Hyundai, please provide detailed technical specs !!!!!

        I was looking for a suitable
replacement for my good old Maruti-800. So I did some research on
compact cars and I would like to share my reservations against
buying the new model i-10. These are my personal views, and I don't
intend to offend the owners of i-10.

       Sure, I love Shahruh Khan, but when it
comes to making purchase decisions, I would like rely only on hard
facts and figures. Buying any newly released car model is like wading
into crocodile infested waters. Having access to detailed technical
specifications would help people like me to decide unless, of course,
Hyundai wants to hide unsavory facts. Their website contains precious
little technical information. There is no mention of minimum turning
radius, luggage capacity and gross weight, (only kerb weight given).

         Next, I decided to do some research on
i-10 by reading the reviews. Most of the reviews did excellent job
of highlighting the positive features while down playing the
drawbacks. Still I could easily make out that i-10 is actually 100
kgs heavier than Santro Xing while being powered by a similar engine.
This could mean that i-10 is underpowered and it may not have an
effective AC in Delhi. Another fact that came to light, Hyundai is
about to release i-20/ i-30 models with upgraded 1.3L engines. Where
is the guarantee that Hyundai will continue to provide spares for
i-10?

         After my research, I decided to check
for myself by taking a test drive of i-10. The car looked fine from
the front side. But I didn't like the barren, plain look from the
rear side, just like the old Santro. Despite its new exterior i-10
still closely resembles its older sister Santro from a distance. I
love the looks of Santro Xing and its attractive pricing. The turning
radius of i-10 appeared to be some what large, which could pose
problems while parking in tight spots. Further, my wife complained
about the narrow leg-space in rear when compared to our M-800.

         I-10 is a new kid on
Indian roads. What do we really know about its performance beyond
10,000kms? Nothing much. In the absence of long-term performance
feed-back, awards like COTY 2008 doesn't inspire much confidence.
Better wait till the picture becomes clearer.

         Finally, I decided not to buy i-10 or
for that matter Wagon-R (The Mortuary Van), Zen Estillo (The
Bread-Box on Wheels). I wouldn't like to be seen driving or even dead
inside these cars. I recommend Santro Xing to those looking for a
proven compact car. I decided to go and search for a mid segment hatchback.

        In summary i-10 has new looks, good
interiors, good front appearance, plenty of good features but short
on leg-space and not good to look from the rear. Bye until next time.