[i10]

Originally Posted by ghodlur

Since Xcent is a compact sedan, the boot space must be almost same as i20.

Not sure if you are talking about the boot space being same 'perceptually', because the Xcent has an additional 115L in its boot compared to the i20

[rohansachar]

Originally Posted by ampere

Looks like its surely worth it! See Vid's review.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...ml#post3507455

Agreed. IMO, the masses are not going to divert from the Sedan to premium hatchback, but seeing the success of the previous i20(& Polo), we can conclude it has it's own niche & will continue to be a success.

[extreme_torque]

It is actually a no brainer for me. I will always go for a premium hatchback than a small car with a boot stuck on and it is especially true for the Xcent simply because the sedan is derived from the Grand i10 which sits a segment below compared to the i20, so the driving manner will always be a notch below the larger i20. Also the Grand i10 is quite a bit narrower than the i20 which means seating three abreast at the back is going to be a squeeze. Lets also not forget the added utility that a hatchback provides in case you need to transport odd items by folding down the rear seats.

[blacksport]

I am appalled at the way the xcent is outselling the i20. Wonder why somebody would spend 50K - 1L more for a slightly bigger boot than for more cabin space, comfort and safety.

[gaurav911]

Originally Posted by ghodlur

The new I20 amongs the three Hyundai siblings is the best bet for the simple reason of ABS being offered as standard whereas for the other two its optional which means additional cost if one opts for it.

Since Xcent is a compact sedan, the boot space must be almost same as i20. Also the 1.4Crdi engines of i20 cant be compared with the puny 1.1 crdi engine of other two.

There is a significant difference in the boot space -
i20 has a boot of 285 lits whereas the Xcent's boot is 407 lits (similar in size to that of the Vento).

Also ABS is not standard in the i20. There are five variants. The base 2 variants of the elite i20 i.e. Era and Magna don't come with ABS.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by blacksport

I am appalled at the way the xcent is outselling the i20. Wonder why somebody would spend 50K - 1L more for a slightly bigger boot than for more cabin space, comfort and safety.

If you are considering the outgoing version (since you mention sales)- Xcent has better ride and handling compared to the i20, almost equal features, the same petrol engine (Diesel is a different story I agree, but the 1.1 litre has nil lag and is excellent for city use), a better boot and is fresh on the market as well. Cabin space was next to irrelevant since Xcent offers more room for two passengers while i20 had advantage in width.

The new i20 seems to have made big improvements in cabin space as well as ride and handling, going by moderator Vid's initial impressions. How the market receives the new i20, and will it outsell the Xcent - only time can tell.

[Vid6639]

When you compare the petrol versions of these 3 cars it is difficult, I agree. They have the same engines and performance is not a deciding factor. I drove the Elite i20 yesterday and came away impressed. Have penned down my very very brief drive experience in the i20 thread.

I am not a typical Indian buyer that thinks sedan's hold higher status than hatchbacks so my opinions don't really reflect the Indian mindset.

The Grand i10 is close to 80K-1lakh down on the Xcent. Between the 2 unless you need the boot, the Grand i10 is very good VFM.

Now what makes things confusing is the Elite i20 and Xcent. The price difference is just 2,000 rupees for the top end trims of these 2. The only thing the Xcent offers is the sedan and status and additional 120 odd litres of boot space. The Elite feels far more premium and luxurious than the Xcent any day. Sitting inside both in the showroom will tell you that instantly.

In my opinion, the Xcent is actually in the middle of no man's land. The Elite i20 is priced the same and a better package and the Grand i10 is cheaper and drives the same as the Xcent. Other than the boot there is nothing appealing in the Xcent vs the Grand i10 and Elite i20.

Unfortunately as I mentioned first, this is what I think but our market is different. The boot is favoured and so there is bound to be people looking at the Xcent. The Xcent remains a formidable package vs the other compact sedans.

I asked the showroom sales guys whether they received any cancellations of the Xcent and Verna after the Elite i20 came out and he said not even one since Xcent and Verna were sedans whereas the Elite i20 was a hatchback. People want the 407 litre boot space.

The diesel makes it easier to choose the Elite i20 although it is 20,000 more than the Xcent. The 1.4L CRDI vs the 1.1L CRDI 3 cylinder should be an easy pick for anyone.

[Rehaan]

Note from Mod: Bumping thread, since its just been moved back out from the Assembly Line.

[DCEite]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

People want the 407 litre boot space.

The diesel makes it easier to choose the Elite i20 although it is 20,000 more than the Xcent. The 1.4L CRDI vs the 1.1L CRDI 3 cylinder should be an easy pick for anyone.

Agree with you. And the fact that 407lt boot space is quite usable adds to the charm factor for the Xcent.

Between the Grand and the Xcent, i would prefer the Xcent anyday, but between the Elite20 and Xcent, it would be the petrol Xcent for me and Diesel Elite20.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

I keyed in this post for the Elite i20 official review, however it is just as relevant here, so cross posting it -

I recently purchased an Xcent SX(o) automatic for parents and here are my impressions of the Elite i20 compared to the Xcent.

1. Parents were not convinced of the i20. For them, a sedan (even though a miniature one) like the Xcent holds better value proposition than a premium hatch like the i20.

2. Personally, I somehow am not able to digest the looks of the Indian version. It looks better in real than the pictures suggest though. Another point I hate is the weird pattern of the front grill. Couldnt they stick to more conventional designs like a honeycomb? The whole sub-4m front end (Trimmed specially for the Indian version) reminds me of a duck's beak - the way it comes so low and flat, and appears to widen towards the front!

3. Width inside the cabin is a plus over the Xcent. Front seats are narrow though and the seating position felt significantly lower compared to the Xcent!

4. Rear is claustrophobic. Had this discussion with Vidyut the other day where he mentioned the same, however I concur with his observation that the space is just as good as the Xcent/ may be even more. Back seat also offers much better seating position / under thigh support compared to the Xcent.

5. Turning radius at 5.2m is too much! My Punto itself is a pain at 5m. The new Elite i20 would be a struggle reversing into our garage, which the Xcent manages easily at 4.7m radius, and the Punto somehow manages at 5m.

6. The Elite i20 feels particularly Indianised, and I have pointed out the same here - http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...ia-europe.html (Hyundai stops exporting cars from India to Europe).

7. No DRLs, no sunroof, no option of 6 airbags, no rear disk brakes - significant level of kit missing from the outgoing version.

Overall, though impressive - I dont think its a huge step up for Hyundai like the first generation i20 was!

Do i regret purchasing the Xcent SX(o) automatic for parents?

No, for five reasons - 1. Elite i20 automatic is yet to hit the market 2. Long turning radius of the i20 would have made U-turn into our garage impossible and 3. Claustrophobic rear seat 4. They are happier with their 'sedan' ownership. 5. The driving position of the Xcent/ Grand i10 is much more suited to elderly people compared.

[DCEite]

Originally Posted by adimicra

One problem I see with the sales of the Elite I20 taking off -
The car is priced alongside the compact sedans and we all know our fixation with the boot (boot = baadi car = more prestige blah blah).

Its really getting too much these days. I am referring to the "I don't care for your compact sedan boot, i don't care for your prestige (and blah blah blah )" attitude.

What people fail to understand that a big boot is adds a lot of practicality to the car. Just as an example, I personally find the boot space of my Xcent to be extremely useful, specially since i have a new born baby and the boot can swallow her Pram as well as monthly luggage and whatever else i could throw in, with ease.

And having a boot also contributes positively to the overall aerodynamics and ride quality of the car, when compared with the hatchback.

So please do not generalized statements about compact sedans. Apart from "presitge" and other "blah blah blah", there are genuine and practical factors which make people buy Compact sedan over the hatchback.

[adimicra]

Originally Posted by DCEite

Its really getting too much these days. I am referring to the "I don't care for your compact sedan boot, i don't care for your prestige (and blah blah blah )" attitude.

What people fail to understand that a big boot is adds a lot of practicality to the car. Just as an example, I personally find the boot space of my Xcent to be extremely useful, specially since i have a new born baby and the boot can swallow her Pram as well as monthly luggage and whatever else i could throw in, with ease.

And having a boot also contributes positively to the overall aerodynamics and ride quality of the car, when compared with the hatchback.

So please do not generalized statements about compact sedans. Apart from "presitge" and other "blah blah blah", there are genuine and practical factors which make people buy Compact sedan over the hatchback.

Well, boot is very useful, no doubt.
One of the main reasons I chose Jazz even though it was pricey was due to the huge boot space and tremendous flexibility it offers in carrying stuff which is unmatched till date in this price range. So, I understand the utility of boot space.

Now, the Dzire has 300 odd litres of boot space. I20 has 290. hardly any difference. I agree that Xcent and Amaze has an advantage of 100 odd ltrs and if people think they will need that, they should buy one of them. But, the I20 scores over the compact sedans in every other way.
One huge advantage of a hatchback in carrying stuff is the height. Couple this with foldable and split rear seats, it offers tremendous flexibility which sedans can't offer. Few days back, my friend who owns a Honda City wanted to take his kid's bicycle for repair but could not fit it in his car. But, it easily fitted in my Jazz.

Well I am not sure about the ride quality difference - I have not driven the new I20 but do you think it rides worse than an Xcent? Doesn't look like going by the reviews but I am not sure. But I have seen many hatchbacks like a Punto or a Polo having far better ride quality than the so called sedans.
We are not talking about a proper full size sedan here, we are talking about cars based on hatchbacks with a small boot slapped at the back. And there are far more important things that affect ride quality than a small boot.

I will not comment much on aero but the difference in hatchback and sedan versions of the same car is hardly much ..may be a 0.1 or 0.2 difference in drag coeff. I don't think it has that big an impact. And we don't know what's the values for I20/Dzire/Amaze etc to comment. Do you really think the aam junta buys a compact sedan for better aerodynamics or less drag? Do they even understand those? Or, have they even heard about those?

What I mentioned may not be the universal truth but it is true for majority of Indians - why would I buy a hatchback when I can get a sedan at the same or less price?
You are free to disagree.

[sidhu_hs]

Originally Posted by adimicra

One of the main reasons I chose Jazz even though it was pricey was due to the huge boot space and tremendous flexibility it offers in carrying stuff which is unmatched till date in this price range.

One huge advantage of a hatchback in carrying stuff is the height. Couple this with foldable and split rear seats, it offers tremendous flexibility which sedans can't offer.

And at the risk of going , I would like to add that a 4 metre hatchback will always be far more practical than a 4 metre sedan and a 4.5 metre estate will always be far more practical than a 4.5 metre sedan. Not for nothing are the estate versions even of 20 lakh sedans, offered in European and American markets. But market rules! And Indian market has shown its preference with their response to expensive estates (Remember Baleno Altura, Indigo Marina, Siena Weekend, Corsa Swing, Octavia Combi) and compact sedans (I don't need to point out here!).

[DCEite]

Originally Posted by adimicra

Well I am not sure about the ride quality difference - I have not driven the new I20 but do you think it rides worse than an Xcent? .

My direct comparison of Xcent is with Grand i10, since that is the car on which its based. The Xcent certainly rides better than the Grand. Same case with Amaze, which has a better ride than the Brio (though i am not too sure about DZire/Swift).

There are reports that DZire delivers better mileage and 0-100 figures than the Swift and same is the case with Xcent/Grand. What could be the reason? Aerodynamics and better drag coefficient i suppose.

Yes there are people who buy prefer compact sedans to hatchbacks solely on the criteria of Prestige. But there are buyers who consider practicality also.

But then we are going to a different debate altogether.

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by DCEite

My direct comparison of Xcent is with Grand i10, since that is the car on which its based. The Xcent certainly rides better than the Grand. Same case with Amaze, which has a better ride than the Brio (though i am not too sure about DZire/Swift).

DCEite, check my earlier post on this thread.

The difference between Grand i10 and Xcent is almost a lakh. Anyone who's budget permits will prefer the compact sedan to the hatch for reasons you mentioned. Better ride, bigger boot and a couple of extra features.

But now you have the Elite i20. It's more premium than the Xcent with more features, better styling inside out, better diesel engine, rides and handles better. You only lose the 120 litre boot space but for the same price you get a much more premium car.

That's where a buyer will get confused. Between the Elite i20 and Xcent.

Ofcourse if you absolutely do need the 100 litre extra boot space, the Xcent will be your pick.

That's why I mentioned the Xcent is actually in the middle. the VFM option is the Grand i10 and if you need something bigger you have Elite i20 and Xcent but someone like me would pick the Elite i20 10 times out of 10. I wouldn't mind the 120 litre loss in boot space.