[Bhatia.D17]

This is my first review on Team-BHP. Any suggestions for the future are most welcome. Everyone is pretty much aware of the car (Grand i10) so I will restrict this thread to my views.

Likes

• Feature Loaded (Touchscreen, camera, electric folding ORVM, DRLs, etc)
• Silent Engine
• Interior Quality
• Space
• Rear AC Vents

Dislikes

• Although better than previous Hyundai cars, the Steering lacks feedback.
• No Auto Door Lock.
• No Distance to Empty, Average Fuel Consumption.
• Auto Down only for Driver’s Window. Backlit Buttons also missing.
• No Reach adjustment for steering. (Not really a dislike for everyone)

[Bhatia.D17]

HOW IT ALL STARTED?
June 2016 – We were on a lookout for a hatchback for my elder sister who was just starting to drive. My father was inclined towards Swift/Baleno. Further discussions in the family and we decided to go the Pre-owned Route. The reason was simple – less running, new driver (sister).
August 2016 – We bought home the Hyundai i20 Asta Petrol (2010 Model).
April 2017 - I turned 18 and started my driving classes. My sister, well she got scared of driving after having 2 minor bumps. This implied that the car was officially mine.
i20 is a very good car, no doubt about that but our car was not what we would call a “Well Maintained Car”. After a year or so, it started to reveal its true colors. My father and I were literally spending at least two Sundays a month in getting the car repaired. This included basic niggles as well as some major repairs.

Fast forward to June 2019 – i20 was yet again causing troubles. The car required new brakes, a new set of tyres, some small niggles that required attention.
This time my father insisted that we buy a new car instead of investing our time and money in this car. Initially, my mother was against this, but later we convinced her.


The Requirement

1. A petrol car – low running.
2. Hatchback – Lack of parking space.
3. A budget of 6.5 Lacs onroad.
4. Should be comfortable for 4 + 1 occasional passenger.
5. Decent Fuel Efficiency.
6. Good Legroom (Me and my father are 6’2)
7. Rear Defogger & Washer

Nice to Have Features-

1. Automatic Climate Control
2. Alloy Wheels
3. Push Start
4. Touchscreen System
5. Reversing Camera

My father asked me to go and check out the cars with mom and get quotes. This way we could get her opinion as well.

The Contenders
For me, I was looking for a car that could at least do what the i20 or provide a better experience. So I will be comparing various aspects of each car with the i20.
Cars from Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai were considered as my father didn’t want to go with any other brand.

1. Maruti Swift-
Before buying the i20, this was our choice as a brand-new car. Vxi variant was falling in our budget but it simply didn’t excite in the first look.
In terms of features, the swift Vxi was left behind by our i20.
Space at the back was also a bit tight. The interior felt a bit dull and the all-black look (although very sporty) made the cabin a bit cramped.
The test drive was good and coming from the i20 the steering felt a bit heavy.
Swift Vxi (P) came at around 6.9 Lacs On-Road.

2. Maruti Baleno-
This car was a bit of a stretch to the budget but was considered as the Delta variant offered pretty much everything that we wanted. It came around 7.25 Lacs On-Road for the Delta Variant.
Get in the back and there is oodles of space. I close relative owns Baleno diesel, so I was pretty much familiar with the car. The recent facelift added some good featured to the delta variant which made it appealing. It was also available in BS6.
But I had one problem with the car, Build quality of panels- The panels were prone to dents and dimples. I observed the same in my relatives’ car. The Interiors did not feel “Premium” to me. Our i20’s interior was better built.

3. Hyundai Grand i10-
I knew this car was good, but never really got a chance to observe in closely or have a proper drive. The car was good to drive, had enough space for our requirements, feature-loaded for the price point, quality interiors.
The car had ongoing discounts of Rs 90,000. This made the deal sweeter.
But wait, Grand i10 was due for an update in the upcoming months and would have a BS6 engine.

Selling the i20
The main concern of my father was getting the Car transferred as we faced a lot of problems in that aspect while selling our M800 to Cars24. Talked to various second-hand car dealers and they were quoting prices as low as Rs 1Lac and there was no certainty of when will they get a buyer.
So, we showed the car to the Showroom guys when checking the above cars and here is the best price offered among various dealers-
Maruti – 1,15,000 + 10,000 (exchange)
Hyundai – 1,45,000 + 30,000 (exchange)

The Final Decision
Taking into consideration all the factors, Grand i10 was coming out as a winner as it ticked all the right boxes and satisfied most of our needs and wants.
Regarding the upcoming update, I applied simple math-
The new model will be dearer by Rs 30,000 – Rs 40,000 (approx.). Add to that, the ongoing discount of Rs 1Lac. This comes around 1.4 lacs approximately.
If we look at the possible additions-
Engine- Same 1.2L, albeit with BS6.
Wireless Charging – Maybe, but I don’t need that.
Sunroof, Cruise Control – No chance, even the I20 doesn’t get that.
Looks – Well they are subjective.
So, it was clear that we will be going for the current generation car.

Variant & Colour Decision
This was a very easy decision for me. Sportz was the choice as it offered great value and features over and above the Magna variant at just 40,000. My father asked me to go for the Asta variant at one point in time but the 80,000 price difference just didn’t seem to justify the value addition.
I really wanted the Rear Wiper and the Alloy Wheels but the other features – Push start, ACC, Boot Light, Adjustable Rear Headrests, Chrome Door Handles, Auto Folding ORVMs was not that necessary.
My father was very fond of Hyundai’s Stardust (Grey) color. I liked it too. Probably the easiest decision of the whole buying experience.

Final Price
Ex-showroom Price: 5,99,990
Registration Charges: 30,573
Insurance (Zero Dep): 29,500
Handling Charges: 3,000
Fastag: 600
Extended Warranty: 7,399
Discount: (90,000)
Total: 5,81,062
Old Car Value: (1,45,000)
Final Payable Price: 4,36,062

Freebies included- Mats, Mud Flaps, Perfume, Tissue Box, Car Body Cover.

The D-DAY
We completed all the formalities and gave them the i20 by 5th June 2019. The car was in Stock and was April manufactured. The D-Day was set to be 9th June (Sunday) so that all four of us can take the car. But due to some problem the date had to be postponed. My sister could not get a holiday before Thursday, so we settled on 13th June, around 1 pm.
Thursday morning, I get a call from the SA that there is a problem from their end and they have to postpone the delivery to 6 pm.
We Reached the showroom at 6 pm and the car was getting ready. We go upstairs and complete the rest of the formalities. This is followed by a key handover, photo, and cake cutting. I checked the car again all around, checked the Odometer which was around 45km. By 6:30 pm we were out with the car. Overall, the dealership experience was good.


A QUESTION THAT MANY PEOPLE ASKED

“Why would you buy an i10 after owning i20? / Why have you degraded?”
As mentioned above, the prime reason for buying a new car was the i20 being troublesome and we were in no intention of buying a new car before 2021. So the thought process was to buy a car that at least provides us what the i20 did and some things more. In simple words, to buy a car that we NEEDED and not that we WANTED.

So where have I “degraded”?
Just for a reminder, the cars in question are 2010 i20 Asta and 2019 Grand i10 Sportz.
In terms of features, Grand i10 loses on- Auto AC, Alloy Wheels, Rear wiper, 60:40 Split Seats, Boot light, Height adjustable driver seat, Telescopic steering, Variable speed for intermittent wiper, adjustable headrests.
What the Grand i10 has more than the i20- Touchscreen Infotainment System, Rear camera and sensors, Rear AC vents, DRLs.
Even though the Grand i10 has smaller dimensions on paper, I feel it has been packaged better. The thin seats liberate more room at the back. The less width is evident which means 3 people at the back will not be comfortable on long journeys. In terms of Back Seat experience, Grand i10 is definitely a step up.

Other differences will be covered as I move on with my review.

[Bhatia.D17]

ABOUT THE CAR


Exterior

The Front has a simple, straightforward design. No use of fancy LED lights here. DRL is placed low along with the fog lights.


The cascading grill looks nice but is difficult to clean. The air curtains also accumulate a lot of dust.


The side profile looks clean. Wheel covers have a simple design. Also visible is the Rear Spoiler. The antenna is l-o-n-g. Hyundai should have carried on the short antenna from the pre-facelift Grand i10. ORVM’s are wide enough and provide a good view.


The Dual Tone Bumper at the rear is one of the things that I didn’t like about the facelift but the black part blends in with the Stardust (Grey) color. The bumper houses 4 sensors, 2 being at the extreme corners. Camera is tucked under the H logo.



Interior

The dashboard is well laid out with a mix of Black & Beige. Fit & finish is very good as is the case with Hyundai.


The storage ahead of the gear lever is good and can accommodate two 6.5 inch smartphones (2 Oneplus 6 for reference). Also visible is the AUX, USB and 12V Port.


The glovebox has a cooling function but is small in size. I am saying this because our i20 had a very deep glovebox having 3 compartments. (See picture below)


The 7-inch touchscreen is easy to use but suffers from glare. I have increased the brightness which makes things better. Buttons are provided for frequently used functions which makes the operation easy. The sound quality is very good for 4 speakers. I did some fiddling with the equalizer according to my needs and I am happy with the sound quality.


Video can be played via a USB provided that the parking brake is applied.


Other Points

• A/C is effective. Keeping the blower speed at 2 does the job most of the time. 3rd & 4th speed is noisy.
• The controls on the driver's door are well laid out but they are not illuminated (something which the i20 had on all doors). Auto Up for driver’s window and Auto Locking doors are also missing.
• Space is good at the back and I can sit behind my own driving position ( I'm 6'2). Although in that case, under thigh support is lacking.
• Rear A/C vents help in cooling the cabin and have a 12V port below to keep the rear passengers happy.
• I wish the steering could be adjusted for reach for that relaxed driving position.

Usage Pattern
As mentioned in the beginning, we have very low running. The car has been driven 3,900 km to date. Monthly usage can range from 400 - 600 km. The car is driven mostly on weekends and does its duty in the city 95% of the time.


Fuel Efficiency
The FE has ranged from 11-13 kmpl with 90% AC in Delhi traffic. The highest figure achieved is 13.5 kmpl in the city. Highway figure has been 16.5kmpl during an intercity trip in the 2nd month of ownership. (All figures calculated using tank full method)

Performance
The 1.2L engine is quite refined and provides adequate power for almost every situation. The motor is spinning at 800rpms on idle and can be easily mistaken to be switched off. If you drive with a light foot, there is enough power to keep you going between 1,500 – 2,000 rpm. 2,500 – 4,000 rpm is where I feel you get the power on tap in case you need a sudden overtake. Anyways, in most cases, I do not find the need to rev the motor. The i20 felt a bit slow in comparison due to the additional weight and required more gear changes for adequate power.

Ride & Handling
Coming from the 1st gen i20, the Grand i10’s ride feels more mature. The car absorbs most of the bumps easily, the larger ones being felt inside the cabin. The steering has a lot more heft as compared to the i20. High speed behavior is good. I find one thing to be quite strange that the steering weighs up at low speeds and feels lighter at higher speeds. Brakes are sharp and takes a while getting used to for someone new.

NVH
The car comes with Goodyear Tyres which in my opinion is noisy. The engine is very refined. Wind noise is evident at high speeds. Music comes into rescue in neglecting these noises. Overall NVH is decent. Changing the tyres in the future might improve things.

The Fastag Saga
When the car was delivered, we did not receive a Fastag, and honestly speaking I completely forgot about it. Fast forward to December 2019 when Fastag was made mandatory by the government, I realized about fastag not been put up in my car. I contacted the dealer and he asked me to wait for 15 days. At that time I was not aware of the process of fastag and the time required to issue them so I was okay with the 15 days. Later these 15 days became 2 months involving multiple phone calls and visiting the showroom twice. After being fed up with this behavior, I wrote an email to Hyundai about this attitude by the dealer, and the next day I get a call from the SA to come and collect the fastag.


Thank you everyone for reading. Feel free to ask questions and give your opinions. I will make sure to keep this thread updated.

[Rudra Sen]

Mod note: Thread moved to Test-Drives & Initial Ownership Reports. Thanks for sharing.

[BZ25]

Hi sir, the Grand i10 is a great car, whether on petrol or diesel (after the 2017 facelift) guise, and it looks great in the grey shade. I have a 2009 i20, and I can safely say that, despite the abysmal driving dynamics, the car is extremely robust and has been extremely reliable. No offense to any Baleno owners, but I agree with the fact that, when it comes to the 'premium' factor, the Baleno seriously lags behind, otherwise, it is a decent car.

One thing though, you shouldn't have paid the handling charges, as they are illegal! Do check with the dealership management on the refund of the amount. I don't know why the Hyundai management hasn't taken strict action against their dealers on this matter.

On a lighter note, do have fun with this very competent car. It may not be the most fun to drive, but it is one of the most sensible options to buy in this segment. Hope you have some wonderful miles with this acquisition.

[Bhatia.D17]

Originally Posted by BZ25

I don't know why the Hyundai management hasn't taken strict action against their dealers on this matter.

I agree

Hope you have some wonderful miles with this acquisition.

Thank you so much for your kind words.

[dr.aviansh]

As an owner of 1.1L CRDi, I’d like to add some points in general.


HEADLIGHTS : They seem pretty ineffective. When you look at them from outside, the bulbs seem quite yellowish unlike say Honda’s or Mahindra’s whitish. Even Maruti’s seem to be doing a better job. I had to upgrade to Philips Night Vision. I didn’t go for 90/100 as the newer (then) Hyundai’s were having electrical issues.

GEAR SHIFT : Typically Hyundai, the gear shift is like slicing butter kept at room temperature with a knife. No complaints there. The R gate in the diesels requires the dog collar to be lifted up and like Skoda’s you have to get the further to where you slot your 1 and get things done. This wasn’t needed as it’s a 5-Speed only.

RIDE QUALITY : I think the second generation Swift and the first i20 in the front (I beg to differ) had a far more mature ride quality owing to bigger wheels. It’s more due to the tiny 165/65 R14 in the Grand, that the medium sized and large bumps make their presence felt. The rear seems to be okay because of the longer wheelbase on Indian spec models. But it gets quite bouncy with rear passengers on-board, albeit less than the second generation Hyundai Verna. Planning to upsize the tyres to 165/70 R14 as 175 width tyres worsened the ride quality.


SEATS : The seats lack lumbar support and are particularly low. You’ll have to ‘sit down’ on them. If you sit on them and open the door you can literally touch the road. Even the dashboard seems to be at a higher position. So I ended up lifting them and placing wooden blocks. That also improved the back pain that the car had caused me.

HANDLING : I have driven 7/8 Grand i10’s. 4 Petrols and 3/4 Diesels. One thing that intrigues me is that my car unlike others, has a ‘return to center’ action and a little unsettling nature at the front (not bounciness.) This has been confirmed by owners of the other cars. I got the suspension checked by the A.S.S. but they said everything thing is OK. I like the return to the center as well, but I know that it is not supposed to be there in the Grand i10, where you have to bring the steering back to the normal position after turning the desired amount. Shower me with your inputs, fellow BHP-ians!

OEM SPEAKERS AND MUSIC SYSTEM : Since mine is a pre-facelift, it is sans touch. But it’s very easy to use. The volume control which is used more than the tuner is intelligently placed towards the driver. It didn’t have Bluetooth and calling functions in the Sportz till 2015, instead I got chrome handles and Push-Start.
The sound quality is great as per OEM standards and I haven’t felt the need to upgrade.

KEY : Being a push start car, I got the one exactly like the 2011-2014 Hyundai Verna SX(O) key. It has a far better fit and finish than Creta’s foldable key on the non push start trims.
Once i was driving and the keys were placed in the cup holders. When I reached my destination, I saw that one button had come off.
Deep Hyundai, Delhi quoted Rs. 8000/- but being a very close friend of Dad, the owner Mr. Pradeep Sharma gave us a new set of keys saying he’ll take a warranty of claim on any of the cars standing in his workshop for service. Since, ours was out of warranty period, he did the same with the driver side request sensor which had gone kaput!

On locking and unlocking with the key, the older Grand’s had the function to shut and open the wing mirrors respectively. My car had become particularly famous in my hostel because of that, as back in the day it wasn’t much heard of that too from a car of its size!

If you’re sitting inside the car with the engine shut and doors locked, on trying to open without unlocking, it does so by making an alarm with the horn and the hazard lights.

GROUND CLEARANCE : Being 165 mm and with that longer wheelbase, her under carriage scrapping gets inevitable, unless you approach the speed breaker with a side angle. Again, an upsize is mandatory.

Did my part on giving a small and uncalled review on this petite feature loaded cute hatchback. Hope you’ll like it!

[blackwasp]

Originally Posted by Bhatia.D17

So the thought process was to buy a car that at least provides us what the i20 did and some things more. In simple words, to buy a car that we NEEDED and not that we WANTED.

The Grand i10 is a fantastic car! My cousin has one and I have got many opportunities to drive it.

Very compact, spacious (albeit for 4) and decently peppy to driving in the city. We have also taken her on the highway and its a no-nonsense car.

Wish you many more happy km with your car.

[Bhatia.D17]

Originally Posted by dr.aviansh

As an owner of 1.1L CRDi, I’d like to add some points in general.

• My father has the same view about the first gen i20 being more mature in ride quality due to to the wider tyres.
• Yes, the seats lack support and I feel this is more of an issue on a long journey (2+ hours of driving).
• Ground Clearance hasn't been an issue in this one year of ownership even with full load. Let's see what surprise our roads have in the future.

Originally Posted by blackwasp

Wish you many more happy km with your car.

Thank you so much.

[Slickshift99]

Congratulations on your Grand i10, that colour is such a looker! Nice and precise ownership review of the Grand i10, i am a total sucker for that 1.2L engine on the i10 & the Grand i10, perfect for city driving in a light hatchback however feels very lethargic on the i-20. Totally love the light steering, clutch and gearbox on the car.
IMO its the perfect sub 8L hatchback, my cousin sister too got a grand i-10 Nios over her existing polo tdi

[Mr.Bentley]

Nice and crisp review of a capable car! Wishing you many miles of comfortable joy!

I've upgraded to Grandi10 2 years ago. I was fixated on i20, but parking issues in my apartment hampered my plans. Without any plan, I checked out the Grandi10, and I was convinced! I liked i20's design more, but the array of features are not different in both. On the inside, I did not loose out on ANYTHING between an i20 and a Grandi10 (excluding space, ofcourse!).

Originally Posted by Bhatia.D17

Video can be played via a USB provided that the parking brake is applied.

I completely forgot that we could do that .
I'm going to try that today!

Originally Posted by dr.aviansh

SEATS : The seats lack lumbar support and are particularly low. You’ll have to ‘sit down’ on them

+1 about lumbar support. I'm 5'8, and lifting the seat up (only the seat base rises up) helped me minimize the issue to some extent.

So I ended up lifting them and placing wooden blocks. That also improved the back pain that the car had caused me.

Sorry couldn't get you. Where did you place the blocks exactly? A picture would help a lot!

One thing that intrigues me is that my car unlike others, has a ‘return to center’ action and a little unsettling nature at the front (not bounciness.) This has been confirmed by owners of the other cars. I got the suspension checked by the A.S.S. but they said everything thing is OK. I like the return to the center as well, but I know that it is not supposed to be there in the Grand i10, where you have to bring the steering back to the normal position after turning the desired amount

Do you mean 'return to centre' action is not present in other cars (or not this much aggressive?)

That unsettling thing - I feel that too, though not much. I usually unwind the steering wheel manually - I feel car would be more 'in-control' that way. But those odd times after a U-turn when I leave the unwinding to the steering itself, it does it a little aggressively. If I've gained speed by then (~10-15kmph), I feel the un-settling thing too.
I guess momentum from the aggressive centering carries on to turn the steering a 'little' to other side, and is met with resistance from 'opposite' turn, finally reaching the zero position (for example: leaving the steering wheel from Full left -> zero position (with momentum) -> a little to right (not at all significant degree) -> Zero position (with zero momentum). All this is like 'micro-adjusting' the steering wheel after it reaches the zero position. And this becomes more pronounced with speed.

Originally Posted by Slickshift99

Congratulations on your Grand i10, that colour is such a looker! Nice and precise ownership review of the Grand i10, i am a total sucker for that 1.2L engine on the i10 & the Grand i10, perfect for city driving in a light hatchback however feels very lethargic on the i-20. Totally love the light steering, clutch and gearbox on the car.

+100 to every word you wrote!

[sleepyhead148]

Congratulations on your Grand i10. I've been driving one for nearly 4 years now and it's an absolute no-nonsense car. As dr.avinash mentioned above you'll need to be extremely careful about the underbody.

I'd also suggest, if you've a decent amount of highway usage or want to maximise the steering feedback, to upgrade to 175 or 185 mm tyres. I've observed better grip and better braking levels once the upgrade happened on my trusted steed. And you could also avoid road noise, which the OE Goodyears and Apollos are guilty of.

Wishing you more happy kms.

[RachMath]

Congratulations on your Grand 10. It is seriously a No Nonsense Car. 2 years ago i had a confusion with Ignis and Grand I10 but decided on Ignis. We chose ignis due to better features which were on my things to have such as black alloys and bigger tires and i liked the K12 more than kappa engine. But its only my preference. If it would not have been ignis zeta, then it would always be Grand I10 Sportz (O).

[Bhatia.D17]

1 Year / 2nd Service Update

This service involved changing the oil, oil filter, air filter.
Total cost = ₹1350

Initially, the service person made an estimate of ₹8000 . Simply asked them to carry on with the above mentioned items.

[Slickshift99]

Looks like my Rick found his Morty

Originally Posted by sleepyhead148

I'd also suggest, if you've a decent amount of highway usage or want to maximise the steering feedback, to upgrade to 175 or 185 mm tyres. I've observed better grip and better braking levels once the upgrade happened on my trusted steed. And you could also avoid road noise.

True that, the i10 was not so confident inspiring on the higways, the 1.2's capabilities were limited due to the soft suspension setup and not-that-sharp steering response however Grand-i10 is very planted on the highways and lets you rnjoy the free revving kappa heart. 185 section tyres work best IMO