Hyundai Grand i10 Nios Road Test

The legacy of the Hyundai i10 continues to this date through its third-generation model; the Grand i10 Nios. And, in case you were wondering, yes, the second-generation Grand i10 will continue to sell alongside, albeit at a lower price point. In short, this iteration runs a tweaked platform with new tech, major revisions to the design, and an updated feature list.

The Grand i10 Nios primarily battles it out with cars such as the Grand i10, Ford Figo, and the hugely popular Maruti Suzuki Swift. But, for this road test, we’ve driven the manual versions of the 1.2 petrol and 1.2 diesel extensively to give you a clear and detailed idea of what makes the Grand i10 Nios tick. Read on.

We aren't fans of the Nios' design. You simply tend to see a fusion of the Santro and the Grand i10 and it’s not something that goes down well as the Nios sits a notch higher. But yes, if you ask us what stands out in terms of the Nios’ design; it has to be the humungous grille on that cutesy nose.

Furthermore, those shrewd-looking headlamps and sporty creases on the bonnet and bumper may just be all the sportiness you’ll ever get to see in this hatch. Also, when viewed in profile, it becomes obvious that the smartly raked roof is how the generous headroom was liberated.

At the rear, a number of latitudinal lines have been stacked in manner to make this hatch look wider than it really is. Overall, we’d say the Nios is borderline pleasing to the eye.

The Nios’ cabin is a pretty nice one to be in. A fresh dash design, complete with dual tones and a flowing theme onto the centre console definitely infuses some excitement to the equation. And, since it’s well laid out too, ergonomics are favourable. But where this hatch truly stands out is in the quality, and fit and finish department, which is very good for this segment.

Also, what makes manoeuvring this hatch so easy is not just the compact dimensions, but the visibility from the large glass area, and off the adequately sized mirrors. Now, in terms of storage, there are two cup holders and a long-ish stowage space for your knick knacks. Plus, if you’re not using the wireless charger ahead of the gear shifter, it can swallow some of your belongings. For everything else, the deep door pads or reasonably sized glove-box are the way to go.

When you slide onto the front seats, you’ll appreciate that they are of the wide and supportive kind. Not to forget that there’s adequate thigh support and surprisingly good lateral support. With ample headroom, knee-room and shoulder room on offer, it’s hard to miss the fact that it feels spacious.

At the rear, not only is the head room simply generous, the large bench offers an appropriate backrest angle with adequate thigh support and knee-room. However, foot room can be limiting, more-so when the third occupant is seated, which can be a squeeze. Nevertheless, what brings some resolve is that the floor is almost flat. As for the boot, it can easily swallow a medium suitcase along with two medium sized bags.

Our car had the Arkamys premium eight-inch touchscreen system, complete with smartphone connectivity like Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Not only does it sound good, the touch and UI interface response is reasonably swift. Plus, the display panel and graphics look pleasing to the eye.

Let’s start with the safety features first. The Nios gets dual airbags, ABS with EBD, speed alert system, emergency stop signal, rear parking sensors and immobiliser as standard. The version you see here is the top-spec Asta that’s filled to the brim.

You get projector headlamps with LED daytime running lights and 15-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels to name a few. Then, there’s the start/stop button, wireless charging tray, automatic AC, electric folding door mirrors and driver's seat height adjust, and some.

At the time of writing this review, the Grand i10 Nios, came with the choice of a 1.2 four-cylinder kappa petrol (BS6), or a 1.2 three-cylinder U2 CRDi diesel (BS4) motor that powers the front wheels. You can also opt for a five-speed manual or an AMT gearbox. We’ve covered the manual versions of both engines in this road test, but you can read more on the petrol automatic here.

Let’s start with the Kappa, and like most petrols, this one too is refined and the power delivery, linear. There’s hardly any buzz, so the inherent qualities of a petrol (the reason why you’d opt for one) pampers you every time you’re at the wheel. The only time the NVH is really felt is when you hover around the motor’s limit.

What’s nice about the power delivery is that there’s a nice usable flow of torque from the word go. Our drivability tests, the 20-80kmph and 40-100kmph, took 13.11 and all of 20.38 seconds respectively. This makes driving in the city an absolute ease. What also simplifies the driving experience is the well-judged gear ratios that allow you to drive as low as 15kmph in third, and 25kmph in fourth gear.

Even then, it’s not like the motor runs out of breath and urges you to downshift, or even stall. In fact, you can even lug the motor in that gear if you’re not in a hurry. This personality also eliminates the gear-shifting chores from everyday commutes and makes it effortless. And, even if you need to, the shifts can be actuated in a breeze thanks to a precise gate, short gear lever and a light clutch. We were caught shifting just for the heck of it; which says a lot.

Let’s talk about the diesel now. Over the years, we’ve come to appreciate the vibe-free manner in which Hyundai tunes their new-age diesel motors. More-so when you know that it is just a three-cylinder unit. There is some buzz in the cabin, unlike its petrol counterpart, but the majority of diesel clatter is so well hidden.

Now, unlike some rival four-cylinder motors that offload a large chunk of the torque as soon as the motor gets on-boost, the Hyundai ones, like this three-cylinder here, gives you enough oomph on-boost. And then some more that’s spread evenly across the entire rev-band. Makes sense to use a three-cylinder then, right?

Yes. Now the diesel Nios gets off the mark easily, even with all seats occupied, thanks to the sufficient torque on tap. Post which, you witness an extremely linear power surge. The reassuring pull starts from as low as 1500rpm. So if you keep the revs around this, in any gear, you can potter around without getting left behind in any crowd. This flexibility brings a lot of convenience, more-so when one deals with a lot of city errands. Plus, given the need, you always have adequate useable power at hand, simply by dropping a gear and nudging the throttle.

To give you an idea, our VBox recorded the 0-100kmph dash in 12.74 seconds, while the 20-80kmph and 40-100kmph drivability tests took a swifter 11.27 and 13.16 seconds. This three-cylinder engine can only be heard prominently when you go north of 3500rpm. And even then, it only sounds coarse. As for the gear shifts, the flexible gearing does not necessitate the need for constant shifting. But even if you did, the light clutch and lever make it a joy to slot gears since it’s simply smooth to operate. It just takes the effort off the whole driving experience, even in bumper-to-bumper traffic.

Ride quality wise, we noticed that the ride is firm at slower speeds. This is also accompanied by some suspension and tyre noise despite the pretty good insulation job. Now, although the ride quality improves by getting mildly flatter as you go faster; every now and then, it surprises you with a sharper jolt. To sum it up, there’s a constant and unpredictable up-and-motion in the Grand i10 Nios, unless you’re driving on a well-paved road.

When it comes to the steering, like most Hyundai’s, this one also feels slightly vague around the centre. But, since it is quite light and responsive (three turns lock-to-lock), manoeuvring through snug city confines, or parking in a tight spot is relatively easy. Also, body control on tight bends is surprisingly good. Sure, there’s considerable roll when you push it, but the feedback from the steering and the good grip levels from the 175-section tyres, give you just the right amount of confidence.

Braking too, is more than adequate and feel-some, with the car being able to drop the anchors from 80kmph in 2.31 seconds.

The Grand i10 Nios retails between Rs 5.95 and Rs 9.54 lakh (on-road Mumbai). When it comes to fuel economy, the Grand i10 Nios petrol with a manual gearbox returned a fuel efficiency of 13.07kmpl and 17.06kmpl in the city and highway. The frugal diesel version delivered an expectedly higher mileage of 16.13kmpl and 22.74kmpl.

The Hyundai Grand i10 Nios is a worthy successor to the i10 heritage. With the Nios, the interiors have seen a marked revision, quality along with fit and finish is extremely good for the segment, and both engines not only perform well- they are refined and reasonably efficient too. All this combined with the favourable ergonomics, compact dimensions and light controls make the Nios a breeze to commute.

But on the flipside, the average ride quality makes for a serious downer. The Nios also looks thoroughly uninspiring, and could have done with a lot more character. But these aside, the Nios actually makes for a competitive hatchback.

Pictures by Kapil Angane