Road Test: Hyundai i10 Kappa

When Hyundai announced the launch of the bigger engined i10, I really wondered what purpose it would serve. There is absolutely no change in the dimensions of the car and the cubic capacity goes up by just 100cc. Is that reason enough to spend your hard earned dough on this slightly bigger 'KAPPA' of i10? We drive the auto and the manual Kappa through thick and thin to find its reason of being.

As mentioned, there is absolutely no change in the way the i10 looks. The large Audish air dam which seems to be the norm these days takes centerstage upfront. Then you have the stylish angular headlights with a thin smiley chrome grille which along with the high bonnet line looks funky cute. The side profile is pretty conventional with only the upswept kink on the rear window line adding some spice. When viewed from the rear three quarters, the headlights bulge out of the body like a pimple which looks a little odd. The tail section looks smart as well with the tail lights blending in perfectly with the overall design. The subtle spoiler with the thick black strip running across the bumper adds a sporty touch to the otherwise funky design.

Stepping inside the i10 reveals one of the finest interiors inside a small car. The first thing that gets ones attention is the beige treatment all over. Everything from the dashboard, seats, doorpads including the roof are splattered in beige which actually makes the interiors feel more airy and spacious than it really is. The instrument console looks smart with a white face speedo taking center stage flanked by a rev counter on one side with the fuel gauge and temperature gauge on the other.

The steering wheel is chunky enough to feel good in your hands especially due to the soft artificial leather cover on it.

The Asta version that we were testing came with an in-dash mp3 unit which sits bang in the center of the dashboard. The knobs and the switches for the air-conditioning unit are located just below the audio unit with the gear lever integrated into the central console which is the first of its kind. Both the auto-box and the manual levers fit flush into the consoles adding a lot of cool factor and at the same time being an ergonomic delight as well. The front seats are large and envelope one well offering reasonable under-thigh support too. Moving onto the rear bench reveals a decent amount of leg-room and seating three abreast is only slightly better than the Santro. What is totally out of the box is that unlike all other cars, the i10 has adjustable headrests for the rear seats and not the front. Our car was also equipped with a sun-roof which again is a rare option in this segment.

Now that's where all the action is. Hyundai has come up with an all new aluminium engine which is lighter, cleaner and at the same time more powerful as well. And that's exactly what Shah Rukh Khan tries to explain to his physics teacher in the television ad. The Kappa engine as it is known as uses 4-valves per cylinder coupled with a twin overhead camshaft setup. The unit comes with an offset crankshaft to reduce vibrations and friction. The pistons are coated with light low-friction Molybdenum disulphide and combined with smaller and lighter piston skirts reduce moving mass.

All this heap of technology translates into a very impressive 80 PS of power at 5200 rpm and a maximum torque of 112 Nm @ 4000 rpm. In the lower rpm range the power increase is not exactly noticeable, but the moment the rev needle climbs beyond the 3500 rpm mark, the DOHC character comes to the fore providing a fantastic throttle response. What has increased tremendously is the outright acceleration since there is hardly any weight increase with the new engine weighing just 82.4 kgs.

Since most of the 112 Nm of torque are made from as low as 2000 rpm, the little car pulls hard with the slightest dab on the throttle making it an absolute delight around town. The increase in power has also resulted in the Kappa acquiring taller gearing. As a result the Epsilon engined i10 manages slightly better in-gear acceleration times. Driving the auto-box proved to be a pretty fun affair as well. Stepping hard on the gas yields tyre chirping results before the 4-speed box selects a higher gear and the traditional rubberband effect of automatics steps in.

What needs a special mention is the noise the engine makes. Seated blindfolded in the Kappa it would be hard-pressed to say that the screaming engine in front is a little 1.2 litre unit. Getting down to the performance figures, the manual Kappa hits the ton in 14.12 seconds followed by the auto which took 18.44 seconds to complete the same feat. The manual Kappa went on to hit a heady 159 km/h top speed while the auto topped out at a decent 147 km/h. Braking proved to be a confidence inspiring affair, with the i10 Kappa coming to a halt from 80 km/h in just 30.6 meters with absolutely no drama at all.

There is a long fast left hander coming up and glancing at the speedo shows 150 plus km/h on it. The left-hander is dispatched at the same speed with nary a twitch thanks to the supreme confidence the i10 instills in one. Suspended by conventional Mcpherson struts upfront followed by a torsion beam setup at the rear, the i10 Kappa offers an extremely pliant ride absorbing all the ruts and potholes thrown at it with utmost ease. The soft setup however doesn't really feel as comfortable on tighter bends with understeer setting in and the rear providing a wallowing feel.

Bodyroll though is well under control and never at any point did the car feel scary. Steering around town is perfect with the light steering being pretty accurate and direct. The feel however is missing and more so at higher speeds.

Whether the Kappa engine defies physics or not could be determined in the fuel efficiency tests. Around town the Kappa churned out 11.2 km/l while on the highway, the figure increased to 17.12 km/l. The auto on the other hand gave a pretty respectable 9.3 km/l in the city and a frugal 17.2 km/l on the highway. The tall gearing in the manuals case helping matters further.

The original i10 was already a very good car and the new Kappa engine has further improved the car by leaps and bounds. The funky looks coupled with the classy and well built interiors are already proving to be more than a match for the competition. And now the combination of scintillating performance and good fuel efficiency has placed the i10 Kappa even further from the realms of the competition. Priced marginally higher than the Epsilon engined sibling do we even need to mention the obvious choice?