Team-BHP
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https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/)
My Swift was turning 8 this July and this fact kept provoking me to look for a newer car right from around March this year.
I had bought the Swift just for the want of it as I had always desired owning one. And this when I could have invested in a real estate property then. But the love of the cars is why we get them, right!
It had many memories attached to it. My first promotion, a love affair (which turned into a wonderful marriage), new jobs, better career moves on the good side and a very bad accident experience (I may write up about this in the appropriate thread later). It was a car that was very close to my heart and something that I could never think of parting away with.
But I had to part with it for good reasons. Safety and comfort of my wife was primary. I'm no poet nor a literary guy to find or pen lines to express my sadness. But a long gaze at this pic makes me a bit emotional for sure.
This is a last day picture - a real parting shot. I took this pic and did not even drive her. Asked my wife to...
Things changed, I got a Fiesta Classic a couple years ago so my wife could take the Swift for her office commute. She hates driving though. She's been born and brought up in the busiest parts of Pune and understandably, a two wheeler was the most preferred way of getting around for her. For me, it was always the opposite.
So as a result, the Swift clocked just about 8000 kms in 2 years from the day we had the Fiesta in our garage whereas it had clocked about 72,000 kms in 6 years. Healthy running and I had taken a lot of effort to keep her the way she looks here.
I had contemplated selling off the Swift until it had some good residual value. But then, with my kid growing up and the ever amazing traffic that Pune has to throw at you, I thought its better to trade the car and get an automatic. That way my wife has no reason to not take the car to office and at the same time, I get an automatic to pot around in town over weekends :)
The search began. And for the heck of it, I decided to TD the Polo TSI. This was a bad move. No matter which automatic I drove after this, I just couldn't enjoy it!
Polo TSI
Positives:
- Stability in triple digits
- Engine and DSG gearbox (although known for issues)
- A few features - rain sensing wipers, auto dimming IRVM and cruise control
I love cars that are a hoot to drive. So the positives were quite tilted.
Negatives:
- Rear seat space - almost negligible if set to my driving position - I'm just 5'9"
- Glaring omissions on a 10 lacs + car - no boot light, no light in glove box - I'm being picky. But I was asked to pay 10 lacs for it.
The car was great to drive, and I had almost taken a decision to get it. I got a decent resale value for my Swift (2.25) and I asked the Sales Rep to give me a week. A hatch for 10 big ones is too hard to digest into the family. And I had a very difficult time convincing my wife.
I myself gave up the thought considering that my wife is no enthusiast and it does not make any sense to get that car if I can barely drive it. My regular drive is a 25 kms one way traffic filled drive. An auto would certainly help, but the diesel gives a better economy over the petrol. So I could not think of getting this car and driving it myself - plus, the purpose of getting my wife an automatic was not being fulfilled.
Ford Figo DCT 
I also checked the Ford Figo DCT - it was underwhelming. The build quality was a step down from the Ford that I own.
Positives:
- Very good front seats, under thigh support just right and the seat back keeps you snugly fit
- Decently equipped, could have used the infotainment system from the Titanium+
- 10 year warranty on gear box!
- Availability of black color (just that my wife loves black)
Negatives:
- Not so great build quality - the door pads suck in when rolling up the window.. plastic quality strictly average. not expected from Ford.
- Underwhelming performance considering it has a 1.5 ltr 100 bhp engine - sorry no where near so many horses
The asking price was about 8.9 on road with a 25k discount being offered. I kept this on the list of probables
Suzuki Baleno 
Positives:
- Spacious car - large from all angles
- Availability of autobox in 2 variants.
- Costs just 8.32 OTR for the Delta variant which is well equipped
- Reviews claim decent fuel economy.
Negatives:
- 6 month wait period - ridiculous!!
- Flimsy build quality - happened to checked a post here which mentioned several dents due to a hailstorm
- Not a fan of the center console.. personal, but that is still a negative for me
Having owned a Maruti earlier, I was keen on trying to switch to some other brand. But that wasn't an absolute must. The waiting period killed the want actually.
I gave up and kept mum for the next 3 months. Not a word on changing the car. And then it started again stupid:
Congratulations Neeraj, you have made a brilliant choice there. :thumbs up The grand is the sensible choice that you have made, just the way, I made 3 months back.
Add some pictures of your beauty in red. & keeping updating the thread.
Happy Motoring & here's wishing you a wonderful & safe miles in years to come.
So the search began once over.
Figo was always on the list. But there were more sensible cars which I hadn't even looked at.
Wagon R & Celerio AMT 
Both have the same drive train. Ever trusted 1.0 3 cyl. I test drove both and kind of liked the Celerio for its additional gear. It came with bluetooth and steering mounted controls and a better looking dashboard with better placements of the 12v socket and the USB ports.
Positives:
- AMT claims decent fuel efficiency
- Rode on 14" making the ride a bit more pliant than the WagonR
- Bluetooth connectivity
- Option for ABS and Airbags for a mere 13k
- Trusted Maruti brand so I was hoping I'd get better resale for my Swift
- The placement of the buttons and equipment on the Celerio's center console was better than the WagonR.
Negatives:
- AMT also meant a jerky drive
- Suspension wasn't the best out there
- Coming from a Swift, both WagonR and Celerio were a complete step down
- Lots of vibrations at idling - smoothened out as revs built up though
- Celerio ZXi (O) AMT missed on alloys, seat height adjust and fog lamps
- Thin seats and poor quality fabric
- Overall fit and finish was better than the Swift I owned but the car was a whole 1 lac pricier than my Swift when I had got it
On top of all this, Maruti True Value valued my car at 1.85 lacs only. After much haggling, it went up to 2.10 lacs. Celerio had an exchange bonus of 30k and another discount of 15k. Took things to 2.55 lacs which was decent.
But, like I mentioned earlier, it was a complete step down from the car I already had. Though 8 year old, my Swift felt much better to drive. I couldn't fathom the idea of letting go a Swift and get shortchanged with a Celerio.
Celerio was 6.13 lacs OTR which meant that I had to just spend about 3.6 lacs from my pocket. For a moment, I decided to go ahead with the Celerio as it was primarily an office commute car and was also going to do regular duties like getting groceries, driving my son around to school (when he starts, of course). It was a head over heart decision.
Then the famed saga - ZXI AMT - available within 2-3 weeks. ZXI (O) AMT - 6-8 weeks minimum. I wasn't too satisfied.
In a time when real estate is available off the shelf, waiting period on cars has shot out of the roof! 6 months on the Baleno and 6-8 weeks on the Celerio.
I decided to do another field trip. To the last option that I had deliberately overlooked so far - the Hyundai Grand i10 Automatic.
I knew it was there but I somehow never liked how the Hyundais drive. Dead in the center and feather light steering, bouncy suspensions. The only car I liked was the Santro Xing. It was a perfect small car. Better than the then offerings of Maruti - the WagonR and the Zen Estilo.
I managed to get my wife only for a test drive and nothing else. July monsoon schemes were on then and the discounts were a handsome ~65k.
Unfortunately, an automatic variant wasn't available for TD but we decided to go ahead to get a feel of the car anyway by driving the manual. The TD vehicle was a petrol Asta (O). So the car was going to be exactly the same without the manual gears and the clutch.
The sales rep was also very generous and offered us a good long drive and ensured we rode on some bad patches as well.
I found the suspension to be well sorted, a bit softer though than what I would have liked, but it was good. Considering that this will be used only in the city limits, it was a boon.
Build quality - superb compared to my Swift which made numerous noises going over the smallest of undulations. This was a silent ride, well insulated and decent space.
Ticked all boxes for me and my wife and we were happy.
I had deliberately taken the Swift to the dealership to get it evaluated. They offered me 2 lacs and a 30k exchange at first. But then I mentioned that VW was offering me 2.25 as the basic evaluation, they bumped the price to 2.3 lacs + the 30k exchange bonus. So 2.6 for a 8 yr old car, which BTW I had got for 5 lacs OTR. Not bad right! :cool:
Other things that were included as part of the offer were free first year insurance and 3rd year extended warranty.
So, the calculation was as under:
OTR - 7.96 lacs
Old car - 2.6 lacs
Ins + 3rd year warranty - ~29k
Net difference - 5.06 lacs
For 5 lacs, I was getting a far better car than what I had and this was just a little over a lac more than what I was paying for the Celerio out of my pocket.
I had made up my mind at the dealership itself but thought its wise to discuss at home and then go ahead with the booking. The valuator put a cap of 48 hrs for the offer and I was happy.
Went next day with a cheque and booked the car. Full specifications that the wife wanted - Wine Red Asta (O) with 3D mats from Elegante (BTW, I was able to squeeze this over the discounts already offered) and the scuff plates.
Sweet deal.
Seat covers are due - all black - Autoform. Should be fitted before the Independence weekend. I have ordered a custom design - something similar to what you get pre-fitted in the Accord - leather seats.
The car was committed for Aug 10, but the sales rep called me up on Aug 2 to give me the news that the car is already in the stockyard.
T-BHP PDI checklist in tow, I went to do a quick PDI, found things in order and asked them to proceed with the registration.
Since I wanted the car delivered on Saturday, the car could only complete the road tax formality. It was more a demand to ensure that all near and dear ones can be invited over for dinner and that both my wife and I would have enough time to spend at the dealership and taking the car around once home.
The sales rep agreed and we got the insurance done a day before so there are no issues. RTO tax receipt ensured that I won't face issues at crossroads with the traffic police.
I'm yet to receive the number as I write this post but I'm expecting it around tomorrow.
Having driven the car for about 50 kms so far, I am sure a satisfied customer and I'm sure my wife is going to be more than happy with the auto box to help her in the traffic in Hinjewadi :)
I will post snaps once the seat covers are in place. And will add the detailed report too.
There aren't many Grand i10 Automatics here and I was able to get in touch with Sawnilrules and Superbhikari who promptly responded with their inputs.
Thank you both for making my decision easier.
So almost after a month, i got my seat covers! Every new car ownership has some kind of interesting bits. So my seat covers were ordered a week before the delivery date of the car. Since these were custom, a couple of weeks of delivery time was committed. But when the seat covers arrived, the rear seat back rest had integrated headrests, so basically, these were for the lower variants :Frustrati
So another week of wait there and I finally was able to get them. Although they arrived just a couple or three days apart, I did not have the time to get the car to the accessory shop.
I got the time only this morning to do a quick photo shoot, although the weather was not that great to click snaps. Quite cloudy.
There are a lot of threads which are quite better and the official review here itself is pretty detailed. So I would keep this thread focused to only the bits I love and loathe about this car.
Lets start with the things that I love:
- Spacious interiors, very comfortable rear seat - my mom-dad loved this instantly. Notice the Elegant 3D mats on the second image floor. You can hardly see them. I loved those..
- A rear AC vent! No other car in this segment has this and I believe this is a boon for the passengers in the rear seat
- Overall fit and finish is very good. No major cost custtings evident in sight. I liked the play of textures.
- Well appointed cabin. I like the blue illumination overall. The speedo console illumination is also very nice
- I liked the placement of the USB and the 12V socket too.
- Storage spaces in the car are very well appointed too. Enough room to store bottles, your cell phones, and the smart key too
- The request sensor on the driver and co-driver doors is a boon! The boot also has a request button.. Fantastic
- The spray nozzles for the front and the rear windshield are really concealed pretty well. Not something that you will notice at first glance. I've circled the rear one in the pic below.
A few other points also make this car worth considering if you are in the market for a slightly premium hatchback.
- Doors open wide in 2 steps. Entry is almost walk-in.
- Well sized boot space. It is squarish and deep enough to hold a full size suitcase and some cabin luggage.
- The hazard sign pouch gets velcro, stops it from playing around in the boot and making unwanted noises.
Apart from the ever discussed problem of the absence of DTE and auto-unlocking but no auto-locking doors, there is just this one flaw (per me) that I find that Hyundai could have taken care of it in design and those are the fog lamps. They protrude right to the edge and a little more over the contact surface and are absolutely certain to break in the even of a frontal brush/nick from the bikes and rickshaws.
It is a good car overall. Automatic, I mean. I wouldn't have ever laid hands on a Hyundai if I was looking for and okay with a manual. The deal I got made it even sweeter.
The car has done close to 600 kms as of today and I might have driven it less than 100 of those. My wife is all praises for the car and I'm glad she takes it to her office and weekend runabouts. It returned about 11 kmpl on the first tankful. Around expectations, I must say.
The Drive:
It is fancy to see a P-R-N-D setup. I never imagined I would have one. Although, this 4 speed torque converter is no where as smooth as the DCT or the DSGs.
Put it in R or D and you feel a very slight jerk. It starts moving as you lift your foot off the brake pedal. But as you give it a little gas, it seems confused for a while - something like - "Oh, seems you want me to go full forward, let me do that" and then it goes.
Cruising at 60-70 is the sweet spot. I somehow feel its annoying the way it drops gears and slots into first every time I hit a speed-breaker. It almost always feels unnecessary. Second could do.
It is not quick off the mark either; or at least I don't drive it properly.
Again, not a fan of automatics and hence, being new to this setup, my comments on how it drives will be biased.
- Engine performance & driveability in the city: It is a boon to be driving an automatic in the city limits and I've come to respect the automatic transmissions even more as I encounter the daily increasing traffic. No jerks, no left foot strained etc driving this car. The engine has enough grunt, is very refined with absolute no noise filtering in unless revved very hard. It is a bit slow off the mark and only revs before actually doing anything. Once beyond its second ratio, the ride is very smooth.
Suspension setup is, like I mentioned, on the softer side proving it to be a boon in city. Rumbling strips and sudden patches of interlocking bricks do not cause any rattles or upsetting movements inside. But the rear suspension bottoms out pretty easily with a full load and with those slight undulations on highways or that gradient split before a flyover that you encounter.
- Engine performance & driveability on the highway: It actually is a good cruiser as well. It does not have a taller 5th ratio, it really should have had one in interest of fuel economy! But this car rides okay on the highway. Does not feel as planted as a Swift, Punto or a Polo does but is reasonably good. You can keep speeds of 80 kmph with good control.
- Overall opinion on the engine:
Smooth engine, mated to a dated gearbox is what I can say. A better gearbox can easily extract the best out of this engine. On tap power is missing badly. That said, the gearbox does drop a gear when you press hard suddenly. Overtake maneuvers are difficult and have to be well planned.
The gear shifter itself is pretty smooth and slots in perfectly without causing any doubt in which drive mode you are in. Reverse gear gives a nice beep tone. Reverse parking sensors are audio only. Which is okay.
The gear stick has a blue backlit as the ignition is turned on and the selected gear glows just brighter. This is a boon and you don't have to teach yourself to look into the center console display to see what your gear selection is.
The Baleno misses out on this.
- Overall NVH levels: Engine noise hardly trickles into the cabin. This is very well insulated. The bonnet misses out on padding, although not required, it does not look nice with unfinished paint showing. Doors are solid and close with a thump. This is one of the quietest rides that way.
- Fuel efficiency: ~10 kmpl (city)
- Handling, on-road behaviour, grip levels, stability, body roll & turning radius: This car does not like sudden direction changes and this is evident even at speeds like 30-40 kmph. Not that the car does not stop, but the softer suspension does not inspire confidence in the driver. Sames goes with braking. You need to push on the brakes and they feel spongy at times. Blame this on the very basic Goodyear tires. They have decent grip for city drive. But anyone getting these tires and plan to take the car out on highways should strictly change to better ones.
Steering size is apt, absolutely does not look like an eyesore. Buttons are well distributed and are backlit too. Leather, though not plush, gives decent appeal to it. Like I mentioned earlier, the steering is feather-light weighs up very little as speed builds up. Turning radius is good enough for tighter parking and U turns.
- Ground clearance: enough to save itself from the haphazardly constructed speed-breakers. Craters are pretty much non-existent in my city but then I don't think the car would nose dive in sudden braking or scrape.
I hope this review, though comes in after a good 4 months of ownership, gave a view of the thought process involved in zeroing in on this car and how I find it as an owner. There are a couple other reviews as well that helped me decide on this car and I would like to thank those folks who have put up their ownership reviews and comments around this make and model.
For me, it is my humble Fiesta (with a RD chip :)) that I love driving.
Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Initial Ownership Section. Thanks for sharing!
Congrats Neeraj.
I did the same. Got a white Asta(O) Auto for my wife in September 2016 coinciding with her birthday. Paid 7.95 lakhs on road while having negotiated for a rear camera, underbody coating and teflon.
Like you, I use my Fiesta for myself. Cant bring myself to drive the Grand on a daily basis. Feel its got a little bit of understeering.
Congrats. A very practical choice for a city runabout. The only thing that sticks(pun intended for the loss of the manual tranny)out is the fuel efficiency.
Congrats Neeraj for your hyundai, agree: Grand I10 scores in build quality.
I have booked one for myself in year end offer
Hey can you tell me from where did you buy seat covers & for how much, they look fabulous.
If from hyundai accessories store, please share some details.
Also if anyone can guide :- Can we upgrade to R14s in Grand I10 please:?
Cheers!
Thanks Avinash. Fiestas are amazing cars and I really envy the Fiesta S with those 15 inchers and that soft dashboard :)
Thanks Raulspace999. Yeah the fuel efficiency could have been better. The Baleno, we have one in the family, returns about 14-16 kmpl in the city which is just amazing. I wish this car could do a bit better. 12 should be the minimum - a City automatic returns 12!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Zeal4Cars@Micky
(Post 4116992)
Congrats Neeraj for your hyundai, agree: Grand I10 scores in build quality.
I have booked one for myself in year end offer :uncontrol.
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Congrats! What color did you book?
How much did you get it for on road?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Zeal4Cars@Micky
(Post 4116992)
Hey can you tell me from where did you buy seat covers & for how much, they look fabulous.
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Thanks. These are made to order from a dealer friend. Autoform. 8k.
The photographs are quite hazy due to the weather that day. But these are rich tone black and they look very nice.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Zeal4Cars@Micky
(Post 4116992)
Also if anyone can guide :- Can we upgrade to R14s in Grand I10 please:?
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Grand i10 has R14s. Do you want to upgrade the size to 15" or a upsize within 14"?
Congrats adneeraj! Excellent review of an under-rated car. Most people line up for Marutis like Celerio AMT, but you've very nicely covered the pros and cons of that vs the Grand i10. But I only wish it had an additional gear for better FE on the highway!
I quite agree with your opinion of the dead and super-light steering of most Hyundais, which largely takes away the driving pleasure you get on the Fiesta. But it is good that you've made a distinction between your needs and your wife's. Really good decision! Keeps peace in the household too! :Shockked:
I guess the better FE of the Grand i10 when compared to the i10 automatic is due to the absence of one cylinder. My neighbour who has the latter gets only 8 kmpl in city driving.
^^
Both cars have similar engine displacements and the same transmissions. Also, the engine will be spinning at about 2600 RPM at 100 KMPH in 4th gear, which is comparable to MT cars doing the same speed using 5th gear.
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Thanks Neeraj for the brief yet brilliant review.
Yes, the Grand i10 is the perfect premium city car. It's nice, spacious and does everything well. Hope it serves you well for the years to come.
11 kmpl is good FE, I've heard a lot of complaints from i10 owners about FE being 7-9 kmpl.
Quote:
Originally Posted by vnabhi
(Post 4117096)
Congrats adneeraj! Excellent review of an under-rated car. Most people line up for Marutis like Celerio AMT, but you've very nicely covered the pros and cons of that vs the Grand i10. But I only wish it had an additional gear for better FE on the highway!
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Thanks vnabhi!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by vnabhi
(Post 4117096)
I guess the better FE of the Grand i10 when compared to the i10 automatic is due to the absence of one cylinder. My neighbour who has the latter gets only 8 kmpl in city driving.
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I do not think it is that way. AFAIK, the engines are carried over. the previous generation i10 Auto also had the same 1.2 Kappa engine and so does this car. I'm sure it must be tweaked to provide a little better efficiency.
Only the Grand i10 diesel model has a 3 cyl engine. The petrol is 4 cyl in the MT as well as AT avatar.
Low FE can be attributed to various factors - traffic, driving styles, AC usage etc. Climate in my city is not too humid so the AC does not have to overwork to keep the cabin cool. Things will be different in Mumbai city with the kind of traffic and the climate.
Congrats Neeraj and thank you for sharing this detailed ownership report. Wish you miles of happiness.
The Grand i10 AT sits nicely in the sweet spot between the more basic Celerio/Wagon R Range and the more expensive Baleno/Figo/Jazz types. One big downer for me with the Grand i10 was that the AT was not offered in the top trim. Fortunately Hyundai has now taken care of that and you get the safety features as well as all the fancy features at a nice price. The 4 speed AT is a downer, but apart from the DSG on the GT TSI, there is nothing really special about any of the other AT's in the segment above or below.
Enjoy the car and do keep sharing updates.
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