Malaysia cars around RM50,000--Hyundai i10 Inokom i10 1.25 Kappa CVVT

I last talked about affordable cars in Malaysia during 2011.
Malaysia cars below RM50,000--Suzuki Alto/ Kia Picanto

If Malaysians are looking for cars beyond Perodua and Proton, which will they look for? Hyundai i10 come to my mind when I saw their advertisement-- 5-years or 300,000km warranty, wow, impressive.

http://www.hyundai.com.my/v2/ 
Standard specs for 1.2Kappa is below 50K without insurance and High specs is RM54K. Quite affordable for cars with such good reviews.

Look at the review by some bloggers

Back in July 2011, Hyundai-Sime Darby Motors Sdn Bhd (HSDM) introduced its facelift version of Hyundai i10 5-door hatchback subcompact. This supermini is locally assembled (CKD) in Kulim – Malaysia, and the car is also known as Inokom i10. The Hyundai i10/Inokom i10 offered in 3 variants – 1.1 Standard Spec (1.1 Epsilon), 1.25 Standard Spec (1.25 Kappa CVVT), and 1.25 High Spec (1.25 Kappa CVVT).


We heard many amazing feedback on the i10, varies from styling, driving experience and most importantly – fuel efficiency by the 1.25-litre Kappa CVVT engine.  Overall, the build, concept & design of Hyundai i10 is incredibly apart from its predecessor – Hyundai Atoz/Inokom Atoz.

The astonishing feedback has triggered our team to proof it with our own hands. Therefore, we received a Hyundai i10 1.25 Kappa CVVT High Spec in auto transmission for this purpose.

In a nutshell, the facelift i10 come with a new front grille, front bumper, clear headlights, redesigned alloy wheels w/ 165 60 R14 tyres, side mirror indicator repeaters, fog lamps*, revised instruments cluster, tail lamps and rear roof spoiler* (*for 1.25L high spec model only).

First impression, the ride of the Hyundai i10 is comfy, controlled and notably quieter than its other rivals.
Outside of the i10 is not just stylish, the interior is also sensibly designed. The cabin is impressively spacious for such a supermini car. The front passenger seat comes with under-seat tray. The rear boot space come with an organised under tray compartment as well.

Inversely, the sound of the in-car entertainment system is not so noteworthy although it comes with four speakers and an audio head-unit with FM/AM, MP3, USB, AUX and a remote controller.

The information cluster comes with blue LED backlights and digital indicator.  The digital display indicates the gear, fuel gauge and odometer with trip. The blue LED backlights are extended to the gear-shifter, audio head-unit, power-window and aircond switches.

In terms of engine specifications, the impressive i10 offers in the same 1.1-litre Epsilon (69PS @ 5,500rpm with torque of 10.1 kg.m @ 4,500rpm) and a revised 1.25-litre Kappa with Constantly Variable Valve Technology (CVVT). The new 1248cc Kappa with CVVT is now producing 87 PS @ 6,000rpm with torque of 12.2 kg.m @ 4,000rpm. Both engines are paired with 4-speed automatic transmission. Based on the test unit with 1.25-litre High Spec, the power is well delivered and reasonably responsive.

About Fuel efficiency, we are able to clocked 340km/h per tank (35-litre capacity) of RON95 fuel. Based on my driving pattern, this works out an average of 13.0km/litre. This is good figure for a non-hybrid powered car.

Although there is no CO2 emissions regulation in Malaysia, but it is respectable to highlight that both engine not only offers exceptional fuel economy and also emits really low CO2 emissions. For example, the 1.25-litre Kappa CVVT engine emits only 127 grams/km of CO2.

Due to fuel efficiency and logistical benefits with simplified components, many automakers are favouring electric power steering (EPS) and this is not exempted for the Hyundai i10 as well. Instead to name it as EPS, Hyundai promotes it as Motor-Driven Power Steering (MDPS). Thanks to the MDPS, the steering force management is based on vehicle speed, which helps on maneuvering the car at low speed and provides more driving confidence at high speed.

With a rigid and tough body structure of i10, the car awarded with 4-star Euro NCAP crash test rating. The i10 1.25-litre Kappa CVVT engine High Spec comes exclusively with 4-channel ABS with EBD, and dual front airbags. The reverse parking sensor comes standard in all i10 variants.

About the quality & reliability of the i10, based on what we observed from this test-drive unit with 9,000km. I would say the built quality of the car is reasonably tremendous because most of the demo units that we received with this mileage are usually in a dreadful condition. But this i10 is still very pleasing, lovely and intact.

Anyway, I just can’t imagine what others did to them. Whatever it is, the 5-years or 300,000km warranty with 24/7 roadside assist by HSDM says it all.

Weakness wise (only minor) – Firstly, I think the annoying part will be the digital odometer as the indicator will automatically switch back to total distance on every engine start-up even it was previously set to trip A or B. Secondly, the digital clock on the audio head-unit requires you to press the ‘clock’ button to show the time when the audio head-unit is on. Lastly, the engine gets a bit noisy when cruising at high speed on the freeway.

The i10 is offered with five colours for 1.1 models – Champagne Gold, Stone Black, Ice Silver, Alpine Blue.  And four colours for 1.25 models – Alpine Blue, Ice Silver, Crystal White and Oyster Grey.

The closest rivals of the awards winning new Hyundai i10 in Malaysia are like Suzuki Atos, Perodua Myvi, Perodua Viva, and the upcoming Honda Brio.

If you preferred the top-of-the-range Hyundai i10 1.25 Kappa CVVT High Spec Auto just like the one we tested, the selling price will be RM 54,988.00 on-the-road inclusive 1-year comprehensive insurance. For the rest, the i10 1.25 Standard Spec is selling at RM 50,688.00 and the 1.1 Standard Spec goes at RM 47,988.00.