REVIEW: Hyundai Exter is a lot of car in a small package

Late last year Hyundai launched the new Exter compact crossover in SA as the brand’s cheapest SUV. Voted India’s car of the year in 2024, it competes in the entry level A-SUV segment below the larger Hyundai Venue.

From my weeklong impressions of driving the compact but capable newcomer, the Exter could help the Korean brand reclaim some of the market share it has lost to cut-priced Chinese marques such as Chery and Haval in recent years.

For starters, the Exter is a striking looker that stands out on the road. Its chunky shape and prominent Parametric grill make it pop, as do H-shaped LED daytime running lights and squared-off wheel arches. Giving it SUV-like vibes are front and rear silver skid plates and black wheel arch covers.

Built in Chennai, the Exter has a 3,815mm length and 1,170mm width, making it 180mm shorter and 60mm narrower than the Venue. That sounds tiny, but the wheelbase is just 50mm shorter, so there’s not a major difference in the Exter’s legroom, which is impressively spacious and takes four adults comfortably.

The Exter’s 290l boot is notably smaller than the Venue’s 343l cargo hold, but it’s enough for a few tog bags or a reasonable amount of shopping. The boot contains a nearly full-size spare wheel, and luggage space can be expanded by folding down the one-piece rear backrest.

Powering the entire five-model Exter range is a 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.)

The outputs may look meek but a low kerb mass gives the car a good power-to-weight ratio, making it punch above its weight when you drive it.

The engine feels torquey and doesn’t require harsh revving to generate decent acceleration, and short gearing makes for a little car that flits eagerly through suburban roads.

It also comfortably maintains the speed limit and more on the freeway, though its short gearing makes it rev high while cruising, and it could do with a sixth gear to make it a more economical open-road car. That said, the test car’s 6.8l /100km combined town/freeway consumption was respectably frugal (Hyundai claims 5.7l).

The little Hyundai is pleasantly refined, with none of the tinny feel sometimes experienced in such small cars. It’s only when you push the pace a little on the open road that the engine becomes a little vocal. Otherwise it stays respectably quiet, with little wind and road noise.

The light clutch and slick five-speed box made it one of the easiest manual cars I’ve driven.

The AMT auto version’s two-pedalled convenience comes at a R30,000 premium. I haven’t driven the Exter AMT, though previous encounters with such transmissions have left me cold due to their jerky nature.

The small Hyundai has a decent ride quality and the short wheelbase doesn’t cause it to feel especially choppy. The front-wheel drive car scoots through corners with good agility and, with high-profile 15” tyres and a 185mm ground clearance, the Exter takes rough roads in its stride too.

At R289,900 the Exter Executive manual is the middle model in the range and has a good price-per-gadget ratio. Like all variants it comes with a seven-year/200,000km warranty and three-year/45,000km service plan.

The Executive lacks the sunroof or two-pedal convenience of the range-topping R334,900 Exter Elite AMT, but has a good tally of functions, including automatic headlamps, rear parking camera, an eight-inch infotainment system with plug-in Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality, digital instrument panel, USB A and C ports, multifunctional steering wheel, aircon (with easy to use twist-style physical controls — yay), rear aircon vents, trip computer and cruise control.

The interior plastics are hard and at this price point you don’t get the soft-touch stuff. The scratchy plastic on the door panels looks low-rent and the seats are covered in cloth, but interesting textures and colours on the dashboard help liven up the cabin décor.

The safety comprises six airbags, tyre pressure sensors and ABS brakes, but the manual Exter has no electronic stability control — that feature is reserved for the auto version.

Overall, the Exter is an appealing car with attention-grabbing styling as one of its biggest selling points. For those looking to be in the Hyundai family who can live with a smaller boot, the Exter 1.2 Executive represents a solid R40,000 saving over the similarly specced and powered Venue 1.2 Executive.  

The car is not necessarily the biggest bargain in a competitive segment and may seem like a hard-sell against a cheaper but more powerful and spacious rival such as the Chery Tiggo 4 Pro 1.5. To consumers not yet ready to take a chance on Chinese brands, Hyundai’s well-established reputation may trump the price saving.

EXTER VS THE COMPETITION

• Hyundai Exter 1.2 Executive, 61kW/114Nm — R289,900

• Chery Tiggo 4 Pro 1.5 LiT manual, 83kW/138Nm — R269,900

• Citroën C3 Aircross 1.2 Plus, 60kW/115Nm — R274,900

• Nissan Magnite 1.0 Acenta manual, 53kW/96Nm — R277,300

• Suzuki Fronx 1.5 GL manual, 77kW/138Nm — R298,900

• Toyota Starlet Cross 1.5 XS manual, 77kW/138Nm — R299,900

• Nissan Magnite 1.0 Turbo Visia, 74kW/160Nm — R309,700