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The Hyundai i10 has always been a sweet deal and considering all the bells and whistles that the new car comes with, we can only say that the deal just got sweeter.
Hyundai, the Korean auto giant has been working hard to improve its current fleet and develop new products for their automotive markets worldwide.
This effect can be seen in India as well. Hyundai Motor India Limited (HMIL) has been giving facelifts to its current range of cars.
Just a minor facelift might have not helped Hyundai, so the company has done some major changes on the i10.
Apart from the cosmetic changes, the Korean automaker has gone about tweaking both the i10 engines.
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The first look itself can make you figure out the substantial changes on the outside of the i10.
The hatchback gets a striking new front grille which gives it a more aggressive and masculine look.
The lower front end gets a trapezoidal-shaped mesh grille.
This combination is Hyundai's new family face look which will be seen on all of their upcoming models.
This is accompanied with a sharper headlamp design, which gives it a more grown-up look.
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The fog lamp design has been changed and the top-of-the-line Asta version gets chrome surrounds around the fogs.
The other changes include the new side-indicator mirrors with a defogger which prevents the mirrors from fogging.
The other makeover on the exterior is the new rear bumper design with reflectors.
The side profile of the i10 remains unchanged but to our dismay the alloys are not available as standard even on the top-of-the-line Asta variant and are instead available as an option to be fitted at the dealership.
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We were astonished to see the number of changes the i10 has undergone, not just on the outside but on the inside as well.
The old beige and black dash has now been changed to little brown and metal finish centre console.
This new colour doesn't reflect back into the windshield during the daytime unlike the beige, which was a problem that most consumers faced.
The new dash colour reduces glare on the windscreen and helps to reduce the stress on the driver's eyes especially in bright sunlight.
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The green interior lighting has been replaced with blue (like on all the new Hyundai cars).
There is a new instrument cluster and the in-dash system gets an auxiliary-input and USB connection along with bluetooth connectivity for your cellular phone.
If that's not enough, the steering wheel of the i10 now gets audio and telephony controls, and Hyundai has changed the colour of the seat fabric and the door pads as well.
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The biggest upgrade in the i10 is under the hood.
As we all know, the i10 comes with an engine option of two petrol engines - the 1.1-litre and the 1.2-litre Kappa.
Now, Hyundai has added three more horses to the 1.1-litre's army and the 1.2-litre gets a valvetrain upgrade.
The 1.2-litre now gets variable valve timing and Hyundai calls it the Kappa 2. So, the new 1.2-litre i10 gets awarded with the Kappa2 and the VTVT badges.
The variable valve timing improves the performance and even the fuel efficiency.
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ARAI claims that the fuel economy of Hyundai i10 is 20.3kpl under test conditions, which is another best-in-class feature when compared to the ARAI claimed figures.
Talking about the performance, we reckon the i10 will do a 0-100kph in 14-odd seconds.
The Kappa2 is responsive and pulls well from revs in excess of 1600rpm.
This is a good city car and overtaking is easy as adequate power is available on tap.
The electric power steering is highly responsive and the feedback is also good enough.
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The new i10 has undergone a major transformation and Hyundai has now priced the i10 range between Rs 348,000 to 590,000 (ex-showroom Delhi) which makes it a complete value for money car.
The Hyundai i10 is a great package to opt for, considering all the bells and whistles, good ownership experience and lower depreciation cost being a Hyundai.
The i10 is the new bread-and-butter car for Hyundai, although the Santro Xing still lingers.
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The Korean manufacturer seems to have hit the bullseye with the upgrades and raised the bar further by adding features that are available in cars which are a segment higher.
It's now been given the necessary ammunition to deal with the onslaught from the newer players, thereby reinforcing the fact that Hyundai is determined to be a segment leader and consumers can go back to buying Hyundai's in even more numbers than before.