[BeemerBug_06]

The Korean Konnect

Hello BHPians! It has indeed been a while since I last wrote an ownership review on the forum. Although, I have intended to write another ownership review since a while, I unfortunately did not get the time to do so. Anyway, since I am now on summer break from college, I've finally found myself some time! This ownership review is an initial ownership review , unlike my previous reviews of my Corolla and family's Palio S10 which are long term ownership reviews. This review is about the little fellow in our garage, possibly the easiest car to drive that we've ever owned and also my mom's favourite set of wheels. This review is about our Hyundai Grand i10 Automatic!
It is now time for a little story! Stay Tuned


Prologue
My family is a follower the popular norm of often sticking to one car brand after being satisfied with the ownership of one of the cars made by that particular brand. Hence, we initially had a long lasting link with Maruti! Our first Maruti was a 1993 Maruti 800 DX, that was sold off in 2002. Alongside that, we also had a 1998 Maruti Zen VX, that was also sold off in 2002 and replaced by a brand new Maruti Wagon R VXi! In 2007 when we were planning to sell the Wagon R after a good 5 years of ownership , my dad felt the need for us to change our brand of choice. So which brand would it be?

After much contemplating and discussion with some car enthusiast friends, my dad settled for a Hyundai. Even back then, Hyundai was one of India's most reputed brands after Maruti Suzuki and had created a very good name for itself immediately after the success of its tall boy the Santro! So eventually, Santro it is! In mid 2007, a Black(Ebony Black was the official name of the shade ) Hyundai Santro Xing made its way into our garage. This car was bought mainly for my mom for her daily chores such as going to the market, picking me up from school, going to office etc. The car was mainly chauffeur driven and it was pretty similar to the Wagon R in terms of space and practicability. Finally, it was also the first Korean car to enter our garage!
The overall ownership of the car was quite a good experience with minimal headaches and good reliability! The Santro was given to my aunt in 2013, as it was not being used much. My aunt too has had a good 6 years of ownership with the car! She recently sold it and has booked a brand new Santro



In February 2008, it was time for another Korean to come home! Back then, the Santro was mainly being used by my mom , my dad used the Corolla but he felt the requirement of another hatchback. Something that was more substantial than a Santro, something that was fun to drive. Now when one says fun to drive hatchback in 2008, the ideal example would be a Maruti Swift which was stealing hearts. However, my dad wanted a break from Maruti Suzuki for a bit. The only other car that was a hatch back and was quite a pleasure to drive was the 'Car of the Year 2004', the underrated Hyundai Getz! So later in 2008, the Santro was joined by another Korean companion! We had purchased a Hyundai Getz 1.3 GLS from the Jayabharat Hyundai dealership at Prabhadevi, in Mumbai. The Santro too had been bought from there, one year prior.



The Getz was indeed a lovely car, however it did have some niggles and sadly caught rust very quickly. At that point of time, we did not require a chauffeur anymore. So the Getz was driven by my mom herself. However, she did not like it too much. Towards the latter half of 2015, she often said that changing gears in Mumbai traffic was a headache and she needed an automatic. Unlike me and my dad, my mom is not much of a car enthusiast, all that is required by her is a simple car for the city which is reliable, fuel efficient and easy to maintain. So, there began our hunt for an automatic hatchback that was easy to drive, fuel efficient, easy to maintain and practical.

WHAT ARE THE ODDS?

1. Honda Brio Automatic

The Honda Brio Automatic was the first car on our list, mainly due to its small size and reliability. However, neither dad nor mom were too impressed with it after the test drive. My mom found it rather cramped up and the glass back worried her! So the Brio was out.

2. Renault Kwid Automatic

We decided to give the Renault Kwid a test drive, since it was Renault's new small car in the market then. But, hang on! Where's the gear knob? The fact that the Kwid had a regulator style gearbox worried my mom and the okaish build quality of the car put us off.

3.Maruti Baleno Automatic

Maruti Suzuki had just about launched an automatic variant for its new hatchback the Baleno! My dad quite liked the stance and look of the Baleno and had a feeling that it could very well be the re entry of Maruti into our garage. However, both my parents did not like the Baleno automatic's engine response much and the lack of good build quality put us off.

4. Hyundai Grand i10 Automatic

Finally, after much hunting we decided to pay Hyundai a visit. The intention of both my parents was to take a test drive in the Hyundai i10. On reaching the Hyundai dealership, they were told that the i10 was on the verge of discontinuation. So it was then, that they decided to try out the Grand i10 Automatic, which was a step up from the i10. Both my mom and dad liked the Grand i10 a lot. My mom absolutely fell in love with it! As per my dad, it drove quite well, had better build quality as compared to its rivals and in a nutshell had everything we basically needed. It was hence decided, the next small car coming home will be yet another HYUNDAI!

We took delivery of the car from the Shreenath Hyundai Dealership at Chembur in Mumbai on the 24th of April, 2016. The delivery had been delayed by a week. This happened because we'd booked the car from the Pramukh Hyundai dealership at Prabhadevi as it was closer to home, but the dealership itself closed down in that much time, hence we had to go a little further away from home to get the little fellow. We had booked a Silver Grand i10 automatic ASTA which had all the bells and whistles and absolutely everything that my mom needed! So then came home another Silver car to accompany my Silver Streak Corolla!



So that's the prologue! Stay Tuned for the ownership review!
Cheers!!

[BeemerBug_06]

So the Grand i10 became a part of our garage on the 29th of April 2016. Soon after we brought it home, it went to the nearby temple to get blessed and then we did the usual family drive to Worli Sea Face that we often do when we get a new car in the family!

As I said earlier, this car was purchased mainly for my mom, who needed it to commute to and fro in the city and complete certain chores. My mom absolutely loves the car! She says it is the most convenient car for her. To be honest, the Grand i10 is quite the ideal car for a crowded city like Mumbai. The dimensions of the car itself are such that they are ideal for a crowded metropolitan city where there are frequent traffic jams and lack of convenient parking spots.

That said, it is now time for a Pros and Cons list of the car
Note that some of the pros and cons maybe restricted only to the Asta Automatic variant of the Hyundai Grand i10 :-

As usual, Pros first. So here goes:-

• Dimesions:- As stated above, the dimensions of the Hyundai Grand i10 are just perfect for a crowded city like Mumbai. It is designed in such a way that one can easily manuever it through traffic jams, congested by lanes and park in tight spots without any worries!

• Practicality:- In my opinion, the Hyundai Grand i10 is probably one the most practicable hatchbacks one can purchase in the market at the present time. It has enough of space for your knick knacks, adequete headroom and legroom, someone like me who is 6'1'' is also able sit comfortable and thirdly, the 256 litre boot is more than sufficient for a hatchback required for city chores.

• Features:- The Asta Automatic variant of the Grand i10 does have certain smart features which make it all the user friendly. Some of them are the Keyless Entry, which not only unlocks the car, but also opens the electric mirrors and the boot! Secondly, the key sensor feature is also helpful. All one has to do, is the press the tiny black button on the door , which senses the key if it is in the proximity of the car. As a result, the doors will unlock. This feature is very helpful, if your hands are full and the key is in your pocket. Thirdly, Hyundai has also put in reverse parking sensors, which are of course very helpful too and finally there is also a user friendly infotainment system and steering mounted controls!

• Brakes:- The Brakes of the Hyundai Grand i10 automatic are very good and powerful enough to stop the car even at a very short notice. Hence, another plus point!

• Wheels and Tyres:- The Wheels are another plus point for the car. The Hyundai Grand i10 gets tyre size 165/65R14 from the company. The Tyres are made by Apollo and are of very good and durable quality. The car sports 14 inch rims which are perfectly adequate.

• Easy to Drive:- Although I don't drive yet, everyone who has driven the Grand i10 AT has said that it is super easy to drive. The visibility offered by the mirrors is also superb. I am sure it is easy to drive , going by the number of times my mom has said so

• Looks:- In terms of looks, I feel the Grand i10 is much better looking than some of its rivals. It has of course borrowed some of its physical attributes from its siblings such as the Verna and i20, going by the fluidic touch in the design. However, it has a nice taut stance and the wrap around taillights are the icing on the cake according to me

• Eco-Mode:- Now Automatic cars have often been criticised for giving terrible mileage. The Hyundai Grand i10 automatic gives a mileage of about 17.45 kmpl as opposed to the Manual version that gives about 18.35kmpl! To counter this, Hyundai installed a feature called Eco Mode. Eco Mode basically reduces acceleration and overall fuel consumption to improve the fuel economy of the car. In a city like Mumbai, Eco Mode often comes to use while wading through the busy roads!

• Ride Quality:- The overall ride quality of the car is decent. It does pretty well in the city, the suspension is a bit hard and could've been softer. One can experience this while driving over potholes and bumps . There is also a small minimal amount of body roll around corners and bends.

• Build Quality:- The overall build quality of the car is also a plus point, though it may not be the absolute best build quality you can find. It is good enough for the city and makes the occupants feel somewhat secure once they close the door with a THUD

• Safety:- Now with good build quality, one would expect safety. The Grand i10 automatic does offer plenty of safety features. It has rear parking sensors with proximity sensing, door open warning buzzers, seatbelt alarm, and plenty of warning lights! It also has reflectors on the rear bumper to alert cars coming from behind , in case of dark and unlit roads. However, the big flaw here is that the car did not come with airbags. The good thing though is that Hyundai has rectified this post the 2017 facelift of Grand i10 and made airbags mandatory for the automatic variant too!

• It's a Hyundai! :- After Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai is said to be the second most popular brand in India. Owning the Grand i10 has so far been a hassle free experience. Also, a shoutout to the guys at Hyundai, who regularly update us as to when our next service is due. We bought the Grand i10 without any worries or apprehensions, simply because we owned two Hyundai cars prior to that and never had any bad experiences in any respects concerning the after sales service or in sourcing parts. I am glad to say that it has remained the same with the third Hyundai in the garage!

Now for the Cons:-

• Dull Engine:- The Hyundai Grand i10 has the 1.2 Kappa engine producing about 81 bhp and 114 Nm of torque, which is popular with their small cars. However, the engine lacks feel and energy. In our case, the lack of energy is even more since our car is an Automatic. This has been a slight difficulty at times while overtaking other cars

• Steering lacks feedback:- Now the electronic power steering may be both a positive and negative point. I would say it is positive as it is super nimble and light. However, the nimbleness of the steering may be overdone slightly, as it feels a bit too light and lacks feedback. One can use their palm or fingers to turn it and not face any difficulties.

• No Airbags:- Post the 2017 facelift, Hyundai went and fixed this flaw and made airbags mandatory on all variants of the Grand i10. However, our car being a 2016 model Asta AT doesn't have any airbags. This a major downside. I wonder why Hyundai did not think about it.

• Integrated Headrests:- While the front seats of the car are quite comfortable and supportive, there is a lack of adjustable head restrains. The integrated headrests are somewhat a trend these days, however I feel the car should be having adjustable headrests, so that one can adjust the headrests as per their height, to make their travel more safe and comfortable

• Mileage:- Since our car is an automatic, it's mileage is 17.45 kmpl which is low compared to the Manual Petrol and Diesel variants, which have a mileage of 18.25 kmpl and 24kmpl respectively.

[BeemerBug_06]

Now for some images to illustrate the Pros and Cons and More!

Some Exterior Shots:-


The H that has served us well since a decade now!


Notice the rear wiper and parking sensors


One fine night!


After a nice polish and wash
PS:- Mirror visibility is fabulous


The Wrap Around taillights surely add a positive touch the looks of the car!


And so do the headlights!





The various badges that the car wears!


One of them aesthetic pictures at night amidst the rain!

Although I am not much of a fan of the fluidic styling of most Hyundai cars, I feel Hyundai have done a good job with the Grand i10. The car looks nice and taught and has perfect dimensions and proportions for any of India's busy cities.

[BeemerBug_06]

Well, I think that's about the exterior. Now, here are some interior snaps!
NOTE:- The interior's quality and finish is very good. Everything has a slight chunky touch to it , which makes it feel built to last! The plastic quality too is very good and not the type that can wear off or break easily. Upholstery is also good. The seats are plush and supportive. I only wish that adjustable headrests were on offer!


A very user friendly interior I must say, especially since the steering sports control buttons to answer and terminate calls and regulate music.


The Dials look simple, yet quite aesthetic.


The 4 speed Automatic Gearbox! Note that gearbox also has an upshift and downshift feature.


The User Friendly infotainment system and easily accessible AC controls, below the AC controls, one can find an AUX port and a 12 V charging socket!
The AC is not the best one out there, but cools decently well.


The Start-Stop button which is nowadays the norm with most of the cars !

Now for the Conclusion!!

Well, its been a total of 3 years since we bought the Grand i10. While most people generally surpass say about 15,000km on the odo in a time period of 3 years, our Grand i10 has just about surpassed 7,000km. This is mainly because it is driven only by my mom within the city to work and then maybe assists her while completing household chores etc.

This is the 3rd Hyundai car that we've owned so far. Now, the initial ownership has been absolutely easy and hassle free! Touch Wood!
Our car has gone for regular services and checkups to the authorised Hyundai Service Stations and Hyundai have quite a good after sales service.

Secondly, the car hasn't had any niggles or problems. Initially we were a bit worried since its an automatic, and many automatic cars sold in India have the reputation of being troublesome and have caused their owners to shell out money. This surely isn't the case with our Grand i10! Never have we faced any issues with it till date .

Now of course, if you're someone who enjoys driving, you may not even opt for an automatic! The 1.2 Kappa Petrol engine of the Grand i10 is surely not the best out there, but for someone like my mom who only needs a good city car, the engine isn't an issue!

Now coming to the end, Would I recommend the Hyundai Grand i10 Automatic?

Of course I would!! It is a superb package of a city car and all the bells and whistles you'd need, and now of course safety as the current Grand i10 Automatic also gets airbags. Also, Hyundai's customer service and reliability is a big plus point in this respect.


Well, that's it from me for now! As I said earlier, this is an initial ownership review. So be prepared for updates I shall be documenting them here.
Signing off,
BeemerBug_06

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Long-Term Ownership Section. Thanks for sharing!

[Reinhard]

Wonderful write up & cool car pictures!
Considering you are yet to drive (I presume due to age) the attention to detail is wonderful. Liked reading it. Keep updating. If I'm not mistaken, some of the points you mentioned are a bit of a give away that you have tried your hand a bit at least in the parking . Just guessing...

Originally Posted by BeemerBug_06

• No Airbags:- Post the 2017 facelift, Hyundai went and fixed this flaw and made airbags mandatory on all variants of the Grand i10. However, our car being a 2016 model Asta AT doesn't have any airbags. This a major downside. I wonder why Hyundai did not think about it.

Of course they thought about it. And decided against it to save cost. The car makers only started making these standard across all trims ONLY after the consumer conscious government woke up and started implementing measures geared towards our safety rather than car makers profits. Its something done due to upcoming government mandates not out of car-makers' kind heart. Give them a choice and they'll sell paper-boxes as cars.

Originally Posted by BeemerBug_06

• Mileage:- Since our car is an automatic, it's mileage is 17.45 kmpl which is low compared to the Manual Petrol and Diesel variants, which have a mileage of 18.25 kmpl and 24kmpl respectively.

Its still quite a respectable figure for a non-AMT automatic in a city like Mumbai if you ask me. Good number.

[Aditya_Bhp]

Originally Posted by BeemerBug_06

• Mileage:- Since our car is an automatic, it's mileage is 17.45 kmpl which is low compared to the Manual Petrol and Diesel variants, which have a mileage of 18.25 kmpl and 24kmpl respectively.

Is this the ARAI figures? Because as per my experience, the i10 even its manual variant struggles to deliver double digit fuel efficiency inside the city. Please tell us your actual fuel efficiency numbers.

[AkMar]

Nice crisp review. This is a very practical and no non sense car, ticking most of the boxes. Compact size, great interiors, above average build and loaded with features. If only it had airbags! Wishing you many happy miles with your machine!

Originally Posted by Aditya_Bhp

Is this the ARAI figures? Because as per my experience, the i10 even its manual variant struggles to deliver double digit fuel efficiency inside the city. Please tell us your actual fuel efficiency numbers.

I second this post. My Xcent manual just manages double digit figures of around 10.5-11 kmpl in city, occasionally dipping into 9.x range as well.

[headers]

Originally Posted by BeemerBug_06

]

Now for the Cons:-

• Dull Engine:- The Hyundai Grand i10 has the 1.2 Kappa engine producing about 81 bhp and 114 Nm of torque, which is popular with their small cars. However, the engine lacks feel and energy. In our case, the lack of energy is even more since our car is an Automatic. This has been a slight difficulty at times while overtaking other cars

The engine revs upto 6500 RPM when in tiptronic mode and is really eager from 4000 to 6500 RPM. Ive not witnessed many cars go up to 6500 RPM easily

But yeah, it appears a dull engine if one does not exploit it!

Our CITY FE is around 11KPL and highways was 17.xx with triple digit speeds !

[Durango Dude]

Originally Posted by headers

Our CITY FE is around 11KPL and highways was 17.xx with triple digit speeds !

Very optimistic mileage figures there! My son's Grand i10 auto struggles to deliver double digits in the city: 8-9 kmpl is more realistic and on highways it delivers around 14-15 kmpl max.

[Gannu_1]

Originally Posted by headers

Our CITY FE is around 11KPL and highways was 17.xx with triple digit speeds !

For an autobox, that sounds a little too high! Is this from the FE readout of the instrument cluster MID? Or the tankful-to-tankful method?

[AkMar]

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

For an autobox, that sounds a little too high! Is this from the FE readout of the instrument cluster MID? Or the tankful-to-tankful method?

Should be tankful to tankful as Grand i10 doesn't have FE display on the MID

[headers]

Originally Posted by AkMar

Should be tankful to tankful as Grand i10 doesn't have FE display on the MID

Absolutely,

Optimistic figures made realistic indeed, if you keep it in the ECO mode.

[ameyadchule]

Nice write up! Any one who has driven the I10 AT can tell me how are the shifts? Jerky or smooth?

[tj123]

Originally Posted by ameyadchule

Nice write up! Any one who has driven the I10 AT can tell me how are the shifts? Jerky or smooth?

It has a 4- Speed torque converter unit and is known for its smooth shifts. Don’t even try to compare it with AMT’s. However, due to only 4 ratios available, the gearbox is really sluggish when driven hard. Otherwise for city drives it’s a breeze.