Hyundai Xcent

Tail-lights are smartly detailed but look small relative to large boot; Hyundai has struck gold with its new range of small cars. First, it was the Grand i10 hatchback, which went on to become a regular on the list of India top sellers, and now we have the new Xcent compact sedan which, on last count, had bagged 11,000 orders. Clearly, there is a lot of enthusiasm and curiosity surrounding Hyundai. So should you make a beeline for your local Hyundai dealership? Our detailed road test of the Xcent diesel and petrol manual tells you if this compact sedan is worth queuing up for.

Design & Engineering

Cover the hood on the image of the Xcent you see here and that you'll get is a Grand i1O. The two ears are built on the same 2.425mm wheelbase and are near identical right up to the C-pillar. That means everything, like the peeled-back headlamps, slot-like grille, angular fog lamp inserts and thick side strips are carried over unchanged. Even the glasshouse is the same. It’s only the chrome lining on the Xcent's hexagonal grille and this top-spec car's larger 15-inch wheels that are unique to the sedan. Thereon, you can tell the Xcent was very much part of Hyundai’s larger plans for the BA platform that underpins the Grand i10. The tail section doesn't look like it was tacked on to the rest of the body as an afterthought, as in the case of the Maruti Swift Dzire. Instead, there's a nice sense of proportion here, with the roof flowing smoothly into the boot, which has a smartly contoured hamper and an attractive lip. On the whole, the Xcent looks neat, with a style that's pleasing, if slightly subdued iteration of Hyundai's Fluidic Sculpture design language.

Under the skin, the Xcent sticks to the norm with its suspension setup MacPherson struts up front and a rear torsion bar. However Hyundai has stiffened the rear suspension compared to the Grand i10 to deal with the additional weight loads sedans are generally subject to. For the record, the petrol and diesel Xcents are each 15 kilograms heavier than their Grand i10 counterparts. In terms of safety equipment, ABS is standard only on the top-spec SX trims, while driver and passenger airbags come only on the S(0) and SX (0) trims.
 

Interiors

Much like the Grand i10, the Xcent will impress you the moment you set foot inside. Modern Hyundai cabins are high on quality and here too you'll find the general level of fit and finish to be of a very good standard. Those behind the wheel in particular, will love how the chunky steering and smarty detailed gear lever feels good to hold as well as to look at. It’s a well laid out cabin too. The two-tone dashboard, identical to the one in the Grand i10, places all audio and air-con controls within easy reach. A welcome inclusion on the Xcent is an automatic climate control system that works well enough to maintain a cool temperature in the cabin. What's also nice is that each of the round vents up front can be individually opened or closed to direct air flow as per your liking. 

The Xcent offers a fair amount of adjustability for the driver. The steering rake and seat height adjustments make it easier to find a comfortable driving position. The front seats, though slightly narrow and a tad on the firm side are supportive enough.

Rear occupants will appreciate the safety and comfort the adjustable head rests come with.  Also, compared to the Grand i10 the Xcent's rear seat hack has keen reclined a few degrees. On the plus side there is a good deal of legroom and the foldable centre armrest is well positioned too. Incidentally, the centre armrest comes with two cup holders, in addition to the two cup holders up front, one-litre bottle holders on each of the doors and the large (and cooled) glove box. Even luggage space is very impressive, with the well-shaped 407-litre boot taking in large suit cases with great ease.

In terms of equipment the Xcent is much like any other Hyundai. That means top-spec cars are particularly well equipped, with features like a reversing camera, rear parking sensors, keyless entry and go, automatic climate control, auto folding mirrors, steering  mounted controls, an audio player with 1GB of onboard storage, aux and USB compatibility, Bluetooth and an electro chromic rear-view mirror. Phew!

 

Entertainment

The Xcent Comes with a dual-DIN audio system with a CD player. It can also be connected to your mobile phone or portable audio player through aux, USB or Bluetooth. In addition to this, the system also features 1GB of internal storage to let you store about 150 songs in MP3 format. Syncing the system with your phone is pretty straightforward and gives you the option to copy your phone's contacts into the head unit. We had no problems using the Bluetooth telephone function.

 

Engine, Gearbox & Performance

The engine has been tweaked for use on the Xcent, with revised ECU mapping and the addition of electronic control for the turbo's waste gate for longer sustained boost. The result is a flatter torque curve with a 13 percent improvement in torque and a 1bhp increment in power to 71bhp. 

What's nice is that you can see the benefits of these improvements in the real world. There's very little of the turbo lag you'd typically expect from such a small-capacity diesel motor. Progress is smooth right from the get go and the gradual build up of power makes the Xcent diesel a very friendly car to drive in the city. Shuffling through the gears, though, poses no problem. The five-speed gearbox is smooth and the clutch light by diesel ear standards. And for a three-cylinder diesel engine, refinement levels are fairly good. There is some patter from the engine and vibes at low engine speeds, but things smoothen out as you build speed. The engine does get quite noisy as you rev hard, but like we said, there's no point venturing into the upper reaches. The Xcent petrol is similar to the diesel version in the way it grants you easy access to power at low speeds. Variable valve timing and drive-by-wire on the 1.2-litre, four-cylinder Kappa 2 motor help bottom-end responses and make the car feel peppy and light on its feet. The responsive nature of the engine also lets you occasionally get by in a higher gear than usual. Not that gears changes call for much effort - the light clutch and slick-shitting five-speed gearbox ensure that. To be honest, in the confines of a city, there's little more you'd want front your car.

When in the mood for some fun, the Xcent petrol doesn't disappoint either. The wide spread of torque provides ample power right up till 5,OOOrpm. Performance, indeed, is far better than just being acceptable for this class of car. 0-100kph takes 14.23 seconds, with the car topping out a 172Kph. You’d also like this motor for its requirement – it’s smooth, quiet and a match for the best in this class.

Ride & Handling

The Xcent tackles the bumps better and generally feels more surefooted than the Verna did at launch back in 2011.

Potholes and the like are dispatched with some firmness from the suspension, but still, it’s never to the point of being uncomfortable. In most scenarios, the ride feels like an improvement over the Grand i10. Perhaps that’s down to the stiffer rear setup on the Xcent , or possibly the switch to larger 15-inch wheels and tyres. Excellent sound insulation helps maintain the calm in cabin, with the workings of the suspension never intrusively audible.

Out on the highway, the Xcent feels adequately planted. The vertical motion is more pronounced at the back especially when the car is not loaded up.

As for the electrically assisted steering, it weighs up enough to give you confidence at high speeds. Within the confines of a city, you’ll be more than happy with the minimal effort required to twirl the light steering and ease the Xcent into, say, a tight parking spot. The small turning circle and hatchback-like dimensions help here in a big way.

Both our test cars were fully specced models with optional ABS system.

 

Fuel Efficiency

The tweaks to the 1.1 CRDi diesel motor have made a positive difference in the fuel economy too. Driven through congested Mumbai traffic, the Xcent delivered very impressive 16.2Kpl which betters the Grand i10’s figure of 15.4Kpl out on the highway; the lower drag of the Xcent’s sedan body style came into play to allow the Xcent to deliver a superb 20.3Kpl. That’s an average economy of 18.3 Kpl, which is good enough for about 780 Kilometers between fuel stops! The petrol Xcent is good in its own right. We got 11.5Kpl in city driving and 16.3Kpl cruising on the highway.