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Brought home a 2023 Grand i10 NIOS AMT: Initial impressions

21st February 2023, 16:09 by Ananth Iyer

Total OTR came to Rs. 8.96L, including Zero-Dep Insurance from Reliance, Anti-Rust underbody coating & the Shield of Trust package for 2 years/40,000 kms.

BHPian RavenAvi recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Brought home the 2023 Nios Sportz AMT earlier in the evening today. Colour shade chosen was Aqua Teal, which was unanimously accepted by all. Car had rolled out of the factory on 23rd January, and reached the dealership on the morning of 08th February.

Total OTR came to Rs. 8.96L, including Zero-Dep Insurance from Reliance, Anti-Rust underbody coating & the Shield of Trust package for 2 years/40,000 kms.

We got 10,000 Exchange Bonus for trading in our 2011 DZire VXi and 3,000 as Corporate Discount. Also negotiated and was given designer all-weather mats, dashboard perfume, idol, mudflaps, a document holder, a microfibre cloth and door scuff plates for free.

Delivery got delayed till today evening because of the RTO's new rule for all car dealerships - to deliver any new passenger vehicle only after fitting the HSRP number plates procured from the RTO (the sign in Hindi on the right, in the pic below).

Good friend Pankaj accompanied me, and also got to check out the 2023 Nios in close detail since he's considering getting one for his family as well.

Reasons for choosing the Sportz variant - most of the newly-introduced features in the 2023 Nios facelift are provided in the Sportz variant, such as automatic headlamps, cruise control, Electronic Stability Control (ESC) with VSM (Vehicle Stability Management), hill-start assist control (HAC), side airbags, LED taillamps, voice recognition, Apple CarPlay & Android Auto, footwell lighting, rear AC vents, fast type-C USB charger, Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) and Automatic Climate Control (ACC).

The Asta which costs nearly 82K more, gets diamond-cut alloy wheels, smart key with push-button start, 2 curtain airbags, ISOFIX mounts, chrome door handles, cooled glove box, adjustable rear headrests and a rear wiper & washer. This makes the Sportz variant a perfect VFM option in the 2023 Nios lineup, IMO.

The Nios AMT is the perfect urban workhorse for any one looking for a compact hatch to perform everyday duties and conduct runs to the city proper and back. The upshifts are almost non-existent if one drives in a relaxed, laid-back manner which is quite smooth for an AMT transmission (no doubt due to the electrical actuators used by Hyundai in it's AMT boxes). Only grouse anyone can have is that the shifter holds on to the first 2 gears for a bit longer than usual before upshifting. Power delivery is very linear. Fit and finish, being a Hyundai, is absolutely top-notch. The newly-tweaked 1.2L Kappa which is RDE & E20 compliant is absolutely silent except for the initial 2 gears which make it sound a bit boomy for a Hyundai. Comfort levels, all-round visibility and ease of use are almost perfect for any casual urban dweller.