• Published On: 10 April 2017
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Hyundai briefly offered a punchy 80hp 1.2-litre petrol engine on the i10. Here's a quick spin in this version of the i10.

The i10 had to succeed Hyundai’s super successful Santro; big shoes to fill. The sales numbers proved that the i10 had the right ingredients, cementing a formidable reputation for itself in the small car market. This version features a brand new Kappa 2 engine under the hood – the car has been considerably refreshed to take on the increased competition.

On the outside
Hyundai has also tweaked the look of the car a bit to go with the new engine – it’s more aggressive now. The smiling front has gone under the knife and this car now looks like it’s much more grown up. There’s that familiar Hyundai large hexagonal grille, the new headlamps look classy and the front bumper now houses a larger air dam. The top-end variant’s wing mirrors come with integrated turn indicators and body coloured mouldings. The rear bumper has a body coloured rubber strip as compared to the black-coloured one on the old i10. The re-sculpted rear bumper features reflectors and parking sensors as well. The tail-lamps have been redesigned and now look more angular.

On the inside
Step inside the car and you’ll instantly notice that the all-beige interiors have made way for a darker two-tone finish. The dash now sports a dark grey colour but the design and layout of the cabin are similar to the outgoing car. The inside is still airy, comfortable, well detailed and feels solidly built. Things like the silver finish on the centre console, top-notch switchgear and precise fit of plastic parts are things you see in cars a class above. Front seat comfort is good, with good overall support. The rear bench is roomy and there’s a decent amount of space available.

Power Torque
The bigger engine produces 80hp at 6000rpm and 112Nm at 4000rpm and the VTVT system makes more power lower in the powerband than the previous Kappa; something you can tell instantly. It feels almost like a 1.6-litre motor. The i10 now leaps from standstill and the Kappa2 revs happily till its 6700rpm redline.

From behind the wheel
The i10 is quicker to 100kph than the Skoda Fabia 1.6, which is quite an achievement. The Kappa2 is a sheer delight to drive in the city and out on the highway. Refinement is a step above the old Kappa motor as well –  the old motor would feel strained past 4500rpm, while version 2 feels noticeably smoother. It’s still not nearly as smooth as the Swift’s 1.2 K-series motor though.

The Kappa2 hits 100kph from standstill almost a second quicker than the earlier car. It easily keeps up with highway traffic and rarely feels like it is running out of breath. In-gear acceleration is also hugely better - the new i10 taking 14.09sec for 20-80kph and 23.22sec for 40-100kph

The icing on the cake is that all this extra performance hasn’t affected fuel efficiency. It’s identical to the old car’s figures - 11.7kpl and 16kpl for the city and highway cycles respectively. These figures are very impressive considering the amount of power available on this motor. The tyres are the same, and bump absorption and ride quality are pretty decent. Large craters do cause some crashing and it does get quite choppy over high speed bumps but otherwise it handles most roads without as much as a whimper.

Is it worth the money?
The overall stance, the positive feel from the electric steering system, and the confidence with which the i10 Kappa2 handles and corners also means that you can really have a blast driving this car. Is this car overwhelmingly better than before? No. Apart from an improved engine, the changes are largely cosmetic but with a nominal hike in price and a raft of new features, it offers much better value.