The teeny i10 has been a solid seller in the Hyundai fleet since it entered the local market three years ago. It was recently prettied up with stylish body panels and (on the flagship Fluid variant) sporty new alloy wheels.
The upgraded range is made up of three derivatives: a Motion manual, a Motion automatic and a flagship Fluid manual, all powered by a 1.25 engine that pushes out 64kW and 120Nm. Top speed is given as 167km/h and Hyundai says it will return a fuel consumption of 7.1/100km.
I recently spent a week piloting the little Korean and it is easy to understand why it is a sales jewel in the Hyundai crown and the darling of young families, first time as well as last time new car buyers, and car rental fleets.
The engine might be coffee-grinder size but it is responsive on take-off and the small hatch cruises effortlessly at maximum legal speed (and a bit more if you are feeling naughty) and it doesn’t easily run out of steam on undulating terrain.
The five-speed manual transmission is quick and smooth, even during quick down-changing and the steering has a surprisingly solid feel for a small chariot of this size. Another pleasant surprise is the excellent brakes that display no tendency to bite during stomp down.
The roomy cabin is four grown-ups comfortable and one of the most spacious in this segment. Standard trunk capacity is 256 litres which grows to 1,202 litres when the rear seats are folded.
In its refreshed guise, the new Grand i10 brags with a redesigned grille and front bumper, as well as sporty touches such as an integrated roof spoiler with a stop lamp, a new-look rear bumper plus colour-coded door handles and side mirrors.
The living quarters are stylishly furnished with two-tone grey seats and a wide range of standard convenience features such as aircon, a top-notch sound system with USB and AUX inlet plugs, plus a CD and MP3 player. Integrated Bluetooth is also a standard feature in all three derivatives.
Peace of mind features include dual airbags and ABS brakes plus a EuroNCAP 4-star rating.
In this segment, the Grand i10 competes against the likes of Kia Picanto, Chevrolet Spark and Suzuki Celerio and in my book the little Hyundai is ahead of this pack.
At a price range from R186,900 to R203,900 the i10 is a lot more expensive than the ten cheapest cars on the market but then its price tags include Hyundai’s seven-year/200,000km warranty, as well as five-year/150,000 km roadside assistance plus a generous helping of practicality, good looks and classy ride quality.
