Hyundai’s i10, to be made only in India and exported world wide, fills the gap between the Santro and Getz (didn’t realize there was any… until now). Hyundai says i10 symbolizes their new phase of operations (more to come ‘i’ cars).

more pictures & details after the jump.

This one surely looks the part – very contemporary & modern. The front bumper is wonderfully styled especially the bumper grille area where the number plate sits (a bit far fetched but reminds me of the new skyline GT-R’s bumper). Hyundai i10, sharing its platform with the Santro, also shares many parts and has the same dimensions with a few differences being it is 3 inches wider in overall width and 1.57 inches shorter. Also its track width is 3.34 inches wider.

Inside the car, the dashboard is simple & functional yet very modern and wonderfully crafted. The gear shift is mounted o n the dashboard center console like in the Honda CR-V and this combined with dual tone beige and black interiors works wonders in making it more airy and roomier inside than it actually is. Front seats are comfortable with rally-style integrated headrests. All in all its a small car but doesn’t feel like one when sitting inside.

The engne is the same plant from the Santro but tuned to produce more power and torque (3.6 bhp & 3 Nm more respectively). This 1.1 liter 12-valve SOHC motor’s max power is 66 bhp @ 5500 rpm and torque peaks out at 99 Nm @ 2800 rpm. Hyundai says it has a wider power and torque band which if anything should make driving in the city even more easier.

i10 is available in 4 variants and Hyundai calls them D-Lite, Era, Magna and Magna (O) with D-lite being the basic and Magna (O) the top end. The stripped out D-lite basic variant lacks some important features like power steering, power windows, body coloured bumpers, and central locking. Without body coloured bumpers the basic version looses some of its freshness which we’ve come to expect of a modern car. While on the other side the fully loaded magna (O) with prominent features like ABS, airbags, 2-Din music system with 4-speakers, key less entry and fog lamps is way expensive for a car of this class. Sun roof is optional on Magna(O).

Delhi ex-showroom prices:

IMO ideal choice would be i10 Era or i10 Magna. While the Era strikes a good balance of features, with Rs 24,000 more I’d go for the Magna which doesn’t let us feel we are missing out on anything. The prominent feature difference between the two is a tachometer (which I cannot do without) and rear power windows among other things.