[mints21]

Dear Fellow Bhpians,

This is my first ever review on this forum and I would like to request you all to spare me of any mistake that I may end up committing while writing and expressing myself. A little hand holding from all of you will go a long way with me in this forum.

How it all started: It was a routine day at office, when I suddenly got a call from Hyundai Motors inviting me for the launch of the new Grand i10. Since, it was a busy day for me, I skipped the launch and concentrated on work. I remained restless throughout cursing myself for skipping the launch. However, after another two hours, I got another call from Mr. Harmohan Mehta of Hyundai Motor Plaza herein referred to as "HMP" inviting me for a launch at their showroom at 3:00pm. I left everything and went for it. (Harmohan Mehta is one of the best sales consultant at Hyundai Motor Plaza, New Delhi). I have bought more than eight Hyundai cars from him, simply because he knows how to make the delivery of your car a memorable event for you and your family.

When the curtains were raised, I was left stunned at seeing this beauty. Although, all of us had seen the initial pictures on this forum prior to the launch. I was the first customer at HMP to be offered and given a test drive.

I was at HMP for almost an hour and came back with certain degree of firmness for buying this car. During the course of the test drive I had committed to Harmohan that I will buy this car.

Dealing with situation at home: I came home after work and discussed the test drive with my wife and I told her that I have liked the car and I wish to own it. Her reactions were "What for", "why","where is the need for another car" and above all "Again a Hyundai". Honestly, I had no answer to her reactions as we already have six cars and I am the only one who drives manual cars. (BTW my wife has an i10A/T sportz 2011, she cannot drive a manual car). Last year, we had bought an i20 diesel. Parking in the city where we live is another challenge. So, I spent a restless night thinking what to do. I kept debating within myself should I go for it or should I hold myself back.

Next day, when I got up I had mentally made up my mind that I will buy this car and at the best we will sell our Santro GLS, which was 2010 and had 16800kms on ODO.

The only thing that was missing was a review from Team-BHP. I waited for two-three days and then approached the forum with a request for the review of this car through the "Contact Us" option as I was not a member of this forum at that time.

Within a couple of days, the reviews were in front of me and I would like to specially thank GTO for providing all of us with an extensive and threadbare review. With this review came the final endorsement to go ahead and buy the car.

Another important thing, that I would like to mention here is the fact that I had seen the car before, even had a test drive but had still not noticed many things which were brought to my attention only through the review.

Booking, Payment and Delivery: I called up Harmohan and asked him for his availability as I wanted to see those things that GTO had mentioned in his review. Once, I had finished seeing those few yet important things, I requested Harmohan to give me a quote for the Grand i10 Asta(O) in wine red colour and immediately book one for me.

Harmohan checked both within their available stock and for those available at the factory, wine red colour in petrol was not available. Many other colours were available but I had made up my mind for Wine Red colour irrespective of the time. I told him that you place an order for one and I am in no hurry. I will wait.

In the mean time I called my Relationship Manager with State Bank of India and asked him to finance this car for me. He asked me to meet me the next day with all the documents. I went and believe me, I was out of the branch in flat fifteen minutes with a draft of the loan amount in my hand. This is what makes me swear by SBI. I would also like to mention my special thanks to Shri. Prabhat Choudhary of State Bank of India for making financing a car simpler for me every time I approach him with a request.

I called up Harmohan Mehta and handed him over the entire payment for the car and told him that my only job left is to come and take the delivery of the car. Now, it is up to you to keep me updating on the status, something which he did diligently.

I did get a call from Harmohan mentioning that a new variant "Asta" is available in wine red colour at their chennai plant and if I am interested he can get me the car in 10 days. I was told that this is cheaper by around Rs.30,000/- but does not have three things namely ABS, Airbags, and diamond cut alloys. I was too keen to get the car and I asked him to get me one and refund me the excess amount.

The car finally landed in Delhi with them on 14th November 2013 and was made available for delivery any day I would like to choose. I kept 17th November 2013 as final delivery day as I wanted to take the delivery with complete peace of mind on a holiday. Moreover, my wife and son who are my regular companions would accompany me as well.

On Road Price & Discounts: The price of the car on road in Uttar Pradesh was Rs. 5,84,199/-. There were no discounts.

The freebies offered to me were, Mud flaps, Foot mats, Gear Lock and a Body cover.

Engine Type & Variant: 1.2 Asta (Manual) Petrol, Wine Red Colour.

Kilometers done: 1500kms till date

Usage Pattern: Not sure with so many cars, but can assume not more than 100kms a month in local running. If I go on long drives, the usage may vary from time to time.

Exterior Designing & Style: It has the best in class exterior design, the variants sports and asta are equipped with thick black door beadings which further add to the delight of the viewer. The front styling is superb. They could have done a little work at the rear but I feel they have planned the design keeping in mind the hatchback variant of the same.

Overall build quality & Finish: This area has always been the strong area of Hyundai. They give attention to each and every detail, that could delight its customer.

Interior Design, quality space and comfort: The car has the best in class interior space. The build quality of interiors is robust and gives a premium feel. The car comes with the best in class space requirements. The rear is far more comfortable then the current i10 or i20. Small cubby holes are a boon when you have to keep small things. The seating is very comfortable and the driver seats come with height adjustment as well. The steering is nice to hold and gives a premium feel. The controls on the steering are easy to use and operate. While, some people may complain that they have to move their thumb all the way to the centre to press the horn.

The rear air con vents are the first in class and are quite effective.

Air Conditioner, Seat Support: The air conditioner is quite effective. Ideally, the top variant should have an automatic climate control but the car does not get an automatic climate control in any of its variant. The seating is comfortable and the thigh support is also adequate for a person of my height (5.6").

Engine Performance: The engine is smooth and refined. It is far more better than the outgoing i10 or i120. We may say that comparing it with an i20 is not an ideal thing to do as the petrol version of i20 is more sluggish. I have not driven much on the highway and the local running has been very limited. I will keep on updating as and when I cover more miles on the ODO.

Gearshift: The gearshift is very-very smooth and one can change the gears with no extra effort. The gears engage well into their respective slots. I have liked the gear knob which is very soft to hold and quite user friendly.

Fuel Efficiency: The car has given me a fuel efficiency of around 14kms/litre, but since I have not driven much, the figure may vary later on.

Suspension & Ride Quality: This is one area where Hyundai engineers have worked a lot. The car is very frim on road and handles pot holes with great ease. The ride quality is best if you compare it with its earlier siblings. The earlier i10 has had series of suspension related issues. No body roll has been observed by me till date.

Braking and high speed stability: The braking of the car is very linear and comes to a halt as and when the brake pedal is pressed with the desired force from time to time. I had read posts on this forum which had reported the braking area but I have experienced no such issue. The handling and braking at high speeds is very linear and the driver doesn't feel like loosing control at any point in time even after braking at high speeds.

Niggles and Problems: The first problem faced was the battery getting drained overnight which was rectified after up gradation of software. Secondly, the shocker had some kind of noise on turning the car towards the left side which was also repaired in warranty.

Quality of after-sales service: This area actually require a lot of you attention in Hyundai. Whichever service station you may choose you get a feeler that the guys are willing to rob you given the first opportunity they get. So, I have learnt the lesson a hard way and I restrict them to perform the jobs which are required under schedule maintenance and not go overboard with new and unwarranted things.

Cost of Upkeep and maintenance: The service interval of 10,000kms or one year has reduced the servicing cost to an extent. But this is only if you do not allow the service advisors to take you for a ride. However, the service and labour charges at Hyundai keep on increasing year after year.


So, the car finally come homes



Overall Ownership Experience: (To my Likes)

A complete new car with no resemblance to the old i10.
Loaded with world class features.
Excellent Ride quality when compared with an old i10 or the current i20.
Improved suspension
Electrical folding OVRM with remote switch on/off feature.
Massive black door moulding on the doors.
Best in class blue colour display.
Roof Rail and rear spoiler, which adds to the overall looks.
Sufficient legroom both in the front and at the back.
Fit and Finish is detailed and high in quality.
Steering wheel is nice to hold with all practical features on it.
Large glove box with integrated cooling function.
Stock music system is to my taste.
Rear Air con will be a boon in summers.

(To my dislikes)

Stock tyres, that require an urgent upgrade.
Missing dead pedal.
No visual parking sensors even in the top variant like the one available in i20 Asta.
At present, No extended warranty beyond two years at the time of launch. Edit: Now Got the extended warranty for another two years for Rs.9779/-.
Grab handles are not spring loaded and does not look nice.
No cladding on the lid of engine bay in petrol variant. Though, it may not be required, but would certainly have looked nice.
No engine guard underneath.
Integrated Head Restraints.

First in segment features

Rear Aircon and charging outlet.
1GB on board memory in music system.
Electrically folding OVRM on locking and unlocking.
Small mud flaps ahead of front tyres

Now lets do some detailing with pictures, I will keep it short as GTO has covered everything in his review.

Front of the car


Rear of the car



Seat Covers and Foot Carpets from Elegance



Rear Seats showing maximum/minimum leg space


Engine Bay and missing cladding on the lid



Nice Aircon Vents (Notice the Indicators to open and close and also the carpet) This reflects the quality.


Key Less Entry


Exposed Engine Bay (Pictures from the top and bottom)




Rear Suspension, Towing Hook and Nicely Placed Silencer




Tyre and Alloy (The diamond cut comes with Asta (O) which is a top variant.


Can someone explain me this tag which is pasted on the front screen of every Hyundai car and mentions do not remove. I have half baked information from google but not the correct purpose and objective of this tag.


My favourite Sticker


My Next 2nd Free Service is due on 16.11.2014


Partial wheel arch cladding, full cladding would have resulted in less tyre noise in the cabin.


Missing Dead Pedal and Rear Aircon vent



Rear Boot Lid Cladding with nice grip (Honda needs to learn a lesson from them)


Dashboard and my other beauty can be seen parked ahead of this car.


Well integrated and concealed area beneath the dashboard.


The final picture


Overall, a best in class hatch and certainly a driver's delight. Today the car had around 1500kms on the ODO and I will keep this thread updated as we move ahead with more miles on the ODO.

On a lighter note, a news item by Moderator Aditya (please do not take offence to this) on 18th December 2013 informing us about the launch of Grand i10 sedan may have helped others, but has started another round of discussions at our home. My wife now says she wants an automatic variant of the same immediately after launch. Hardly does she realise that the Heart never win over mind where finances are involved and play an important role.

[F150]

That is RFID tag or RFID card used for access control of gates.

Are you planning to install a customer engine guard ?

Is the primary going to only in city ?

You should have opted for ABS and airbags.

[abeerbagul]

Congrats on your latest buy.

Sorry to be a bit critical, but you were getting ABS and Airbags for just 30,000 extra, which you should really have opted for! I guess this would be approx 5% of the car price, and some thing which can never be retrofitted.

[ad3952n]

Hi Sir, The other day we were discussing about writing of reviews on your cars in your office and I am very happy to see the 1st review of your i10 Grand. The review is simple and to-the-point.

Good job sir.

AD

[mints21]

Thanks F150, for the information, I do not intend to go for installation for the customer engine guard. This will not be my primary car but I would be using it very rarely. I do not expect the car to do more than 10,000kms in next three years. It will be used in the city only.

Thanks, abeerbagul, I don't think you are being critical. Even F150 had mentioned a similar thing pertaining to ABS, Airbags etc. I had initially booked the car which had these features, but it was not available. I had almost waited for more than 45 days. Meanwhile, I had taken a specific fancy number from an RTO the validity of which was about to end, and renewing it further would have been tough, given the fact that there were many who were behind that particular number.

Then, I compromised on these two things thinking that I may not be keeping the car for not more than three years. My other i20 is an Asta (O) which has six airbags. I shall be sharing my ownership experience shortly with you all.

[a4anurag]

Grand Congratulations on the Grand i10

Nicely written review with pictures too.

Regarding RFID tag, Check the below link:

http://electronics.howstuffworks.com...dgets/rfid.htm

When my car had gone for registration the RTO Officer scanned the RFID and verified the same with the documents submitted.

IIRC these tags have the details of the car and the owners.

Anurag.

[Brishti]

Very nice review mints21 but do remove the engine number and HMIL number from that picture since they can be used in a malicious way.

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Initial Ownership Section. Thanks for sharing!

[drmohitg]

Congratulations on your new ride. My friend is confused between this and the bigger cousin i20 currently, albeit the diesel variants. Surprisingly the price difference between the two is not much. What would be your opinion considering that you own both of them. Which one is a better family car?

PS: Really love this wine red shade.

[mints21]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

Congratulations on your new ride. My friend is confused between this and the bigger cousin i20 currently, albeit the diesel variants. Surprisingly the price difference between the two is not much. What would be your opinion considering that you own both of them. Which one is a better family car?

PS: Really love this wine red shade.

I have all the cars, if your friend is looking for diesel then I would recommend him the current i20, if he is willing to consider a petrol variant then definitely the Grand i10.

However, the current generation of i20 is due for a complete facelift and the information that I have is that Hyundai is considering a little larger version of i20 hatchback which will be more of a crossover.( this is speculative)

If you want to know more, I can PM you my numbers and you can request your friend to speak to me for any assistance that he may require.

You have my commitment for any guidance and assistance that you may require from me.

[GrammarNazi]

Hey! Congos! Wish you a million happy miles ahead with the new purchase.

The red shade really brings out the true beauty of the design.

Regards,
GrammarNazi

[KPS]

Hey Mint21, we have something in common, the number of Hyundai Cars
Over the years, my list includes 1999 Santro DX, 2003 Accent CRDi, 2004 Santro AT, 2009 i20 CRDI Asta, 2009 i10 AT Sportz, and currently own the 2011 Verna CRDi SX, 2014 i10 Grand CRDi Asta (O), which I am taking delivery today. I have really enjoyed the Hyundai experience and the warranty replacements without any hassles what so ever.

Resale values have been excellent for all my cars. For example, my 2009 i10 AT sold for Rs. 3.65 lakhs last week.

Cheers

KPS

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by KPS

2014 i10 Grand CRDi Asta (O), which I am taking delivery today. I have really enjoyed the Hyundai experience and the warranty replacements without any hassles what so ever.

Congratulations KPS Sir for the a Grand i10 CRDi.

Hyundai should give you good discounts seeing your car history. Generally people stick to one company for life or keeping changing every time. Nice to see an all Hyundai owner.

Waiting for the pictures and review. Happy mile munching.

Anurag.

[mints21]

we have something in common, the number of Hyundai Cars

Yes, KPS. I have been a die hard fan of their cars. I have myself owned eight Hyundai cars till date, and have recommended five to my friends who have trusted by wisdom implicitly and are very happy with their ownership experiences.

Very nice review mints21 but do remove the engine number and HMIL number from that picture since they can be used in a malicious way.

Sorry Brishti for my delayed response. Have adhered to what you said. Point noticed and picture has been removed.

[one-77]

Congratulations!

The new i10 Grand is one of my favourite hatchbacks. So absolutely well-proportioned and beautifully designed, inside-out. Haven't got to test-drive one yet, as I've been busy with exam prep, of late.

Have a safe and niggle-free time with your car!