Hyundai Xcent: The New compact Sedan

The newly launched Hyundai car is a compact sedan. This is probably the first compact sedan coming from this carmaker and has thus been able to create quite a stir. By now, dealers are reported to have already had 11,000 bookings registered for the car from clients; additionally there are over a lakh enquiries having come from interested buyers from all parts of the country about Hyundai's latest compact Sedan.The Hyundai Xcent sedan is comparable to the Grand i10 hatchback in terms of its built. Since it's relatively small in size for its sub-4 metre size, the same low rate of excise duty is applied on its purchase which means that you can get a sedan for a much lesser price than usual.

Hyundai Xcent

The Xcent Sedan will be available to customers in both diesel and petrol variants and an option for automatic transmission on the petrol car.

Design and Built

As mentioned earlier, the Grand i10 and the Xcent have a lot in common and are built on the same wheelbase. The C-pillar sits upright and identical to the i10 and even the peeled back headlamp style, angular dog lamp, side strips, slot-like grille etc. are same as the i10. What's new and unique to the Xcent is the chrome lining featured on the hexagonal grille and a 15-inch wheel which is larger than that of the i10.

The roof of the sedan follows smoothly into the boot and has a contoured bumper with an attractive lip. It has tiny tail lights and overall gives off a neat and stylish appeal to the viewer that is more or less pleasing.

The rear suspension is relatively stiffer than the i10 making it suitable for weight loads and the Xcent is 15kg heavier than the Grand i10. Safety equipment including ABS is standard and the driver and passenger airbags come only on the S (O) and SX (O) trims. It also has larger 15 inch wheels and tyres and the suspension travel is a little limited.

Interiors

The steering has chunky look and feels well as soon to hold it as well as to merely admire it. Its two-tone dashboard is similar to that of the i10 and has all audio and air-conditioning controls within an easy reach. AC vents can be adjusted as per your liking.

Steering rake and seat height can also be adjusted easily to make you comfortable while driving while the front seats are slightly narrow yet firm and supportive. The headrests are short and not expected to offer much of protection in the event of a rear collision. The rear seats are relatively safer as well as comfortable and the headrests are adjustable and best suited for 2 passengers. There is sufficient leg space and includes a foldable centre armrest which also includes 2 cup holders and one litre bottle holders on each of the door sides.

The Xcent also offers sufficient luggage space with a 407 litre boot easily housing large suitcases. Other typical equipment include a reversing camera, keyless entry, automatic climate control, steering mounted controls, rear parking sensors, auto folding mirrors etc. Media facilities include 1GB on-board storage, aux and USB compatibility, Bluetooth and an electrochromic rear-view mirror.

Engine Specifications

The Hyundai Xcent has a small engine bay of 1.1 litre diesel engine capacities which makes it lose out when compared with rivals like Maruti Swift Dzire or the Honda Amaze. It has a 3-cylinder U2 CRDi unit, revised ECU mapping and also includes the turbo'swastegate which promises a longer sustained boost. This gives the Xcent a flatter torque curve of 13% and a 1bhp increment in power to 71bhp.

In spite of the small capacity diesel motor that the car has, it has relatively low amount of turbo lag and the progress transition is very smooth right from when you start the car to speeding it up to build up power. Shuffling through gears is also quite smooth and power stays steady till a peak of 3800 rpm; the sudden power fall after this can pose difficulties when overtaking other vehicles on highways. The light clutch and five speed gearboxes promise a smooth change. The 3-cylinder engine tends to patter at low speed but once it builds up, you're up for a smooth ride. The engine goes from 0-100kph in 18.61 seconds which is relatively long when compared to the Amaze and Dzire. For smooth rides within the city, the Xcent will definitely meet your expectations.

The Xcent petrol performs even better having a wide spread torque and power up till 5000 rpm. 0-100kph requires 14.23 seconds and the motor is smooth and refined giving it a classier appeal.

Fuel Efficiency

Even when you drive through the most heavily congested roads of Mumbai traffic, the diesel Xcent gives an impressive performance of 16.2kpl which when compared to the Grand i10 is far better. The Xcent sedan's lower drag makes it great for highway speed with a delivery of 20.3kpl. A fuel economy of 18.2 kpl for about 780 kms proves good efficiency on the car's part. The car's petrol counterpart is also good with 11.5 kpl in city driving and 16.3 kpl when driving on the highway roads.

Entertainment features

Hyundai Xcent offers a dual-DIN audio system inclusive of a CD player. You can also connect your cell phone or portable audio player via Bluetooth, USB port or the aux port. There is also 1GB of internal memory storage on board allowing you to store some within the system. Syncing media with the phone is easy and connectivity via Bluetooth is also quite smooth. Sound quality however from the four speakers installed in the car can be reviewed to be of average standards.

Verdict In all, the Hyundai Xcent is a perfect car with all you could possibly expect from a small and compact sedan at a pocket friendly price. It has a well-proportioned size, reasonably good performance to drive smoothly on city roads, high quality comfortable cabin and well-equipped with modern car amenities so there isn't really much to complain about.