Hyundai, please provide detailed technical specs !!!!!

        I was looking for a suitable replacement for my good old Maruti-800. So I did some research on compact cars and I would like to share my reservations against buying the new model i-10. These are my personal views, and I don't intend to offend the owners of i-10.

       Sure, I love Shahruh Khan, but when it comes to making purchase decisions, I would like rely only on hard facts and figures. Buying any newly released car model is like wading into crocodile infested waters. Having access to detailed technical specifications would help people like me to decide unless, of course, Hyundai wants to hide unsavory facts. Their website contains precious little technical information. There is no mention of minimum turning radius, luggage capacity and gross weight, (only kerb weight given).

         Next, I decided to do some research on i-10 by reading the reviews. Most of the reviews did excellent job of highlighting the positive features while down playing the drawbacks. Still I could easily make out that i-10 is actually 100 kgs heavier than Santro Xing while being powered by a similar engine. This could mean that i-10 is underpowered and it may not have an effective AC in Delhi. Another fact that came to light, Hyundai is about to release i-20/ i-30 models with upgraded 1.3L engines. Where is the guarantee that Hyundai will continue to provide spares for i-10?

         After my research, I decided to check for myself by taking a test drive of i-10. The car looked fine from the front side. But I didn't like the barren, plain look from the rear side, just like the old Santro. Despite its new exterior i-10 still closely resembles its older sister Santro from a distance. I love the looks of Santro Xing and its attractive pricing. The turning radius of i-10 appeared to be some what large, which could pose problems while parking in tight spots. Further, my wife complained about the narrow leg-space in rear when compared to our M-800.

         I-10 is a new kid on Indian roads. What do we really know about its performance beyond 10,000kms? Nothing much. In the absence of long-term performance feed-back, awards like COTY 2008 doesn't inspire much confidence. Better wait till the picture becomes clearer.

         Finally, I decided not to buy i-10 or for that matter Wagon-R (The Mortuary Van), Zen Estillo (The Bread-Box on Wheels). I wouldn't like to be seen driving or even dead inside these cars. I recommend Santro Xing to those looking for a proven compact car. I decided to go and search for a mid segment hatchback.

        In summary i-10 has new looks, good interiors, good front appearance, plenty of good features but short on leg-space and not good to look from the rear. Bye until next time.

Good looking front, nice interiors, good featuresBarren back, doubtful mileage, large turning radius