[moonshine]

I recently purchased an i10 AT Sportz variant with the new Variable valve timing engine(Kappa2) and i would like to share the experience so that it would enable you to decide.

The initial cars which were under the scanner were (based on test drives):

Polo - Impressed with the overall driveability, German engineering has always been sought after, gear shifts, suspension was not bad when i took it out. The reasons i was not impressed with are dealer/ service networks at infancy stages (could improve, but was not willing to take the chance), engine bay is a bit of a low deck, not sure if these people took the whole Voice of customer and incorporated Indian road conditions into. NVH for some reason was quite bad even in petrol, mileage and other quality stats still yet to mature.

i20 - Good styling and interiors. period. relatively low A/C output/ Steering noise issues were some of the deterrents. Since the same engine is powering an i10 (kappa1), had my doubts on the same as well.

A-star automatic - Considering this is the only rival to i10 AT, decided to give it a shot. Poor NVH and driveability made me decide against it.

Figo - Ideally i should be writing a review on this car, as i was all but certain to go for this and the only reason i chose otherwise was the i10 AT version for the missus. Besides that nothing else can be rated negatively about this machine, feels this beats everything else hands down in the segment it is in.

Punto - one word, ZIPPY! Yep, the Ads are actually true. Great drive and handling and Fiat's expertise in engines is vast. Again, my chief concern was the service network which was far from efficient, based on some reviews and also inputs from colleagues and people on the inside.

Swift - Most broken in of the lot, but the thing that put me off was the waiting time of 2 months!

Wagon-R - Decent reliable, good VFM, but the new models had a tighter clutch from the earlier ones. Interiors had a nice facelift as well. Already have one, decided to go for something else.

Anyways, that's the list of the vehicles that i had in my radar. Was not too keen on the Spark as i felt the interiors were a bit of a let down.

Now to the i10 AT Sportz 1.2:

Dealership experience: Overall Rating - Very Good

I purchased the car from V3 Hyundai (Thiruvanmiyur- Chennai), the sales executive Prem Kumar was an affable young chap and very willing, in bringing the cars over to my residence for a test drive. He sat with me down as i took my family out for a test drive and explained the nuances of the vehicle efficiently. Unlike the other ones, i was impressed as he took some extra cars to my residence to enable me to have a proper look at the exterior paint as well, to help me decide on a colour.
I would like to add here that his post follow-up after the sale (which is not done in many dealerships) has been particularly impressive in terms of general enquiry about the performance and intimating about the service etc.

Most of the paperwork was done with little effort on my side (except the car loan). I was given the car in a week's time (owing due to a minor delay in the car loan papers not reaching the dealership in time). I had taken a car loan via HDFC at the dealer-end with a decent interest rate and he had come to my residence to collect all the relevant documents. I was given a relatively good deal in terms of accessories also which brought the on-road price to roughly 5.6 (at the time of this writing).

The Car: The first three months

The reason i chose to delay in writing this review was to record details like mileage, suspension, ride quality, first service issues after the first 90 days.

Most of you reading this review would be people who are interested in getting an Automatic in the first place, so i will skip the comparison between a Manual and AT as it has little relevance to this review apart from stating the obvious.

Here are some points wrt the i10 AT shifts, you can "feel" the changeovers from 2nd to 3rd based on vehicle behaviour. Although you would miss the initial power (as in a manual), the shift events are a lot more regulated as far as the transmission control units are calibrated. You can use the O/D switch for getting a better sense of power while at 30-40 Kmph (if you were to overtake) but i generally feel it is to be used only if absolutely necessary, as its not exactly fuel efficient to do so. Till date i have never used the 1 and 2 in the gears, just kept it at 'D' and driven.

The key point here is the new VTVT engine itself that gives a good combination of torque/ power for the AT requirements and also is relatively easy on mileage which will be discussed in detail below.

The Seating comfort is a bit of a varied subjective opinion due to the Integrated headrest design on the front seats. I feel it is something that can be improved by introducing a detachable headrest but that could be due to a cost saving solution on the design as it limits the option of a neck rest pillow for comfort. But some friends of mine have found it comfortable in comparison to other cars. The front seating legroom is not bad but can be improved a bit.

The rear seating is quite good, tested it out with some family members, my mother and other family elders, who mentioned it was quite comfortable particularly in exiting and entering the car as in some cars, due to the low effect, they would have to bend more than necessary to enter the vehicle. The boot space is good, in comparison to the A-star. Leg room is quite good

Interiors itself look very retro, they have a beige/ Oakwood kind of finish on the Instrument panel. Nice metal chrome finish on the handles and good digital cluster displays. Certain added features on factory built audio on flush IP would include the 12V adapter, USB and aux audio jack. However, There are certain fundamental craftsmanship issues wrt appearances that is far from complimentary, you can still see the parting/ weld line in some of the areas and there is also a minor gap that is seen (for eg: between the air registers and main bezel). Once you look underneath the IP and beneath Auto gear shift lever console, you can see some foam stuffing. The chances are you never will bend that much, but i did not like it.

Ergonomics was quite good in terms of ease of reach of controls.

A/C cooling is quite good, but the blower settings are a bit off, its huge from 0 to 1 and very little from 1 to 2. so at ON (1 position), its rather high. There was an inconsistent blow between the side ducts and the centre ducts, with the ducts closest to the edge of the a-pillar being the weakest.

I feel the suspension is not bad, nothing home to write about though, but gets the job done. I took it on the highways within a 300-400 km radius to various places in these last couple of months, on a recent visit to a temple town, the roads were ghastly at best. The vehicle although put through the ringer was not entirely bad in terms of suspension behaving responsibly I would rate it as comfortable . I felt it was quite stable on the highway, the maximum i have clocked is close to 120.

The factory fit audio system is again a subjective issue. I like it and don't have an issue with the system (its features include playing audio CD and Mp3 CDs and has the aux functionalities to support IPods etc.) Rear and front speakers are nicely crafted on the door trims. My kind of music which is Johnny Cash and Duke Ellington plays without an issue. If you're a Public Enemy/ Wu-Tang clan kind of person, you might want to tweak your system up a notch or so.

The factory fit horn (single horn) is rather weak and i upgraded mine to a louder sounding one.

…….and now the Mileage: (.....drum roll....)

I am getting 10-11 Km to the litre, (which includes city and highway, for some reason the difference was rather low). I am talking about usual rush hour commuter traffic with A/C on (in the city) and the usual on the highway. I have clocked close to 2200 KM (in the last 90 days) and the mileage assessments are based on the full fuel tank and setting up the trip meters. Whilst i am not entirely upset by this figure, i can say that the earlier generations have not been this favourable in terms of these numbers and again if you want an Automatic, this parameter is something you must be willing to be a bit less stringent on. I use ordinary regular petrol only and nothing else.

Driving Comfort:

What can i say.... i Love it! I am used to driving a manual most of the time, and being in rush hour commuter traffic, shifting the gears can be such a headache. After getting the AT, i am completely at ease and its way less tasking on your driving experience in these roads than a Manual, which when times goes by would make a difference.

First service issues: i did not face any major issues and was done to the plan.

Overall conclusion: For some strange reason, there are no other key competitors in the compact car AT segment except for the a-star automatic which falls waaay short of expectations compared to the i10. This is a segment that the i10 has cleared owned and captured and have also decent monthly figures to meet a rising market demand for automatics. I'd say if your considering an automatic, this is a logical choice especially for the cost and considering that you will have a decent after-sales service.

[DMehta]

Hey moonshine! A nicely written review and good pictures too!
The i10, is definitely the best in class hatchback. Nice choice. I have driven an i10 automatic in pune and i instantly fell in love with it. It is a real nice car for the city and extremely smooth too. But, you can definitely feel the gear changing, but that should not be an issue. The i10 should be the ideal choice for someone wanting to buy an auto hatchback. The a-star seems miles behind this one.
Enjoy driving.

PS- Welcome to Tbhp.

[Samurai]

Congrats Moonshine, one i10 AT sportz owner to another....

Mine completed one month today. So far very happy with the car.

[moonshine]

Thanks DMehta - I was really surprised by the fact that i10 automatics are in such demand. I think people are finally realzing that driving comfort does make a major difference besides the mileage stats with the VTVT is very promising.

I also heard that they have made some improvements on the brake pads (higher friction material) from the earlier gen, this could be just something that others need to start incorporating as Automatics rely more on brake (enigne braking) for roll.

I think if Toyota is smart they may introduce that on the Liva (Etios hatchback) pretty soon.

[mdsaab]

A very detailed review, dont have a single question to ask.
You are absolutely right when you say the i10 has no real competition. Its the best choice in the compact hatchback segment as far as automatics go.
Wishing you many miles of joyful motoring with you AT.
Drive safe!

[supremeBaleno]

Congrats on your i10-AT, moonshine. AT is a good decision indeed, given that you are resident in a city. We bought an A-Star AT 3 months ago and its fun driving an AT, though gets boring at times.

Originally Posted by moonshine

You can use the O/D switch for getting a better sense of power while at 30-40 Kmph (if you were to overtake) but i generally feel it is to be used only if absolutely necessary, as its not exactly fuel efficient to do so..

Are you sure the O/D is for overtaking and that it is not fuel-efficient? My understanding was that it is similar to the 5th gear in MT cars, used for cruising and more FE than D. I might be wrong though as I have not driven an i10-AT.

Originally Posted by moonshine

The boot space is good, in comparison to the A-star.

In comparison to the A-Star, any car's boot is good. Even the Alto has more volume I think.

Originally Posted by moonshine

I am getting 10-11 Km to the litre, (which includes city and highway, for some reason the difference was rather low).

Samurai was seeing quite some difference between city (Blore) and highway driving with his i10-AT - IIRC he got close to double on highways (8 in city vs 16 on highways). When you get a chance, do calculate city/highway FE separately and post here.

Originally Posted by moonshine

if you want an Automatic, this parameter (FE) is something you must be willing to be a bit less stringent on.

Actually that was how I also believed till 3 months ago and was sort of prepared for low FE when we booked the A-Star, but it really surprised us. I guess modern automatics are getting better at FE. The last FE check I did on our A-Star showed 15kmpl for a pure Kollam town drive done during a single day, with A/c on and 2-4 people on board. I also read about ANHC_ATs giving close to 10kmpl in Blore which is pretty good given the cars power.

Another member scuderiaferrari gets 12-14kmpl on his A*-AT which is impressive for Blore standards.

Originally Posted by moonshine

For some strange reason, there are no other key competitors in the compact car AT segment except for the a-star automatic which falls waaay short of expectations compared to the i10.

I think it is a hen-chicken story here with consumers not showing interest thereby manufacturers not offering options. But this will change as we see people getting more receptive to AT cars. BTW, the A*-AT is a pretty capable competition to the i10 - it loses out mainly on boot-size, interiors, highway driving & interiors while it has the upperhand in handling, city driving, safety (ABS) etc. Also, the A* comes 75-80K cheaper. The only thing that falls short of expectation is MSIL's 2-3month delivery period for the car.

Originally Posted by moonshine

A-star automatic - Considering this is the only rival to i10 AT, decided to give it a shot. Poor NVH and driveability made me decide against it.

Could you clarify about the driveability part ?
Regarding NVH, the only issue that was overtly noticeable in the A* was the initial racket made when the car is started. Did you experience undue vibrations with the A* ?

This thread has a detailed comparo between the i10-At and A*-AT.
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...ml#post2257077

[PraveenM]

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

Samurai was seeing quite some difference between city (Blore) and highway driving with his i10-AT - IIRC he got close to double on highways (8 in city vs 16 on highways). When you get a chance, do calculate city/highway FE separately and post here.

@moonshine, Congrats on the i10 AT.

My i10 AT will turn 3 years this June, the highway FE mentioned by Samurai is true, 15-16 is quite easily achievable. But in city conditions we get 9.5 consistently.

[moonshine]

Are you sure the O/D is for overtaking and that it is not fuel-efficient? My understanding was that it is similar to the 5th gear in MT cars, used for cruising and more FE than D. I might be wrong though as I have not driven an i10-AT.

**The concept of the O/D button on an AT can be quite misleading, its more of a misnomer, its actually in 'off' mode when you press it on.
Now when this switch is not pressed (which is in regular driving mode), it gives you a healthy mileage by lowering the RPM of your engine, this is because the transmission is in complete control and decides the best gear the vehicle should be in at any driving condition, which in a way also controls wear and tear.
Now turning off the O/D button (this would mean getting the O/D light on in your cluster ) actually increases the torque as it will give you minor chance for the vehicle to behave in 2-3 gear manual mode for more power, which could in turn compromise your fuel efficiency if left in that mode for long period of time, for an Automatic transmission, its offered only a temporary action. Ok to put it quite simply, think of it this way, If it were as a 5th gear option, it would feature in the PRNDL or maybe as a D1 etc. But since its to be used only as a temp feature at a given driving state, its offered as Toggle option**

Actually that was how I also believed till 3 months ago and was sort of prepared for low FE when we booked the A-Star, but it really surprised us. I guess modern automatics are getting better at FE. The last FE check I did on our A-Star showed 15kmpl for a pure Kollam town drive done during a single day, with A/c on and 2-4 people on board. I also read about ANHC_ATs giving close to 10kmpl in Blore which is pretty good given the cars power.

Another member scuderiaferrari gets 12-14kmpl on his A*-AT which is impressive for Blore standards.

** I am impressed by those stats especially for an AT**

I think it is a hen-chicken story here with consumers not showing interest thereby manufacturers not offering options. But this will change as we see people getting more receptive to AT cars. BTW, the A*-AT is a pretty capable competition to the i10 - it loses out mainly on boot-size, interiors, highway driving & interiors while it has the upperhand in handling, city driving, safety (ABS) etc. Also, the A* comes 75-80K cheaper. The only thing that falls short of expectation is MSIL's 2-3month delivery period for the car.

** yep, the ABS was a sweetspot in terms of features for the A-star**

Could you clarify about the driveability part ?
Regarding NVH, the only issue that was overtly noticeable in the A* was the initial racket made when the car is started. Did you experience undue vibrations with the A* ?

**maybe the A-star i drove was not upto the mark, but there was powertrain noise in terms of dull hum, some sluggishness during the 2nd to 3rd gear shift event was more of a jerk**
I will read Samurai's report as well. Thanks

Don't take me the wrong way, i am not saying anything bad about the A-star per se. Its just that the i10 was quite good in a lot of areas, but your mileage stats are quite impressive to say the least.

[mmxylorider]

@Moonshine - Congrats on your ownership and a nice review as well. As you pointed out, there aren't really many choices for a sub 5L AT and Hyundai/I10 has filled that slot quite well.

Wonder why other manufacturers are not tapping into this market. If only someone makes an AT under 3.5L?

[thedreamcatcher]

@Moonshine, congrats on the car. You really have made a good choice and I feel this has more to offer in terms or equipment and style than some of the others

And an auto is even more fun in the city

The only thing I sorely miss on this model though is the auto ac,which I feel they should incorporate, even if the cost does go up

Congrats anyways and drive safe

[blackasta]

Moonshine - Congrats on your car, and a very well written review of the same.
Have you tried connecting any ipod int he usb port? does the control of the ipod then transfer to the HU?

[motortechie]

@Moonshine : Congratulations . Excellent review. AT seems to getting popular at least in cities. Couple of questions

1)What sunfilm have you installed? Whats the visibility level?
2) Did you upgrade the horn in H.A.S.S? Does this affect your warranty?

[moonshine]

Originally Posted by motortechie

@Moonshine : Congratulations . Excellent review. AT seems to getting popular at least in cities. Couple of questions

1)What sunfilm have you installed? Whats the visibility level?
2) Did you upgrade the horn in H.A.S.S? Does this affect your warranty?

- The Sunfilm came with the package, i think it is a standard issue part. The visibility is not bad.

- Again, i upgraded the Horn via the dealership itself, it cost about 2k more. But was worth it and it does come under warranty. The single horn is too weak for words.

Imo though, the best horn is in the Polo. now that's class.

[motortechie]

Originally Posted by moonshine

- Again, i upgraded the Horn via the dealership itself, it cost about 2k more. But was worth it and it does come under warranty. The single horn is too weak for words.

.

I wonder why Hyundai does not fit the car with the louder horn in the first place.

What do you think about the headlights? A lot of people have said that the headlights are not powerful enough and are considering an upgrade

[supremeBaleno]

@moonshine, this is what Samurai has to say about the O/D button in his i10-AT thread - which is inline with what I mentioned about it being akin to the top-gear in MT cars.

Originally Posted by Samurai

When the over-drive button is on, it makes the i10 a 4-speed automatic car. When you are in higher speeds, it will let the drive shaft turn faster than the engine rpm. Very useful in highway drives. It is like the 5th gear on a manual i10. If you turn it off, the i10 becomes a 3-speed automatic car. The O/D is by default on. If you turn it off, it will get activated again when you restart the car.

Switching off O/D is useful while climbing a hill or descending hill where overdrive is not required. It gives engine braking and better control over the speed. But it won't make the i10 accelerate faster. If you floor the pedal, the transmission will down shift and use lower gear. Therefore, all the sudden accelerations for sporty driving are provided by lower gears and. Switching overdrive on or off doesn't have any effect on sudden acceleration. By switching it off, you are merely limiting the AT to just 3 lower gears.

Originally Posted by mmxylorider

maybe the A-star i drove was not upto the mark, but there was powertrain noise in terms of dull hum, some sluggishness during the 2nd to 3rd gear shift event was more of a jerk.

I could not notice powertrain hum from inside the car, but I remember my sister mentioning once that the car sounded like an asthma patient. She was standing near the car when I was reversing out of the driveway.

Originally Posted by mmxylorider

Don't take me the wrong way, i am not saying anything bad about the A-star per se. Its just that the i10 was quite good in a lot of areas, but your mileage stats are quite impressive to say the least.

True. Both cars have their pros and cons and these would have a bearing on the purchase decision.

Originally Posted by mmxylorider

As you pointed out, there aren't really many choices for a sub 5L AT and Hyundai/I10 has filled that slot quite well.

Actually as of today, the only sub-5L AT available is the A*-AT. The i10-AT costs closer to 6L in most states.

Originally Posted by mmxylorider

If only someone makes an AT under 3.5L?

My wife had the exact same query - why can't MSIL make an Alto-AT at 3.5L ? Indeed, why not ? If they gave AT in A*-LXi, it would be sub-4L.