Hyundai now has an option for business owners that will appeal to many, many fleets, whether you have one car or ten in your fleet. The rear of the vehicle has been revised to include a 1202 litre cargo area with security barriers across the windows. In particular, I see the vehicle being a perfect fit for the one-man business that needs to transport their goods or travel with equipment to provide their service.
The Grand i10 has always been one of the better-looking small cars. I feel that, sometimes, design is not as high of a priority for economy cars as what it is in other segments. Hyundai however, does the segment proud with their somewhat sportier looking small car.
There are two derivatives in the range, a 1 litre and 1,25 litre. On a few occasions the car struggled somewhat and you need to rev it a bit higher than normal before changing into second if you wanted to continue building speed evenly. The tested car has a power output of 120 kW with torque at 64 Nm.
The fuel consumption is set at 5.9l/100km. I managed to achieve 6.2L/100km with a range of different driving conditions. This was not far off the claimed figures which was impressive but I thought these figures could be improved a bit more overall.
The information panel also indicates when to change your gears to achieve the best fuel economy. I don’t think, however, my fuel consumption would have been as good if I had actually listened to these. At times, you could reach 4500rpm before it indicated that you should shift. Other times it failed to indicate the change into fifth gear at all, or maybe I lost patience waiting. Either way, I do not believe the suggested gear changes were the most economical.
Good for the driver
As a small business owner there would be a few things that would be important when selecting a car for business. For the driver, this would be electric windows, Bluetooth and steering controls for the radio and phone. In this regard, the Hyundai Grand i10 Cargo ticks all the boxes.
Something else that I liked was that even though the entire boot and backseat is a dedicated cargo area, there is still enough space for the driver to keep other items. A laptop bag can easily fit behind the seat and while it is visible to people outside the car, they would need to get through two security barriers to get to it. I might not, however, feel as comfortable about it being so visible if I wanted to park the car somewhere and leave the bag in the car.
There is also a nifty storage compartment under the front seat, just gives you that extra, more discreet space, that you lose not having a boot. there are also ample drink holder and other cubby spaces which, when you spend a fair amount of time in the car become quite useful.
Good for the business
The seats and divider between the boot and rear have been removed and replaced with a sturdy, metal cargo area. A fair quantity of items could be packed in there but if you currently use a bakkie for your cargo, you will likely find the Hyundai Grand i10 Cargo wanting. Depending on the cargo type, I think it could sometimes be difficult manoeuvring items in and out of the boot opening.
The ability to access the area from both of the doors, however, could compensate for this. For someone with smaller cargo that is packed up against the side that borders the front seats, accessing the items through the doors is valuable.
There is also a cargo net to help secure the items. I did find though, that the security barriers, or the cage, as I nicknamed it, could be quite squeaky at times. I never fully loaded the area up though, so it is possible that once it has cargo in, the noise might reduce.
Industries that could benefit from this nifty and affordable cargo car are wide ranging. I have a family member that runs a grooming parlour for pets and this car is ideal for transporting animals. Retailers who need to collect small amounts of stock are another option. Service providers with limited tools and equipment can also benefit from what the Grand i10 has to offer. With a few adjustments, even the security industry could use the i10 cargo.
The Hyundai Grand i10 cargo is a great car for many small business owners. Even medium-sized businesses could find a use for it. The bonus is that it is very affordable and comes with everything you need to make it a comfortable place to spend many hours.
Good to know
The specs of the Hyundai Grand i10 Cargo
Engine: 1.25 litre, 4-cylinder engine
Transmission: 5-Speed manual
Power: 120 kW
Torque: 64 Nm
Claimed fuel efficiency: 5.9L/100km
Price: from R 184 900
Warranties: standard with a 5-year/150 000 km warranty and a 2-year/30 000 km service plan, with services scheduled at 15 000 km intervals.
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