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-   -   Hyundai i10 ERA iRDE2 Ownership Report (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-term-ownership-reviews/115217-hyundai-i10-era-irde2-ownership-report.html)

We own a Hyundai i10 ERA iRDE2 (White color) since November 2011. The car was bought on 8th November 2011. ODO reading as of now is 900 KM. It is mostly used for inter-city runs and market/malls visits by ladies at home. Now I noticed that there are no reviews/ownership reports on iRDE2 I10, so thought of putting a short review of the same.

This car was bought from Malwa Hyundai, Kundli, Haryana but registered in Delhi. It’s around 4.20 lacs for the ERA variant in Delhi including 3rd year optional warranty. Freebies were car cover, art leather seat covers and some cash discount. Overall dealer experience was good. Those residing in Delhi/NCR must know the showroom’s location – it’s on NH1 just after crossing Delhi border and they also have Chevrolet’s dealership next to Hyundai’s showroom.

It has few niggles which was expected from Hyundai like speedometer not working, carpets out of place without hooks, abnormal idling, increase in RPM when clutch is pressed for changing gears, wiper not functioning while using spray function etc. The engine also heats up like a furnace but that must be due to run in period. All these issues needed to be sorted during first service which I am planning to do very soon. I cannot comment on Hyundai A.S.S as I still need to experience them.

The best thing about this car is its interiors which are much better than WagonR and looks premium. The blue lit ODO looks very beautiful in night and displays speed, two trip meters and gear change indicator. The gear change indicator is purely programmed for mileage purposes but it will be interesting thing for newbie drivers and ladies. AC control looks good but we need to wait till summers before commenting anything about A/C performance. ORVMs are internally manually adjustable and that is good addition in ERA variant. I miss this feature a lot in my WagonR. IRVM range is OK but one also need to keep both ORVM open while driving as IRVM does not offer wide range. The buttons/switches are of quite good quality especially if we compare with Maruti . Steering wheel is good to hold. I think i10’s steering is hydraulic and is different from Wagonr’s electronic power steering. Gear shifts are excellent and slot in perfectly – much better than WagonR's rough and tough shifter. Gear shift knob is excellent to hold and looks premium too. I can feel vibration on WagonR gear knob but this is not the case with i10. Vibrations are well controlled inside cabin but same cannot be said about engine noise. Seats are excellent and comfortable. I did a Gurgaon-Karnal roundtrip and was not tired at all. Now the main point is space which is less than WagonR. The front leg room and rear leg room is too less for a person like me who is 5’11. Rear is the worst and even being wider than WagonR it can hardly make space for 3 adults. I10 is just for 4 passengers. When the front seat is stretched all way back then it leaves hardly any space at rear. Hyundai needs to work out on interior space as i10 is quite similar in length to WagonR and more wider but still has much less space than WagonR. However the seats are comfortable because of good cushioning. Boot space is excellent and is better than WagonR. The spare tyre is very well fixed inside the boot with all the necessary tools. Feature wise the ERA model came with two 12V sockets, many bottle holders, central locking and front power windows. Power windows is not one touch up/down type – not even on driver side. ORVMs and door handles are black in color but that suits well with white body color.

Crank the engine and you will think as if you are staring a Santro.I guess IRDE2 actually is refreshed version of Santro engine which is now sold with eRLX badge. Overall engine is smooth and refined but gets noisy near redline. It is not as revv friendly as the K series unit is. The engine heats up like anything and exhaust note also gets louder after driving for some 20-30 KMs. I think this should be because of the fact that engine is new and requires an oil change. Mileage wise this is good car. Initially we are getting 14-15 KMPL overall mileage. Ride quality is good and much better than my WagonR. The area where i10 straightaway takes the crown from WagonR is handling department. The steering wheel of WagonR starts vibrating like hell after crossing 80-90KM and do not inspire any confidence to speed up anymore. I10, on the other hand is comfortable up to 110 but not after that. One point to note is that i10 is lighter than WagonR though only by little margin. Pickup is good and 99 NM torque results in lesser gear changing which helps in city driving. The IRDE2 variant has 3 valves per cylinder as compared to WagonR 4 valve per cylinder. Tyre size is 155 sections as compared to Waggies punny 145 section tyres. But i10 also deserves at least 165 sections. Road noise is quite OK, nothing remarkable though.

Step outside of the car and you will observe the fludic design of the front which looks Verna-ish. Front looks much better than previous gen as it looks much grown up and mature now. The fluidic theme is working well for Hyundai. It is a cute looking car from outside. Originally it came with wheel hub caps but I installed full wheel caps. The roof antenna is removable type and improves the overall look of the car. Looks like it is standard across i10 variants and is first in class too (?).

Overall it is a fantastic small city car for small family of four. If you ask me which one is better among WagonR and i10 then it is very difficult to answer this question IMO. Both cars have almost equal positives and negative which results in a neutral equation. But i10 is not the car for tall people with heights over 6”.

I have installed wheel caps, auto cop security system, gear shift lock, Sony Xplod receiver with four Sony Xplod speakers in doors.
Now it’s time for the images to complete the report.

PS – I will update the thread with service report and other nitty gritty details in subsequent posts along with more interior and exterior photos.

Congrats on your i10 - Quite an informative review and good pictures.
I think this is one of the few, if not the only irde2 i10 review in tbhp. Should help the prospective buyers.
AFAIK i10 too has electronic power steering, maybe you like the feel better then WagonR.
About the Engine getting heated up - whats the position of the temperature gauge?
Drive safe!

Thanks!

Yes it is better than WagonR.

The next gen i10 don't have the temperature gauge.

Congratulations, i am sure you will enjoy many happy miles with this one. Its a cute looking nice color on i10, Do post some interior pictures as well.

One question on the number, why does it says Temp, the number seems to be full and does not look like Temp number.

PS: No Team BHP Sticker?

Thanks I will surely post pictures after 1st service.

Actually this is a temporary number which is valid for one month. We did the registration our self and hence got this temporary number from Haryana RTO for the time we did permanent registration.

Actually since the car is used by other family members also I wonder how will they react if spotted by fellow BHPians. Some family members don't even know the ABC of team-bhp:D. Let me first educate them (especially ladies )about team-bhp.

This is an excellent review and I am pleased that we finally have a full-fledged iRDE2 review of the i10. May you have many miles of memorable experiences of your i10.

Also, do keep us regularly updated on your experiences of the iRDE2 i10.

On the contrary, I thought that niggles were expected from Tata or maybe, a Marutri, but not from Hyundai. But from what you've mentioned so far, you have quite a fair share of issues that need to be sorted out soon. I'm glad that I have had no niggles so far on my i10 Kappa2.

As far as I'm concerned, I'm quite happy with the IRVM on my i10 as I have complete visibility of the hatch glass.

True, but an irritant is the fact that you constantly have to remove the central bolt that fixes the took kit to the tyre, whenever you want to fill air into the spare tyre. This is because, the valve faces the other side (below). In contrast, the valve of my Alto's spare tyre faces up and it is easy to fill air.

By the way, you can easily fit a luggage lamp as well as intermittent wiping facility on your i10. Refer to my i10 ownership thread for more details.

Hey bluevolt! Congrats and thanks for the much needed review!

I have a 2009 ERA and its a good car for city drives.

IMO, there is no wash'n wipe. Windscreen wash and wipe are independent. I am missing the intermittent wiper mode in my car. Does the new model have it? Is the increased RPM observed only during cold starts and for initial few kms? If so, I guess its normal. Regarding the A.S.S, you can expect them to recommend under-body coating, extended warranty, etc during the first service. I did under-body coating, which was not really required for Bangalore weather. Also went for Extended warranty.

i10 has Electronic power steering. I am not a fan of it, though it is light for city.

This is the best thing I like about the car. Excellent vibration free gear shifts thanks to the cable driven gear box.

I thought Wagon R had better boot space owing to its cubical nature. i10 has its rear seats more inclined and the boot door is also angled, resulting in lesser volume. Does your car have a boot tray?

Though it is 1.1 engine block and same as the eRLX, it is a completely different tune. The Santro has excellent low end torque but it is pathetic in Era. In my experience eRLX gives better mileage than iRDE in City conditions.

+1. This is my only gripe about this car. The tyres are puny and an upgrade is a must. Even for a city drive, those tyres lock up easily under hard braking.

Thanks mate.


I am too surprised to see these niggles from a Hyundai. Was not expecting from them. On the contrary I have no issue even with my 5 year old WagonR.



It's fine but I feel more confident with both ORVMs open


Oh yes that's a big irritant. Even the air filler guy was pissed of because of this:D.

Thanks, I will refer to your thread.

Thanks mate.

If it is true then it is shocking. I need to confirm this from Hyundai A.S.S.

I think it is there, will confirm.

No, it happens even when engine is hot and driven for over 20-30 KMs. So I guess there is a minor issue.

I have extended warranty but will avoid under body coating as it is not required in Delhi/NCR.

Thanks for confirming. Then I think Santro has hydraulic unit.

Yes, cable driven box does the wonders.


No the WagonR has less capacity, around 40 liters less than i10. My car don't have a boot/parcel tray.

agree:

Congratulations on purchase of the lovely car. I also own i10 irde and feel that it is one of the best city cars. :thumbs up

Wiper and spray are independent. This is as per design, not a fault. I think you are used to the Maruti arrangement (where wiper automatically starts with the spray), hence thinking of this as a fault.

You mentioned that there is no temperature display. Then how do you say that the engine is heating up ? Have you discussed this issue with service centre ? Have you checked the coolant, hope it is not leaking.

Please get this rectified at the earliest.

And yes, i10 has an electronic power steering, which has been bashed enough on this forum for being too dull and lifeless. :D

Rohan

Thanks rohan.

Ok now this is a cost cutting measure I guess?

I have observed the heating after parking the car. The bonnet is a furnace and you get a good heating smell(Not burning though) from engine on opening the bonnet.

I am planning to get the car serviced tomorrow. Will report on the issues.

Great review, thanks for sharing. Happy to see an ownership report on this variant of the i10. I love the iRDE motor for the driveability that it offers. Plus, the entry variants are also very well priced and compete with cars from a segment lower.

Wish you many happy miles with the practical hatchback. So many years after launch, and there's still few cars that can beat the i10 as a package.

Thanks GTO for the kind words.

Guys I am going for the first service tomorrow. The service manual suggests oil change at 10,000 KM only but I am thinking of getting it change it this early. What you suggest?

The first free service is just a routine check up. No need to change engine oil now.

Change engine oil at 2nd free service / 5k kms (as per the manufacturer schedule).

Rohan

What are the differences between the eRLX and the IRDE2 engine? i know the latter is an updated version so what changes have they made? I drive a santro 2010 model so would love to know thanx :)

The next gen i10's second service is scheduled at 10K KMs as per owner's manual. I guess you own the previous iRDE?