Hyundai Exter

The Hyundai Exter is a micro-SUV based on the Grand i10 Nios hatchback. It packs the same powertrain options as the hatchback, but promises to offer more features and safety equipment while providing some of the qualities that are usually associated with SUVs. What are those qualities, how well does it deliver them and is it a proper upgrade over a Grand i10 Nios? Let’s find out.

• The Hyundai Exter might have the size and shape of a hatchback, but it looks like a mini SUV with loads of cladding and squared off design elements.

• Its nose looks bulky with a skid plate at the bottom, and square housing for the big projector halogen headlights.

• The H-shaped LED DRLs look cool and represent Hyundai’s design language as seen in other cars like the Alcazar and Santa Fe (international product).

• It looks boxy from the side, not just because of the shape, but also because of the huge rear window and generous cladding.

• The 15-inch dual-tone alloy wheels look good, but are limited to the top-spec SX(O) variants.

• Mid-spec variants of the Exter get dual-tone wheel covers, while the one-above-base and base variant get 14-inch steel wheels with covers, and 14-inch steel wheels without covers, respectively.

• The rear too gets a skid plate, but it is much heavier than what you get at the front.

• Overall styling at the rear is very hatchback-like with a steeply raked windscreen and flattish tailgate.

• The H-shaped elements in the tail lights match the DRL design at the front and a gloss black panel connects them, just like they do at the front.

• In terms of colour options, the Exter has 7 monotone shades to choose from: Cosmic Blue, Ranger Khaki, Fiery Red, Atlas White, Titan Grey, Abyss Black, and Shadow Grey.

• The Cosmic Blue, Ranger Khaki, and Atlas White shades can be had with a dual tone treatment.

Design and Quality

• The Exter’s interior has an all-black theme, contrasted by coloured inserts on the seats, and AC vents.

• These coloured inserts differ based on the exterior colour you pick.

• Quality of plastics in the upper half of the dashboard is acceptable and the 3D pattern on the passenger side dashboard looks good.

• I like the combination of fabric and leatherette on the seats, but I wish plastics below the dashboard had a slightly better feel.

Driving position

• The Exter’s seats feel supportive and comfortable for average-sized individuals.

• Only people with larger frames would want a bigger seat with more support for their back and shoulder blades.

• Also, an armrest is a sore miss on longer journeys.

• I was able to find a comfortable driving position easily with the help of height adjustable driver seat and tilt steering adjustment. Telescopic adjustment in the steering wheel would’ve further improved comfort.

Passenger comfort

• Getting in and out of the Hyundai Exter is fairly easy.

• Once in, the Exter’s rear seat offers enough space for two full-size adults to sit comfortably.

• The seat cushioning is soft and the seat base is a little raised which allows you to sit comfortably.

• While knee room and foot room is adequate, the headroom is excellent to such an extent that even people taller than 6ft won’t have any issues whatsoever.

• For comfort, rear occupants get adjustable headrests, rear AC vents, and a 12V socket. But there is no central armrest.

Storage options

• The Exter won’t leave you wanting for more in terms of practicality.

• It gets 1-litre bottle pockets in all doors, two cupholders in the centre and a dedicated storage to keep the keys. The wireless charging pad can be used to store your device or stuff like wallet when not in use, or those can alternatively be stored on the slab of the passenger side dashboard.

• The glove box is quite big and has a cooling function, but rear passengers only get seat back pockets behind the passenger.

• In terms of charging options, the Exter offers type-C port, a USB port and 12V socket up front. There’s one 12V socket at the back too.

Features

• The Hyundai Exter is one of the most feature-loaded offerings at its price point.

• The 8-inch infotainment system gets integrated navigation, connected car tech, and voice commands, which are really easy to use.

• The screen works smoothly, has good resolution, and gets wired Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, both of which work as intended.

• The 4 speaker sound system only offers acceptable audio quality.

• It only gets a single-pane electric sunroof, but it does make the cabin feel even more airy.

• Other features include cruise control, auto headlights, auto AC, push button start/stop, and electric outside mirrors.

• The Hyundai Exter comes packing 6 airbags, ABS with EBD, rear parking sensors, ISOFIX mounts, and three-point seatbelts for all passengers as standard.

• Electronic aids like electronic stability control, hill hold assist, and vehicle stability management are offered from the EX(O) variant.

• In its fully loaded version, it also packs a tyre pressure monitoring system, dual dashcams, rear defogger, and a rear view camera with dynamic guidelines.

• The dual-camera dash cam with a front and in-cabin cameras is a handy feature and eliminates the extra wiring that comes with aftermarket units.

• The rear view camera has an acceptable quality.

• There is no crash test rating for the Hyundai Exter yet.

• With 391-litres of on paper storage, the Exter can accommodate two suitcases on top of each other with space for a couple of duffle bags in the side.

• The boot floor is quite wide and long so big suitcases fit easily.

• The rear seats can be folded flat for when you need to haul some bigger items.

• Thanks to the dual cylinder layout of the CNG tanks, you still get a usable boot with the CNG variants of the Exter.

• The Hyundai Exter comes with a 1.2-litre, four-cylinder, naturally aspirated petrol engine.

• It is available with a 5-speed MT or a 5-speed AMT.

• There’s also a CNG option available with the manual transmission.

NA petrol

• This engine’s refinement is good and the cabin remains quiet and relaxed in city speeds. 

• In terms of performance, this engine will let you down if you want an exciting drive from it, but not if you want something smooth and effortless for your regular commutes.

• The power delivery is very smooth and the acceleration is linear.

• Overtakes in the city are done without any stress and it cruises comfortably at speeds of 80-100kmph.

• But I felt the engine to be underpowered for highspeed overtakes, where I had to plan my overtakes well in advance.

• This becomes an even bigger issue if the car’s fully loaded, and you’re trying to make overtakes in a hilly area with inclines.

• In my experience, the manual’s clutch action became a little hard as I clocked more kilometers on the car, but it still didn’t feel heavy.

• I would nudge you to get the automated manual transmission (AMT) for its convenience. It might be slow to react when you want a quick overtake, but it works well in regular commuting situations.

• There’s also paddle shifters along with the AMT, for better manual control.

• The Exter isn’t very fuel efficient as I got a figure of around 11kmpl in the city and around 15kmpl on the highway.

CNG

• With the Exter CNG, you won’t feel any real difference in performance in regular city commutes.

• However, you will have to really plan out your overtakes on the highway, especially if you’re traveling with a full load.

• Switching to the petrol mode while making those high speed maneuvers help make those overtakes slightly easier.

• While the petrol Exter isn’t very fuel efficient, the CNG claims a much better efficiency of 27.11 km/kg.

• The Hyundai Exter isn’t the most comfortable car in its segment, but it still has a good ride quality.

• Imperfections, bumps, and speedbreakers in the city are well absorbed at slow speeds, with little movement inside the cabin.

• Comfort is maintained over sharper bumps as well, but you do feel them slightly more inside the cabin.

• The car remains stable at triple digit speeds, and you can drive it at those speeds with confidence.

• The light steering weight makes it super easy to drive it in the city, but I would recommend taking corners at a slow pace only.

• The Hyundai Exter can be had in 10 variants: EX/EX(O), S EXE/S+ EXE, S Smart, S/S+, SX Smart, SX/SX Tech, SX Night, SX(O), SX(O) Connect, SX(O) Connect Knight.

• CNG is available in the EX(O), S EXE/S+ EXE, S Smart, SX Smart, SX/SX Tech and SX Knight variants.

Exter EX/EX(O)

• Sits on 14-inch steel wheels, and gets LED tail lights along with body coloured bumpers.

• Basic interior skips on contrasting inserts, 3D dashboard pattern and leatherette inserts.

• Only offers the most basic equipment like manual AC, front powered windows, and a MID display for the driver.

• Good safety kit with 6 airbags, ABS with EBD and rear parking sensors. Electronic stability control, hill hold assist, and vehicle stability management are offered in the EX(O) variant.

Exter S EXE / S+ EXE(O)

• Adds LED DRLs, black radiator grille and C-pillar garnish, covers for the wheels, and body coloured door handles and outside mirrors.

• Better interior look and features with an electric sunroof, rear AC vents, front and rear powered windows and electrically adjustable outside mirror.

• Adds an 8-inch touchscreen system with wired Android Auto and Apple Carplay. Also gets a 4-speaker sound system with steering mounted controls.

• Safety kit gets manual inside mirror, rear parking camera and tyre pressure monitoring system.

Exter S Smart

• Entry-level variant for the automated manual transmission (AMT).

• Better looks with bigger 15-inch steel wheels with dual tone covers, and LED turn indicators on the ORVMs (AMT only).

• Doesn’t get the 8-inch infotainment system, but still offers a 4-speaker sound system.

• Only gets chrome finished gear knob and fully electrically adjustable ORVMs with the AMT.

• The rear view camera has been deleted in the variant.

Exter S/S+

• Exterior and interior looks are exactly the same as the last variant.

• No changes in the features or safety kit, save for the addition of the 8-inch infotainment system and a rear view camera.

Exter SX Smart

• Features projector headlights, roof rails, rear spoiler (petrol only), and 15-inch alloys (Dual tone variant only).

• Better interior feel with semi-leatherette seats, metal finished door handles, and sporty metal pedals (AMT only).

• 8-inch infotainment system is not offered with this variant.

• Top features include voice-assisted sunroof, paddle shifters (AMT), push button start/stop, cruise control (petrol), tilt steering adjust, and digital display for auto AC.

• Safety kit adds a dashcam, and rear defogger to the list.

Exter SX/SX Tech

• No change in the exterior or interior styling.

• Only adds the 8-inch infotainment system back to the feature list.

Exter SX Knight

• Features a black skid plate, red inserts all around, including the brake callipers, and dark grey covers for the steel wheels.

• The interior features exclusive black semi-leatherette upholstery with red inserts, and metal scuff plate.

• No changes in the features or safety kit.

Exter SX (O)

• Exterior and interior elements track back to the standard treatment with regular 15-inch alloys, silver skid plate, and regular dual tone upholstery.

• Top features include a wireless phone charger, rear AC vents, auto headlights and over the air updates for the touchscreen.

• No changes in the safety kit.

Exter SX (O) Connect

• Front and rear mud guards are the only change in the exterior.

• Adds connected car technology, including road side assistance and SOS emergency help.

• The only real change in the features list is the HD 8-inch infotainment system with home to car Alexa voice commands.

Exter SX (O) Connect Knight

• Features similar changes as the SX Knight edition with black colours and contrasting red inserts inside-out.

• No changes in the features or safety kit when compared to the previous variant.

CarDekho recommends:

• If you want a basic car with all the important functional features on a budget, and don’t want to put aftermarket accessories, then you should go for the S EXE / S+ EXE(O) variant.

• The S/S+ variant can be considered if you want an automatic on a budget.

• Overall, the SX/SX Tech variants seem to be the sweet spot and most value-for-money variants in the Exter’s lineup.

The Exter is the perfect car for people who want the feel and qualities of an SUV, but in a small and affordable footprint. It delivers on space and practicality for four, and even packs a healthy list of features and safety equipment. Only if its powertrain packed more punch, then not just its look, but its overall package would’ve been SUV-like. 

Other cars to consider instead of the Hyundai Exter

Tata Punch

Reasons to consider

• Better infotainment experience. 

• Better ride comfort

Reasons to ignore

• Engine refinement isn’t as good

• Fit and finish is inconsistent 

Citroen C3

Reasons To Consider

• More affordable 

• Better ride quality

Reasons to ignore

• Feels built to a cost

• Lacks features

Renault Kiger/Nissan Magnite

Reasons to consider

• Bigger cars 

• Better rear seat space

• Option of more exciting turbo-petrol engines

Reasons to ignore

• Top variants are more expensive

• No CNG option