Hyundai Xcent long term review first report

Hyundai’s first compact sedan for India finds place in our parking lot. And it’s proving to be quite popular.

Published on Feb 20, 2015 07:00:00 AM

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Hyundai Xcent long term review first report

The powerplant was one of the biggest issues with our Grand i10 long-termer; the 70bhp 1.1-litre U2 diesel engine got the job done, but lacked outright punch. No such complaints on our Xcent though, as it is the petrol version. The 1.2-litre Kappa2 motor is free revving and makes a decent 81.8bhp. Though, while it is smooth, refined and peppy enough, the power delivery can be a bit jerky in stop-go traffic.

These unpredictable movements made another thing very apparent — the front headrests are fixed, which may not protect you from whiplash in case of a collision. The rear seat thankfully does have adjustable headrests. The other thing my rather outspoken rear seat passengers were happy about, was the legroom on offer. They were less convinced about having to sit three abreast in the back thanks to the narrow cabin; it’s best for just two. Complaints were also made about the short seat base and angle of the seat back recline, which makes the seating posture a tad awkward and slightly taxing over time. But that doesn’t take away from the fact this is a practical car. There’s plenty of storage spaces on offer — there are two cupholders integrated into the rear armrest, in addition to the two placed up front and the 1-litre bottle holders on each of the doors. There’s also a spacious and cooled glovebox. And it’s not just the cabin — luggage fits in easily too, into the large, 407-litre boot.

So, the Hyundai Xcent has had a sweet start to its innings at Autocar, with the pros outweighing the cons, at least for now.

Rahul Kakar

Hyundai Xcent 1.2 SX (O) M/T

Odometer 8,460km
Price Rs 7.78 lakh (on-road, Mumbai)
Test economy 13.9kpl (overall)
Maintenance costs None
Faults None