2010 Hyundai i10 review

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The i10 is the smallest offering in Hyundai’s line-up, and has been on sale in the UAE since 2009.

It’s aimed squarely at young couples or people looking to purchase their first cheap car, rather than continue spending money on long term rental or leasing costs. There are a number of small superminis vying for buyers’ attentions in this size and price point, with alternatives on offer from Kia, Daihatsu, Suzuki and Chevrolet.

It’s offered only in five-door hatchback form, which makes access for those sitting in the back rather easy. Although Hyundai markets the i10 as a five-seater, we wouldn’t recommend trying to squeeze three adults into the back row. Although head and leg room is pretty generous considering the i10′s size, it’s a rather narrow car meaning that elbow room is at a premium – two adults would be fine, but if you need to put three in the back you’d better hope they are close friends. The i10′s narrowness does help it in traffic and when parking as it can squeeze through gaps that other cars would have to ignore.

Two engines are offered – a 1.1-litre with 66bhp and a 1.2-litre with 80bhp. It’s worth paying the extra for the larger engine as you might the performance a little lacking from the entry-level version. Both manual and automatic gearboxes are offered in the UAE – though it’s likely that you’ll have to wait a while for a delivery of a manual version should you order it. Though the five-speed manual ‘box is arguably the better gearbox from a driving point of view, you may find it difficult to sell the car at a later date as the market here is skewed towards automatic-equipped cars regardless of their merits, therefore it’s probably a wise decision to specify your i10 with the four-speed automatic.

SOURCE: http://automiddleeast.com/2010-hyundai-i10/