Hyundai Exter First Drive Review

'Everyone wants an SUV these days' has now become a recurrent statement. With hatchbacks and small car buyers too wanting an SUV touch, the Tata Punch is a 'knock' in the right direction (you were expecting me to say 'punch' there, right?). And now, to give the Punch a run for its money, this is the all-new Hyundai Exter.

It's a micro-SUV based on the Grand i10 Nios platform and is priced as attractively as the hatchback. It is variant-to-variant competitive to the Punch but offers more in terms of features, giving more value for money. And right off the bat, a CNG version is available as well, which is still awaited in the Punch. The question is, should you buy the Exter? Let's find an answer to that.

Appearance-wise, the Exter is radical but not unseemly to look at. Hyundai’s new design direction helps it grab a second glance, and that's a battle half won. We think that the Exter carries a busy design, which might divide opinions.

Based on the Nios, the Exter’s dashboard has been entirely taken from the hatchback. This isn’t a bad thing as the all-black cabin feels spacious, and there’s no complaining about the fit and finish either. And of course, you get an all-digital driver’s display as standard, which isn’t offered in the Nios. However, if I were to nit-pick, the steering wheel does not get brushed silver plastic, which feels so nice in the Nios.

Since it's posing as an SUV, you do sit tall and upright in it. The view over the dash is commanding, which is further helped by the flat bonnet line. Even the windows are quite large and the A-pillar isn't very thick, so the visibility all around is great. Your shoulders don't rub with your passenger either, but it misses the driver’s armrest, which is needed to make the driving posture more ergonomic. Although the seats borrowed from the Nios lack prominent bolster and adjustable headrests, I found the seats to be fairly comfortable, offering good support in all the right places.

Getting in the second row is nice and easy, thanks to the right seat height. Once inside, you will see that the roof is prominently scooped off, so there's no complaint about headroom, even from taller passengers. More importantly, it would be one of those rare occasions when we aren't complaining about the under-thigh support, which is fantastic in the Exter. Even legroom is ample. Spending more time in the back would make you realise how its large windows make for an airy cabin. But seating three passengers here would be a tight affair.

Now, you don't get split seats here, however, the boot space of 391-litre is deep and fairly usable. We could easily fit three cabin-sized bags with some room to spare. Hyundai has included regional languages for the interface and the driver’s display, which many buyers would appreciate. And the segment-first features include six airbags as standard, which would coax buyers to consider the Exter over anything else at that price point.

Like everything else, even the powertrain in the Exter is the same as the Grand i10 Nios. You can have the 1.2-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine either with a five-speed manual or an AMT. And I am happy to report that Hyundai has managed to tune the AMT superbly. At sedate throttle input, the gearshifts in the AMT induce no head nods and the jerks usually associated with an AMT are next to nothing.

This five-speed AMT prefers to upshift at around 2,000rpm where it feels right at home. But go slightly heavy on the throttle, between 2,500-3,000rpm, and you’d then notice the AMT going about its work. At city speeds, even the downshifts are smooth and barely noticeable. The taller gear ratio of the AMT allows the Exter to hold onto the same gear for longer. For instance, if you are cruising at 90-95kmph out on the highway in the fifth gear, but then you have to slow down for a village crossing, the speedometer would go down to as low as 40kmph without downshifting to the fourth gear.

We tested the Exter on VBox and found that the 0-100kmph time isn’t very impressive at 15.26 seconds, and 0-60kmph came up in 7.01 seconds. This also hints that you will have to plan your overtakes each time. But the Exter is made for everyday driveability and that is something that it manages really well. You also get a manual mode for AMT, and there are paddle shifters that are useful and quick to operate as well.

Not only does it have light controls, but the Exter is quite user-friendly to drive as well. The 82bhp producing four-cylinder engine is silent and refined; no complaints there. We also drove the five-speed manual for a small stint. Like in the Nios, the manual gearbox has light clutch action and the short throw gear action is convenient and also fun to use.

As for the steering, this one has a good amount of weight to it and responds quite linearly. It is not the quickest though — going three and a half turns lock-to-lock, but we like how it’s perfect for its job. Plus, the steering doesn’t need to be constantly worked on the highways and has a good progressive nature at city speeds. Although we didn’t find much traffic while driving the Exter on Delhi-Jaipur highway, surely it would be a breeze to drive in city choc-a-blocs.

However, we took the Exter off the beaten path, and it came through with quite an ease. Apart from that, at highway speeds, the ride quality remains pliant and well absorbent of small irregularities or potholes. There’s also a good amount of suspension travel, which absorbs bumps and creases at city speeds, and it settles down quickly after going over undulations. Vertical movements are also kept well under control.

When it comes to pricing, the Hyundai Exter is priced between Rs. 7.13 to 12.08 lakh, OTR Mumbai. Thus, in this aspect, it isn’t very far from its direct rival, the Tata Punch. Then, there are many segment-first features to attract you, in case you are put off by its radical exterior design. Even the space utilisation on the inside is on par. Meanwhile, in recent times, the quality and fit and finish of Hyundai have never been a reason to complain.

Then, the cabin is ergonomic, too, with good visibility and comfort. Lastly, under the skin, it has a proven powertrain making it easy to drive and live with. We are yet to drive the CNG version, but the Exter AMT we drove is convenient behind the wheel, be it for everyday commutes or weekend getaways. With the Exter, Hyundai has done its homework and has made the overall package quite difficult to overlook.

Pictures by Kapil Angane