Hyundai Motor has given i10 buyers a choice of two highly-developed gasoline engines driving the front wheels through five-speed manual or four-speed automatic gearboxes. The Indian-built 1,1-litre Epsilon engine has been discontinued.
i10's 1,0-litre and 1,25-litre powerplants both belong to Hyundai Motor's popular 'Kappa' engine family and incorporate a range of advanced technical features that raise power and torque, and enhance smoothness and driveability.
Outstanding features of the Kappa's modern architecture include: dual overhead camshaft (DOHC), dual continuously variable valve timing (CVVT), a very stiff cast aluminium block with cast iron liners, aluminium cylinder head, lighter connecting rods and maintenance-free long-life timing chain.
The 1,0-litre engine also introduces a number of innovative features that reduce friction and vibration, promoting more complete combustion and increase durability. These include a crank offset by 11 mm, low-friction 'beehive' conical valve springs that reduce noise, piston cooling jets, valves and tappets coated in diamond-like carbon (DLC) for enhanced durability, and pistons and low-tension piston rings that are coated using long-lasting physical vapour deposition (PVD).
The 1,0-litre, three-cylinder powerplant has a power output of 66 ps from its 998 cc capacity. Maximum power is produced at 5500 rpm, 700 rpm earlier than in previous generation i10, while peak torque of 94 Nm (69 lb.ft) is available from 3500 rpm. i10 with this engine and manual transmission can travel from standstill to 100 km/h in 14,9 seconds and on to a top speed of 155 km/h.
This unit will be available with liquid-petroleum gas (LPG) as a factory-fitted option. In this form its maximum power is 67 ps at 6200 rpm, with 90 Nm (66 lb.ft) torque produced at 3500 rpm.
When mated to manual transmission, the 1,25-litre i10 can accelerate from standstill to 100 km/h in 12,3 seconds and reach a top speed of 171 km/h.
Both gasoline engines will be equipped with either a five-speed manual gearbox as standard or an optional four-speed automatic transmission.
Top gear (fifth) in the manual transmission is a 'tall' ratio (0,719:1 for 1,25 models and 0,774:1 for 1,0 models) reducing engine revs at higher speed to enhance refinement and fuel economy. A shift indicator displayed on the driver's binnacle aids the driver in achieving the optimum driving efficiencies.
The manual transmission of Hyundai i10 features synchromesh rings coated with carbon fibre, resulting in greater durability. Considerable development time has also been invested into making the gearbox more accurate and more efficient. A guide plate inserted in the shift gate brings a more precise shift quality designed to satisfy the preferences of European drivers, while a reverse gear guide and reverse gear brake make mis-selection harder and selection easier. These innovative features, together with lower oil capacity and the use of lower-friction oil helps reduce fuel consumption by approximately 1%.
A BlueDrive™ model, based on the 1,0 gasoline variant, is being offered from launch, including a number of features to reduce fuel consumption. The four-seat model incorporates Integrated Stop & Go (ISG - also available as an option on 1,0 gasoline models), 13-inch wheels that minimise rolling resistance, and automatic air conditioning (where air conditioning is fitted).