The #Hyundai #Grandi10 was introduced into South Africa back in 2014 and has since done well for itself. The Indian-built car offers much in terms of value for money within the rather competitive segment. I recently got the opportunity to sample the latest iteration of the #Grand #i10 and here are my thoughts.
From a styling point of view, the car does look quite cheeky. This is down to its headlight design as well as that large grille. The flanks of the front bumper also feature some clever design elements above the fog lights and the LED running lights are neatly hidden in the corners of the grille.
My tester featured a two-tone paint scheme, Fiery Red with a black roof and I think it gives the car a noticeable look. I also like how they incorporated some G-i10 branding in the top corners of the rear doors. The rear is not as busy as the front when it comes to its design. It is neat and modern, despite the absence of a rear wiper. You do however get 15-inch alloy wheels on this, the 1.2-litre Fluid model.
The interior is also as impressive as the exterior with a funky little embossed diamond design element of the insert on the passenger side. I also like the digital instrument cluster which features an analogue tachometer. It gives a sporty feel. The infotainment screen however looks like a bit of a generic unit but, it offers up Apple CarPlay which is all you need to be honest. I also don’t quite like the large amounts of black plastic that surround the screen housing, it is dead space.
The facia is ergonomic and the overall interior is spacious. I also liked the faux leather trim which featured red stitching. This was carried over to the steering wheel and complimented the red around the two side air vents.
Interior space is also an improvement over the previous model. This new Grand i10 is now 40mm longer, 20mm wider and with a 25mm longer wheelbase. The luggage area has also grown and you now get 360-litres in there. Fold the 60/40 split rear seats down and that capacity increases to around 910-litres.
As mentioned, this is the 1.2-litre model and it delivers around 61kW and 114Nm. There is a 5-speed manual gearbox and thanks to an overall weight of around 892kg (154kg less than before) the Grand i10 is surprisingly fun to drive. Some issues did present themselves though. I felt as if the clutch was a bit to light on pull-away and a bit of a balancing act was required to get going, especially on an incline. I also noticed a few flat spots in the power deliver.
Other than that, the new Grand i10 is a delightful little car. I averaged around 6.2-litres over my time with the car. As for safety, well the car features driver and passenger airbags, pre-tensioner seatbelts upfront and ISOFIX mountings at the rear. ABS with EBD is also standard.
Competition within the segment is tough. You have the likes of the #Volkswagen #Vivo, #Toyota Agya, #Ford Figo and the #Kia Picanto all fighting for your attention, which I think you should give to the new Grand i10 when shopping around.
