power …. Claimed ARAI – 20.7km p/l.

Congrats on your new i10 and may you have an enjoyable and safe drive during the life and ownership of your i10.

I was in a similar situation around the similar time last year and after weighing the pros and cons of a diesel vs petrol, I opted for the petrol. After a series of eliminations (Ritz, Figo, Tata, WagonR), I finally opted for the i10. You may check out my thread in this forum.

Kindly note that the ARAI FE quoted for the i10 is virtually impossible to attain in real life conditions. I have managed to get 17-18 kmpl on my i10 mainly because...

* I'm a sedate driver
* Have minimal use of AC
* Better road conditions as well as lighter traffic here in Goa.

It would be nothing short of a miracle if you were to get 17-18 kmpl in places like Mumbai or Bangalore. And if you are a spirited driver, even 17 kmpl would be a distant dream.

Since you own a Magna variant, you can easily add a luggage lamp, intermittent wiper facility and a 4-door cabin light switch. Check out my thread for these fitments, which can be easily done that the Hyundai service centre.

Originally Posted by mac_guy555

What I love:
Superb silky butter smooth engine, and it is fast !!
Fantastic quality of interiors for the price (hope this is read by Toyota Etios designers)
2 x Accessory charging sockets (shown in pic)
Turn indicators on the mirrors (factory fitted)
Electronic Gauge for Fuel
Indicator for gear shift to maximize fuel efficiency
Back lighting color of meters
Electric Adjust of ORVM (both sides)
Decent legroom / headroom for a small car
One touch power down for driver side mirror

* Smooth and superb gear box.
* 5-door central locking. Eliminates the need for the hatch door lever near the fuel cap lever.
* Powerful AC. I have never used the AC with the Blower on 3-4 speeds.

What I don't:
Elec.Pow. Steering has absolutely no feedback and feels as if it does not touch ground (some drivers will like this, but I don't for sure)
Gear shift indicator placement not in right place (gets eyes off the road)
Power window switches not illuminated (how much can this cost for Hyundai) ??
Useless Bridgestone B250 155/80 R13 tyres factory fitted (got them replaced immediately)
NO steering up/down adjust on this model (again, how much can this cost Hyundai)
2-Din stereo system does not fit well (as told to me by Car accessory guy)
NO DEAD PEDAL !! (Ridiculously glaring omission)

* Fewer cubby holes than other rivals (Ritz, WagonR, etc)
* No rear split seats

In addition to your views, my likes/dislikes are in bold.

[mac_guy555]

Thank you everyone !! Well basically it's mainly gonna be driven by my folks...
Yes I am very well aware the fuel economy is not gonna be like 17-18 but as long as it does not go below the 1.1L Era that's pretty much ok with me !!

[mac_guy555]

Sorry for the delayed reply but was too caught up with work !!
I have not gotten a Pioneer Music system along with Pioneer rear speakers 400W.
Pictures attached. Still need to get the SONY 222Watt Amp. transferred from Spark and also front speakers installed.

[mac_guy555]

Fuel Economy update:
Total of 3 full tanks of petrol. 3rd fill still running halfway and 1000 kms. done already.
Regular city driving economy is about 13kms with A/C on 80% of time and 1st full tank touched 15.4kms / litre because of a 130km highway run.
Will update again after this current 3rd full tank needs to be replenished.
Cheers !!