I recently purchased i10 magna 1.2 Champaign gold color. I would like to share my initial ownership experience. I brought my Goldie (its Champaign gold color hence I call my car as Goldie) on 22nd April 2009 from Advaith Hyundai Bangalore. I want to divide this review into 1. Dealership review (going to be very short, since I know that there is a separate section for reviewing dealers), 2. Power of the car 3. Comfort & looks of the car 4. Mileage of the car.
1. Dealer review. I approached Advaith and took a test drive, before taking the test-drive, I had already zeroed upon i10 magna 1.2 because I did a very good research on what I want and took into consideration other cars in the same segment. My sales person was Pooja, she was courteous initially but had to run behind her later on after I paid the initial booking amount. No complaints about this since I was expecting this and it was bound to happen.
I was very clear on what I wanted so dint face any problems in defining it. I bargained and got a discount of rs 21000 plus some free accessories. I could not bargain well on the finance part because it was bit confusing, they try to cheat on all occasions, so beware if you are taking a loan. Do the homework and then approach the finance guys. Always say that you are in touch with other banks and quote a low interest all the time so that you would get a better deal.
2.Power: I have driven 700 Kms in two weeks. Two long distance drive. One from B’lore to my home town salem on NH7 and another drive from Bangalore to mysore. Another drive to a near by hill station Yercaud. Power is good; I constantly hit 100 kmph on the highway and once tried to go beyond 130 kmph, but curtailed the speed, as it is a new car. When Ac is switched on, pick up in 3rd gear is really slow nonetheless it really performs well on the highways. Drive to yercaud was good; I had to climb the hill area mainly on 3rd gear. It is not possible to drive in 4th gear in hilly areas. The engine is peppy, but I felt that when AC is switched on, 3rd gear becomes very sluggish. AC is powerful; it cools the cabin within no time. Switching on the AC will not have any effect on the power of the car when you are on the highway and cruising at a good speed but when you try to maneuver your car at a lower speed and if your car is in 3rd gear then you will definitely feel that 3rd gear is sluggish. Shocks are good but I felt that rear shocks are bit bumpy when taken on potholed roads, I felt this especially when I took my car to yercaud. I could feel the bumpiness when I drove the car on potholed roads.
3.Mileage: I can’t comment on the mileage within the city because I drove only few kilometers in the city. Till now my car was used mainly on the highways and one trip to a hill station. On the highway with sparingly using the AC, my Goldie gave me 18 kmpl On the hills I got 14 kmpl. I think the mileage will definitely improve after the 1st and 2nd service. I personally believe that, getting good mileage out of your car depends upon your driving habits. i10 kappa on the mileage front is good.
4.Looks and comfort: I need not say anything about the looks of the car. i10 rocks, interiors are great but the beige interiors reflection could be seen on the mirror, I am getting used to it though. But it irritates me some times. Sometimes you could be blind folded when you are looking through the mirror, the right side chassis completely blocks the drivers view. The interior becomes dirty very quickly, so need to clean it very frequently. Seats are comfortable. The break and clutch pedals are kept at higher position. I have been driving maruti 800 for a long time and never felt this but in i10 I feel that the pedals are kept at a higher position. I get pain in my ankles after driving for a long period of time. I am 6 feet tall. Getting into and getting out of the car is not a problem at all but my left leg hits the protruding dash board towards the gear stick, so my knees starts paining after a long drive. EPS is good, may be I am feeling this because I have been driving maruti 800 for the past 10 years, so no complaints on EPS. Boot space is large enough to carry weekend luggage and good for shopping as well. The rear seat can be folded so that you get more space. Horn is not that powerful, need to replace it with a much better one. Headlights are not strong enough.
Overall I feel that i10 1.2 Magna is a good buy. It has got the power with which you can get on to the highways without any problems. Obviously with i10 you cant beat the sedans and the innovas but it is leader in its segment. Within the city you can’t really enjoy i10 kappas power because you cant go beyond 30 kmph. You can enjoy i10’s power at higher rpms, which can be achieved only on the highways. 3 fully grown adults can sit at the rear without any problems. It is comfortable but I have some problems with the break and clutch pedals. Mileage is good for me but I have read so many i10 customers complaining about the mileage. I will keep the mileage under observation until I complete the second service. It is spacious, there are places to keep water bottles, coke cans etc. All four-power windows are a boon. When you are switching on the AC, you need not ask the passengers seated at the rear to close the windows, all the window controls are given on the driver’s side window panel. I have installed Hyundai’s cobra security system. I am yet to install a music system. I have just started to do a small research on that, may be by next month I will go for a music system.