[shravansp24]

Quick summary

An ideal feature-rich city commuter with excellent NVH, comfort and space under 8L on-road.

Likes
-> Very easy to drive and comfortable car for city driving (light clutch, superb NVH, great all around visibility)
-> Good fuel efficiency
-> High quality interiors and feel-good plastics, leather wrapped steering wheel.
-> Tonnes of useful features typical of a Hyundai
-> Wide availablity/reach of after sales networks(service centers)
-> Ground clearance is ample(never scrapped any speedbreakers till date)
-> Air-conditioning is as perfect as it can get. Cools the car in no time even in high humid ~35degree celsius in chennai

Dislikes
-> Recent global NCAP ratings are poor(2/5 stars). So, safety in highway is questionable.
-> Need to downshift for quick overtakes as the car is very tall geared(1st gear does ~54kmph and 2nd gear hits ~95kmph) and power really kicks in after 3500rpm
-> Fixed headrests and under thigh support is lacking for tall passengers
-> Faced occassional rattling of the dashboard and A-pillars which were corrected by SVC
-> Driver focused cars like Polo TSI and Swift offer better driving pleasure. This is a pure practical family car and leisure driving. Not a car for spirited driving
-> Quality of paint is questionable as it is very easily chipping by debris and easy to scratch. Also there are a couple of team-bhp threads questioning the paint quality of hyundai(https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techn...-affected.html (Paint peeling off on a 3-year old Hyundai i20 Active. EDIT: Many more Hyundais affected))
-> *Not a dislike but a point to be noted* For ~30k more, you can get the AMT Sportz version of the car. You will have to trade off the dual-tone colour, grey interiors instead of black, 14" gunmetal alloys instead of 15" diamond cut alloys and no wireless charger for the automatic gearbox

Thread contents :

1. Introduction
2. Our requirements
3. Shortlisted vehicles & rejections
4. Buying and D'day experience
5. Initial ownership experience
5a. Visibility
5b. Ergonomics
5c. Performance
5d. Comfort and Handling
5e. Places for improvements
5f. Interiors
5g. Exteriors
6. Comparision with top-end Asta
7. Problems faced so far
8a. Who should shortlist/buy this car
8b Who should not shortlist this car
8c. Alternate Options
9. Accessories
10. First Service
11. Conclusion

1. Introduction

Hi team-bhpians, this is my buying experience and initial ownership review of my Hyundai Grand i10 NIOS 1.2 Sports Dual Tone

I'm a very passionate person about all automobiles since my childhood and love riding and driving. I have been following automobile blogs and youtube channels ever since my dad installed BSNL internet with 2GB per month plan at around 2010. Finally, after buying my first car, I am getting a chance to contribute my share.

2. Our requirements

An overall comfortable family car because the car is going to be used for my family(with me driving), and after clocking over 50k km on my motorcycles in Chennai roads and outskirts, I came to an understanding that I won't be able to use the full potential of the car unlike my motorcycle. Also, my dad and mom never felt comfortable in my motorcycles Duke 200 and R15v3.

Primary requirements:

-> Comfortable with overall good NVH, suspension and AC(We live in Chennai and we definitely need a good AC)
-> good safety record for city speeds
-> Length less than 3900mm due to parking constraints
-> Reliable and hazzle free service
-> Priced less than 10 lakhs

Secondary requirements:

-> Good in-gear acceleration
-> Handling
-> Fuel efficiency

Not required:

-> Fuel type
-> Space
-> Boot space
-> Hatchback/Sedan/SUV - anything was fine

3. Shortlisted vehicles & rejections

-> Thought of shortlisting Maruti Swift and Toyota Glanza but the peace of mind regarding safety was not there after them being branded as the 'tin can' cars, we rejected them straightaway
-> Renault Kwid 1.0 - Fits in our parking comfortably, cheaper, adequate features, good city car. Rejected as we had better cars under our budget to choose from
-> Ford Figo and Freestyle Diesel - VFM diesel, driver's cars, best in-class safety - Rejected as no SVC near my house and the black smoke from the diesel engine we observed in the public, online and in the test drive vehicle
-> Ameo Diesel - Impeccable quality, fit and finish. Droolworthy for my perfectionist eyes. and pretty cool offer(Top of the line diesel(Corporate edition) for 9.4L on-road with 5 years warranty and RSA) - Rejected as it doesn't fit well in my parking space and dealership experience was bad
-> Polo 1.0 TSI was not released when we were looking and 1.2 TSI was way over the budget, not a fan 1.0 MPI and Ameo diesel was cheaper and more powerful
-> Tata Tiago 1.2 petrol - Good VFM, SVC is less than a km away(a very strong point for shortlisting), good safety package - We were in a dilemma between Tiago and the NIOS and parent's heart inclined towards the NIOS and refinement was not great.

-> Grand i10 NIOS petrol - Dad's favourite since it was launched, Best NVH, and good svc customer satisfaction(we have 3 Hyundai SVCs within a 5km radius from my house)
We visited the showrooms and here were our positive observations with the Hyundai:
1) The dealers felt right at home, so friendly(the salesman especially), open-minded(they agreed certain features of other brand cars were better and were genuine with their words), offered us food
2) Car's interior felt way more premium, the feel of the leather wrapped steering wheel was much better than in the Figo
3) Didn't take test drives of either of the cars as I was not confident enough at that time, but I sat in the NIOS, turned on the engine and revved it to the redline and felt Hyundai to
be smoother than the Ford. However, Ford was in no way inferior as it over exceeded my expectations
4) Clutch was lighter
5) Dad fell in love as it was his favourite car and after seeing it in person, he behaved like he got younger by 50 years
6) Instrumentation console felt upto date whereas Ford's were outdated
7) Feature rich

4. Buying and D'day experience

- Most of the experience went hazzle free and the salesperson was extremely co-orporative and guided us through every step.
- Day 1 - Talking, talking went to a nearby temp yard to see colours(dual tone was not there :( ) and paid booking of 10k after opting for the Sports dual tone variant. Black and Red will take 15days and 5k costlier, green and black looked uni-color in many angles. Hence, the white one.
Opted for the dual tone mainly for the all black interiors(not a fan of light colors) and then had the alloys and projectors of Asta and ZERO chrome(not a fan of chrome either)
- Day 2 to Day 10 - Waiting for loan approval
- Day 11 - Loan amount was sent and paid the balance. Registered with the RTO
- Day 12 - Car was brought to the temp yard near the showroom
- Day 13 - December 25th Christmas! The day when mom wanted the car to be delivered. So, they fitted the accessories(seat covers, scuff plate) and underbody rust coating before noon and we got the car delivered after lunch

-> Got the car delivered on time with all accessories fitted(the rushed to fit the accesssories that the anti rust paint coating started coming off and they had to repaint it later)(not complaining them as we wanted the car on Christmas and the car was registered the day before only)

-> Shared A2B laddoos with the dealership people, the salesman gave a short walkthrough of the car and we took a couple of pictures and there we started our journey


5. Initial ownership experience

-> As soon I started the car, I was amazed by the refinement of the engine and absolutely zero vibrations!
-> My usage is a mixed of 70% in the city and 30% outskirts. and here's my observations after clocking over 5k kilometers.

Driving Experience :

5a. Visibility

-> The drivers seat is high and all windows, mirrors are large and the A pillar is thin enough to give a great view all around the car.
Driver's point of view

Driver's view of left mirror

Driver's view of right mirror and A pillar blind spot

Rear C pillar view for reversing

-> You can turn on the rear view camera at all times(will turn off when handbrake is pulled up), so you can see clearly and quickly if there's anything/anyone close to the rear
of the car even during rainy times and night times where visibility is a bit lower and you don't need to change your focus

Notice how the rear view camera shows till the man in the blue shirt and the center mirror picks up from there.
-> The projector lights of the NIOS provide ample visibility for it's stock setup during the night. The need for upgradation is only necessary if you travel 99% during the night and in the highways
and require more powerful bulbs. But for the general usage, the stock bulbs are amazing
Visibility w/wo headlights


5b. Ergonomics

-> The gearbox, clutch and steering feels like extreeeemly soft! You never need to stress your muscles to move this car. The clutch can be pressed with minimal effort, the gear stick moves extremely comfortably with 2 fingers also and the shifts are perfect
with a click!
-> The steering wheel is also extremely light and very easy to maneuver inside the city. This is a car that you will love to ride at slow speeds, enjoying it's smoothness and refinement.
-> But have to praise Hyundai for their interior quality. The leather wrapping feels soooo good to touch!
-> Only negative I feel is that the clutch travel is very very long. The gear stick also needs to be moved alot to change the gear



->The buttons in the steering wheel provide a tactile feedback and the display is very fluid and responsive to use!


5c. Performance

-> This is nowhere a driver oriented car! It does not give the pull of a polo tsi or gives feedback and handles like that. The ergonomics too is more inclined towards comfortable driving and easy visibility in which it excells 100%. You'll never feel tired (or) uncomfortable after hours of driving this car in city and highways.
-> The performance is very good for the city with amazing driveability at lower RPMs with minimal to no NVH. The car can comfortably cruise at 80-100kmph with ease and the engine was refined with less sound and no vibration.
-> The engine gives a nice sporty sound after 3000rpm and super silent below that. At idle RPM, one will doubt if the engine is running.
-> The NVH in highway is good upto 100kmph. Have not gone beyond that much. However, there's very audible tyre noise after 90kmph
-> Never measured the mileage manually but the MID hovers between 14-18kmpl under normal city usage, 13-14kmpl in bumper to bumper traffic, 18-21kmpl in highways(and now also during lockdown)
-> Downside of this car is, you will feel the lack of power during overtaking! You will need to downshift and get the engine past 3000/3500rpm to get some considerable power from the engine to overtake. But for day to day family car, this car is a solid 9/10.

5d. Comfort and Handling
-> The car handles broken roads comfortably. The suspension is tuned perfectly(a bit on the firmer side),
-> Thought of upgrading to 16" rims in the future but dropped it as the 15" alloys with the thick 60mm tire(GoodYear Assurance) feels perfect for our roads(the car does not feel under-tired). The grip is sufficient for me and for an everyday commuter.

-> The rear seat legroom is ample for an average Indian and 4 people can be seated very comfortably though 5 people can fit with ease.
-> Headroom is sufficient too. The rear headrests are fixed which may be a concern for taller passengers(Asta variant has adjustable ones)

5e. Places for improvements

-> Clutch travel can be shortened.
-> Steering wheel can be stiffened at higher speeds.
-> Gear ratio's can be shortened to provide better in-gear acceleration.

5f. Interiors

-> The car feels extremely premium inside and feels a segment higher, except for few spots here and there.
All black dashboard

-> The instrument console is very legible and appreciate the digital-analogue cluster. Also, the digital part of the cluster is not a LCD display but a segment type display that glows in bright white.
-> This is perfect because the backgroud is almost black and less distracting as full LCD display in cars at this price range will have backlight bleed and will be distractive during the night

-> The car is provided with an 8 inch infotainment system. The screen is good and easily legible and the display has a matte finish. It supports android auto/apple carplay and the overall system is extremely fluid
-> The audio is provided by an Arkamys 4 speaker system. The quality is neither worse nor great but ok for normal day to day purposes. Audiophiles will have to upgrade to better quality ones
-> The air-conditioning of the car cools the cabin very quickly even in Chennai weather. It has rear AC vents too
-> The glove-box is cooled but I have never used that functionality.



AC knobs have red highlights too along with the red vents on either side of the dashboard
-> There is only one light placed on the center of the cabin and it's okay-ish.
-> There is a vanity mirror only on the passenger side
-> There are plenty of storage spaces, USB holes for your needs. 1 12v power socket at the rear, 2 USBs in the front, wireless charger uses the 12v power socket in the front and has an additional USB port


Middle section
-> Boot is decent sized but only Asta gets a boot lamp

-> Panel gaps are even

-> Fits in parking perfectly


Places for improvements:

-> Center console can be tilted towards the driver as he/she will be using it most of the time, tilting towards them will provide better access, less glare etc
-> The whole console in between the passenger and driver seats feel a bit flimsy.
-> The wireless charger is not suitable for smaller phones. My S9 will move out of alignment every few seconds rendering it useless
-> The vanity mirror can be provided on driver side.
-> Mild occassional rattle from the rear window(i am yet to find it for sure)
-> Could provide more LEDs. Everything in this car other than the DRL are halogen bulbs

5g. Exteriors

-> The Sportz dual tone variant is equipped just like the Asta variant minus the chrome(Door handle, front bumper, boot) and rear windshield wiper.
-> The car looks beautiful in it's dual tone paint job with 0 chrome elements. I feel the car is well thought out and put together. There is not a single angle in which this car feels out of proportion
-> However, the paint quality could be improved. It is easy to scratch, chip.




6. Comparision with top-end Asta
What you get in Asta but not in Sportz Dual Tone:

-> Adjustable rear headrest
-> Engine start/stop button functionality with keyless entry
-> Light in Boot
-> Chrome in radiator grill, door handles, boot

What you get in Sportz Dual Tone but not in Asta:

-> All-black interiors
-> Blacked out radiator grill, rear mirrors, roof
-> Contrast stitching in gear shift cover, Steering wheel, AC Vents, seats(used all black seat covers though :( )
-> around 60k cheaper

7. Problems faced so far

-> Paint quality is easy to chip/scratch. Have 2 spots in the front hood by debris and a small damage in rear bumper made by air pump nob(the petrol guy hit the bumper with the nob slightly), crow sat on the integrated spoiler and scratched it. A girl brushed the left door with her bag while waiting in the red light and ended up with minor scratches
-> Dashboard rattling - Solved by SVC
-> The underbody rust protection coating started to chip off...
-> Wheel went out of alignment in the first week. Got it aligned free of cost

8a. Who should shortlist/buy this car(my opinion)

-> People who are looking for a city/family car that feels premium and feature-rich under 10 lakhs OTR
-> People who want a convenient, easy to drive car with less maintenance requirements(service schedule is very long) under 10 lakhs OTR
-> People who want a feature rich automatic with great NVH on a budget! the sportz automatic is well equipped and priced very little above the sportz dual tone

8b Who should not shortlist this car(my opinion)

-> People looking for enthusiastic driving - There are better options like Ford Figo Diesel or a Polo TSI for a little premium
-> People driving in highways often can consider the Ford Figo/Freestyle diesel as they have a more potent engine, better safety package(electronics and 6 airbags in top trim). Also i20, are good contenders at this price range(under 10l)

8c. Alternate Options(based on what I had when I was buying the car, scenario could have changed now)(my opinion)

-> Glanza G variant with discounts were only 20-30k costlier - a segment above
-> Polo TSI - Driver's car, exceptional build / Pricy after sales/maintenance
-> Swift ZXI - Same price but offers better driving pleasure
-> Tiago - Cleaper alternate to NIOS, less features, less NVH but TATA safety and Harmon Kardon audio system

9. Accessories

-> Body cover and seat cover(free) (official)
-> Scuff plate (official)
-> Underbody Rust coating (official)
-> 1 year Hyundai bumper to bumper insurance (official)
-> plastic floor(outside)
-> 3m SP50 on side windows and rear glass(outside)
->70mai dashcam

10. First Service

-> The first service didn't cost even a single rupee. Gave the car in the morning and received it by noon. It's more like a check-up than a service
-> Didn't feel any difference. They had washed the car and opened the hood and did something in the engine bay for close to half an hour(dashcam was turned on), maybe checking for any possible problems.

11. Conclusion

Overall, We are happy with the car and feels like a good purchase! We never faced any major problems in our journey and the Showroom and after sales service people were very friendly. The salesman was in touch with me even long after the delivery day and looked into all my doubts and was more than happy to assist me. Overall I rate 10/10(Buying and delivery) and 9/10 for the car based on my needs.

Thank you for reading and please feel free to comment, raise a query (or) spot any mistakes in the blog

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[swarnava.ch]

From One Nios owner to Another, Congratulations on your car. The White colour and the Blacked roof looks fabulous. Don’t know why this is not available as standard on Asta variant as my SA was charging 16k on top to convert to dual tone and I refused politely.

Anyways it's a great car and for your requirements it will keep you happy.
Welcome to the forum and wish you many miles of happiness.

[shravansp24]

Originally Posted by swarnava.ch

From One Nios owner to Another, Congratulations on your car. The White colour and the Blacked roof looks fabulous. Don’t know why this is not available as standard on Asta variant as my SA was charging 16k on top to convert to dual tone and I refused politely.

Anyways it's a great car and for your requirements it will keep you happy.
Welcome to the forum and wish you many miles of happiness.

Thank you Swarnava.

I guess maybe due to exclusivity . I heard from the dealership that most people like and buy the bright interiors and chrome filled exterior variants more than 0-chrome, all black interiors of the dual tone.

Also painting the car in dual tone aftermarket just like the OEM is a pricey affair as heavy manual work is needed. However, wrapping the roof with a 3m vinyl from an outside wrap shop will be much cheaper and the better option to go if you wish to have the dual tone finish.

[Dr.Abhi]

Congrats for your new ride. Seeing your tight parking space, i would recommend you to stick polyurethane foam sheet on wall at front and inside of the closing gate at back. Otherwise it is just a question of when your ride can be struck from front or rear while parking.
Enjoy and drive safe.

[PontiacBandit]

Congrats on the car! Seeing the car fitting in your parking my inches gave me anxiety

I think the i10 nios is one of the best cars in the segment, and in typical Hyundai fashion, offers a good set of features, decently priced and a very competitive product overall. Wishing you many happy miles!

[shravansp24]

Originally Posted by Dr.Abhi

Congrats for your new ride. Seeing your tight parking space, i would recommend you to stick polyurethane foam sheet on wall at front and inside of the closing gate at back. Otherwise it is just a question of when your ride can be struck from front or rear while parking.
Enjoy and drive safe.

Originally Posted by PontiacBandit

Congrats on the car! Seeing the car fitting in your parking my inches gave me anxiety

I think the i10 nios is one of the best cars in the segment, and in typical Hyundai fashion, offers a good set of features, decently priced and a very competitive product overall. Wishing you many happy miles!

Thank you Dr.Abhi and PontiacBandit.

Regarding the parking, I was not aware of polyurethane foam but I cut a piece from my yoga mat and stuck it to the wall as a makeshift idea till we plan for something better



But after 2 very minor bumps with the mat, we understood it's very risky and stupid as the mat didn't provide much cushioning

After some thinking, me and dad decided to raise the floor like in parking lots in such a way that the front tyre bumps first before the bumper and also the outside gate bumps the floor no matter what thus protecting the bumpers and this proved to be very helpful as no guidance is needed to park the car perfectly and never faced any issues till date. Attached the pic below



I will definitely check the polyurethane foam sheet for added protection. Thanks for the suggestion

[ads11]

Congratulations on your new car! I helped my cousin choose the very same over Christmas last year. He was undecided between the Nios and the Swift but ultimately the combination of features on the Hyundai and the look of the dual tone in white sold it for him. (I test drove both and was a bit disappointed by how rattle-y the test drive Swift was, not a very positive impression).

I found your yoga mat solution very amusing! But you're on the right track. My mum came up with an ingenious solution for our garages back home after dad got fed up of the doors being dinged by the car cleaning guy. What she did is she commissioned our carpenter to basically build these really simple padded cushions (like on benches) but instead had them bolted to the wall at waist height. Now you can, if you were being boorish, swing open the door in the confines of our garage and the doors instead of banging off the walls just get cushioned. It's worked a treat for us in both our garages (old house, tight spaces), so if you're willing to find someone and spend a bit I think it could really give you ample peace of mind.

Shall try and find you a photo to go.

[shravansp24]

Originally Posted by ads11

Congratulations on your new car! I helped my cousin choose the very same over Christmas last year.
=======
Shall try and find you a photo to go.

Thank you ads11.

Yeah, the yogamat was not a great idea but it did serve its' purpose. Twice, my car brushed the wall(didn't bang, but slowly creeped till the car brushed) and both the times, the yogamat cushioned the plastic grill area surrounding the DRL and saved it from scratches.

The raised floor though is perfect now and does it's work well.

Please do share a picture when you get a chance. Also, you could stick the rubber ipop door guards for added protection.

[ads11]

Originally Posted by shravansp24

Thank you ads11.
Please do share a picture when you get a chance. Also, you could stick the rubber ipop door guards for added protection.

Ah, my parents detest those door guards, hence mum's jugaad solution.
It's not the best photo but happily it shows them in action, especially with mechanics working on the car at home. Hope you can kind of see them along the walls.

This one might be slightly clearer - maybe you can see where the sofa upholstery conversation and brainwave from mum came from.


In fact it's one of those rare occasions where dad wasn't even begrudging when he complimented mum for coming up with the idea.

Also found a photo of my cousins car from the day he went to pick it up from the showroom FWIW. Wish you many happy miles with yours!

[landcruiser123]

Hi Shravansp24,
Congratulations on the new car. Wish you many years of happy ownership.

For parking in a tight spot, I'd suggest getting something like this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGdkI59e960

Might also be easier to reverse into the parking slot.

Cheers
LC123

[Goandiaries]

Congratulations shravansp24 on your new car and your detailed experience. I liked the indexing you've done on your post! First thing that struck my eyes was your windows and rear windshield. It looks like you've provided a good amount of tint to match the black of the roof. I feel its an invitation for cops to quickly challan you. Here in Goa, I've seen cops pulling over cars with tinted glass fining them (for post-lockdown revenue maybe?). The car looks good though with that theme!

[shravansp24]

Originally Posted by ads11

Ah, my parents detest those door guards, hence mum's jugaad solution.
It's not the best photo but happily it shows them in action, especially with mechanics working on the car at home. Hope you can kind of see them along the walls

Yeah, I can see the cushioning on the wall and it does infact a good job on protecting the doors from unwanted scratches and dents. I am planning to keep a polyurethane foam sheet as suggested by Abhi just like how you have done! Thanks for the pictures. Very helpful in visualizing on how to do.

Originally Posted by landcruiser123

Hi Shravansp24,
Congratulations on the new car. Wish you many years of happy ownership.

For parking in a tight spot, I'd suggest getting something like this:
https://www.Youtube.com/watch?v=QGdkI59e960

Might also be easier to reverse into the parking slot.

Cheers
LC123

Thank you LC123. Currently I have the raised floor which is doing the job perfectly. I have thought of hanging an ornament for reference before but my place is very windy and so we scrapped the idea. We never thought of parking in reverse as the buffer space between the wall and the car is extremely low, so the risk is high.

Originally Posted by Goandiaries

Congratulations shravansp24 on your new car and your detailed experience. I liked the indexing you've done on your post! First thing that struck my eyes was your windows and rear windshield. It looks like you've provided a good amount of tint to match the black of the roof. I feel its an invitation for cops to quickly challan you. Here in Goa, I've seen cops pulling over cars with tinted glass fining them (for post-lockdown revenue maybe?). The car looks good though with that theme!

Thank you Goandiaries. It's a 50% tint and here in southern Chennai, most cops are fine as long as they can see what's inside. Many cars in Chennai are tinted due to the hot sunny climate here.

[Osteon206]

I recently did a Mysore-Goa-Mysore trip. Got the windows tinted prior to this. To be on the safer side I opted for 70% visibility for the windshields and 50% for the windows. All manufactured by Garware. That's the mandate from the cops as well. I haven't got pulled over by cops yet, was not pulled over at Goa either.

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by Osteon206

That's the mandate from the cops as well. I haven't got pulled over by cops yet, was not pulled over at Goa either.

Mandate from cops as in, could you please be more specific about this mandate?