New Hyundai i10 makes a grand entrance

The government can tell us that inflation is at around 6% and if you lucky that is what you see come increase time. But when last did your medical aid contribution go up only 6%? Your kids’ school fees, the cost of food, petrol, you name it, nothing you need to pay each month goes up by 6% a year.

And of course this includes the cost of replacing your current vehicle. What cost you say R150 000 five or six years ago, is now double that price and you are left still looking at the cars you can buy for R150 000 or thereabouts.

Well Hyundai, who are now 100% right up there when it comes to reliable, well-priced compact vehicles, have added another new model to their range and that is the Grand i10. This little gem replaces the discontinued Getz that was loved by so many.

The Grand i10 slots neatly between the smaller i10, which is retained in the model line-up, and the bigger i20. The all-new Grand i10 is launched in South Africa in three derivatives: the 1.25 Motion manual, the 1.25 Fluid manual (with a slightly higher specification level) and the 1.25 Fluid with a four-speed automatic gearbox.

At launch we got to drive the 1.25 Fluid manual Kappa engine that runs a dual overhead camshaft (DOHC), dual continuously variable valve timing (CVVT), a very stiff cast aluminium block with cast iron liners, aluminium cylinder head, lighter connecting rods and maintenance-free long-life timing chain.

The 1 248cc engine delivers 64kW peak power at 6 000rpm, and reaches its maximum torque delivery of 120Nm at 4 000 rpm.

Our route took us out on some very wide open roads and even here, getting up to and beyond the legal speed limit was not too much of a chore. The even better news is that this is not done at the expense of fuel consumption. Hyundai say fuel consumption can be as low as a measured 5.9 litres per 100km, with emissions of 130g/m in the 1.25 Motion manual and 1.25 Fluid manual derivatives, and 6.9 litres per 100km with emissions of 147g/km for the 1.25 Fluid with the four-speed automatic gearbox.

Well I can tell you that even after hammering the car on the open road for almost 200km the trip computer said we were still only consuming 6.3 litres of fuel for every 100km. I am sure hitting the claimed numbers should not prove to be too much of a challenge.

The compact hatch also runs a McPherson strut front suspension that features revised geometry and a new tie-rod design and this ensures a well-planted car, even though I don’t think we encountered a corner on the route that would work the Grand i10 over.

The larger bodyshell of the Grand i10 is said to yield one of the roomiest occupant cabins on the market, as well as an impressive 256 litres of trunk capacity with up to 1 202 litres that becomes available when the rear seats are folded.

You also get luxury items such as Bluetooth connectivity to the sound system; keyless entry and electrically heated and folding side mirrors (for the two Fluid derivatives); USB and AUX ports for the sound system; an air conditioner and central locking for all the derivatives.

All three derivatives are also equipped with front fog lamps, a full-size spare wheel, 14-inch alloy wheels, height adjustment for the driver’s seat, and remote controls for the sound system on the steering wheel along with a trip computer that displays things like fuel consumption and range left with the fuel in the tank.

Safety is fairly well taken care of in the form of dual airbags – one for the front passenger and the other for the driver – and an Anti-locking Brake System (ABS). I really would have liked to have seen this car come with an Electronic Stability Program (ESP) to properly complete the package.

I know many of the competitors in this segment like the Ford Figo, Toyota Etios and VW Polo Vivo have never heard of ESP, and I am sure Hyundai know this and leave this safety device out of this car to keep the pricing competitive, but the recently launched Renault Sandero certainly offers the full house safety package that includes ESP.

This said though, I still thought the Hyundai Grand i10 did a great job and is an honest car.