A great buy and the BEST in its segment

        There are so many cars nowadays in the 4-5 lakh segment. Then why this car? Because it has got everything that you look for in a small car. It has got the power, the best interior in its class, superb ride comfort backed by the aftersale services  of a company that has proved its worth in our country. Hyundai has the second best aftersale services here but regarding quality, they are a notch above Maruti. I had a choice between the swift and i10 kappa, eventually went for this car. I had been driving a Maruti 800 for last 5 years and I was fed up with the endless rattles and the indifferent attitude of the Maruti service centre guys. I had also driven my friend's swift and apart from the driving pleasure it  had nothing new to offer. It also rattled like a rattle snake which I could not digest when I thought that it was a premium hatchback costing 5 lakhs! The interiors are so dumb in a swift, just look at the AC & ventilation control knobs in a Vxi model, the plastic feels so cheap and is very similar to that of Maruti 800, really annoying when you think that this a 5 lakh+ car and is stated to be a lifestyle car!

      Regarding driving pleasure the i10 kappa is not lagging though. Sit behind the wheels and you are greeted by the biege interiors. All the controls are very well placed. The gear changing felt so easy, its just like a knife cutting through butter. Let me tell you that sitting in the driver's seat felt like I was driving a big car and that I was in total command, thanks to the very good seat position and the good design of the dashboard . The drive and ride felt so smooth, you will really fall in love with this beauty. Regarding the build quality I think nobody can raise an eyebrow, not even the most ardent Maruti fan. It has class written all around and there is no rattle till date.

       But as they say that every good thing comes with a few negetives, this car too has its share of shortcomings. The rear seat is not very good particularly for a very tall person but this is an issue with almost every small car. When you negotiate the potholes and speedbreakers you have to be extra carefull, more so for the comfort of the rear seat passengers, although this is not very disturbing but Hyundai can definitely improve the suspension of this otherwise beautiful car. The ride quality is much better than santro and it is like that of the swift in my opinion. The 2nd thing which bothers me is the absence of any front impact beam. I just could not make out what went through the minds of the designers of this car. The Hyundai people tell that it was done for the engine subframes which dislogde the engine in case of any frontal collision so that it does not hit the front passengers. But inspite of this theory they could have provided the front beam just like the santro which could have been a great protection for minor hits. I had researched a lot and asked a few of my friends who have i10, although there were some negetive feedbacks in the net regarding this frontal protection issue but the feedbacks I got from some actual owners were reassuring many of whom bumped but there were no damage done under the hood. Nevertheless I still think that Hyundai should address this issue and provide an impact beam in the front as to me this is only real drawback of an otherwise perfect car.

        I have tried my best to give an impartial review with all the positives and negetives which I felt as an owner. But the most important thing is whether you are satisfied or not at the end of the day and what you are getting in a package. I am really happy that I have made the right decision to buy this fabulous car amongst so many choices, after all you cannot change your car every now and then, more so when you are from a middle class family and have budget constraints.

Great interiors and great performanceExternal looks particularly the headlamps, could have been more visually pleasing