Recently got an opportunity to drive i10 1.2L sportz for around 150kms. Thought of sharing my experience with you all during the trip.
Engine & Gearbox:
The Kappa engine is refine & smooth. It is very silent. It was easily climbing the Ghats of Ooty. Lower end torque is also good. Gearbox is also smooth. Gear shifts are positive. The engine & Gearbox scores high marks for this car. I couldn’t exactly measure the fuel consumption in this trip.
Braking:
Brakes are sharp & good. There is no fish tailing character. Braking also scores high marks.
Power Steering:
Its a breeze in this car. Its so light & wonderful. Just a mild pressure is enough to steer this car. Again its good.
Comfort:
The ride quality is bit hard due to stiff rear suspension. The passengers especially sitting in the rear seat will have a tough time when the car is driven over a rough patch.
Interiors:
The rear seat feels to be cramped when 3 adults are seated. The hand rest on the rear doors which protrudes inside forces the people sitting at the corners to sit slightly angled. A long drive makes them feel uncomfortable. Also leg room for the rear passengers is less compared to the other cars of the same segment. There is no place to keep your toll bills/CD’s/fuel bills other than glove box. Even the glove box is too small. If you travel wearing a pocket less T-shirt it may be irritating for you to keep these small things.
The position of Gear lever & clutch is another pain. You need to hang your arm to reach the gear lever compared to the relaxed position of reaching the gear lever in other cars. The clutch pedal too is placed away from the central console so that resting your left leg over the lower, central portion of the dashboard makes it difficult to reach the clutch pedal. This is my habit during long drive. The provision for keeping the pet bottles before the gear lever is a nice idea.
Features:
The vanity mirror on the driver side is another advantage. At the same time the wiper has only 3 options, Intermittent, Slow & Fast. Where as in some cars you have option to vary the time delay for intermittent mode of operation. This will be useful during drizzling time.
Overall I like to rate 3.5 out of 5 for this car.