Exhilarant Xcent (1400 kms & counting)

Exterior

The style of this compact sedan is exquisite. It looks compact, yet its pretty spacious from the inside. You have already seen its baby version - the Grand i10. This car just has that extra boot space which is pretty big for a car in this segment.

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort)

Feature wise no company in India can beat Hyundai in each price segment. This is not perception based but factual. I had considered Swift Dzire & Honda Amaze as well but both lacked interior features. Xcent on the other hand is feature rich. The S version is the mid variant which has an integrated 2Din CD/Aux/USB audio system (1GB internal memory) with steering mounted controls. The system is also equipped with bluetooth for audio & phone calls. Reverse parking sensors & elctronic retractable & adjustable ORVM are very useful & convenient. The blue lit interior lights on the speedometer & audio system looks beautiful and vibrant. Besides, each door has a bottle holder over and above the two bottle holders that are placed near the gear knob. Ample of space for 5 people to sit comfortably, considering they are all lean or at the most moderate in size. The seats are comfortable, especially the rear seats. I personally found the hand room for the driver to be a bit uncomfortable. The buttons for power windows & ORVM on the driver door are awkwardly close to the seat which makes operation uncomfortable. Rear A/C vent, glove box vent & rear charging point are a luxury.

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox

The engine is pretty smooth and has the power this kind of a car needs. Just the second gear doesn't perform as per my expectations. The car feels a bit sluggish but once you hit the third gear, there's no desire to slow down :). Fuel economy is good. You get a decent 10kmpl with heavy slow moving traffic & about 13kmpl with slight traffic. Yet to take the exhilarting Xcent on the highway to test mileage there. When it comes to gearbox, the Xcent is just as smooth as it's predecessor-Accent. Ultra smooth gear shifting. You just don't feel tired shifting gears even in heavy traffic.

Ride Quality & Handling

Overall ride quality is very good. The punch you get 3rd gear onwards is thrilling. The car feels pretty light and zippy especially in the city.

Final Words

Exhilarating Xcent, it truly is. A total value for money family sedan for the Indian buyer.

Areas of improvement  

Need some more hand room for the driver or probably place the power window controls on the driver side door a few inches towards the dashboard away from the seat. The mechanics of the 2nd gear could be improved to get some more power.

 

Good fuel economy, packed with features, pretty spacious, cool styleLess hand room for the driver, lacks power in 2nd gear