Page 154 - Motoring World (January 2020)

The S-Presso’s AMT is a great con-
venience once you get used to its ways.
My left foot is now free to tap along to
music. The suspension is great, even if
it’s a bit bouncy; I have accepted it for
what it is, especially since it allows me
to not slow down for anything. And the
horn, well, whenever I use it I feel a vi-
bration in the foot pedals… until it dies
out like a toy running out of battery.
Don’t know why that is, but I know it
shouldn’t be. Other than that, the car
runs fine and fits into my life almost
TALL ORDER there’s no real worrying body roll for a
as well as it does in traffic. Oh, and
car of its tall-and-narrow proportions,
no matter what I try. Say, why aren’t
THE MOST FUN ENTRY-LEVEL CAR IN INDIA? double-decker cars a thing yet?

LOGGING IT OUT
One of the first things I noticed about noticing, and indeed as a result of it, MARUTI SUZUKI S-PRESSO
the S-Presso is that I sit level with the I now find myself driving the S-Presso > Lightens you by ` 5.48 LAKH
drivers of much bigger cars. Shortly in a manner similar to the Knight Bus (on-road, Mumbai)
thereafter, I also noticed that the car’s from the Harry Potter series. It’s quite > Lived with Kartik
boxy shape is quite easy to fit into fun, actually, in its own entry-lev- > Odometer reads 1324 km
spaces. I additionally noticed that light el-feel kind of way. In fact, what Aadil > Drinking habits 15 kpl
weight and a perky petrol motor result said about the S-Presso feeling like a
in quite respectable acceleration. And cheaper version of the Ignis may well be @MSArenaOfficial
somewhere in the middle of all this correct. #MotoringSPresso

IN RETROSPECT Remember how last month the Grand comes to performance, the old Hyun-
i10 NIOS got into a fight with a truck
dai feels linear and lethargic, while the
and lost? Well, it got a battle scar along NIOS feels eager. Thankfully, Hyundai
its side that would make it fit right into got the ride quality spot on the first time
a Jurassic Park movie, and ever since and the old car still feels pliant and
it went back to Hyundai for repairs, it comfortable. But the NIOS felt like such
hasn’t returned. I’m sure the delay is a huge advancement, and it’s not just
due to some insurance guy refusing to the years between them. Well, actually
believe it wasn’t Wolverine himself who it is, and that’s all you need to know
did it. Anyway, in the past month I’ve about how far Hyundai has come. And
driven a bunch of vastly different cars, dear insurance-guy-who’s-delaying-the-
but one of them stuck with me — my return-of-our-NIOS, hurry up, please?
cousin’s 2005 Hyundai i20. It’s amazing
to see how far Hyundai has come in the
small hatchback space since then. LOGGING IT OUT
For starters, space management; the HYUNDAI GRAND i10 NIOS
NIOS feels just as spacious as the old
i20. And then there are the features; the > Lightens you by ` 8.39 LAKH
AN OLD HYUNDAI current infotainment system is leagues (on-road, Mumbai)
> Lived with
Aadil
HATCHBACK PUTS ahead, especially in the audio depart- > Odometer reads 1034 km
ment. Of course, wireless charging pads
THE NEW ONE IS and four USB ports weren’t a thing in > Drinking habits 14 kpl
STARK CONTRAST 2005, either. And it all feels so much @HyundaiIndia #MotoringNIOS
more intuitive and sublime. When it

154 MOTORING WORLD | JANUARY 2020