FIRST DRIVE | Hyundai Exter faces tough fight in competitive segment

Hyundai launched the new Exter in SA this week. The debutant slots neatly ahead of the Venue as the company’s new entry-level SUV model.

It launches with five models, three specification levels, two transmission types and one mission: to get a slice of the large A-SUV pie that’s choc-a-bloc with city-friendly packages with room for four and a starting price of less than R300,000. Leading competitors include the Nissan Magnite, Chery Tiggo 4 Pro and Kia Sonet.

While much of its makeup is true to the genre, being 3,815mm long, 1,710mm wide with a 2,450mm wheelbase makes it the smallest of the lot. Space, seemingly, is an important area for customers in this niche, though its 1,585mm roof height means occupants may rub shoulders but at least they have plenty head room.

The little crossover — which debuts the company’s new corporate suite of H-design DRLs, and shapely and pronounced wheel arches — has a 290l boot capacity. This will be a point of contention as it’s too small for a family of four. If you want to carry something of any size, you’ll need to fold down the rear seats — making the Exter a two-seater as the rear bench isn’t split-foldable.

Hyundai has always prided itself on value offerings filled with amenities. It’s the same with the Exter as the entire range comes with a 4.2-inch TFT cluster screen coupled with an 8-inch main display, single USB A and C ports in front, multifunctional steering wheel, Bluetooth, all-round electric windows, electric mirrors and keyless entry.

The look and quality of the cabin is unquestionably for the niche and feels robust enough and ergonomic. The seats are cloth-covered and manually adjusted, while the confines accommodated a lanky passenger with no issues.    

Technical wares include a single line 1.2l four-cylinder petrol motor developing 61kW and 114Nm driving the front wheels via a five-speed manual or a five-speed automated manual transmission (AMT). My drive was exclusively in the car with a conventional gearbox and equipped with cruise control. 

While power wars don’t entirely exist in the segment, the Exter's performance felt pedestrian at best and the engine was wheezy and noisy on steep incline roads. The ride isn’t dreadful or choppy on imperfect surfaces, however, and the damping makes for a comfortable and smooth operator on good surfaces.

Road, wind and tyre noise is kept in check and other small consolations include a tight turning circle that makes it a cinch to drive in urban areas and the 5.2l/100km fuel consumption average. With a 185mm ground clearance its maker says it can handle gravel tracks, too, on 15-inch standard fitment wheels. 

All told, the Hyundai Exter is competitively priced and encompasses the cuteness and specification it needs to be a contender on anyone's shopping list, but many sector rivals have more going for them.

The Nissan Magnite and Renault Kiger are resoundingly larger and attractive alternatives, so too is the Chery Tiggo4Pro with its dazzling and larger digital screens.

Even worse for the top-line Exter 1.2 Elite model is that the much larger Chinese Omoda C5 230T Style, which offers more specification and double the power and torque, costs just R25K more. 

All new Hyundai Exters come standard with a warranty of five-years vehicle/seven drivetrain, and 150,000km vehicle/200,000km drivetrain, including a three-year/45,000km service plan. 

Pricing:

• Hyundai Exter 1.2 Premium Manual — R269,900
• Hyundai Exter Premium AMT R294,900 
• Hyundai Exter Executive Manual — R289,900
• Hyundai Exter Executive AMT — R314,900 
• Hyundai Exter Elite R334,900