Here It Is: Hyundai Xcent
16 years after it first launched the Accent, Hyundai overhauls the car with the Xcent, a city car with a 165 mm ground clearance.
16 years after it first launched the Accent, Hyundai goes loose on the car
We don’t drive a lot of affordable cars here at FHM and not just because we want to only bring you the most aspirational cars. We just don’t want to. But when Hyundai went out and decided to overhaul a car we held in as high esteem as the Hyundai Accent we had to take notice. 16 years is a long time, when Hyundai first launched the car in 1999, we were still worried about Y2K and an American was running Microsoft. 8 years later, the CRDi went on to redefine how we looked at diesel engines, even the Hyundai Accent Viva managed to earn itself a cult following. So the Xcent has a tough legacy to match up to.
Drop dead gorgeous
To be honest, if you liked the older version of the car back when it didn’t look like its name plate was written by Wolverine, you wouldn’t like this version. The front of it looks completely like the Grand, it’s impressive to look at...much better than the Amaze but not as good as the Dzire. However it’s at the rear that the Xcent manages to shine through its competition, the boot doesn’t look like its aftermarket and the chrome finish in the tail light adds some flair to the rear. But its inside that the Xcent really sticks it to the other cars in its segment – the quality of the interiors, the features are yards ahead and feel premium. The top end comes with key-less push-button start, rear AC vent (the only car to offer in this segment), exhaustive steering mounted controls, reverse parking sensors and camera, climate control, audio system with Bluetooth, optional ABS and dual airbags, chilled glovebox and rear centre armrest.
The drive
The Xcent is a city car which means its more at ease being sensible rather than being a hoodlum. Though you get a healthy mileage of 24.4 kmpl, it lacks punch on the highway. The best part of the Xcent is outside it, or to be more precise under it. The problem with most city cars is limited ground clearance and you end up scrapping the floor but on such worries in the Xcent’s case. With a 165 mm ground clearance, it does not just overcome oversized speed breakers with ease but sails overs roads where the tarmac sporadically disappears. Everything comes down to brass tack and the Xcent diesel range starts at ₹5.56, making it 22k cheaper than Dzire and 44k than the Amaze. Also keep in mind the Xcent is better equipped than Maruti and Honda and is probably the only one who can fit a grown man in the boot.
Car Specs: Xcent 1.1 CRDi SX
- Price: ₹7.41,000
- Torque: 180.4Nm
- Mileage: 18.9 kmpl
- Fuel tank: 43 ltrs
- Displacement: 1120 CC
From the May 2014 issue of FHM India.
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