[Paavan Shetty]

Originally Posted by libranof1987

That said, I don't know what manufacturers have against electrochromic IRVMs. Why are they so stingy with it?! Worse, is not being able to retrofit it in most cases.

Let me try to answer it. I'm an automobile engineer by profession and so know things where and how the cost will be tried to be lowered. Now if you see Hyundai has also skimped the adjustable seatbelt option (which even some Suzuki cars like swift get on their top models). The simple evaluation done here by the company will be; most of the customers never use the adjustability (we as enthusiasts know it's importance, but not the masses), same goes for the auto dimming IRVMs. I have never seen anyone in my known circle using the auto dimming feature, even the manual one. People just don't know or even if they know, they don't use it frequently enough for the company to see as a feature which the customer will long for. Rather the company will save money there and give features like the sunroof, digital instruments.etc which actually lures or makes the customer feel good about the car!

Contrary there are companies like VW which will never do this. They'll give all the important features like adjustable seatbelts, telescopic adjustment for steering, adjustable headrests for all occupants, auto-dimming IRVMs.etc, but will loose out on frills features. The result? We lost cars like POLO, FABIA, PUNTO.etc which were actually true gems of cars (in terms of dynamics, engine performance, safety and basically the absolute basics of a sweet car!). Some of that is being brought back by TATA Cars to some extent, but that does take toll on their features list and quality of interiors.etc related to finesse (which also comes from experience as in the case of Mahindra learning a lot from SsangYong and applying that in their latest products!).

It's simple in my opinion. The sales numbers companies give the people (which actually doesn't include our enthusiasts mindset to an extent) what they want for an attractive price tag!

[ByKaizen]

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 ?

Attachment 2476931

Lol It was itching me since the day of launch. good to know that it infects more people

[parrys]

Originally Posted by Asish_VK

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 ?

SAME!

I thought of mentioning it in my review too, but thought it would sound crazy to people who don't mind it.

Even the cladding behind the front wheel arch ends abruptly near the front door.

Us with OCD, we will always see that part instantly when we spot an Exter.

[McLaren Rulez]

Originally Posted by SoumenD

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.

Agree 100%. Team BHP is not funded by automotive companies for precisely this reason and this should be done to maintain the standard of reviews. Yes Hyundai will be pissed but facts are more important than Hyundai's feelings.

Also worth pointing out that some older reviews (e.g Kia Seltos) should be updated to mention safety as a con. Safety is repeatedly mentioned as a positive in those reviews.

[wheelguy]

Originally Posted by McLaren Rulez

Agree 100%. Team BHP is not funded by automotive companies for precisely this reason and this should be done to maintain the standard of reviews. Yes Hyundai will be pissed but facts are more important than Hyundai's feelings.

Also worth pointing out that some older reviews (e.g Kia Seltos) should be updated to mention safety as a con. Safety is repeatedly mentioned as a positive in those reviews.

Yes. All the safety talk the company is doing now is an eyewash until proven. I see most of the reviewers parroting what the manufacturer says, if they simply parrot what the manufacturer says then the very purpose of review is defeated. Then they get reduced to mere marketers in the guise of reviewers.

And on the upcoming BNCAP, Maruti and Hyundai Kia can use their might to lobby things in their favour, then they will come up with a statement saying "we are BNCAP 5 star rated".

We cannot isolate the safety issues of these manufacturers from their reviews. These companies are blatantly maintaining double standards in terms of safety.

[aseem23]

I don't think all these safety talks regarding Exter or Seltos will negatively impact Hyundai or Kia sales. They certainly have a winning product in the market in the segment. Safety is more than 'JUST' a rating certificate, especially in Indian driving conditions. People who want to buy these cars will eventually buy them, and keyboard warriors will remain keyboard warriors in the end. Happy miles to the prospective owners.

[Candy$Cars]

Originally Posted by aseem23

I don't think all these safety talks regarding Exter or Seltos will negatively impact Hyundai or Kia sales. They certainly have a winning product in the market in the segment. Safety is more than 'JUST' a rating certificate, especially in Indian driving conditions. People who want to buy these cars will eventually buy them, and keyboard warriors will remain keyboard warriors in the end. Happy miles to the prospective owners.

The thing is it is us, the consumers - including the prospective buyers of these vehicles as well as those who prefer safer vehicles - at the loss.
It is absolutely clear why brands follow the strategy that Hyundai does - because "jo dikhta h wo bikta hai" (translation - what is visible is what sells). Every manufacturer has fixed budget and it is obvious Hyundai saves a lot by giving poorer structure unless the benefits/profits outweigh the negative press it gets.
A time will come when other manufacturers who compromise on features to give safer build will give up and will either start leaving the country ( just like Ford) or start towing the line and give what Indians want.
This will be the immense loss for Indians.

And that "rating certificate" matters even more in Indian Driving Conditions where even city limits regularly witness freak accidents.

[r2212xx]

The Hyundai logo comes across as gargantuan; it was not very evident in Verna. Wonder if they maintain the same logo dimension across all products.
The rear is reminiscent of the Hyundai Getz.
The interior quality seems impressive for the segment. Top-end Exter might draw away those considering lower variants of Venue by interior quality alone, potentially coming across as more value-for-money than Venue.

[JithinR]

Didn't realise that customers already had these on the road. Agreed with a lot of others here. Didn't like the rear end design. It's not ugly but it just didn't sit right with the overall design cohesiveness.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by itsbaman

None of the reviews on YouTube, even from leading magazines are not mentioning safety in their reviews for Hyundai Cars,

Two reasons:

- We will NOT comment on safety until it is GNCAP tested. Many cars have disappointed us, many cars have pleasantly surprised us (e.g. Liva / Etios, Vitara Brezza).

- The Hyundai COO has gone on record to say that the Exter will do well in the GNCAP. When someone goes on record, it does hint toward something.

Originally Posted by McLaren Rulez

Also worth pointing out that some older reviews (e.g Kia Seltos) should be updated to mention safety as a con.

Before commenting, please do check the review:

Originally Posted by Aditya

What you won't:

• Barely managed 3-stars in the GNCAP crash tests (full discussion)
• Firm suspension. Liveable, but bad roads will bother you (especially on 17" wheel variants)
• Back seat's width makes it better for 2 adults and a kid, rather than 3 adults
• Niggles are being reported by owners (details here)
• Some misses (illuminated window buttons, thinner spare tyre on top trims, no dual-tone option on GTX+ / HTX+)
• Dual-clutch ATs (like the Petrol DCT) have a history of poor reliability in India
• Diesel’s 113 BHP & 250 Nm – although adequate – are the lowest in the segment. Creta 1.6L is faster
• Extremely confusing & complicated variant spread. We still haven’t gotten the hang of it!
• Kia's after-sales service quality is an unknown. We await details in our ownership reports
• You get bigger SUVs & Crossovers for the same money (e.g. Hector, Harrier, XUV500)

Now, let's get back to the Exter and discuss its safety once its been crash-tested.

[aniketi]

This car has taken cues from Tata Punch and Maruti Ignis for sure. They have designed a good car but overdone by some elements which looks really ugly. Specially last quarter of the car. Rear also looks weird with that black plate,totally ruined the look. Also all black interior spoils the party.

This car will eat share from Venue, i20 and Grand i10 mainly. Others don't have to worry much IMHO.

[aseem23]

Originally Posted by GTO

Now, let's get back to the Exter and discuss its safety once its been crash-tested.

Rightly said, all are eager to comment without even reading the review properly, or waiting for the “Safety Certificate” to come. Once safety rating will come, then there will be another nit-picking. Kia, Hyundai is not forcing anyone to buy their cars. People are free to choose the car of their liking.

[firingpistonz]

Hello prospective Exter owners.
This is not a rant/praise against one specific car. Being objective here.

I just got a Tata Punch a month ago. When I booked a Punch, only the spy shots of the Exter were available and the only thing that was know to us was that It will be based on the Grand i10 Nios. Me and my wife tool a look at the those photos and
1. Were not impressed with the looks
2. Knew that the Exter will not be as well built as a Tata
3. Knew that it will not handle bad patches of roads as well as the Punch
Because of these reasons we did not cancel our booking and we went ahead with our booking.
But we very well knew that the engine/gearbox combo will be better than the punch.

Now that we have the Punch with us we are happy with many things, we aren't with some others. A couple of weeks later the Exter is officially launched and the prices are announced. I was very disappointed that I could've waited and was waiting for the comparison videos, as I was sure that all the reviews will wax eloquent on the Exter. ( Probably rightly so). So finally youtuber DDS has released a comparison video between the two with the Punch owner doing the comparison. I felt the video was genuine and the points he makes are correct.

While each car has its own pros and cons, there is only one that has an SUV-like stance and behaves like one(atleast the one with tougher suspension and how it handles bad roads). And as the owner says, both the cars have been built with different intentions and the Exter caters to people with specific usage and so is the punch.

Sharing the video for everyone's reference. Might help someone who is comparing between the two.

http://youtu.be/-S5fAkHa0EM

Also let me re-iterate. My intention is not to bad mouth any product. But I'm sure now that I've made the correct choice. 😀

[alok9345]

Originally Posted by firingpistonz

Hello prospective Exter owners.
This is not a rant/praise against one specific car. Being objective here.

While each car has its own pros and cons, there is only one that has an SUV-like stance and behaves like one(atleast the one with tougher suspension and how it handles bad roads). And as the owner says, both the cars have been built with different intentions and the Exter caters to people with specific usage and so is the punch.

Also let me re-iterate. My intention is not to bad mouth any product. But I'm sure now that I've made the correct choice. 😀

While I completely agree with you and the most of this video and ofcourse stance and looks are very subjective - Punch does look the better of the two. Having said that, Tata comes with a significant pain of dealing with their ASS, plus the gearbox and engine combo makes it a pain to drive.

I own a Nexon EV Max and I promised my grandparents on the day of delivery of that car, that I'll buy them the Punch (I always loved the looks). However, what i've suffered with the Tata ASS, in a city like Bangalore, I was left very disappointed. Grandparents coming froma small Tier 3 city, where Tata doesn't even have a showroom, I couldn't imagine the pain it will take in case anything goes wrong (which also is something more often with Tata).

Decided to book Fronx first, but the pricing disappointed massively and then booked the Exter. Happy with the product, always liked Hyundai service and they recently opened a showroom in our city, which has been great. Looking forward to the Fiery Red Exter SX delivery!

Punch is a great product let down by Tata's service and engine-gearbox combo. I am positive Punch EV would be a wonderful product, but they really need to turn around the service, else they'll quickly cede market share to others, just like exter.

I am not commenting on safety because there's nothing to compare right now - probably we'll know soon!

[PrideRed]

Originally Posted by alok9345

Decided to book Fronx first, but the pricing disappointed massively and then booked the Exter. Happy with the product, always liked Hyundai service and they recently opened a showroom in our city, which has been great. Looking forward to the Fiery Red Exter SX delivery!

Congratulations, Exter is an impressive effort by Hyundai and with pricing its a good deal. The SX is value for money. 6 airbags, ESP, 4 pot motor and a smoother AMT works in its favor. The Tata Punch will probably will have better safety ratings.