I was out on the Hyundai Aura drive and was sharing the car with my friend and colleague Siddhartha Sharma from Dainij Jagran Hi-Tech. The car at our disposal was the 1.0 T-GDI Sportz variant of the Aura and we couldn’t resist discussing just how awesome an engine this compact powerhouse of a unit is. As we drove around Indore our discussion veered to the fact that this engine would be amazing in the Grand i10 NIOS that Hyundai had launched a few months earlier and how it would make for a compact ‘hot-hatch’ version. This is an idea we discussed with a few friends amongst the top brass at Hyundai India and all we got in return was some nice grins and firm nods. While we didn’t quite decipher their reaction at the time, I now know that what all that pointed to was that we were actually talking about a product that they already had thought of! As we were imagining the Grand i10 NIOS with this engine, Hyundai had already made it and the proof of the pudding was the fact that this car was displayed at their stall at the Auto Expo and now it has been launched in the market.
Launched at a stellar price point of INR 7.68 lakh, the Grand i10 NIOS Sportz is probably the most affordable compact hatchback that delivers 100 PS of power available in the market. While the design remains largely unchanged from the recently launched 1.2 litre petrol and diesel versions, the Sportz Edition gets a nice Turbo badge in the grille and a Fiery Red paint job with a blacked out roof. The cabin gets dashes of red as well to point towards its sporty nature.
As for the engine, the 1.0 T-GDI motor is something that we first experienced on the Venue. In the Venue it runs at a higher state of tune, however in the Aura and the Grand i10 NIOS the engine has been tuned to deliver 100 PS of power and 175 Nm of torque. It is paired with a manual transmission and offers a company claimed fuel efficiency of 20.3 km to the litre.
So, if you are looking for a hot hatch, the Grand i10 NIOS Sportz from Hyundai is the one for you! On that note, Siddhartha and I did have another discussion, where we talked about the Grand i10 NIOS fitted with the 1.0 T-GDI engine and finished in the Hyundai Rally Team Livery….oh Hyundai, answer this prayer too!