Hyundai i10 Auto Sportz - 1000 Kms. review

d.kiran · 13th January 2009, 15:08

I have been meaning to write this post for sometime now. I had a problem researching for reviews of i10 AT before buying my car, so I figured I will jot down my thoughts as they would be helpful for someone.

Pre Sales Experience:
I bought the car at Kun Hyundai, Anna Nagar, Chennai. The sales experience was pretty good. The staff were courteous and helpful and very professional.

The OTR price for the car was Rs. 4,85,202. There was a discount of Rs. 25000 and the only freebie was an obnoxiously loud Xenos remote lock. I have disabled the beeper :-) as I could not stand it.

Exterior:
Not much to write about here. The i10 is hardly a looker. It is a pretty bland looking car. The paint quality was decent. The panel gaps were also not a major problem. The color I chose was the blushing red. The finish seemed OK.

Interiors:
This is a completely different area. In my opinion, the interiors look really good compared to other cars I saw. I was also interested in the swift, but I felt claustrophobic inside. I mean the dark interiors coupled with the smallish windows made me uncomfortable. But this is purely subjective.
The two tone interiors look nice, but the plastics feel very hard.

There is no place that feels nice to the touch. The Steering wheel feels very very cheap. In fact, it was not even machined properly with insufficient gaps.

Apart from that, there is no place to rest your hands comfortably. Usually on the door panels, I either keep my hands (specifically the elbow) on the door near the window panel or on the arm rest. I find it very uncomfortable to do that while wearing half sleeves (The other car we have is the civic which has cloth/foam panels in both these places.) due to the quality of plastics used. I think there should be a cloth panel here.

The seats are OK. They are comfortable, firm and the seating position is upright. However, I am not tall so other people might have problems. The seat covers however suffer the same problem as the plastics. They feel rough.

That said, I do miss a height adjustable seat even though I am short.

The spacing is also OK though not with a lot of leg room. 4 people can sit fairly comfortably as long as they are all less than 6 feet tall.

Build Quality
Another area where I feel disappointed. The car was delivered with a rattling rear view mirror that they could not fix. Within a 1000 kms, the dash has started to make noises, the seats are rattling. Admittedly my drive includes a km. of bad roads (for people who are familiar with Chennai, my office is in Siruseri), but still no excuse for such kind of rattling even before the first service. Now if I change the ICE, I dont know if those plastics start rattling as well.

Performance:
This is one area where I am completely happy with my decision. The car does not feel all that underpowered and can be quite nippy if you give it a moment to gather its wits together.
The gear box is not as refined as I hoped it would be and the gear shifts are also not that seamless under hard driving. But for a daily commute, it is really good. In fact, I doubt I would buy a manual hereafter. A tiptronic type sequential shift is ideal at times when you want to rip.
The only problem being the reaction of people. One of my friends had a go at my car and said, this is a perfect car for ladies and senior citizens. Last I heard, he was still at the dentist.

Conclusion:
All in all, I am satisfied with my purchase. I do think the car is overpriced, but I could not find a suitable alternative. The only problem being the hard plastics and the build quality. I think the hard plastics are standard across all models at this price range. The build quality is unforgivable though. I expect far better for a company that expects to seriously compete in Europe. Again, the rattling is a problem for Marutis as well.

I dont understand why they still persist with these kind of rattles? Dont enough people complain?

Not sure if I have missed anything here. Oh yes. Mileage kya hai? So far, an average of 10.5 kmpl. Not good but not particularly bad either.

Please ask if you have any questions. Will upload the pics soon. I am planning to get alloys and new tyres (175/65 R14 same as the UK spec) and change the interiors a bit :-)

MontyKING · 13th January 2009, 15:16

d.kiran: Congrats on your new car. The review is quite detailed and nice. I am planning to write a simillar review after the first service.

My i10 Magna 1.2 has done 250km. Having a few problems here and there.

Cheers
MK

vasudeva · 13th January 2009, 15:31

Good and objective review. I am sure that there would be many people interested in a compact AT and this review will be very helpful.

Performance seems good (as per your review) though rattling seems to be generic across this segment. Get it rectified from the dealer, with a note to Hyundai.

Fountainheader · 13th January 2009, 21:18

Kiran,
Congrats on the purchase and a good review there. And yes, the final stretch at Siruseri is such a pain.

My friend is also planning a Sportz AT. Hope he finds this review helpful

tanwaramit · 14th January 2009, 15:20

nice review on the i10 Auto.

I am a fan of auto transmission, and in the compact category i10 is an excellent choice.

Hyundai has been consistently delivering good products in India in various price ranges...

Kenneth · 10th March 2009, 14:59

D.Kiran,

Congrats on your new car. After going through all the information available on i10 auto's on T-BHP ,I have booked a i10 Sportz Auto Blushing Red for my wife at KUN Hyundai anna nagar. We are getting only the one year insurance free+3rd year free warranty(Hyundai special offer for having sold 3Lac cars!). How did you manage the 25K discount

, Your inputs would help as i am expecting delivery this weekend.

revhappy · 10th March 2009, 15:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kenneth

D.Kiran,

Congrats on your new car. After going through all the information available on i10 auto's on T-BHP ,I have booked a i10 Sportz Auto Blushing Red for my wife at KUN Hyundai anna nagar. We are getting only the one year insurance free+3rd year free warranty(Hyundai special offer for having sold 3Lac cars!). How did you manage the 25K discount

, Your inputs would help as i am expecting delivery this weekend.

That must be because of Year end discount. He had bought got a 2008 model.

Cheers,
Nitin

monk_optra · 13th March 2009, 00:32

Hi,

Could anyone suggest an excellent music system for my new i10, budget is no bar. The only issue is that this is my wife's car and she is not intrested in getting the cuts in parceltray and putting speakers there. Is it possible to have the same quality of sound with door speakers?If yes than please suggest the HU and speakers. USB is a must. I am a new member, can someone put my query to Gunbir, have heard that he is exceptoinally good with sound.

anurag_p80 · 13th March 2009, 14:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by d.kiran

One of my friends had a go at my car and said, this is a perfect car for ladies and senior citizens. Last I heard, he was still at the dentist.

ROFL....Congrats there, Kiran. Do post some pics.

vijaythacker · 13th March 2009, 14:24

d.kiran, good review of your A/T i10, congrats on your purchase, surely with this being the only auto transmission available in segment, your review would help out selecting one, do fix out those rattles with your car as have not heard that many from hyundai cars which are good built and fit properly.Keep updating with few pictures added alongwith.CHEERS!!

pulsar56 · 13th March 2009, 14:33

Quote:

I dont understand why they still persist with these kind of rattles? Dont enough people complain?

Not sure if I have missed anything here. Oh yes. Mileage kya hai? So far, an average of 10.5 kmpl. Not good but not particularly bad either.

Please ask if you have any questions. Will upload the pics soon. I am planning to get alloys and new tyres (175/65 R14 same as the UK spec) and

Great review there Kiran. Complain about the rear view mirror and the seats to the dealer and I hope they will fix those if not, follow up with Hyundai.
10.5 seems little lower and I guess it will improve slightly later on.

Quote:

change the interiors a bit

What kind of changes do you have in mind?

And yes, please do post pics and keep updating this thread.

quakerme · 14th March 2009, 18:46

Quote:

All in all, I am satisfied with my purchase. I do think the car is overpriced, but I could not find a suitable alternative

, I totally second that after completing 6k kms but without any rattling sounds.

d.kiran · 16th March 2009, 10:15

Thanks for the wishes Guys. Right now I am traveling and have not driven the car much. I had driven it till 2000 odd kms and it serves its duty well..

One thing I noticed was that the mileage dropped like a rock after the first service. Once I am back, I need to talk to the Hyundai guys.

However, the car has opened up a bit and the transmission changes are smoother than before.

No mods to the car yet.

@Kenneth,

Sorry could not reply earlier, but Nitin's reply was right. i got a 2008 model and I got a nice discount.

@monk,

If budget is no bar, can I suggest you do a search for "Bhagwan i10" in the forum. He has a really nice (I have not heard it) setup that cost almost half as much as the car.

loving_alaap · 16th March 2009, 12:04

Rattles in i10??

Surprising!

Can any other i10 owner share the experience on that? or its an exception?

Even though, its a fantastic car, i also feel, that, its a bit overpriced.

PraveenM · 16th March 2009, 16:10

Our i10 magna auto has just crossed 2500kms in 6 months, and has been a delight. No squeaks or rattles yet. We love the light steering and the tight turning radius. For the short runabouts we do the transmission is smooth. Haven't checked the mileage but guess should be somewhere around 9kmpl.

13th January 2009, 15:08	#1
d.kiran BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Chennai Posts: 77 Thanked: 0 Times	Hyundai i10 Auto Sportz - 1000 Kms. review I have been meaning to write this post for sometime now. I had a problem researching for reviews of i10 AT before buying my car, so I figured I will jot down my thoughts as they would be helpful for someone. Pre Sales Experience: I bought the car at Kun Hyundai, Anna Nagar, Chennai. The sales experience was pretty good. The staff were courteous and helpful and very professional. The OTR price for the car was Rs. 4,85,202. There was a discount of Rs. 25000 and the only freebie was an obnoxiously loud Xenos remote lock. I have disabled the beeper :-) as I could not stand it. Exterior: Not much to write about here. The i10 is hardly a looker. It is a pretty bland looking car. The paint quality was decent. The panel gaps were also not a major problem. The color I chose was the blushing red. The finish seemed OK. Interiors: This is a completely different area. In my opinion, the interiors look really good compared to other cars I saw. I was also interested in the swift, but I felt claustrophobic inside. I mean the dark interiors coupled with the smallish windows made me uncomfortable. But this is purely subjective. The two tone interiors look nice, but the plastics feel very hard. There is no place that feels nice to the touch. The Steering wheel feels very very cheap. In fact, it was not even machined properly with insufficient gaps. Apart from that, there is no place to rest your hands comfortably. Usually on the door panels, I either keep my hands (specifically the elbow) on the door near the window panel or on the arm rest. I find it very uncomfortable to do that while wearing half sleeves (The other car we have is the civic which has cloth/foam panels in both these places.) due to the quality of plastics used. I think there should be a cloth panel here. The seats are OK. They are comfortable, firm and the seating position is upright. However, I am not tall so other people might have problems. The seat covers however suffer the same problem as the plastics. They feel rough. That said, I do miss a height adjustable seat even though I am short. The spacing is also OK though not with a lot of leg room. 4 people can sit fairly comfortably as long as they are all less than 6 feet tall. Build Quality Another area where I feel disappointed. The car was delivered with a rattling rear view mirror that they could not fix. Within a 1000 kms, the dash has started to make noises, the seats are rattling. Admittedly my drive includes a km. of bad roads (for people who are familiar with Chennai, my office is in Siruseri), but still no excuse for such kind of rattling even before the first service. Now if I change the ICE, I dont know if those plastics start rattling as well. Performance: This is one area where I am completely happy with my decision. The car does not feel all that underpowered and can be quite nippy if you give it a moment to gather its wits together. The gear box is not as refined as I hoped it would be and the gear shifts are also not that seamless under hard driving. But for a daily commute, it is really good. In fact, I doubt I would buy a manual hereafter. A tiptronic type sequential shift is ideal at times when you want to rip. The only problem being the reaction of people. One of my friends had a go at my car and said, this is a perfect car for ladies and senior citizens. Last I heard, he was still at the dentist. Conclusion: All in all, I am satisfied with my purchase. I do think the car is overpriced, but I could not find a suitable alternative. The only problem being the hard plastics and the build quality. I think the hard plastics are standard across all models at this price range. The build quality is unforgivable though. I expect far better for a company that expects to seriously compete in Europe. Again, the rattling is a problem for Marutis as well. I dont understand why they still persist with these kind of rattles? Dont enough people complain? Not sure if I have missed anything here. Oh yes. Mileage kya hai? So far, an average of 10.5 kmpl. Not good but not particularly bad either. Please ask if you have any questions. Will upload the pics soon. I am planning to get alloys and new tyres (175/65 R14 same as the UK spec) and change the interiors a bit :-)
	() Thanks

13th January 2009, 15:16	#2
MontyKING BHPian Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Noida, India Posts: 87 Thanked: 0 Times	d.kiran: Congrats on your new car. The review is quite detailed and nice. I am planning to write a simillar review after the first service. My i10 Magna 1.2 has done 250km. Having a few problems here and there. Cheers MK
	() Thanks

13th January 2009, 15:31	#3
vasudeva Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Delhi Posts: 2,221 Thanked: 212 Times	Good and objective review. I am sure that there would be many people interested in a compact AT and this review will be very helpful. Performance seems good (as per your review) though rattling seems to be generic across this segment. Get it rectified from the dealer, with a note to Hyundai.
	() Thanks

13th January 2009, 21:18	#4
Fountainheader Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Silicon Valley Posts: 1,501 Thanked: 13 Times View My Garage	Kiran, Congrats on the purchase and a good review there. And yes, the final stretch at Siruseri is such a pain. My friend is also planning a Sportz AT. Hope he finds this review helpful
	() Thanks

14th January 2009, 15:20	#5
tanwaramit Senior - BHPian Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Dilwalon ki Dilli Posts: 1,930 Thanked: 497 Times	nice review on the i10 Auto. I am a fan of auto transmission, and in the compact category i10 is an excellent choice. Hyundai has been consistently delivering good products in India in various price ranges...
	() Thanks

10th March 2009, 14:59	#6
Kenneth BHPian Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Chennai Posts: 26 Thanked: 6 Times	D.Kiran, Congrats on your new car. After going through all the information available on i10 auto's on T-BHP ,I have booked a i10 Sportz Auto Blushing Red for my wife at KUN Hyundai anna nagar. We are getting only the one year insurance free+3rd year free warranty(Hyundai special offer for having sold 3Lac cars!). How did you manage the 25K discount, Your inputs would help as i am expecting delivery this weekend.
	() Thanks

13th March 2009, 00:32	#8
monk_optra Newbie Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: NOIDA Posts: 15 Thanked: 0 Times	Hi, Could anyone suggest an excellent music system for my new i10, budget is no bar. The only issue is that this is my wife's car and she is not intrested in getting the cuts in parceltray and putting speakers there. Is it possible to have the same quality of sound with door speakers?If yes than please suggest the HU and speakers. USB is a must. I am a new member, can someone put my query to Gunbir, have heard that he is exceptoinally good with sound.
	() Thanks

13th March 2009, 14:24	#10
vijaythacker Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Ahmedabad Posts: 1,498 Thanked: 74 Times View My Garage	d.kiran, good review of your A/T i10, congrats on your purchase, surely with this being the only auto transmission available in segment, your review would help out selecting one, do fix out those rattles with your car as have not heard that many from hyundai cars which are good built and fit properly.Keep updating with few pictures added alongwith.CHEERS!!
	() Thanks

16th March 2009, 10:15	#13
d.kiran BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Chennai Posts: 77 Thanked: 0 Times	Thanks for the wishes Guys. Right now I am traveling and have not driven the car much. I had driven it till 2000 odd kms and it serves its duty well.. One thing I noticed was that the mileage dropped like a rock after the first service. Once I am back, I need to talk to the Hyundai guys. However, the car has opened up a bit and the transmission changes are smoother than before. No mods to the car yet. @Kenneth, Sorry could not reply earlier, but Nitin's reply was right. i got a 2008 model and I got a nice discount. @monk, If budget is no bar, can I suggest you do a search for "Bhagwan i10" in the forum. He has a really nice (I have not heard it) setup that cost almost half as much as the car.
	() Thanks

16th March 2009, 12:04	#14
loving_alaap BHPian Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Ahmedabad Posts: 808 Thanked: 9 Times	Rattles in i10?? Surprising! Can any other i10 owner share the experience on that? or its an exception? Even though, its a fantastic car, i also feel, that, its a bit overpriced.
	() Thanks

16th March 2009, 16:10	#15
PraveenM BHPian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Chennai Posts: 125 Thanked: 32 Times	Our i10 magna auto has just crossed 2500kms in 6 months, and has been a delight. No squeaks or rattles yet. We love the light steering and the tight turning radius. For the short runabouts we do the transmission is smooth. Haven't checked the mileage but guess should be somewhere around 9kmpl.
	() Thanks