I10 Kappa sports Auto - An excellent choice for congested Indian Roads

was very keen to buy a small car which had automatic transmision, and reserve it for for city drive. Unfortunately, the choice is very limited for small cars with automatic transmission. Only wagon R and i10 are available with auto transmission. Since this was the better looking, we went for this car. There was a Santro with auto trans mission, but that has been discontinued three months ago! The result is that you are forced to buy a car which is 60,000 dearer than Santro
However, the car has its pros and cons. And there are more pros... Read on... I wont be comparing this with wagon R, as i didn't do that while buying.

The car has been with me for two weeks, so i wont comment about the mileage! Its one model less than the top model and thus one would expect almost everything provided in the car. However, there is a major compromise on passenger safety as well as car safety in this model as compared to the top model!

Shape: Acceptable. Its a tall design and getting in is very easy esp for tall people. We cant call it elegant as it lacks the refinement of a Honda jazz

Exterior fitments: All provided and good. Lights are excellent; There are no fog lights in this model as well as no switch for a potential fog light fitment. the slot is available on the bumper. In north India that is a requirement; however i didn't get that fitted as i didn't want anyone tampering with the bumper and the dashboard in a new car.

Interior comfort: Very spacious. No headrest for the front seats; however the seats are comfortable. Back seats are folding and comfortable with head rests. Driver seat cannot be raised. The dashboard color is golden beige, which does not really match with any exterior color except, white, black and champagne. That is a setback as it is in sharp contrast with all other exterior colors. The seat fabric is good, but could have been better. It will get dirty fast as it is very light colored. Families with children - be careful.

The controls are elegant.

Air conditioning is excellent and the heater works well. Rear defogger is helpful and wiper washer at the back is very useful on long trips.

Interior facilities: Fantastic facilities. It has almost everything. Good spaces. Tachometer is digital and looks good. There are two trip meters and helpful. Good slot for your mobiles and mp3 plyers; conveniently located near the lighter point. Interior light is good, but lacks a light for theback passengers.

Music player: 2 DIN music player is elegant and the sound produced by the 4 speakers is good and more than satisfactory. It has a radio, CD and mp3 disc player. No usb port, but has an auxillary channel out which can be used to connect your i pod!

Automatic transmission come with a over drive facility and is very good and reliable. Gear shift is smooth and the indicators on it are easily seen.

Ride quality is fantastic with no noise from the 1.2 liter engine. The pick up is excellent and the car is well powered. I found the shock absorbers a bit stiff while driving - an observation which might be because the car is new. I will have to wait for a while to comment about it.
It can take a large and a cabin bag easy in the luggage space. But you cant think of loading this car with more than three pieces of luggage.

A word about passenger and car safety. The BS and AIR bags are provided in the top model only, which is very expensive. So there is no choice but to go for this model. The key less entry option is also available in the top model.

I have over the years owned and driven Maruti 800, Maruti Esteem high end model and Toyota corolla automatic model. It is an excellent buy as a second car or as a first car, if you have to drive in the city or not carry much luggage on long trips. Ideal for couples or families with one child.

This car being automatic has a big advantage for city traffic. One does not have to worry about clutch or shifting gears. Automatic models are always costlier by about 10% over the manual models, but are a delight to drive. The worry about low mileage is a misnomer if one excepts the fact that it will be one km less to a liter as compared to the manual model. In India, automatic transmission has not come of age but in reality this country is ideal for automatic transmission or should i say, automatic transmission is made for this country.

Conclusion: Anyone interested in an automatic model, i10 Kappa sports has it all - almost. For manual transmission era 1.1 or kappa sportz1.2 are good choices. However 1.2 engine is much better than 1.1. Close your eyes and go for it. There is no choice in automatic models and anyway, you will be gainer in the long run as it is a very good buy!! This car is an excellent run for long distance trips too.
Specs are goodBeige interiors, no light for back passengers, no fog lights