Hyundai Xcent launched in India for Rs 4.66 lakh

Hyundai has launched the Xcent in India for Rs 4.66 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) with bookings of the car starting today. The range starts at Rs 4.66 lakh to Rs 6.47 lakh for the petrol variants and Rs 5.56 lakh to Rs 7.38 lakh for the diesel variants. The petrol Automatic variants range from Rs 6.29 lakh to Rs 7.19 lakh. The sedan made its world debut at the Delhi Auto Expo, last month, and is a stretched version of the Grand i10 hatchback.

Measuring less than four metres in length, the Xcent goes up against Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire, Honda Amaze and the upcoming Tata Zest in the compact sedan segment. The car will be offered in three petrol and three diesel trim levels including the Base, S and SX with two transmission options.

The Xcent shares the platform, many design cues, as well as the front fascia with the Grand i10. The car follows Hyundai’s fluidic design language with the front featuring a hexagonal grille and the headlamps resembling the i20. The side profile also retains the same overall shape till the point of the C-pillar from where, the raked roofline protrudes out to take the shape of a chubby 407-litre boot, the largest in its segment. The rear has been set a little high up with a high loading bay, giving the car a slightly elevated stance. With the added boot, the car measures 3.95 metres in length, easily qualifying for the Government’s concessions for sub-four metre cars. 14-inch alloys will be available as an optional extra in the S variant while the SX gets it as a standard fitment.

The Grand i10 is one of the most well equipped cars in the hatchback segment and all the creature comforts have been carried forward in the Xcent. The sedan comes with a number of segment-first features like rear AC vents, a 1GB hard drive for the 2-DIN music system, push-button start, all-electric rear view mirrors, steering-mounted audio and Bluetooth controls and a cooled glove-box. Safety features include standard dual front airbags in the SX variant and optional ABS in S and SX. The top-end variant will also get reverse parking camera, another segment-first. Base variant will get power windows only in the front. Design and quality wise, the cabin lends a premium look to the sedan and feels fresher than its competition.

Hyundai has carried forward the engine lineup of the Grand i10 for the Xcent. It will be offered with the option of the tried and tested 1.2-litre Kappa2 petrol engine or a three-cylinder 1.1-litre U2 CRDi diesel unit. While the former has been retuned to produce 82bhp and 113.7Nm of torque the latter produces 71bhp and 180.4Nm of torque. The engine powers the front wheels via five-speed manual gearbox with the petrol unit getting the option of a four-speed automatic gearbox in the S and SX trims. For the manual variants, Hyundai claims an efficiency of 24.4kmpl for the diesel and 19.1kmpl for the petrol, while the automatic petrol returns 16.9kmpl.

Hyundai has taken its time getting into the compact sedan segment, making sure it doesn’t lag in any department and looking at the car, we can say that the efforts have paid off. The Xcent is a feature-loaded car complete with a competitive price tag. Add to that the renowned Korean brand value and reliability and we can say that the Xcent is sure to give the Maruti Dzire and the Honda Amaze a run for their money.

The pricelist of the Hyundai Xcent (ex-showroom Delhi):

Petrol Variants

Base model : Rs 4.66 lakh

S : Rs 5.32 lakh

S (O) : Rs 5.57 lakh

SX : Rs 6.22 lakh

SX (O) : Rs 6.47 lakh

Diesel Variants

Base model : Rs 5.56 lakh

S : Rs 6.23 lakh

S (O) : Rs 6.48 lakh

SX : Rs 7.13 lakh