Hello

ssbiitm · 4th December 2009, 15:13

Hi Everyone,
I have been reading (and using) this website for some time, but I registered only a couple of days back.

I am from Chennai and have been driving an i10 Asta 1.2 (manual without sunroof) for the past 5 months, which I upgraded to after having owned a Santro LS Zipdrive for almost 10 years. The decision to chose an i10 was helped partly by Team-BHP (wasn't an avid reader of Team-BHP website at that time). Just to share a few facts on this particular choice and how the other options were eliminated:

What I needed: A petrol hatchback (am not comfortable with sedans), decent fuel efficiency, good service, reasonable space (for a family of two and a half), nice pickup, good handling in the city as well as highways.

The other choices (and reasons for elimination) were
1. Fiat Grande Punto emotion pack - while the engine (1.4l) and structure was certainly worthwhile, some of the interior parts looked distinctly cheap & plasticky and no one could give me an idea of the FE (one blog said < 9 kmpl). Of course, the disappointing treatment at the dealer (prices printed on poorly photocopied sheets of paper, no catalog/brochure available and the fact that I could test drive only a diesel vehicle!) forced me to scratch this option.
2. Honda Jazz - the really ridiculous price tag (Rs. 8.2 lakhs), every thing else being realy fine. Drop the price by Rs. 1.5 lakhs and I would have taken it! With that price tag I would expect a bigger engine. Plus there were too many fancy features that I would perhaps never get to use. The magic seats are wonderful in space management, but considering that I have needed to fold the rear seats of my previous Santro on just three occasions in the past 10 years, it did not seem worth the price tag.
3. Hyundai i20 - extremely pleasing and comfortable in most respects, but I thought the 1.2 kappa engine was too small for it. Getting in and out of the driving seat was also not very comfortable (knee kept banging the steering wheel).
4. Maruti Ritz - except for the rear, everything about this car was great. There was a very long waiting period though and I could not get myself to get past the oddball rear.
5. Indica Vista - although this was perhaps the most done up vehicle with the maximum features for the price, the interiors seemed somewhat inferior. Again, like the Punto, the dealer left a lot to be desired.
6. Aveo -UVA - too scared to touch a GM product. Saw what happened to a few friends with their Matiz after Daewoo collapsed.
That left the i10 as the only option and after 5 months of driving around, I am really happy with my decision. Am already getting 12-13 kmpl. There are a few niggling issues, which I shall post later.

A lot of my observations do tally with the test drive reports of Team-BHP and that strengthened my interest in joining this group.

Of course, I do want to mention that this was my subjective manner and logic of arriving at a decision and this, in no way, is meant to hurt or offend the feelings/logic/reasoning of other owners who have had their own approach to the purchase their vehicles!

Cheers,
Ssbiitm

benbsb29 · 6th December 2009, 09:29

Ssbiitm, welcome to Team-BHP.

You've got very valid observations in your test drive experiences,and finally the i10 is a good decision. How has the relationship with Hyundai products been, which brought you back as a return customer? However, after 10 years with a hatch, didnt you ever feel the need for a bigger car, a sedan perhaps?

Do stop by the Announcements section of the forum for a quick glance through the forum guidelines.

Looking forward to your active participation on the various threads.

ssbiitm · 7th December 2009, 14:50

Thanks, Benbsb29!

Its really a good question of yours - why continue with a hatchback and not go for a sedan? Tough to give a forceful answer to that. Guess my driving requirements have something to do with this decision. I use the car mostly for shopping and fun outings. With the kind of streets and traffic we have in Chennai, both my spouse and I are comfortable with a smaller and more maneoverable car. Hunting for a parking space is also easier! The fun trips have included several long distance drives through TN and Karnataka. I noticed that if I packed sensibly and organised the boot well I could comfortably fit in all my stuff in the bootspace, even in the Santro. Of course, it does mean that a sudden addition or purchase would require some "reworking" in the boot. During the 10 years with the Santro, I dont remember wishing for a bigger car. The i10 now gives me a little more room. As far as the ride is concerned, the Santro and the i10 are quite fine. In general we do try to make sure that we drive not more than 400 kms in a day on long drives and the tallboy position feels comfortable. Had I been doing more, the story may have been different. Maybe I am not seeing all the advantages of a sedan.

As for your other question regarding the experience with a Hyundai product, I can emphatically state that it has been excellent (and I hope it will remain so). The Santro had never required anything outside of regular routine maintenance - a little stress on the regular since I made sure that I had the car serviced at least once every six months. The only occasion when I had to call the Hyundai on-road service was when the battery died without any warning. But then, that battery had lasted for 5 years. I was in fact only on my second battery when I sold the car. The mileage was great (11-12 in the city and 18+ on highways). It was heartrending to see the car go! This was certainly a crucial factor in going for the Hyundai i10. At this stage, the i10 seems to be doing fine and living up to my expectations, as much as one can expect in a 5-month old car! Let us see what my comments are after I cross 20K kms!!

Cheers,
Ssbiitm

navan49 · 8th December 2009, 17:19

Hi ssbiitm

Welcome to the Board. It is well justified and wonderful introduction. You have already given all the reasons for going into i10. That is fine as you told the likeness differ person to person and that is the advantages for the companies to sell their product. Pl give the feed back of your i10 time to time.

4th December 2009, 15:13	#1
ssbiitm BHPian Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Chennai Posts: 31 Thanked: 10 Times	Hello Hi Everyone, I have been reading (and using) this website for some time, but I registered only a couple of days back. I am from Chennai and have been driving an i10 Asta 1.2 (manual without sunroof) for the past 5 months, which I upgraded to after having owned a Santro LS Zipdrive for almost 10 years. The decision to chose an i10 was helped partly by Team-BHP (wasn't an avid reader of Team-BHP website at that time). Just to share a few facts on this particular choice and how the other options were eliminated: What I needed: A petrol hatchback (am not comfortable with sedans), decent fuel efficiency, good service, reasonable space (for a family of two and a half), nice pickup, good handling in the city as well as highways. The other choices (and reasons for elimination) were 1. Fiat Grande Punto emotion pack - while the engine (1.4l) and structure was certainly worthwhile, some of the interior parts looked distinctly cheap & plasticky and no one could give me an idea of the FE (one blog said < 9 kmpl). Of course, the disappointing treatment at the dealer (prices printed on poorly photocopied sheets of paper, no catalog/brochure available and the fact that I could test drive only a diesel vehicle!) forced me to scratch this option. 2. Honda Jazz - the really ridiculous price tag (Rs. 8.2 lakhs), every thing else being realy fine. Drop the price by Rs. 1.5 lakhs and I would have taken it! With that price tag I would expect a bigger engine. Plus there were too many fancy features that I would perhaps never get to use. The magic seats are wonderful in space management, but considering that I have needed to fold the rear seats of my previous Santro on just three occasions in the past 10 years, it did not seem worth the price tag. 3. Hyundai i20 - extremely pleasing and comfortable in most respects, but I thought the 1.2 kappa engine was too small for it. Getting in and out of the driving seat was also not very comfortable (knee kept banging the steering wheel). 4. Maruti Ritz - except for the rear, everything about this car was great. There was a very long waiting period though and I could not get myself to get past the oddball rear. 5. Indica Vista - although this was perhaps the most done up vehicle with the maximum features for the price, the interiors seemed somewhat inferior. Again, like the Punto, the dealer left a lot to be desired. 6. Aveo -UVA - too scared to touch a GM product. Saw what happened to a few friends with their Matiz after Daewoo collapsed. That left the i10 as the only option and after 5 months of driving around, I am really happy with my decision. Am already getting 12-13 kmpl. There are a few niggling issues, which I shall post later. A lot of my observations do tally with the test drive reports of Team-BHP and that strengthened my interest in joining this group. Of course, I do want to mention that this was my subjective manner and logic of arriving at a decision and this, in no way, is meant to hurt or offend the feelings/logic/reasoning of other owners who have had their own approach to the purchase their vehicles! Cheers, Ssbiitm
	() Thanks

6th December 2009, 09:29	#2
benbsb29 Team-BHP Support Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Brisbane Posts: 10,013 Thanked: 13,531 Times View My Garage	Ssbiitm, welcome to Team-BHP. You've got very valid observations in your test drive experiences,and finally the i10 is a good decision. How has the relationship with Hyundai products been, which brought you back as a return customer? However, after 10 years with a hatch, didnt you ever feel the need for a bigger car, a sedan perhaps? Do stop by the Announcements section of the forum for a quick glance through the forum guidelines. Looking forward to your active participation on the various threads.
	() Thanks

7th December 2009, 14:50	#3
ssbiitm BHPian Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Chennai Posts: 31 Thanked: 10 Times	Thanks, Benbsb29! Its really a good question of yours - why continue with a hatchback and not go for a sedan? Tough to give a forceful answer to that. Guess my driving requirements have something to do with this decision. I use the car mostly for shopping and fun outings. With the kind of streets and traffic we have in Chennai, both my spouse and I are comfortable with a smaller and more maneoverable car. Hunting for a parking space is also easier! The fun trips have included several long distance drives through TN and Karnataka. I noticed that if I packed sensibly and organised the boot well I could comfortably fit in all my stuff in the bootspace, even in the Santro. Of course, it does mean that a sudden addition or purchase would require some "reworking" in the boot. During the 10 years with the Santro, I dont remember wishing for a bigger car. The i10 now gives me a little more room. As far as the ride is concerned, the Santro and the i10 are quite fine. In general we do try to make sure that we drive not more than 400 kms in a day on long drives and the tallboy position feels comfortable. Had I been doing more, the story may have been different. Maybe I am not seeing all the advantages of a sedan. As for your other question regarding the experience with a Hyundai product, I can emphatically state that it has been excellent (and I hope it will remain so). The Santro had never required anything outside of regular routine maintenance - a little stress on the regular since I made sure that I had the car serviced at least once every six months. The only occasion when I had to call the Hyundai on-road service was when the battery died without any warning. But then, that battery had lasted for 5 years. I was in fact only on my second battery when I sold the car. The mileage was great (11-12 in the city and 18+ on highways). It was heartrending to see the car go! This was certainly a crucial factor in going for the Hyundai i10. At this stage, the i10 seems to be doing fine and living up to my expectations, as much as one can expect in a 5-month old car! Let us see what my comments are after I cross 20K kms!! Cheers, Ssbiitm
	() Thanks

8th December 2009, 17:19	#4
navan49 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: CHENNAI Posts: 1,001 Thanked: 73 Times View My Garage	Hi ssbiitm Welcome to the Board. It is well justified and wonderful introduction. You have already given all the reasons for going into i10. That is fine as you told the likeness differ person to person and that is the advantages for the companies to sell their product. Pl give the feed back of your i10 time to time.
	() Thanks