The i10 Kappa AT - Comfort in crowded city driving

With city traffic getting crazier each day, we thought it would be nice to get small car with an auto box. There is not much to choose from in the AT segment if you don't want the Santro or the WagonR. I recall the Santro's auto box to be really crappy. That's the expectation I went with when Continental Hyundai got the car to us for a test drive. Boy was I wrong. This box is superb, the car feels potent from the word go and it's not like I stepped on the pedal.

The car has good road manners, not much body roll and handles well. The steering seems a tad light and could perhaps do with a little bit of more feedback. The braking is top notch. Acceleration is nice and the down shift when you hit the gas is not jerky like the older auto boxes. Wider tyres could perhaps be made standard.

Rear seating is comfortable for short rides. There is no practical use of the boot. A few shopping bags is perhaps all it can be used for effectively.

We drove the car in about 35 Deg of afternoon heat and I was surprised with the air-conditioning. It was doing a great job. 4 people, no tints and it was cooling very nicely.

As per my analysis, resale would also be good and comparable to that of the levels of the Santro. An addition of some better colour options would be nice. Currently most colours on offer are ghastly.  

I'd say a good buy as a 1st city car, or a second car used mainly in the city in traffic.

 

The automatic gear box is a delightVery narrow in driver and co driver well, Even a folded baby stroller does not fit into the boot