Report 2

The run to save money and space by developing sub-four metre sedans in India has seen a surge over the years. Hyundai joined the bandwagon too, in the hope of making a difference in the market as well as in its yearly revenue. After the Xcent was launched, we were itching to get our hands on the car for a longer duration and when we did we made full use of it.

I did not renew my train pass in anticipation of getting the diesel Xcent for a fortnight and it turned out to be a sensible decision. The diesel version was obviously efficient like Ninad Mirajgaonkar said in the previous report, but finally it would do the mammoth highway run, which I undertake every day to and fro from my abode. In the short 14 days that it was in my possession, the Xcent covered close to 2,000km revealing some more useful information.

Let’s talk about the interiors first because that’s where we all spend most of the time, right? The overall quality of the Xcent inside feels really nice and comfy. The leather on the steering wheel is quite appreciable and good to use and is way better than that on our other sub-four metre long termer – the Tata Zest. The quality of the plastics used on the dashboard doesn’t feel cheap, just like the plastics on the doors. Ninad mentioned about the lack of squeal on the inside, however, just a few days after I picked up the car, the storage space below the music system started to rattle. But this is probably the car’s way of telling that a visit to the service centre is due. The sound disappears when you close the lid, but it was not always possible since the 12V charging point sits in there.

The air conditioning was a major disappointment. At first the blame went to the crazy summer heat but I thought a long drive to a hill station would change that perception, but the AC was not effective even during the cloudy June days. On the other hand it has a good music system that turned out to be a blessing on the long drives.

The seats though comfortable, are not as good as that of our other fleet car, the Zest. The rear space isn’t the best in the segment either, but good enough even with Sagar and Ninad sitting at the back, along with Ranjan on the return journey from the Rally of Maharashtra.

The small three-cylinder engine of the Xcent is very fuel-efficient as it managed to deliver 18.9kmpl during my ownership. Ninad got around 16kmpl but that was in city driving conditions. If you take the average of both the driving conditions, you will surely consider this car for your daily chores (because kitna deti hai is our fundamental question). However, this engine lacks bottom-end torque and you need go to down a gear each time you think of overtaking someone. The gear shifts are short and excellent and the clutch feels light. It is quite a treat to use them in the Mumbai city traffic. Most of the time, I had the car to myself and it gave me the freedom of driving the Xcent the way I wanted to and which meant I could play hide and seek with the commercial vehicles. The Xcent is easy to drive and the steering wheel weighs up little and that’s the end of it.

My respect for this sub-four metre Korean increased tremendously during a long drive with Ranjan and Sanchit to the Rally of Maharashtra, taking good pictures of the rally means you need to take the car to difficult places. Driving the Xcent on the broken roads and at some places where there are no roads really leaves you in awe. It took all the beating and after some good amount of driving it hard on the ghats and off road, the Xcent was still going strong and showed no signs of stress. I don’t remember the last time I appreciated a car so much. Overall, I am quite happy with the Hyundai Xcent.

While I am handing over the car back to the team, I would have certainly loved to retain it for a longer duration. It is one of the most practical diesel compact sedans available in the market. Its practicality coupled with some interesting features make the Xcent a very attractive buy.