[Asish_VK]

Great Review as always. Hyundai got a winner for sure.

Though looks are subjective, I don't like the rear 1/4 of the car. Especially the missing part kind of effect on the rear wheel cladding. My OCD is killing me and I can't un-see it anymore . I mean they should've at least painted it black to make it look complete right ?

[swami69]

Not sure whether i like this design, but anyways, many prefer these type of CSUV, boxy designs and they sell too. The C pillar area and the door, is somewhat weird looking to me and not proportionate - the door frame, its angle, something wrong, at least when seen in the photo. The lines don't sync together and each has different thickness and shape.

Swami

[RaghuVis]

Originally Posted by Aditya

Hyundai Exter Cons

• Edgy looks & funky styling may not be to everyone's liking. Cuts and creases are overdone
• Despite the unique styling, it’s not really a head-turner. Small size robs the Exter of road presence
• 1.2L NA petrol’s highway performance is adequate, but not exciting
• No turbo-petrol or diesel engine on offer
• Not as engaging to drive as the Citroen C3 Turbo. Handling, steering and thin tyres won’t appeal to enthusiasts
• Light-coloured interior theme isn’t available. Black interiors may not be to everyone's liking. Hyundai should’ve offered a beige option
• Back seat is more suitable for 2 healthy adults and a child. Not 3 healthy adults
• Rear seat is placed on the lower side, and its under-thigh is average (taller folk will find it to be less)
• Average sound system is no match for some of the rivals (e.g. Punch & Fronx have better ICE)
• Some missing features like foglamps, rear centre armrest, auto-dimming IRVM, 60:40 split rear seat, 6-speaker sound system (Exter has just 4), full-sized spare tyre, etc.

Yet to go through the review in detail as today is MONDAY but just had a quick glance at the cons. Except for the subjective first point, Exter really does not have any real deal breaker that is available in rivals in the segments. I never thought Punch will have such a strong rival. This has blockbuster written all over it. Tailor-made for the Indian middle class.

[Aditya]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

Great review as usual. The AMT was not made available for the drives?

The AMT was there, but we were assigned the MT. And on media drives one barely gets time to finish a review of one variant. So swapping with someone could have been tricky. Anyway, Hyundai has told me that they will send the AMT to me in Mumbai.

[CARDEEP]

Looks inspired by the KUV100 to me. Thankfully have managed to design it better than M&M.

Further seems to be aiming at WagonR & Punch at same time… could be spiritual successor to Santro in my opinion.

As per my experience with the Hyundais, barring the paint & rusting on exhaust can joint, they age well. Rattles & loose bits are much lesser than competitors & leaders.

The number game at 2nd & 3rd becomes clearer in Huyndai’s favour I feel.

[SoumenD]

Thanks for the great review. What a feature loaded car. Nobody plays the feature game better than the koreans

Unpopular opinion: Under cons why don’t I see any mention of Hyundai’s iffy safety credentials? Just like in every Tata car review we have a line mentioning ‘A.S.S is a hit or miss’, I feel we should mention ‘Safety is questionable’ in all hyundai reviews as proven by everything from i10 to Creta.

[ToThePoint]

Originally Posted by Asish_VK

I mean they should've at least painted it black to make it look complete right ?

Attachment 2476931

Agreed!

Infact, they should have stuck to 'round' claddings around the wheel arch instead of extending it and making it squarish, thus giving off a little more area for the body paint - would have had a great impact on the side profile. But hey, it's Hyundai - the overdo leader!

Not sure if test drives have begun, I saw one on road yesterday(without registration plates, not even temp, and a kid sticking out of the sunroof) and it looked pretty good visually. Theres no doubt this will be another chart buster for Hyundai. Have to see if this has any impact on Venue or pulls traffic from its designated competitors.

[SeniorC]

Thanks for superb and comprehensive review. As usual, brilliant with detailed pictures all around.

With Exeter, Hyundai will give serious competition to both Tata and Maruti for the sub compact segment. For a car of this small size and price point, Hyundai have packed it with features to the gills. Features is what most buyers want and they will have it now. Hyundai AMT is pleasant and smooth to drive for a normal user. So buyers have a good choice of a manual and an "automatic" to choose from.

Our TBHP official review confirms that Exeter is a great buy for those looking for cars in this segment.

[JacksonStorm]

Great review! Thanks to the team.

Hyundai India has already increased the annual production capacity to 8.5 lakh units. It includes domestic sales and export sales. Earlier monthly reports said domestic sales were between 40K and 50K units.

• Export sales: around 10,000 units every month
• Total per month: 50K + 10K = 60K per month.
• Total per year: 60K*12 = 7.2 lakhs per year.

If they increase production capacity by 8.5 lakh units,

• Total per month: 60K + 11K = 71K units per month.
• Total per year: 71K*12 = 8.52 lakh units per year.

It clearly indicates that Exter will close at 10K units for sure per month. Mostly, it will cannibalize in this order.

Venue > i20 > Aura > Nios

It means It will be affected mostly by Venue and least by Nios in my IMHO.

If Exter scores 4 or 5 stars in crash testing, then it will be a tough time for Tata Punch. Until then, it is a neck-and-neck competition between Punch and Exter. We will know anyway after 3-6 months of monthly sales reports.

Within Hyundai's below-par comparison with respect to price, customers can choose their own affordable product based on their personal interests and choices if they are willing to choose Hyundai cars.

In this comparison, the i20 Sportz MT (8.09 lakh) and Exter SX MT (8 lakh) are almost the same price. After discounts, the i20 Sportz is the best value for money.

The same case is applicable to the i20 Sportz MT dual tone (Rs. 8.24 lakh) and Exter SX MT Dual tone (Rs. 8.23 lakh).

If customers prioritized the sunroof as a feature then Exter is the clear win here.

1. Rs. 8 lakh range (Rs. 7.73 lakh to Rs. 8.24 lakh including Dual tone)







2. Rs. 9 lakh range (Rs. 8.61 lakh to Rs. 9.01 lakh)




3. Rs. 10 lakh range (Rs. 9.32 lakh to Rs. 9.76 lakh)





Source : carwale (for price comparison)

[Candy$Cars]

Originally Posted by SoumenD

Thanks for the great review. What a feature loaded car. Nobody plays the feature game better than the koreans

Unpopular opinion: Under cons why don’t I see any mention of Hyundai’s iffy safety credentials? Just like in every Tata car review we have a line mentioning ‘A.S.S is a hit or miss’, I feel we should mention ‘Safety is questionable’ in all hyundai reviews as proven by everything from i10 to Creta.

I don't want to question the intent of the mods and reviewers but despite such a poor show by Hyundai and group, there is no mention of poor safety record on the cons section of any their reviews, the Verna doesn't have, the sonet doesn't have, haven't cross checked more but I wasn't expecting it on the Exter either.
On the other hand there is mention of "good" build quality, which should ideally be good fit & finish. It is high time we stop judging cars by the weight of their doors and bonnets or else what would be the difference between team-bhp and reviewers like Faisal Khan?

I understand that these cars are not tested so nothing can be said conclusively but past history has its relevance. After all, all Tata cars reviews carry poor after sales as a badge of honor in the cons section!! A little word like - Poor safety record or iffy safety expectations - could be and in fact, should be included on all Hyundai group cars (specially because unlike Maruti Suzuki, they deliberately give false sense of good build by having heavier panels but cheapening out of the Quality of steel where it matters!).

[100BHP]

"The traction control off button is also located here (don't ever use it unless starting off on slippery surfaces like slush & snow):"


Can you please elaborate on this detail ? As I understand all cars in which this feature is there, its always ON whenever the car is turned on. It has to be manually shut off everytime if required .

[Guna]

Originally Posted by Asish_VK

Great Review as always. Hyundai got a winner for sure.

Though looks are subjective, I don't like the rear 1/4 of the car. Especially the missing part kind of effect on the rear wheel cladding. My OCD is killing me and I can't un-see it anymore . I mean they should've at least painted it black to make it look complete right ?

It looks like the parts of some others cars are used but it is deliberate and it is designer's way of 'breaking away' from the conventions.
I personally don't like it and feel that designers resort to such tactics when they run out of ideas. This is what I had felt when I had seen the tail lamps of X1 (first gen).

[i10_sanjay]

Such an awkward looking car, at least IMO. Just too many cuts and creases, though the lines don't look overdone like in KUV 100. From the looks of it, the space inside is equivalent to Gi10 Nios and not much more.

These days Hyundai and Maruti are aware that the public cares about safety, so they give them a false sense of safety by providing thicker panels that shut with a THUD! Baleno, New Brezza, Nios facelift and now this Exter, all have thicker panels but they don't dare to send them to GNCAP. I am sure the new Seltos too will have thicker sheet metal but will barely scrape through in the crash ratings.

Just like how large service network is mentioned under "Pros", the iffy safety ratings should be mentioned in all the cars that are not crash-tested yet (Including the Tata bros Harrier & Safari) under the "Cons" section!

[itsbaman]

Originally Posted by Candy$Cars

despite such a poor show by Hyundai and group, there is no mention of poor safety record on the cons section of any their reviews, the Verna doesn't have, the sonet doesn't have, haven't cross checked more but I wasn't expecting it on the Exter either.

None of the reviews on YouTube, even from leading magazines are not mentioning safety in their reviews for Hyundai Cars, especially when Hyundai is leading the charts for unsafe cars in India.

[Venku2015]

So, guys, I happened to test drive the Exter SX(O) AMT DT today.
The test drive was with a total of 3 occupants with the AC set to 20 degrees.
I will breakdown my observations categorically as follows:

Build quality: It felt at least 25% better than other Hyundai cars like the Gi10 Nios, new Verna and Alcazar, which were parked beside the Exter in the showroom. The door didn't have the typical European thud but was better than other cars.

Engine and Gearbox: Was pleasantly surprised by the refinement of this little 1.2 NA engine. It's dead silent at idle and you need to look at the speedo to realize that the engine is running. Now the Hyundai wild card in the Exter chapter is the AMT gearbox which does come with paddle shifters! Yes, I think this is the only car in its segment to come with paddle shifters and it's fun to use. Gearshifts are way faster if you compare them with other brand AMT cars in the market. It's very well-tuned and the best AMT in the market today. Behaves 85% like a Torque Converter AT box!
The engine doesn't feel as punchy as the Suzuki 1.2 but has a good mid-range. It takes a while to pick up from lower speeds but fares better as the revs climb. One will also enjoy the engine note at 4k+ rpm, it sounds sweet

Handling & suspension: The steering is feather lite at parking speeds and weighs up slightly at higher speeds, but not very confidence inspiring. It also auto-centres after taking a turn which is a plus. The suspension felt about adequate, it's a bit on the softer side, but didn't bottom out easily. No issues with the 185mm GC either, more than sufficient to handle the tallest of speed breakers.

Space: Its got ample headroom for all passengers, but lacks under-thigh support at the rear. Also, the rear is strictly for 2 adults, even a 5-year-old kid will fit in tightly with two adults at the rear. The boot is spacious and can swallow two big-size suitcases and one duffel bag, but the loading lip is very high, something like the Baleno.

Feature-wise Hyundai has nailed it, and gets everything one could imagine in this segment, only thing it lacked is the auto wipers and ventilated seats!

Overall it's a great buy & super VFM car for the city and occasional highway runs. We booked the SX(O) AMT by putting down an 11k token amount. Deliveries will be fast as the sales rep said Hyundai has planned a large production plan with the Exter and was promised delivery within 45 days.

Pro Tip: Do not buy the SX(O) AMT DT variant, instead go for the SX(O) AMT, you will save a massive 48K in the on-road Karnataka price. You can anyways get the roof wrapped for about 10k outside.