5000 km in 5 months on Hyundai Exter AMT: Ownership experience so far

Despite its heavier build compared to the Grand i10 Nios, the Exter feels no slouch. And its average fuel efficiency hovers between 12-14 km/l in the city and 19-21 km/l on highways.

BHPian forester recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

Our Hyundai Exter SX AMT has touched the 5,000km milestone within a span of five months of coming home. The average monthly running, thus, stands at 1,000km, primarily due to our relocation from Delhi to Gurugram which involved several trips over the last couple of months.

The engine has opened beautifully and despite its heavier build compared to the Grand i10 Nios, the Exter feels no slouch, and can easily overtake other vehicles with a downshift or two. The average fuel efficiency hovers between 12-14kpl for the city, and 19-21kpl on the highway.

The suspension setup is the biggest USP of the car. The comfort-oriented setup absorbs bumps and potholes with aplomb, and broken patches of road, found aplenty in Delhi-NCR, do not slow the Exter down. Ironically, despite the soft setting, the steering feedback too is quite decent. The steering also feels extremely light and easy to use at slow and parking speeds, making intra-city commutes a breeze, while weighing up reasonably well as speeds rise.

High-speed stability is impressive too and the car remains well under control even above the 100kph mark. Over the last few months, we have had all sorts of practical use cases, including a full-load (5 pax + luggage) airport run, crossing heavily waterlogged streets during NCR’s peak monsoon and a quick jaunt on the highway. Have had tons of fun with the car this monsoon season!

Got the tyres rotated in a 4-tyre rotation pattern at the 5k mark.

With its compact footprint, phenomenal all-around visibility and easy controls, the car has turned out to be a perfect companion for intra-city commutes, while offering enough confidence for occasional highway drives.

However, there are areas of improvement too:

While the front seats offer very good under-thigh support, the seatback feels a bit too stiff, causing discomfort after about an hour’s drive. As per my assessment, Hyundai could not have installed bigger seats due to the compact dimensions of the car, lest it would feel claustrophobic. But I would happily trade the sunroof for larger seats and a more powerful aircon.

What I have come to observe is that the air conditioner is calibrated to trip for a few seconds under heavy acceleration to not hamper the fuel efficiency. This is owing to the Exter’s weight - being around 50kg heavier than the Nios it is based on.

With my heavy-right-foot driving style, this momentary tripping of the AC makes the cabin lose its cool, letting humidity to settle in. If one drives sedately, the tripping is less frequent. However, Maruti ACs are significantly better in comparison, and even an Alto K10 chills one to the bone within a matter of a few minutes. The Exter’s performs 'good' if the temperatures are in the 36-38-degree Celsius zone, while the performance could be rated as 'adequate' in temperatures anything above that range.

Among its contemporaries! The compact footprint is perfect for congested cities and makes it a do-it-all household car!

The horn is a bit too meek but we have come to live with it, and the low-beam headlamp illumination is also par for the course – something most cars struggle with these days. However, the halogen setup is a boon for my eyes, which cannot tolerate prolonged exposure to white light at night.

Uniquely, it is quite difficult to clean the Exter’s exterior! With the spaced-out E-X-T-E-R badging on the hood, the Jopasu strands tend to get stuck, particularly in the sharp edges of the alphabet ‘X’ in the car’s name! Similar is the case with the rear ‘SX’ variant badging as well. The tallboy roof is also difficult to reach without standing on either the wheel or on the door sills by opening either of the doors. The black cladding also needs to be kept polished every few weeks, else it looks pale and washed out.

While the build quality feels solid, and the doors close with a reassuring thud every time, the paint quality could have been better. I can already see a few scuff marks due to minor nudges from adjacent vehicles in public parking lots.

Likeable bits also include the infotainment system that offers good bass and despite being a basic setup, the output is nice in terms of clarity and loudness as well. The all-digital instrument cluster is pleasing to view and offers great legibility. Follow-me-home headlamps, door unlock by pulling the door lever from the inside, TPMS are some functions used on a day-to-day basis.

The presence of multiple useful storage spaces such as the large glovebox, a bottle holder just below the gear lever, and a large storage area right ahead of it to park the smartphone are thoughtful touches. All in all, it is a homely feel inside the cabin!

Until the next update!

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