The original Hyundai i10 was the 2008 Autocar Car of the Year and it lived up to its billing by winning over customers with its user-friendly, frugal and practical character. The second-generation model in the shape of the revolutionary Grand i10 was an even bigger success – it was far more comfortable, more premium and came with a diesel engine option. Now there’s a third-generation model, and it is bigger and comes with a longer name too. Dubbed the Grand i10 Nios, this all-new model builds on the strengths of its predecessors to keep the legacy going.
The new car carries forward familiar engine options – the 1.2-litre petrol and 1.2 diesel, with the former being BS6 compliant. What’s new is that, in addition to the 5-speed manual, you can now have an automated manual transmission (AMT) option on both engines. Prices for the petrol-manual range between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 7.14 lakh, while those for the diesel-manual are between Rs 6.70 lakh and Rs 7.99 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). The petrol-AMT is priced Rs 53,000-60,000 higher than the corresponding manual variants, while there is just one diesel-AMT version on offer in the higher-mid spec, priced at Rs 7.85 lakh. With such a wide price range between variants, the Grand i10 Nios is aimed at attracting a broader base of customers than before. Can it?
After our first drive of this all-new Grand i10 Nios, we came away impressed and opined that the i10 has evolved into a more mature, a more premium and a more contemporary proposition. Now we’ve put all four variants through a full-blown road test to tell you in more detail how good this latest hatchback really is.
Like all Hyundais, the Nios is very well equipped, and the top two variants – Asta and Sportz – are available with kit like an 8.0-inch touchscreen with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, an Arkamys-tuned sound system, a rear-view camera, alloy wheels, projector headlamps and fog lamps, power-folding mirrors and more.
For the time being, the top-spec Asta variant is reserved for the manual variants only. So these get added noteworthy kit like larger 15-inch alloys, keyless entry and go, wireless charging, a cooled glovebox, and rear wiper and washer. While all these are good to have, it’s the rear wiper and washer that is essential and should have been available with the AMTs as well.
New 8.0-inch touchscreen is slick and easy to use. What’s nice is that there are buttons on either side of the screen for quick access to the various menus. Unlike the outgoing Grand i10, there’s no inbuilt satellite navigation system on offer, but it does get Android Auto and Apple CarPlay and they include navigation apps, among other things. The sound system is tuned by Arkamys and it sounds nice in isolation. The sound quality, however, isn’t as crisp as some of its rivals.
There’s a reason why the Grand i10 sold in such high numbers in India. It had almost everything that buyers were looking for – ease of driving, smooth and refined engines, high-quality interiors and a long features list – and this all-new generation, the Grand i10 Nios, only builds on these existing strengths. The Nios’ interiors are even more polished and premium, and its features list is even more expansive. Both its engines are very refined and the petrol unit is now BS6-compliant. When it comes to real-world fuel efficiency, the Nios passes with flying colours. The option of a manual and an AMT with either engine further widens its appeal, and it is still very user-friendly thanks to its light controls, agreeable cabin ergonomics, and good all-round visibility. Hyundai’s widespread support network will only work as a catalyst for its sales. It might not be engaging to drive, and a top-spec AMT variant is sorely missed in the range, however, look at it in the broader light, and you’ll see the Nios is so well packaged and its fundamentals are so sorted, it is as good as a city-friendly, family hatchback can be.
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