Hyundai Xcent - Great Xpectations

Everyone wants more from less, and this seems to apply the most with cars these days. All Indians want a bada gaadi that is small enough on price and parking space to fit budgets and crowded cities, but large enough to seat four or five in comfort and swallow their luggage for the weekend as well. Hence the existence of the sub-four metre car, which offers a lot in a very small exterior footprint. Hyundai is entering the entry-level sedan market after quite a few years, and they need to get it right the first time around if they are going to compete with the likes of Suzuki and Honda. The Xcent is more than just a new take on an old car for them; it will offer new things with the trust of the name that is familiar to all of us.

The Xcent looks a little strange in the pictures, but in the flesh it has good proportions and the styling is cohesive. It draws from the Grand i10, in the same fashion as the other two sub-four metre sedans in our market have done. The headlamps that are stretched over the front corners, and the hexagonal lower grille are the two things that will grab your attention. The same upper grille as the Grand i10 also remains, with chrome strips on either side of the logo. From the side, the only real differences between the Xcent and Grand i10 are from the C pillar onwards to the rear of the car. The tail-lamp shape doesn’t really match the shape of the actual lamps, but you can see how Hyundai has tried to carry over the tail-lamp styling from the other sedans in its Indian range. A chrome strip adorns the bootlid above the number plate – its positioning above the bumper makes the upcoming Ford Figo sedan the only sub-four metre sedan to favour a bumper-mounted registration plate. Parking sensors adorn the Xcent’s rear bumper.

The door handles are also chromed on the top-spec variants, and the alloy wheels are diamond-cut like a few of the cars are offering today. Overall, the proportions are much better than the Suzuki Dzire’s but the Honda Amaze still has the best integrated boot in the segment in terms of styling.

The cabin is also very familiar if you’ve been in a Grand i10 – a lot of the components are shared, so it is a perfectly nice cabin. NVH levels are on par with the best of them, too; cruising at triple digit speeds has minimal wind and engine noise entering the cabin, which is commendable for this segment. The steering wheel is of the right thickness and diameter, the gear lever has a nice throw, and the pedals are spaced well. The SX (O) variant we were driving also had electrically adjustable and foldable mirrors, keyless entry and ignition, an audio system with 1GB of inbuilt storage, a climate control system with rear AC vents, and a height-adjustable driver’s seat. That “option pack” also means two airbags and ABS+EBD are present on the car.

The upholstery colour scheme is beige and black, and the seat fabric also has the same colour combination as the dashboard. There is none of the dark brown present in the Grand i10, which is an improvement. An interesting feature is the seat covers: the front of the seats have beige fabric while the seat backs have black leather. This keeps the passengers cool on a hot day while still imparting a premium feel, especially if you’re sitting in the back. Legroom is on par with the rest of the segment, but the rear seat back is inclined a little more compared to the Grand i10 for increased comfort. The standard seats have seat-back pockets and rear door pockets that can hold small bottles, besides the pull-down centre armrest that has two cupholders in it. The boot is the real surprise – Hyundai claims it a 407 litre boot, which makes it the largest in the segment. We managed to put in two normal-sized bags and a small one and there still was a little place left over. The rear seats do not fold, so boot space remains limited to what you can put in behind the rear seats.

The climate control system is effective, and cools the cabin quickly. The rear blower is not a recirculator and is actually a proper AC vent, which is a first for the segment. The audio system is quite a nice one, with a lot of connectivity options. It even has a 1GB internal storage drive, where you can copy your songs from a USB drive – this means that you’ll never be without your favourite songs in the Xcent. This, again, is a first for the segment. The sound quality isn’t the best in segment, but it is more than acceptable – there is a three-band equaliser for those who like their music to be perfect, and a couple of interesting audio effects that enhance the sound. The auto-folding mirrors are a nice touch and fold when the car is locked – the Nissan Micra is the only other car that offers this in the price bracket. The interior mirror is electronically dimmed on the top-spec variant, and it also houses the video feed from the rear parking camera.

There are two engines on offer, the 1.2-litre, four cylinder Kappa with variable valve timing and the 1.1-litre, three cylinder U2 diesel. The petrol now generates 82bhp and 114Nm and the diesel has 15 per cent more torque compared to the unit in the hatchback with 71bhp and 180Nm. The petrol is extremely refined, makes a nice noise when revved, and has good throttle response. It isn’t a very quick car but driving it hard is fun because of the light, intuitive gearshift. The diesel’s better torque spread makes it an easier car to drive overall. It retains the off-beat thrum of a three-pot motor, and sounds strange when revved all the way to the redline, but just like in the Grand i10 it continues to impress with strong performance despite losing out on a cylinder and nearly 400cc compared to the Honda Amaze. These attributes also mean that it will probably be the most fuel efficient overall, which is what Hyundai was aiming for with the diesel. The diesel gearshift has the ‘depress the button and slot it into first’ for reverse, which makes engaging first gear also a notchy affair. Clutch travel, engagement and feel are par for the course for both powertrains.

The Grand i10 was the first of the Indian Hyundais that had a great mix of ride and handling, and the Xcent carries that forward. It rides well at both low and high speed with broken patches of road dispatched with a muted thump and no fuss. We didn’t have much opportunity to drive the Xcent on concrete or broken roads, so we’ll have to reserve comment for those conditions when we receive the car on familiar roads. However, handling is now of a much higher standard than the usual Hyundais – you can push the Xcent to its top speed with no nervousness from the car. The electrically assisted power steering has a little play when the wheels are pointed straight ahead, but it weighs up well when loaded. The transition from grip to slip is progressive. The Xcent’s brakes bite well, are progressive and have good stopping power. The car does look a little undertyred, but the Bridgestone B250s are well up to the task of being the Xcent’s point of contact with the road.

Hyundai has launched the Xcent at a starting price of Rs 4.66 lakh for the base petrol. The top-spec SX Option Pack variants we’ve driven in this review cost Rs 6.47 lakh for the petrol and Rs 7.38 lakh for the diesel, ex-showroom Delhi. That puts it price-wise between its two rivals, the Honda Amaze and the Suzuki Dzire. However, with the number of features and the NVH it sports, it makes it the best value for money. This makes it the best choice for the target market – but will it be able to dethrone the Dzire and become more desirable than a Honda?