Introduction So you have Rs. 10 lakh to spend on a nice automatic car, but you don’t want a typical hatchback or a compact sedan. What are your options then? It’s pretty much either the Hyundai Exter or the Maruti Fronx. Now, these two vehicles are basically hatchbacks, so they are a bit vanilla. But what makes them special, is the sprinkling on top. That extra layer of flavour, if you will. So for this test, we have put the Exter against the Fronx to see which car does better in terms of features, interior space, performance, mileage, ride quality, and of course, a VFM proposition.

　　Design SizeFirst up is the Exter, which Hyundai calls an SUV, but it is basically a Grand i10 Nios with a different top hat and more features. As for the Fronx, it’s a Baleno on steroids, although I have to say that Maruti has done a really good job with the styling. It is easily one of the best-looking cars in its range.

　　The Fronx is not only good-looking with a nice, cohesive design, but it’s also the bigger car here. It’s longer and wider than the Exter, and the tyre size on it is a fair bit chunky too. The Exter on the other hand has a tall boy design, which gives it more height. When parked next to each other, it is pretty obvious that the Fronx is wider and longer, but it’s the Exter that’s taller.

　　

	Fronx AMT	Exter AMT
Length	3995mm	3815mm
Width	1765mm	1710mm
Height	1550mm	1631mm (with roof rails)
Wheelbase	2520mm	2450mm
Fuel tank capacity	37 litres	37 litres
Tyre size	195/60 R16	175/65 R15
Weight (CarWale Tested)	980kg	1020kg

FeaturesSo here’s the thing. For around Rs. 10 lakh, you can have the most expensive automatic variant of the Exter, but if you want the Fronx, you will have to settle for the middle variant with the 1.2-litre, naturally aspirated engine that’s paired with an AMT gearbox. This car also gets a much nicer torque converter automatic, but that will cost you at least Rs. 2.5 lakh more.

　　The variant that you see here is the Delta Plus, priced at Rs. 9.44 lakh, ex-showroom. However, it’s the 1.0-litre turbo petrol range with the torque converter automatic, which is more sophisticated, and gets you all the nice features.

　　Maruti Fronx Automatic Variants

　　

AMT		Torque Converter AT
Delta	Rs. 8.88 Lakh	Zeta	Rs. 11.96 Lakh
Delta Plus	Rs. 9.28 Lakh	Alpha	Rs. 12.88 Lakh
Delta Plus (O)	Rs. 9.44 Lakh	Alpha dual-tone	Rs. 13.04 Lakh

Now, because this is far from the most expensive variant of the Fronx, the car that you see here misses out on quite a few features that buyers now seem to care about, things like a reverse camera, sunroof, cruise control, or a wireless phone charger. Personally, I find that okay. But what bothers me is a missing rear wiper, push-button start, and height adjustment for the driver’s seat.

　　The Exter that we have here is priced higher than the Fronx Delta Plus (O) variant, but in return, you get a lot more features as standard. There’s wireless charging for your phone, single pane sunroof, cruise control, cooled glove box, paddle shifters, height adjustment for the driver’s seat, rear AC vents, and a digital driver’s display. All that being said, it’s the Fronx that actually comes with LED headlights, 60:40 split rear seats, idle start/stop tech for the engine, wireless phone mirroring, and adjustable headrests for both front and rear seats.

　　For a full comparison, here are all the comfort-based features that these two cars come with.

　　

	Fronx Delta Plus (O) AMT	Exter SX (O) Connect AMT
LED headlights	Yes	No
Auto headlights	Yes	Yes
Alloy wheels	Yes	Yes
Sunroof	No	Yes
Rear wiper	No	Yes
Wireless charger	No	Yes
Paddle shifters	No	Yes
Idle start/stop	Yes	No
Cruise control	No	Yes
Cooled glove box	No	Yes
Electrically adjustable ORVM	Yes	Yes
Push button start	No	Yes
Height adjustable driver’s seat	No	Yes
60:40 split rear seat	Yes	No
Rear AC vents	No	Yes
Adjustable headrests	Yes	Rear only
Climate control	Yes	Yes
Digital driver’s display	No	Yes

In terms of safety, both the Exter and the Fronx come with six airbags, ABS with ESP, 3-point seatbelts, and a hill hold assist. Additionally, the Exter gets a reversing camera, TPMS, and a dash cam as standard.

　　Let’s take a look at the full list of safety features for both.

　　

	Fronx Delta Plus (O) AMT	Exter SX (O) Connect AMT
Airbags	6	6
TPMS	No	Yes
ABS and ESP	Yes	Yes
Reversing camera	No	Yes
Dash camera	No	Yes
3-point seatbelts	Yes	Yes
Hill hold assist	Yes	Yes

As for your multimedia needs, both the Exter and the Fronx do pretty well. It is actually the Fronx that comes with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. It’s there on the Exter too, but you need a wired connection.

　　

	Fronx Delta Plus (O) AMT	Exter SX (O) Connect AMT
Touchscreen infotainment system	Yes	Yes
Display size	7-inch	8-inch
Android Auto/Apple Carplay	Wireless	Wired
Front and rear speakers	Yes	Yes
Connected car tech	No	Yes

As for the audio quality, it’s the Exter’s four-speaker system which sounds a bit nicer, and I have to say, the infotainment system is better too. It’s quick and smooth, menus are nicely laid out, and it also gets connected car tech, which is missing on the Delta Plus variant of the Fronx.

　　Interior Space

　　The Fronx is from a segment above, so it is barely a surprise that it’s got more space inside. For this test, we have measured these cars thoroughly, and here are the full numbers.

　　

	Fronx AMT	Exter
Front
Legroom	90/66	84/63
Headroom	97	99/93
Shoulder room	130	125
Seat base	49	51
Back rest	62	63
A-pillar thickness	12	14
Front window width	76	77
Front window height	36	39
Rear
Legroom	95/68	88/67
Headroom	90	102
Shoulder room	131	124
Seat base	49	47
Back rest	58	61
Rear window width	60	61
Rear window height	32	35
Boot
Length	75	63
Height (floor to parcel shelf)	55	50
Width (with & without intrusion)	100/130	103/109

Up front, the Fronx has more legroom, but it’s the Exter’s tall boy design that gives it more headroom. The Exter also has slightly bigger front seats, but the difference is really small. The seats on both are equally comfortable, although the cushioning on the Fronx is very soft and I would have liked these to be a bit more supportive. Again, at the back, it’s the Fronx that gives you more space to move around. It’s got more legroom and is quite a bit wider than the Exter. So if you are going to be having three people here at the back more often than not, then may be the Fronx will meet that criteria just fine.

　　Mileage

　　The Fronx is also slightly more fuel-efficient of the two. In our mileage test wherein we drove both cars at the same time, in similar traffic conditions along our predefined route for city and highway driving, the Fronx turned out to be more efficient. On the highway, it’s the Exter that proved to be slightly more efficient of the two. All said and done, there isn’t much to split between the two when it comes to mileage. For your usage, you can expect good fuel efficiency out of both.

　　

	Fronx AMT	Exter
City	11.8kmpl	10.8kmpl
Highway	18.1kmpl	18.5kmpl
Overall (75% city + 25% highway)	13.37kmpl	12.64kmpl
Fuel tank capacity	37 litres	37 litres

Engine and Gearbox Performance

　　Driving the Exter AMT first, the engine is extremely smooth and refined. For day-to-day commutes within the city, it isn't lacking in power either. It's responsive, there's enough torque at low to mid rpm, and the Exter doesn't feel like it's struggling to keep up with traffic. The only time you will feel this engine working hard is when the car is loaded with three or four people and you want to get somewhere quickly.

　　The highest praise that I can give this AMT is that it doesn’t take away anything from the driving experience. In fact, it is extremely smooth when you are driving using part throttle. It upshifts at 2,000rpm, and I am barely feeling that rocking motion that you get in AMT-equipped cars in the first few gears.

　　

	Fronx AMT	Exter AMT
Engine	1197cc, four-cylinder	1197cc, four-cylinder
Horsepower	90bhp at 6,000rpm	83bhp at 6,000rpm
Torque	113Nm at 4,400rpm	114Nm at 4,000rpm
Gearbox	5-speed AMT	5-speed AMT

All in all, the Exter with the AMT gearbox feels just right for driving around town, but when the time comes when you need to reel into a gap in traffic or overtake a long vehicle, that’s where it gets a little tough. There is a lot of delay between you flooring the throttle pedal and the gearbox reacting to it and then downshifting. So usually that would be the end of it in every low power AMT car, but here, I have paddle shifters to eliminate some of that lag and frustration. And it does work quite well.

　　Like the Exter, the Fronx is a no-nonsense, extremely user-friendly car to use daily. The steering is light and the driving position is spot on, despite the lack of height adjustment for the driver's seat. Also, the A-pillar is thinner than what you get on the Exter. The engine has enough performance to offer for the most part, but if you are in a hurry or have the car loaded with people and luggage, you will need patience, because the build-up in speed in that case is quite relaxed. Overall, it feels like it doesn’t want to be rushed. The Fronx actually seems the happiest when you drive it with a sense of calm, and let’s face it, that’s how most people drive on an everyday basis, so no complaints there.

　　Like the Exter, the gearshifts in here are also smooth on part throttle, and it's very close between the two when it comes to refinement of the AMT. But there is one car here that does it ever so slightly better than the other.

　　Having driven both back to back and that too extensively, I found the Exter's AMT to be more seamless with the way it works. There is that slight head nod that you will feel in the Fronx as you go through the first three gears. But let me tell you, it's not a deal breaker in any way.

　　Ride Quality

　　The Exter rides quite well for its size. The NVH is good, so there isn’t a lot of road or wind noise filtering into the cabin despite its tall and upright stance. Over bad roads, the suspension remains quiet when it’s doing its job. As for the actual ride, it’s nice and flat, and there isn’t a lot of up-and-down movement once you are up to speed. It’s just that at low speeds, it’s a bit bouncy over elongated speed humps.

　　Coming to the Fronx, you can hear the engine a little more inside the cabin and a bit more tyre noise at highway speeds. But it’s got a superior ride quality, that’s for sure. It is able to cope with deep potholes and speed humps in a slightly better manner, in the sense that it doesn’t knock as much, especially when the spring decompresses. Overall, it’s got an extra layer of maturity to its ride, and that is something we have seen in Maruti’s other crossovers as well.

　　Price and Warranty

　　Finally, we come to the all-important pricing and warranty. Now for the price, we are only going to compare the variants that we have tested. The mid-level Delta Plus (O) variant of the Fronx is around Rs. 75,000 more affordable than the Exter, but let’s not forget it’s the most expensive variant of the Exter with all the features you can possibly have it with. As for warranty, it is pretty close, although it’s the Exter that gives you the added benefit of unlimited kilometres as part of the standard warranty.

　　

	Fronx Delta Plus (O) AMT	Exter SX (O) Connect AMT Dual Tone
Ex-showroom Price	Rs. 9.44 Lakh	Rs. 10.36 Lakh
Standard Warranty	3 years/1,00,000km	3 years/Unlimited km

　　Verdict

　　So which automatic car is it going to be? The Maruti Fronx or the Hyundai Exter? For starters, both are highly capable and pretty much the ideal choice if you want something that’s not a hatchback or a compact sedan. For Rs. 10 lakh, you get more features in the Exter, and by the tiniest of margins, a smoother AMT experience. On the other hand, the Fronx is bigger on the outside, has more space inside, and a slightly better ride. So it all boils down to which of these qualities are high up on your list of needs.

　　Pictures taken by Haji Chakralwale and edited by Kaustubh Gandhi

　　Maruti Suzuki FronxRs. 7.52 LakhonwardsAvg. Ex-Showroom price