Hyundai i10 1.2 Test Drive Review

August 31, 2008

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Hyundai i10

hyundai i10 12 kappa photo

Hyundai’s Kappa engined i10 is indeed fantastic, a test drive of the new 1.2L powered i10 makes us say so.

The already good i10 becomes even better with the Kappa engine. This engine is Euro 5 compliant, DOHC, 16 valve unit and produces a decent 80bhp@5200RPM, 11.4KGM@4000RPM and redlines at 6500RPM. Sounds pretty good on paper, oh yes it does.  Here are some important points about the i10 1.2 : -

  • Engine revvs smoothly.
  • Good engine power for a small hatch.
  • Ride and handling remains good.
  • The new 1.2 engine is 3kgs lighter then the 1.1 IRDe.
  • AC didn’t seem to be cooling well enough.
  • Steering is light and makes it easy to manoeuvre the i10.
  • Top model is overpriced at above Rs. 6 lacs.
  • Sportz model has nothing sporty about it.
  • Gear shift is smooth.
  • Non ABS version has decent brakes, hard braking tends to lock the wheels.
  • Interiors are very good.
  • Red coloured i10 has red inserts on dash which doesn’t seem that impressive.
  • Boot is decent.
  • Mileage : Hyundai claim some unrealistic figures but 12-14 in city is achievable.

To sum up the car is very good value and definately worth a buy. Its practical and ticks in almost every department. The only chink in its armour is the lack of a diesel engine, but not for long.

This post was written by Faisal

Founder and editor of MotorBeam, his passion for cars and bikes chases his dreams. Read more about him here

View all posts by Faisal

32 Responses to “Hyundai i10 1.2 Test Drive Review”

  1. mayyank Says:

    Can we fit CNG in i10??

    Reply

  2. fas Says:

    Yes you can fit CNG in i10 but its not really advisable as your warranty will go. Instead buy a Swift diesel.

    Reply

  3. M.VIJAYKUMAR Says:

    Dear sir,

    Please let me know about the mileage and other features about i10 1.2 Sportz vehicle performance.

    Appreciating your favourable reply at the earliest.

    Vijaykumar

    Reply

  4. fas Says:

    Vijaykumar the i10 1.2 will give you 12-14 kmpl in city driving. You can check out the features of the i10 1.2 Sportz at http://hyundaii10.co.in/features.asp

    Reply

  5. Abhisek Verma Says:

    hi fas.can u tel me is thr any difference in fuel efficiency of i10 1.1 iRDE and 1.2 kappa? wat r their fuel economy figures? and what’s the fuel economy given by i20 1.2??

    Reply

  6. fas Says:

    The 1.1 iRDE and the 1.2 Kappa give similar fuel efficiency figures but the 1.2 Kappa is a more advanced engine. If you go for the i10, get the 1.2 Kappa. The i20 1.2 gives slightly lesser mileage then the i10 1.2, that is 12-14 kmpl in the city.

    Reply

  7. Abhisek Verma Says:

    thnku fas. ur website is awesome.

    Reply

  8. Vicky Says:

    whats the top speed of this car fas??

    Reply

  9. fas Says:

    Vicky, the car will do 170kmph with ease. The 1.1 i10 does 160kmph.

    Reply

  10. Vicky Says:

    wow 170 ha,superb! :D

    wat model is the best one…magna,sportz or the other one(highest model)??

    Reply

  11. fas Says:

    Vicky, I think sportz is a good bet.

    Reply

  12. MANU Says:

    hello fas ,
    i booked magna 1.2 today in the morning after doing research abt cars for arnd 3 months , but i still seem to be a lil confused .
    My choices were A star , i10 or a good second hand car as i have just got my pukka license a week ago from the training school so am .. seriously new to driving . In the first place should have i gone for a new car …? cause my family is gonna be learning to drive in this same car as well …. and a nother imp thing to me is mileage ….. so i10 <– is that a good choice or should it be A STAR … please gimme a suggestion ..hey .. that extra power in magna 1.2 puts a lil smile on my face tough .. :)

    Reply

    • fas Says:

      Manu, either car would be good for you but since you are learning you could have opted for a second hand machine. The i10 is a very good car and the Kappa engine is a beast. Now since you booked it, forget the rest and enjoy driving.

      Reply

  13. MANU Says:

    hello , thanks for the promt reply fas ,
    fas can u tell me one more thing ..what would be a better buy .. i10 1.2 magna or i20 1.2 .. cause the price diff isnt that much ..
    and mileage .. should it not be almost the same cause both i think are similar engines …and if there is mileage diff between them both …. how much would it be .. negligable ? …. mileage is pretty imp to me …
    and i have just booked the i10 a couple of days back from a multicar dealer..so changing to any other car wouldnt really be a problem ..
    ur suggestion wil be very valuable ..

    regards

    Reply

    • fas Says:

      Manu, if you can get the i20 get it. Everything is same in both the cars when it comes to performance and mileage but the i20 is a bigger car and safer too.

      Reply

  14. Nish Says:

    Hello .. Fas,
    Really good infor all around.
    I actaully own a Magna i10 with Kappa Engine.
    I drive alot … almost 50KM Per day … n Enjoy it :)
    And I m getting 12-13 KMPL in city and around 14-15 on trips…

    Since I drive alot … i m seriously thinking about getting CNG.
    I have tried finding some reviews for i10 with CNG, but no info available online…

    What do u say???
    Nishant

    Reply

    • fas Says:

      Nish, CNG will mess up your car if not properly installed. Its best to avoid installing after market fuel systems.

      Reply

  15. Rahul Says:

    Hi!

    Please advice me can i put cng in my i10 kappa engine….
    i’m not bothered much about my warranty as my car has already made a run of about 20000 i 9 months.

    Thanks

    Reply

  16. firos Says:

    Hi friends,
    I bought i10 1.2 ltr crystal white on Jan 1st 2010.
    Before 1st service, during my first long highway drive I got 17km/ltr mileage.

    But in city drive I am getting only 12.

    Driving is more smooth and comfort. Better space for front passengers. For rear passengers, leg space is comparatively OK. In front seat it give us a feel as in a sedan car. For long drive it is very good.

    Reply

    • Arveen Says:

      hi to all and this is arveen prasad and i am working in dubai and i have booked one hyundai i10 in chennai for my parents it going to deliever on jan 05th 2012 and can you please tell me like what are extra fitting i need to ask to the dealers and please share with the FE abt the Hyundai i10 magna thanks in aadvance……

      Reply

  17. Sankap Says:

    HI

    i also own a i10 kappa, i luv to drive it. But as the petrol prices are gearing up, it is actually becoming unafordable to drive my machine on petrol.

    I went to Hyundai to get the CNG installed, but to my surprise they are fitting CNG kit in 1.1 irde and not on 1.2 kappa.

    Wat is the basic difference as they are not ready to fitt the same, as local market vendors are ready to retrofitting.

    Thnx

    Reply

    • fas Says:

      Sankap, the i10′s 1.2 engine is more advanced is not suited to CNG officially so its not worth taking the risk.

      Reply

  18. Sumit Says:

    I too was in a dilemma weather to install cng on my 1.2 kappa, however it has turned out to be a good experience with cng. I have got it installed from Deep Hyundai and that means, dealership warranty for the next 1.5 years. The kit itself has a warranty of 1 year. The kit installed is of BestPrins (Holland) and they are the second largest manufacturers of cng kits. The best part is they provide their own ECU unit for cng which includes the Lambda, Advancer and the Emulator (This is a waterproof unit). Initially on the first day some issues cropped up, however they were sorted out by retuning. The most important point here is, that you get a kappa engine converted to cng “only” by an experienced installer since the engine is more advance and needs careful installation. The power loss seems negligible w/o ac, however with ac turned on, the power loss seems creeps in, only limited to 3rd gear after which it shoots like a rocket. I have driven the car on highways and one would not feel the lag in overtaking other vehicles. People who are looking to go green with cng for their kappa engines may go ahead, however the most imp point is getting the retrofitting done from an experienced installer.

    PS – Don’t bother about the price, insist on genuine parts and good installation. Beware of fake cng components like Tomasetto Achille’s ECU. The company is not into manufacturing electrical’s however cng installers sell fake lambda and advancers with a sitcker of Tomasetto.

    Reply

    • Ankit Says:

      Hi, I am also looking forward to install BestPrins VSI CNG Kit in my recently bought Alto K10
      Does anybody have any info where to buy it in Pune? Also, pointers to any good fitting center in Pune having experience in fitting BestPrins Kit would be helpful. Thanks, Ankit Ph – 7588682043 Mail – aanksonline@gmail.com

      Reply

    • Ankit Says:

      Hi, I am also looking forward to install BestPrins VSI CNG Kit in my recently bought Alto K10 to CNG.

      Does anybody have any info as to where to buy it in Pune? Also, pointers to any good fitting center in Pune having experience in fitting BestPrins Kit would be helpful.

      Thanks, Ankit Jain Ph – 7588682043 Mail – aanksonline@gmail.com

      Reply

  19. Pradip Says:

    Hi Fas,

    I’m planning to buy a car and the usage will be nominal and on an average will travel 4-5 kms per day in my town. I have shortlisted few cars in the small car segment (i10 1.2 Kappa Magna, WagonR VXI and Beat) after going thro the pros and cons, I feel I have to buy i10.

    We are a family of 4 and need to travel comfortably. My budget is close to 4.6 Lakhs (on road price) and once or twice in a year will travel long distance. Can you please give your suggestion?

    Reply

  20. farroq Says:

    i have a i -10 , i.2 magna . i want to install a cng kit . is it succesful in 1.2 .
    please reply asap….

    Reply

  21. abhijit Says:

    hi’
    i hava a i10 kappa 1.2 sportz since 08-10. after having 2nd service in kolkata city ride with air con. i am getting max milage 10/lt petrol. i am really sorry to state that while purchased it is been told 19.2/lt petrol. and i am been very much disappointed with the policy as after purchasing the said car company has changed model within 10 days without any intimation while buying from the distributors in kolkata. i am also really sorry to state car with max speed 170km/ph is a nightmare for me. 120km/ph is also a risky job. see the tyre and weight of the car then compare. looks inside and outside awesome but baidge finish dashboard reflects a lot in daylight. tape is good without usb and bluetooth and horrible speaker quality. there is dte indication in the car manufactured in 2011. petrol pump owner only know the reason please check it at there end.
    my opinion on my car :
    ?Engine revvs smoothly.
    ?Good engine power for a small hatch.
    ?Ride and handling remains good.
    ?The new 1.2 engine is 3kgs lighter then the 1.1 IRDe.
    ?AC seem to be cooling well enough.
    ?Steering is light and makes it easy to manoeuvre the i10.
    ?Gear shift is smooth.
    ?Non ABS version has decent brakes, hard braking tends to lock the wheels.
    ?Interiors are very good.

    Reply

  22. Amit Sharma Says:

    Hi People,

    I am buying Hyundai I10 Magna (1.2 Kappa) on Sunday (27Jan’11). Wanted to know if I can get CNG installed to it (Any prefered advisable dealer who can install CNG to this new engine – Got to know from reviews above that deep Hyundai is one of such dealers). Also, do Government approves it?

    Please reply as soon as possible as I still have time to change the model. Thanks

    Reply

  23. SANDEEP ARORA Says:

    I wish to buy i10 magna 1.2 Kappa2 with CNG installed from a good Dealer. Has Government approved the CNG in this model?

    Friends, pls. advise on th above.

    Reply

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