The Hindu Business Line : Hyundai i10 — Heightens the small car experience

With the launch of the i10, Hyundai has taken the lead in redefining the expectations from a small car. It is on a par with the current crop of small cars in terms of mileage, handles better than the average car in the segment, and the fit, finish and quality of interior materials used matches those of pricier sedans.

This small car offers more. - S. Muralidhar

It is an unenviable task for many premium car manufacturers which have compact cars in their global portfolio, but don’t have a presence in the small car segment in India. Explaining repeatedly to the curious amongst us as to why they are not bringing these cars to India must be quite tiresome.

There is a simple difference between what we know to be small cars and what buyers in the developed markets know them to be. Being about 4,000mm long may be the lone similarity. Till now buying a small car meant focussing only on one aspect — mileage.

However, in Europe, the US and to some extent in Japan, buyer expectations from a small car continue to be similar to what they expect from a performance car or family sedan. In terms of performance, fit and finish, refinement, technology and quality of interiors, small cars have to be on a par with their bigger cousins.

In India, though, the focus on keeping the price of the car low and upping mileage has been the reason why many globally successful small cars are not being manufactured here; they do not fit the definition of a small car, as we know it.

In the late 1990s, the Indian passenger car industry witnessed a dramatic expansion in the choice of brands and models available to buyers, particularly in the small-car segment. Hyundai took the lead, changed our expectations from a small car and the Santro was a runaway success.

Now, less than a decade later, Hyundai has again taken the lead to set a new benchmark and redefine what buyers can expect from an affordable small car. The much talked about Hyundai i10 (code-named Pa), the company’s new global small car, was launched here last month.

The i10 has a lot of novelty, and Hyundai has introduced it first in India and has announced that its Chennai plant will be the global manufacturing hub for this car.

The i10’s logic is pretty straightforward. Offer a car that is high on practicality, which matches up to the current crop of small cars in terms of mileage, handles better than the average car in the segment and sports fit and finish and interior materials quality that matches those of pricier sedans.

Contemporary design

The i10 has been designed to reflect the current international trends in sub-compacts — snub-nosed and with the wheels pushed out to the extreme. The i10 is also a more practical midway between being a tallboy and a low-slung hatch.

At first glance, the i10 seems to give away its Asian roots, but then again there are a number of European design inspirations all around, like the trapezoid tail lamps and the Audi-style, drop-jaw, air intake integrated into the oversized front bumper.

Looked at from the side and from a distance, the i10 also seems to resemble the Santro Xing. It is only when you get closer do you realise that the i10 is shorter and has a roof that slopes sharply at the rear. The shorter bonnet and the wider stance, make it look proportionately as tall as the Santro from a distance.

This is also the reason for its deceptively small looks on the outside. Put the new i10 right next to a Santro Xing and the latter seems to be the bigger car. But, the only dimension of the i10 that is the smaller number is its height.

In terms of the overall length of the car and wheelbase, the i10 is identical to the Santro Xing. However, it is about 7cm wider overall. While the ground clearance of the car is the same as that of the Santro, it is marginally heavier.

To further put its dimensions in perspective, the Getz is about 7cm wider and has as much more wheelbase as the i10. But the Getz Prime 1.1 (with a slightly different version of the i10 engine) is about 135 kg heavier.

The most striking feature of the new i10’s front is its cab-forward design and the bug-eyed headlamps. This design allows the windscreen to be steeply angled and this allows a larger glass area for better visibility. Large, stalked outside rear-view mirrors are very helpful and well-designed, but could be prone to nicks and scratches on our crowded roads.

The roof of the i10 slopes down sharply at the rear. But even though the overall height of the i10 is lesser than the Santro Xing’s, most users, even in the rear seat, will not miss the extra height that the latter provides. The bonnet ridgeline slopes upwards in the i10 and merges with the shoulder, which also tracks upward right up to the rear window and then swoops up sharply leading to a kink in the rear quarter glass.

The hatch door is neatly finished and the lock release handle with the Hyundai logo in chrome is the most attractive feature at the rear. The vertically-oriented design of the tail-lamp cluster gives it large proportions, in keeping with the visibility requirements for Indian road conditions. Finish quality all around is clearly a notch higher than other cars in this segment. Precise panel matching and good integration of parts such as the bumper means that the panel gaps in the i10 are on a par with premium sedans. The lustrous paint job is also a noteworthy feature.

For all the well-thought-out proportions of the i10, one point though that we observed during our test drive of the car was the fact that the higher overall width on the outside compared to the Santro hasn’t translated into a notable increase in shoulder space inside the new compact.

Neat interiors

Step into the i10 and you are immediately struck by the quality of material used for the interiors.

The real story of the i10 is here, the interiors, where the new benchmark will be set — in this segment. High quality dashboard plastic, door trim and upholstery give the i10 a classy finish. Depending on the variant, you also get a dual-tone beige interior theme, leather covered steering, 2-DIN in-dash music system, chrome surrounds and handles, rear wiper-washer and a roof spoiler with an integrated third stop lamp.

The dashboard layout is simple and elegant. Air-conditioner controls are via three neatly finished knobs. The three-petal design of the instrument cluster housing is attractive and the gauges themselves include a speedo and engine-rpm meter, fuel gauge, engine temperature and a digital odo and trip meter.

Steering is tilt adjustable for setting the right angle and features a new motor driven power steering system that improves power assistance during all driving conditions. During test-drives the extra support from the new power steering system was very evident, making tight turns seem effortless. However, there has not been a reduction in the turning radius of the i10.

Uniquely placed gearshift

One of the features that will strike most of you when stepping into the i10 will be the new position for the gearshift lever. The i10’s 1.1-litre engine is packed so snugly into the small engine bay under the snub-nosed bonnet, that integrating the gearbox in the traditional manner would probably have lead to the shift stick being pushed behind the usual spot on the floor between the driver and front passenger. Instead, Hyundai has actually moved it a few inches closer to the dashboard and has hit on a novelty.

Now, the five-speed gearbox‘s short throw shift stick is positioned at the right height and within perfect reach for the driver. Shift quality is precise and likeable, with the right balance between prominent slotting and easy change.

The innovative position for the gear stick has managed to release some space in the front, as seems to be the case with rear legroom, which has probably been made possible because of thinner back rests for the front seats and altering the rear bench’s position.

The two features that we thought could have been bettered in the i10’s interior are related to the seats. Tall passengers, who would have preferred the adjustable type, like is the case with the rear shingle-style headrests, will not appreciate the front seats’ integrated headrests. The bucket seats in the front, of the Magna variant we drove, featured firm cushioning and premium upholstery, offering decent support on long drives. But the seat squabs could have been a bit more generous.

Engine and ride quality

The i10 features the same Hyundai Epsilon engine that was used in the Santro. The engine has been retuned and re-rated with a new ECM (engine control module). The 1.1-litre, in-line, four-cylinder iRDE engine now produces a peak power of 66.7 PS at 5,500 rpm and a maximum torque of 10.1 KgM at 2,800 rpm. These figures are better than the Santro Xing’s, and also marginally better than the Getz Prime 1.1.

The engine powers the i10 adequately, though in terms of overall performance, except for the marginally better in-gear acceleration in the first three slots, the difference between the i10 and the Santro Xing will not be much. The i10 is also expected to be offered with a four-speed automatic transmission option.

However, the stiffer chassis and the firmer suspension in the i10 make the ride quality in the new small car clearly a notch higher than the Santro Xing. Also, the i10 feels much more confident and planted at high speeds compared to the Santro.

The suspension set-up in the i10 includes McPherson struts with a stabiliser bar at the front, along with an I-type sub-frame that has been laid horizontally just behind the engine, thereby reducing vibration transfer and for added protection against engine intrusion into the passenger cabin in the event of a collision.

Disc brakes at the front and drums at the rear are part of standard fitment, as are 155/80 tubeless tyres fitted on 13-inch rims. High-end safety features such as dual airbags, anti-lock brakes, seat-belt pretensioners and front fog lamps are offered as an optional package in the top-end Magna variant.

The i10 is also the first car in this segment to offer a sunroof as an option.

The i10 is being positioned as a small car option between the Santro Xing and the Getz. It will improve the choice available to buyers looking for an affordable small car from Hyundai. Priced in the range of Rs 3.4 lakh to Rs 4.9 lakh (ex-showroom) for the three variants – D-Lite, Era and Magna, the new i10 will be the most obvious choice for customers looking to upgrade from their current low quality small car.

All the current small cars will face the heat from the i10, including Hyundai’s own Santro Xing, with the price differential between the equivalent trim variants of the two cars being only about Rs 35,000.

Add to this the fact that the i10’s fuel efficiency numbers are likely to be 10-12 kmpl in city conditions and 15-17 kmpl on the highway, pretty much on par or marginally better than the Santro, and the equation turns even more in favour of the new car. If and when Hyundai looks at a diesel engine option for the i10, it could get more interesting.

Hyundai says there are no plans currently to replace the Santro Xing with the i10, though in the markets abroad, the new Atoz Prime will be the i10. But, back home, even if the Santro’s sales are hit by the i10, Hyundai can still be cool as customers will still be buying a Hyundai after all.

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