Drive: i10 iTech well-appointed pocket rocket

Hyundai has sold 1.2 million of its i10s worldwide. Could there be a better testimony to this great small car that’s produced only in India and sold across the globe?

The carmaker in late February came out with the latest variant, called iTech -- isn’t it unusual that both Hyundai and tech giant Apple prefer the personal pronoun prefixed appellations for their products?

Be that as it may, Hyundai invited us to be a part of a national 9000 km drive, which was split into different sections, starting from Jammu to Kochi through the west coast and going all the way back through the east coast and Kolkata.

We did the Goa-Bangalore section of 600 kms.

So what’s new in the new i10 iTech? A couple of very useful bells and whistles, though it essentially remains the original.

For example, there is a reverse-assist camera with electro-chromic function, a first in this segment, and steering-mounted Blaupunkt Bluetooth pod for audio controls.

Then there is the Mapmyindia SatNav and a plunger-based gear-shift locking mechanism that adds to the safety of the parked car.

The interiors have been redone in a dull red and beige dual tone with matching upholstery and accents on the dash, a-c vents etc. This combination will appeal to many compared with the previous, beige-only interiors.

Then there are sporty iTech decals that can swing the youngsters.

The bottomline, however, remains that the i10 is a great-handling car, the best in its class by far.

The way it swallowed with panache the extended Keri ghats en route to Belgaum says a lot about the 1.2 litre engine’s capabilities. The controlled swerves through the zillion S-bends on the ascent was actually a breeze in more ways than one.

And once it hit the Khanapur to Hubli national highway stretch at Belgaum, well, the pocket rocket showed its true colours, doing unbelievable paces with the calm of a heavy sedan. So much so, it gobbled up the last 400 km from Hubli to Bangalore at an extremely rapid clip on some really good stretches of tarmac.

DNA had done the same route two years back, so could distinguish a lot of diversions this time because of road repair work. There were also many pockets of wear and tear.

This stretch, however, remains a great testing area for cars. And the i10 iTech kept weaving past monstrous trucks and flying SUVs with such dexterity, one shudders to think what could the next version of this highly popular car could end up doing.

The suspension handled the strains of the ghats and the craters calmly, and the air conditioning was topnotch in the highway heat.