One of the fastest growing segments in India, after the SUV segment is no doubt the sub 4-metre sedan space. Currently there are only four players in the market with the Maruti Suzuki Swift DZire, Honda Amaze, Tata Indigo eCS and Mahindra Verito Vibe, the latter two not being hot-sellers. Now Hyundai has entered the fray with the Grand i10 based compact sedan, called the Xcent. The Hyundai Xcent is the spiritual replacement of the Accent and the Korean automaker has launched it in the Indian market today after revealing the vehicle a day prior to the 2014 Auto Expo. The Hyundai Xcent is priced from Rs. 4.66 lakhs (the prices are introductory).
The Xcent is Hyundai’s first sub 4-metre compact vehicle in the Indian market (hatchbacks aside) and is more or less a Grand i10 with a boot (the wheelbase of the hatchback and sedan is the same 2425 mm). In fact all the dimensions except the length are the same, the Xcent measuring 3995 mm in length compared to the Grand i10’s 3765 mm. The styling is identical to the Grand i10 till the rear door, post which there are multiple changes to accommodate the boot swiftly (the boot capacity is 408-litres). From the side profile, the boot doesn’t seem out of place but the front and rear of the car simply don’t match and the Hyundai Xcent isn’t the smoothest looking compact sedan in the market, the honours for the same go to the Honda Amaze and the upcoming Ford Figo Sedan.
Where the Hyundai Xcent does excel is the interior room and equipment on offer. Hyundai has extracted a lot of cabin space and that makes the Xcent one of the roomiest compact sedans in the market. The vehicle also comes with a plethora of features with the top-end trim getting dual airbags, ABS, auto folding rear view mirrors, audio controls on the steering, 1 GB memory storage for the audio system, keyless entry, button start/stop for the engine, etc. The features added on top of what’s available on the Grand i10 include a reversing camera (the Grand i10 only comes with parking sensors), climate control air-conditioner and a rear seat arm with twin cup holders. The top-end models are bolted onto 15-inch alloy wheels with the lower versions getting 14-inch rubber.
Powering the Hyundai Xcent are both petrol and diesel engines. The petrol engine is the 1.2-litre Kappa mill which outputs 83 PS and 114 Nm. The diesel Xcent uses the same 1.1-litre, 3-cylinder U2 powerplant but has been retuned to offer more torque. While power output is 72 PS (1 PS increase), the torque generated is 180 Nm between 1750-2500 RPM (the Grand i10 belts out 158 Nm between 1500-2750 RPM and thus the Xcent diesel has 22 Nm of extra torque output). The extra torque should give improved performance to the diesel Xcent. Both engines are married to a 5-speed manual gearbox but the petrol unit is offered with a 4-speed automatic as well. The ARAI certified mileage for the petrol is 19.1 km/l while the diesel is rated at 24.4 km/l. The car is available in six colours.
Hyundai Xcent Price (ex-showroom, Delhi) –
Hyundai Xcent Petrol Price –
- Xcent Entry – Rs. 4.66 lakhs
- Xcent S – Rs. 5.32 lakhs
- Xcent S (O) – Rs. 5.57 lakhs
- Xcent SX – Rs. 6.22 lakhs
- Xcent SX (O) – Rs. 6.47 lakhs
- Xcent AT S (O) – Rs. 6.28 lakhs
- Xcent AT SX (O) – Rs. 7.19 lakhs
Hyundai Xcent Diesel Price –
- Xcent Entry – Rs. 5.56 lakhs
- Xcent S – Rs. 6.23 lakhs
- Xcent S (O) – 6.48 Rs. lakhs
- Xcent SX – Rs. 7.13 lakhs
- Xcent SX (O) – Rs. 7.38 lakhs
The Hyundai Xcent undercuts the pricing of both the Maruti Swift DZire and Honda Amaze. The Swift DZire range starts from Rs. 4.85 lakhs for the base LXi variant, going up to Rs. 7.32 lakhs for the top-end ZDi variant. The Honda Amaze range starts from Rs. 4.99 lakhs for the base petrol E MT variant, going up to Rs. 7.50 lakhs for the top-end diesel VX variant. All the compact sedans are offered with an automatic gearbox for the petrol version. Remember, Hyundai’s pricing is introductory and will be hiked in around four months time.
