After a three-year successful run in India, the Hyundai Grand i10 has finally received an update. Apart from the cosmetic updates, the company has addressed one big chink in the pre-facelift Grand i10’s lineup - the under powered 1.1-litre diesel engine. In its place, there is now an updated 1.2-litre diesel engine.
Hyundai has also added some equipment in the top-end variants to freshen up things a bit. But are these updates enough for the Grand i10 to keep selling in good numbers in the wake of newer rivals such as the Maruti Suzuki Ignis?
Looks
In terms of design, Hyundai has left the good bits untouched, and, therefore, the 2017 Hyundai Grand i10 isn't vastly different looking from its pre-facelift avatar.
For the India-spec Grand i10, the fog lamps sit lower down on the bumper, whereas in the the international spec car has them sitting higher up in the trapezoidal grille.
The new boomerang-shaped fog lamp housing looks striking and is inspired from the Hyundai Elantra. It serves a technical motive too – deflecting the air around the front tyres to minimize turbulence and wind resistance.
The rear bumper gets black plastic cladding that envelopes the licence plate and large round reflectors stationed on the two extremes. Not many may find it appealing, however, it is the most prominent design update that the 2017 Grand i10 sports.
Overall, with the design improvements, the 2017 Grand i10 may not look like an entirely new car, but it looks fresh enough to tackle the next few years without seeming outdated.
Power
The 1.2-litre diesel engine isn't exactly new. Instead Hyundai has reworked the existing 1.1-litre diesel engine to displace 66cc more. The result is an increase of 4PS power and 30Nm of torque.
The improvement in the mid-range becomes evident as the revs climb, that's where the 30Nm of additional torque makes a difference.
The in-gear acceleration appears to have improved, and that should make the overall driving experience more pleasant now. Driving the car at city speeds, however, made us realise that the engine doesn’t lose any steam below 1,750 revs too, and it still goes off the mark as before. However, the engine is noisy, and NVH levels only drop as the engine reaches optimum temperature.
Features
The updated Grand i10 sports the same standard equipment as before – a driver side airbag and front power windows.
It's the Sportz(O) and Asta variants that get all the flash – rear parking camera with a display, 7.0 touchscreen audio system with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, MirrorLink, voice recognition and smartphone navigation and LED DRLs. Additionally, the Asta variant gets automatic climate control, a feature that is part of the Grand i10 equipment list for the very first time.
Verdict
Hyundai has priced the 2017 Grand i10 smartly and it looks set to tackle the Ignis challenge squarely. So, the entry-level petrol Grand i10 sees a reduction in prices by a fair margin, and it is now pitched right alongside the Ignis at Rs 4.58 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).
Taking advantage of Maruti Suzuki's strategy of not launching the Ignis diesel with the Sigma variant, Hyundai hasn't touched the prices of the base diesel variant.
Overall, the Grand i10 looks like a better deal now, with all the cosmetic, feature and engine updates. So even though the changes aren’t grand, Hyundai has done enough to help the Grand i10 retain its competitive edge, for a while
(CarDekho is one of the leading automobile portals in India, part of GirnarSoft. The site offers in-depth analysis, comparisons and reviews of the latest car launches in the country.)
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