Introduction

It seemed just like yesterday that all of us were sitting around in our hotel in Noida just ahead of the 2014 Auto Expo and discussing the cars that would be shown. Among the lot was the Hyundai Xcent whose looks were praised but the name was invariably mocked through a variety of means including associating the pronunciation of the name to the language spoken by members of a very prosperous state.

Now as close as I am to being slapped with a defamation suit for my references, let me tell you that the Hyundai Xcent is actually a pretty decent car. It’s the product of a set of rules designed to encourage the development of small cars and for once the interpretation has come out in a good package rather than a less desirable boot on the hatch.

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