Fabulous Car with great performance, mileage and features

Exterior

 Exterior are kind of Ok till B-pillar as they are very familiar to the Grandi10 but the difference starts from the B-pillar and after that the car looks splendid. Automatic Body colored ORVMs with integrated turn-indicators, stylish door handles, Hyundai is not using the brand name on the car now and just the logo which makes a style statement. Car would have the variant name imbibed on the boot only if you buy SX model.

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort)

 Excellent features like electric steering, all steering mounted controls, bluetooth connectivity, Rear AC Vents with charging point, AC cooled glovebox, Day-night rear view mirror, Height adjustable driver seat impressive cabin space usage by Hyundai with ample amount of map pockets on doors to store 1 litre bottle, dusters, towels etc. Utility space around the gear console with nice covered box below the 2-din music system to keep your precious stuff.  2 center lights in the cabin also are very helpful in low-light areas. the foot hump between the rear passenger seat is also low-heighted making it comfortable for the rear middle passenger. Even the rear parking sensors are really helpful during parking in those tight spots.

Boot space is also quite spacious and good enough to store your weekend getaway luggage.

Rear armrest with 2 glass holders is also an added advantage however Hyundai could have added some better quality fiber plastic on the seat behind the arm rest.

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox

Impressive performance, have driven for close to 1700kms and no turbo lag, great pick-up from 3rd gear onward, you would actually not realize and the speedometer would reach 100km/hr. Very good for city driving and you can maneouvre easily with the help of small turning radius. You can really zoom through the traffic throught the pick-up. Have not yet tried on the highway but I am confident that it would be a cherished drive. FE is good on the city roads, better than expected, have not really measured but should give around 18-19km/l. Gearbox is very well placed and gear-shifting is a very smooth and easy process even in Delhi's crowded roads. moreover, almost nil cabin noise of diesel engine. This is something which really struck me as I TD the Amaze, Etios and they had very high engine noise reaching the cabin.

 Have already done the first free service and did not pay anything on the service except the money I paid for Teflcon paint protection and under body paint which was a optional service.

Ride Quality & Handling

 Ride quality is good but not excellent. You can feel the suspension on bumpy roads or whenver you come through roadside pothole or stones, Maybe Hyundai can work on the brakes as they are very sharp and you have to apply them carefully.

Final Words

 Overall a nice package and good family car with all the required features to give you a premium feel. I considered and tested almost 6-7 cars( Amaze, Dzire, Zest, Etios, i20 elite, honda city) however finally zeroed in on Xcent due to its overall performance, features, Value for money

Areas of improvement 

 Exteriors should be different from Grand i10, you would not really be able to make out if you see from the front till B-pillar whether it is Xcent or Grand i10, Airbags should be provided in base and S variants. Brakes are very sharp and you need to acquaint yourselves really well before hitting long drives. may be rear wiper, DRLs can also be looked at by charging a nominal amount in the overall cost. Hyundai should also looking at revamping the customer service at its dealerships as I did not really have a very good buying experience with Orion Hyundai(Gurgaon).Another area that Hyundai can look to add is the mileage feature in the odometer. It currently shows only the trip and average spped per hour displays

 

Fuel Economy, Features espl rear vent, Electric steering, steering controls,Exteriors, front grille, body till B-pillar, lack of Airbags in base and middle variant