Hyundai Exter vs Tata Punch: Comparison In Pics

The Hyundai Exter, the newest micro SUV on the block, sure has a lot of attention-grabbing details but are they enough to draw your eyes away from its striking rival, the Tata Punch?

The Hyundai Exter is the carmaker’s newest SUV offering for our market and is the starting point of its SUV lineup. The Exter is the second micro SUV in our market following the already popular Tata Punch, which came out towards the end of 2021. If you want to compare the exteriors, interiors and features of the two SUVs, check out our image gallery below:

EXTERIOR

Front

While both the Exter and Punch are micro SUVs, they look a lot like a hatchback on steroids. That’s down to the Exter’s steeply raked A-pillar and windscreen and the almost-flat bonnet. The Punch has puffy panels and colour-differentiated body and front bumper, unlike the Exter where the body colour breaks in between for a textured panel and is continued in the bumper. The Hyundai SUV also gets a chunky skid plate featuring fake rivets and is even visually wider than the Tata Punch. Another standout element on the Exter is its name badge on the upper portion of the front fascia but it’s only the Punch that gets fog lamps in the bumper.

Headlights

Both the micro SUVs feature a split headlight setup, with those on the Hyundai Exter looking sleeker and sharper. Hyundai has given it “H-shaped” LED DRLs and halogen projector headlights placed in squarish housings. The Tata SUV, on the other hand, also gets projector headlights with the sleek LED DRLs placed above, reminiscent of those on the Tata Harrier-Safari duo.

Side

It’s from the sides that you notice the steeply raked windshield of the Exter more prominently. The Exter also has the more boxy appearance of the two thanks to its upright stance, straighter roofline, and big rear windows (housing a quarter glass panel too). Both the SUVs feature chunky black cladding all-around (a little more pronounced on the Punch) and roof rails. The Punch offers 187mm of ground clearance while that of the Exter stands at 185mm. 

While both the SUVs convey a floating roof-like effect, it’s the Exter's that stands out due to the textured finish on its C-pillar. The Punch also gets C-pillar-mounted rear door handles unlike those on the Exter which take a more conventional approach.

Paint Options

Hyundai is offering the Exter in nine colour options including three dual-tone shades (having a black roof only). The Punch, on the flip side, has five monotone shades and seven dual-tone exterior paint options (with a choice of black and white roofs). The Punch is also sold in a Camo edition that gives it a green shade with a white roof.

Related: Hyundai Exter Gets These 7 Features Over The Tata Punch

Wheels

While the Hyundai Exter has 15-inch dual-tone alloy wheels, Tata has provided the Punch with 16-inch units.

Rear

At the back, the first difference that you notice between the two is the bigger windscreen of the Exter. The Hyundai SUV gets a textured strip at the back as well along with the “Exter” and variant badges on the tailgate and a massive bumper, whereas the Punch sports the badge on the lower part of its tailgate and a big bumper.

Taillights

Hyundai has provided the Exter with H-shaped LED taillights while the Punch is offered with tri-arrow LED taillights.

Also Read: Here Is How You Can Accessorise Your Hyundai Exter

INTERIOR

Both the SUVs get a dark cabin theme: an all-black for the Exter and dull grey for the Punch. The Exter gets a textured insert in the dashboard (having an uncanny resemblance to the tri-arrow pattern as seen on Tata cars). On the other hand, the Punch’s dashboard comes with a contrasting white panel featuring Tata’s typical tri-arrow design. Tata has given blue accents around the AC vents on the Punch but the Exter gets body colour-coordinated highlights for the same. In terms of displays, the Exter has an integrated setup while the Punch gets two separate housings.

Instrument Cluster And Steering Wheel

When the instrument clusters of the micro SUVs are considered, it’s the Exter that has a better unit here. It gets a fully digitised driver display with a coloured MID in the centre as standard, whereas the Punch has been given a 7-inch semi-digital cluster available only on the top variant.

In terms of steering wheels, the Exter goes the traditional way while the Punch has a flat-bottom unit while both get tilt adjustment. Both the SUVs come with steering-mounted audio and calling controls and cruise control.

Touchscreen System

It’s a no-brainer when the touchscreen systems of the two cars are compared. On one side, there’s an 8-inch unit on the Hyundai Exter while the Tata Punch packs a 7-inch infotainment display. The Exter’s user interface (UI) is much smoother than the Punch’s, and also offers physical buttons unlike the latter. That said, both the SUVs get wired Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. It’s the Punch that wins the race in terms of a sound system (four speakers and two tweeters as opposed to the Exter’s 4-speaker setup). Both cars come with connected car tech and it’s the Exter that scores big here as well as it even gets Alexa connectivity and multi-regional language support.

Climate Control And Other Features

Below the touchscreen system of both the SUVs you can see horizontally stacked central AC vents. Following that, there are the controls for the auto AC connected by the transmission setup and centre console. While both the SUVs get a 12V power socket and a USB port, the Exter also comes with a type-C charging port and a wireless phone charging pad.

The two SUVs offer two cup holders each in their centre consoles and some storage area to place small items.

Sunroof

Yes, you read that right. Despite being a micro SUV, the Exter is equipped with a single-pane sunroof whereas its Tata rival doesn’t have one.

Related: Hyundai Exter vs Rivals: Specifications Compared

Front Seats

While the Punch comes with fabric upholstery, the Exter gets a mix of fabric and leatherette with colour-coordinated piping. Both the SUVs get height adjustment for the driver seat.

Rear Seats

It’s almost a tie here as both have something to offer while missing out on a couple of features. The Exter gets 3-point seatbelts for three passengers, a 12V socket and rear AC vents. While the Punch doesn’t get these features, it does come with a rear centre armrest (sadly without cup holders). Both the SUVs get adjustable rear headrests and ISOFIX child seat anchorages.

Also Check Out: Here Are The Variant-Wise Features Of The Hyundai Exter

Final Thoughts

The Exter has arrived a little late to the party but is making up for it with the plethora of features in its kitty. That said, the Punch is no slouch in terms of cabin space and quality. It also has another advantage: its 5-star crash-test rating (the Exter hasn’t been tested as yet). While each car has its pros and cons in terms of the exterior or interior, you can check out our first impressions of the Exter from our first drive report.

Do let us know in the comments which micro SUV’s design appeals to you the most overall, and why.

Read More on : Exter AMT