With the Indian car market flooding with numerous car brands, choosing a car is akin to winning a war now-a-days. Every middle class person wants to buy the best bet from the segment and with the discounts and freebies offered by the dealers, settling for a real VFM car can be real tough. I will share some experience over buying an i10.Never decided to go for this car owing to multiple complaints of low mileage as reported by the owners. But the 1.2 Kappa2 engine took my mind away. The positioning of the seat is a real comfort and the car was loaded with features which were welcomed by the family. The dealer was offering a neat 30K discount which was really lucrative. Hence it was a green signal to go ahead!(*Since the car was meant to travel some 500Kms within the city, hence mileage was not a big concern). The car is easy to maneuver in city traffic with the 1.2 engine providing outright performance when you need to fill the gap on a short notice. Balanced ride and proper use of clutch and gears can yield a mileage of 13-14 kmpl even in city. The tachometer integrated with the dash is really a no-brainer. Maintaining a 1500-2000RPM continuously can yield good mileage figures even in bumper to bumper traffic. The steering response is good at lower speeds although I found it a little lifeless at higher speeds. Below are my observations:
Positives:
1.It has got premium fit and finish for a car worth 5.1 lakhs.
2.The blue back light on the dash looks a class above and adds to the gen-x feel.
3.High seating position gives a good view of the road ahead.
4.The low end torque is required for the perfect city ride making frequent downshifting of gears a history.
5.The i10 is renowned for the fastest 0-60 for a hatchback of its segment.
6.The ride is almost balanced on most roads however a little body roll can be observed at tight corners.
7.Good resale value.
Need to improve:
1.Normal city run gives mileage around 11-12kmpl (with AC) and 12-13 (without AC).
2.Seats could have been made for comfortable.
3.The Sportz version lacks features like keyless remote entry and safety features like ABS and EBD.