Introduction

It’s always easier to make a large car with wide margins and big limits. Good examples of this are hyper cars which are extravagant for the sheer numbers they are made up of. But what happens when you are given a tight set of criteria to work within?

The outcome is generally a cleverly engineered dinky little eco-motor that places function over form the same way Uday Chopra prioritises ham acting (in all the Dhoom movies) over things like common sense and breathing.

That was the case for many years until the Hyundai Eon came along in 2011 and just like all of 5.4 feet of Aamir Khan attempting to add some credibility to the Dhoom series, the Eon too is good example that small does not always have to be bland. Its unique to look at, has a decent feature list, nice engine options and most importantly sells between 4500-6000 units every month consistently reinforcing the belief that different is the key to success.

Now obviously many purists would have my head on a stake for not mentioning the Maruti Suzuki Zen. However, it has been nearly nine years since the original car went out of production and it is now a part of our motoring history well on its way to becoming a four-wheeled legend.

Why I’d buy it?

The Hyundai Eon is a comfortable car. It has decent ride quality and with 1.0-litre engine under the hood its highway manners are actually pretty decent for a car of this size. When the Eon was introduced towards the end of the previous decade, it was the first car in the segment to offer features like a two-din music system and adjustment for the steering wheel, standards that have only been matched recently.

We had a chance to get behind the wheel of the car when it was launched 2011 and we can say that this latest 1.0-litre variant is a good indicator of far Hyundai’s build quality has come.

This would usually be the first car for many younger people or for that matter the first-second car that would arrive in a family making utility a priority over looks. However, it does not appear to be the case here thanks to Hyundai’s fluidic design philosophy.

Why I’d avoid it?

…Because the things that made the car special when it was launched are no longer considered special. It is surprising that Hyundai has not refreshed the feature list of Eon given that this is usually considered it USP. The rivals have caught up and its time they gave the car a look over.

If I were to nit-pick a bit further, I would also say that the sloping bonnet makes judgement a bit hard and that the space in the back is a bit less if you are a family/friends group of plus-sized people.

My favourite version

The Sportz variant with regard to the 814cc engine and the Magna+ (O) when it comes to the 1.0-litre engined model. In the case of the former because it is the only variant that offers an airbag and for the latter because you get all the bells and most of the whistles for a decent price.

Quick facts

Price: Rs 3.11 lakh to Rs 4.24 lakh

Engines: 814cc three-cylinder petrol/LPG compatible engine or 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol mill

Gearbox-five-speed manual

Fuel efficiency: 23kmpl for the 814cc engine and 20.3kmpl for the 1.0-litre engine