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Hyundai EON 1L Kappa Review
Hyundai entered the entry level car segment with the Eon hatch. It was for the first time a car of this size and budget offered modern looks and premium features. Primarily aimed against Maruti Suzuki, the Eon challenged its dominance in the micro hatch segment.
While everything worked in its favour, it is the engine which lacked punch. Many felt the 800cc engine could do with a better power delivery to tackle city traffic. Hyundai, known for paying attention to customers, worked on it and introduced a 998cc Kappa engine in the EON in the Magna+ variant only.
This addition also benefits Hyundai in tackling a larger segment. The smaller 800cc engine can battle it out with the core entry level cars like the Nano and the Alto 800 whereas the bigger engine can compete against the likes of Datsun GO and Maruti Suzuki Alto k10. How much has changed in the ‘bigger’ Eon is what we find in our review.
Appearance Exterior
Design wise nothing changes in the bigger EON and it still manages to look a lot better than Maruti Suzuki cars. The Alto 800 does not even come close to the fluidic design of the EON nor does the bigger Alto k10.
Detailing done in the headlight as well as the hexagonal front grille looks very dynamic and perhaps puts its Japanese rival to shame. It has a swaying line flowing from the front profile to the A pillars.
The side profile looks in motion with the window line flowing from the headlights towards the C-Pillar and the roof line falling towards the rear spoiler. Interestingly, none of the lines on the Eon look out of place even the flares on the wheels or the profiled contours on the lower profile of the doors.
C Shaped tail lamps which also double as the C Pillar from rear are the best aspect of the Eon’s overall design. In fact it looks the best among any other entry level car contenders. The EON is as an entry level car and is the smallest Hyundai in the country but still it manages to impress many with its modern cues.
Appearance Interior
The instrumental cluster is done in a simple fashion. Also, there is an ideal gear position indicator which tells the driver to shift up or down depending on the rpm and the speed at which the vehicle is traveling.
Build quality of the interiors is fantastic and has a plush feel around it. If only the EON would have had little more space than the present, it would have felt roomier inside because at present the EON feels a little tight on space. The front row legroom and headroom is decent, however the one in rear is average. The second row would seat two comfortably against three.
Our Magna+ variant had an integrated music system. The seats are very well bolstered and come with integrated headrests as well but the headrest position is not comfortable and for taller passengers.Front door pockets can hold a 1L bottle with ease. There is a storage pocket on the front dashboard. Glove box can fit commodities generously.It has a 215 litre boot space and this space can be increased by collapsing the rear seats.
Overall, the EON fairs well in the interiors with. It is the best by far in any entry level car or even cars which feature in the next upper segment.
Performance Drive
There are lots of vibrations and grunts at lower rpms. In fact the gear stick starts trembling as soon as the engine is cranked. The gear stick has vibrations at lower rpms however with the increase in engine rpm, these vibrations tend to fade away.
While the above is true for the smaller 814cc engine, it has considerably changed for the larger 999cc engine. The increase in the displacement might not appear great on paper but then it has changed in real. To begin with, the engine does not rattle and shiver and instead has exhibits confidents. Rev it at neutral and even then there is no knocking of any sort.
The underpowered feeling has gone completely and now it feels like a proper small car instead of an entry level compromising hatch. The number of vavles has gone up from 9 to 12 and it now features a dual overhead cam mechanism. This 998cc engine produces 69PS at 6200 rpm and a torque of 94.1Nm at 3500 rpm.
The drive quality has improved drastically. The engine now builds speeds with ease. The suffocating behaviour of the engine has reduced. It holds on the power band for longer and delivers enough punch at lower engine speeds thus the potential to battle bumper to bumper traffic situations has gone up. Super smooth gear shift is an added benefit.
Steering wheel does a good job manoeuvring the Eon in city but the same is not effective on highways. It tends to lose its grip on highways and at great speeds. It remains stable till 110 – 120 km/h but the moment you push the throttle harder and try reaching 140 km/h, it is highly unstable. Agreed, it is not a car to be driven on those speeds but stability is one area, this one needs to work on.
Handling also takes a toss cause of those tiny tyres. Suspensions do a decent job of taking potholed and uneven roads. One thing worth mentioning is the cabin insulation which is fantastic. It does not feel like a cost effective small car unlike the Maruti Suzuki Alto 800 which is a supreme sacrifice on performance, comfort and design. Mileage remains similar and this time too we got a mileage of 16kmpl.
Tech Specs
| Technical Specifications | |
| Make | Hyundai |
| Model | EON |
| Variant | Magna+ |
| Price | 404,287 |
| Fuel | Petrol |
| Engine Capacity | 998 |
| Power in PS/RPM | 68 / 6200 |
| Torque in Nm/RPM | 94 / 3500 |
| Gears | 5 MT |
| Length mm | 3515 |
| Width mm | 1500 |
| Height mm | 1510 |
| Wheel base mm | 2380 |
| Fuel tank capacity L | 32 |
| Tyre Spec | 155 / 70 R15 |
Features
| Features | 0.8L D-LITE | 0.8L D-LITE+ | 0.8L ERA+ | 0.8L MAGNA+ | 0.8L SPORTZ | 1.0L MAGNA+ |
| 2-tone beige & brown key color | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Dual Tripmeter | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Low fuel warning | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Graphic band fuel gauge | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Gear shift indicator | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Remote fuel lid opener | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Remote tail gate release | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Rear seat belt knuckle holder | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Motor Driven (Electric) Power Steering | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Tilt steering | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| Internally adjustable outside mirrors | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| Front power windows | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Front door full size armrest | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2 DIN Radio+MP3 Audio | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| Aux-in Port | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| USB Port | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| Engine immobilizer | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Keyless entry | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes |
Competition All Specs
| Specifications |
Hyundai
EON |
Datsun
Go |
Maruti Suzuki
Alto K10 |
| Variant | Magna+ | T | Vxi |
| Price (Ex Showroom Delhi) | 386,623 | 369,999 | 331,678 |
| Fuel | Petrol | Petrol | Petrol |
| Engine Capacity | 998 | 1198 | 998 |
| Power in PS/RPM | 68 / 6200 | 67 @ 5000 | 67 @ 6200 |
| Torque in Nm/RPM | 94 / 3500 | 104 @ 4000 | 90 @ 3500 |
| Gears | 5 MT | 5 MT | 5 MT |
| Length mm | 3515 | 3785 | 3620 |
| Width mm | 1500 | 1635 | 1475 |
| Height mm | 1510 | 1485 | 1460 |
| Wheel base mm | 2380 | 2450 | 2360 |
| Fuel tank capacity L | 32 | NA | 35 |
| Tyre Spec | 155 / 70 R15 | 155/70R13 | 155 / 65 R13 |
| Mileage (kmpl) | 20.3 | 20.63 | 20.2 |
Conclusion
Hyundai quietly slipped the Eon 1L in the market without making noise around it. The Eon offers a lot more than the competition in terms of features and design. It is also backed by Hyundai’s reliability. Its primary drawback is the space constraint which gets highlighted once the cabin is occupied completely. The other is vague dynamics at high speeds but that is only when you travel on highways at speeds above 120km/h. One has to realise that the Eon is more of a city car that ticks all the right boxes for someone looking for a hatch at under Rs.4 lakhs.
