Hyundai i10 Nios: What variant to pick

Hyundai introduced the Grand i10 Nios at a starting price of Rs. 5.04 lakhs with the top of the line variant going all the way up to Rs. 8.04 Lakh. Nios is basically a Grand i10 with a bit more space inside and a modern design that looks quite good. The paint job and fit and finish is top notch and gives the car a genuinely premium feel.

Hyundai made sure that there is a Nios for everyone so they launched many variants, different engines and transmission options. There are 5 variants namely Era, Magna, Sportz, Turbo and Asta. There are 4 engine options available 1.2-litre Kappa petrol, 1.2-litre CRDi diesel, 1.0-litre Turbo petrol and a 1.2-litre Kappa petrol equipped with CNG.

Speaking of the transmission options, the 1.2-litre petrol and diesel can be coupled with a 5-speed AMT or a 5-speed manual gearbox while the Turbo petrol and CNG variant come only with the 5-speed manual gearbox.

But all this choice can confuse. So, let’s make it simple.

Daily City commuter

People who are going to buy the car for their daily city commutes should consider the automatic transmission with the 1.2-litre petrol engine. You can opt for the Magna variant that costs Rs. 6.42 lakhs as it offers the most value for money and with the AMT transmission, the daily commutes will be a breeze and you will not get tired even if you are stuck in traffic. Magna trim will offer LED daytime running lamps, 14-inch wheel covers, infotainment system with steering-mounted controls, keyless entry and much more. But you do miss out on the excellent 8-inch touchscreen Infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay that Hyundai has to offer. If you spend Rs. 50,000 then you can opt for the Sportz variant. Besides the excellent infotainment system, this money will add alloy wheels, better music system, projector fog lamps, rear parking camera and some other bits.

Hot Hatch Enthusiast

For the people who like driving and a peppier engine, there is the newly launched Grand i10 Nios Turbo priced at Rs. 7.68 lakhs . The turbo variant was introduced at the Auto Expo 2020. It derives its engine from the Venue but is tuned to produce a max power output of 100PS instead of 120PS and the peak torque remains at 172Nm. The engine only comes with a 5-speed manual gearbox. It gets a different interior colour and you can also get a dual-tone exterior colour. The interior gets a sporty black theme with colour inserts. But the small hatch will put a smile on your face as the 1.0-litre turbo petrol engine is rev-happy, has loads of torque and has a sporty engine soundtrack when revved. The variant is based on the Sportz variant so it offers most of the equipment that is necessary such as the touchscreen infotainment system, rear parking camera, automatic climate control and much more.

The Mile Munchers

People who are looking to do highway duties frequently should go for the diesel variant as it will return a significantly better mileage on the highways when compared to the petrol variants. You can have the engine with an automatic transmission too that will make your highway driving hassle-free. You can only get the AMT with the Sportz variant and it comes loaded with the features that are necessary. The diesel Sportz AMT costs Rs. Rs. 7.9 lakhs and if you want a manual option you would have to go for the Magna variant as the Sportz variant does not come with a manual transmission. The Magna variant will cost Rs. 6.75 lakhs. 

Environmentalist

If you are a bit of an environmentalist and want to protect the environment from the harmful gasses that the engines emit. The 1.2-litre Kappa Bi-Fuel engine is for you which is tweaked to operate on CNG too. The engine only comes mated to the 5-speed manual gearbox. The gearbox is slick shifting and the engine is smooth. You get factory-fitted CNG so you do not need to worry about voiding the warranty. The engine might feel a little underpowered on the highways as CNG produces less power but you will not feel that for daily city commutes. The engine produces a max power output of 69PS and a peak torque output of 95Nm. There are two variants on offer for the environmentalists namely Magna and Sportz. As we mentioned above, Magna is our pick but if you really want to have the touchscreen infotainment system you can go for the Sportz variant which is priced at Rs.  7.16 lakhs.

People who want a feature-rich compact car

Hyundai loads its cars well so if you are the type who wants the best of best, the variant to go for is the Asta variant. It adds some cosmetic changes such as a rear chrome garnish, chrome door handles and 15-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels. The interior stays mostly unchanged except some of the practical features that are added such as a cooled glovebox, luggage lamp, rear washer and adjustable rear headrests. You can get the top variant in petrol and diesel engine. The petrol engine can be mated to the AMT transmission or a 5-speed manual gearbox whereas the diesel does not come with the AMT transmission. The petrol AMT will cost you Rs. 7.67 lakhs and the diesel with a manual gearbox will cost you Rs. 8.04 lakhs.