CarWale Buying Guide: Hyundai Xcent

Why would I buy it?

Features

This is a defining point for any Hyundai car and the Xcent does not seem to be lacking in this department. You get a lot of kit for your money as you move up the range. This includes climate control, a 2-DIN system with 1 GB internal hard drive, leather seats at the back, rear AC vent, electrochromatic  mirror with a reverse camera, ABS with 2 airbags and a large 407-litre boot (which is pretty big when you consider the size of the car). 

Looks 

Hyundai’s fluidic design has found winners across its range. The Xcent gets the same face as the Grandi10 which is also a good looking car. The angular elements in front all flow down in a cohesive manner while the side profile actually looks pretty decent thanks to the proportionate overhangs at both ends.

Why would I avoid it?

However, when you get to the rear things looks a bit unfinished. It’s almost as if the designer said ‘Okay I’m done with making this car, let the tail lamps look funny’ or maybe Hyundai just decided to stop funding the project as the designer got to the back, who knows? 

The 1.1-litre three-cylinder diesel engine in the pursuit of fuel efficiency is anaemic and will take forever to do anything remotely sporty. Also, Hyundai does not offer the best cars when it comes to handling though the Xcent is supposed to be an improvement over the models that came before it. 

My favourite Version

The SX variants as they come with most of the features that would be enough to make this car a decent deal when you consider the price that you are paying for it. 

Quick facts

Price

Petrol-Rs 5.18 lakh to Rs 7.64 lakh 

Diesel- Rs 6.01 lakh to Rs 7.75 lakh

Gearbox- five-speed manual/four-speed AT (petrol only)

0-100kmph- You are better off not really trying