Hyundai Grand i10 NIOS ownership review after 3.5 years & 40,000 km

The choice was between Swift and this one, and based on the price and features

BHPian SIDDHARTH2111 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hi BHPians,

Greetings, this will be my first of the many posts in the forum, Happy Driving.

For an IT Employee, based in Delhi NCR, The Grand I10 NIOS came as a great package, zipping through the city traffic and occasional outstation trips, this is the first car that I owned, after learning to drive in my dad's Maruti 800.

The selection of the car was rather frantic as purchased it way back in June 2020, just after the lockdown eased off, as we were scared of using the Public Transportation due to the relentless COVID. The car really came as a joy and opened our gateway to freedom of Travel. the choice was between Swift and this one, and based on the price and features, the Sportz Petrol version was a great fit in the budget as well as looks.

Driven it for 40,000Kms in the last three and a half years and the driving experience is indeed good, Hyundai definitely needs to work on the dynamics of driving for this hatchback, but my wife is happy driving with the slick steering and transmission, we are not much of enthusiasts and are running the car pure stock. Took advantage of Wonder Warranty and the car is covered till 2025 or 1,00,000Kms.

The 1.2 Kappa Engine has indeed stood the test of time since being put in the 1st Generation i10 and its legacy continues, it is definitely very much refined and the grunt is adequate, not much performance-oriented but it gets the job done zipping through city traffic. Although on Highways, you crave more power during overtakes. The Suspension is on the stiffer side the rear seated passengers feel bumps even going over expansion joints on the Bridges /Flyovers. The 165-section tyres are ok and do not feel thin (175 on ASTA looks good though). Seating space is ample, 2 in the rear will be comfortable, and 3 will be a squeeze, the lack of headrests in the Sportz variant is a bummer.

The infotainment system is good, even without a branded stereo system, and the music output is nice, I have perfected it to my hearing taste by tweaking certain settings on the EQ, even in high volume levels, the music doesn't tear out.

Fuel Economy is great, I get between 13-15Kmpl during summers with AC on, and astonishingly 16-18 kmpl during winters with AC OFF. To my great surprise, I got 25Kmpl Economy driving from Delhi to Chandigarh and vice-a-versa (tank to tank, MID was showing 27.4) during the winter with occasional bursts of Defogger.

This car has taken me places from the Mountains in the North to Desert in the West and has not put me down ever, highly reliable with continuous driving for 6 hours at a stretch. I never felt the lack of power during the uphill drive and was able to eat up rough roads with ease though it was all bumpy inside.

I tend to service the car at the Hyundai Dealership only, but it is burning a hole in my pocket, for instance, for the 5th Service, I received a bill of INR 14925 (After INR 2K Discount), and it was nothing major except the Spark Plug change that cost me INR 700. Below is the summary of Service costs that I incurred through the course, all from Sunrise Hyundai, Delhi.

• 1st Service (1115Kms) : INR 1990 (Anti-Rust Coating)
• 2nd Service (7576Kms) : INR 3848
• 3rd Service (17174 Kms) : INR 5993
• 4th Service (27151 Kms) : INR 12290.87

• 5th Service (37429 Kms) : INR 14925

Regret not getting it the much-deserved Ceramic coat but rather care for it with weekly wash and wax, all by myself (Learnt from my Dad).

Have summarized certain pros and cons of my view down below.

PROS:

• Good Steering capability, lightweight, and easy to maneuver.
• Transmission is smooth and the Clutch feels light.
• Adequate power to zip through.
• Boot space, ample for a couple, not so bad, not so good, can't complain.
• Surprisingly, rear seat space is good, better than a Brezza.
• Even in 2023, the Dashboard doesn't look ancient, good design on the AC vents, a good central console, thanks to Hyundai for keeping it grey rather than beige (avoiding reflection on the windscreens)
• Good Fuel Economy, still getting 15-16 Kmpl on general city traffic and 19-20Kmpl on Highways (Tank to Tank)
• The Aqua Teal Colour is definitely amazing
• Even with two Reverse proximity sensors, they do the job quite well.
• The Car feels planted at triple digit speeds.

CONS:

• Somehow, can't figure it out, while putting it in Reverse, the gear gets stuck, no resolution from Hyundai whatsoever for 3 years.
• The headlights, are outright poor.
• Overtakes on Highways keep you wanting for more power, only downshifting is the solution.
• The AC needs the car in motion to work great.

PROBLEMS SO FAR:

• Sometimes the car fails to start, happens thrice, but after some time, it just starts normally. Hyundai hasn't been able to recreate the problem in the Service Centre.
• The rear doors are starting to show paint bubbles, a sign of rusting, will need to show this to the Service Centre folks.
• After auto-cut during fuel up, the Fuel Indicator still shows the tank as empty but shows a full tank the next day.
• The Front L & R suspension makes a staggering noise even when going over speed breakers at 8-9Kmph, Hyundai has not been able to resolve this ever since.
• The V-Belt showed signs of distress (chipping off etc) and was replaced at 30,000Kms, not sure if this is normal.
• AC Thermistor stopped working once and got replaced under warranty in 2022.