Hyundai Grand i10 Nios First-Drive Review: More of Everything
Hyundai Grand i10 Nios is the third-gen of the car, which has grown in size and competes with the Maruti Swift.
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Video Editor: Puneet Bhatia
The Hyundai Grand i10 Nios is sold globally as the third-generation Grand i10. But in India it gets an added tag - Nios - to differentiate it from the Grand i10, which continues to be sold alongside.
The Hyundai Grand i10 Nios comes with 1.2-litre petrol and 1.2-litre diesel engine with five-speed manual and automated manual transmission (AMT) options. Prices start at Rs 4.99 lakh and go up to Rs 7.99 lakh ex-showroom.
The Quint was invited by Hyundai to Udaipur a few weeks ago to drive this new car. Here are our first impressions of the Hyundai Grand i10 Nios.
Nios is an Irish word for more. So what more has it got compared to the regular Grand i10? Let’s take a look.
Looks & Design
While it looks similar in design to the older Grand i10, it is an entirely new car. The front is its differentiating factor. It gets a new grille with arrow-head daytime running lights and projector headlamps. The body shell is all new, with slightly more space inside thanks to a 25mm longer wheelbase.
Inside, it gets a grey and black theme with this honeycomb pattern on the dash. The design of the instrument panel and the infotainment system looks quite slick.
Grand i10 Nios Features
The Grand i10 Nios is loaded with features, it has more than the standard one.
Small things, like the infotainment system is an 8-inch one, while the older Grand i10 has a 7-inch one. In this you also get a digital rear-view mirror. It has a button, press it to switch on the rear camera while driving. Of course, there’s also a reverse camera, Android Auto and Apple Car Play. What’s interesting are feature additions like Wireless Charging for your phone.
Grand i10 Nios vs Competition
The main competition for the Grand i10 Nios is actually the Maruti Swift. If you compare it with the Swift, the inside space is a bit more, as it has more legroom and headroom than the Swift. Both get similar 1.2 litre petrol motors. In terms of drivability, the Nios appears to have better ride quality, especially for city roads, while the Swift is more on the sporty side.
Hyundai is saying that the Grand i10 Nios is for a millennial buyer in the 25-35 age group. So its design is a bit sporty and it is fairly spacious.
How Does It Drive?
Talking about the engine options you get in the Grand i10 Nios, there are two options, a 1.2 litre petrol and a 1.2 litre diesel. It’s a three-cylinder diesel, so it does sound a bit rough at idle, but Hyundai has done a good job of keeping it silent. It has got 190 Nm of torque, but it comes in at low rpm, which means it picks up easily in slow, city traffic.
The five-speed manual transmission is easy to shift, but if you prefer, you can go for the five-speed AMT (automated manual transmission). This uses Hyundai’s in-house developed electronic shift system, which works well at city speeds. The steering is also quite light, typical of Hyundai cars.
What We Think
The Hyundai Grand i10 Nios is a much-improved car compared to the previous generation Grand i10. It is more spacious, has better ride quality and a longer feature list. However, If there was one thing Hyundai should do with this car, is change the branding. I mean it’s too similar – Grand i10 vs Grand i10 Nios. Why can’t it just be called the Hyundai Nios?
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