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Hyundai Eon Review
Hyundai has successfully created a very strong and reliable image in the auto industry. Its products like the Santro and Accent have been highly successful. One impressive bit about this Korean auto major is, they have updated themselves with time and hence their products done look dated.
Bringing the “Fluidic” philosophy in India across all its models, Hyundai has proved that they are very serious about India and also one of the most aggressive players around.
If an entry level car comes from such a stable, it has to maintain all the positive attributes that the brand has created. Also, an entry level car need not look dull and boring always but instead can look a lot funkier than expected. The Hyundai EON Sportz is what we stumbled across recently to find out more on this entry level car and all the big things Hyundai has packed in this small little car.
Appearance Exterior
The Hyundai EON boasts of the same Fluidic design that its elder siblings flaunt. As I mentioned in the introduction Hyundai, EON defies the logic that a micro car has to look dull and boring and should be just a little better than any lost transport solution.
Detailing done in the headlight as well as the hexagonal front grille looks very dynamic and perhaps puts its Japanese rival to shame. The fog lamps are very aesthetically placed on the front bumper. Even the bonnet has a swaying line flowing from the face to the A pillars of the vehicle.
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 is the best aspect of the Eon’s overall design. In fact it looks the best among any other entry level car contenders. Hyundai EON though features in the entry level car and is the smallest by far by Hyundai still it does not lack in the design department as compared to bigger cars which speaks volumes about it.
Appearance Interior
Interiors of the Hyundai EON are very fresh and bring out the fluidic language too which can be seeing on the flowing lines of the dashboard and the door trims. The materials and the design of the trims inside have a premium feel.
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 raveling.
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 2 comfortably against 3.
The Sportz variant gets an integrated music system which decent audio qualities. It has a 4 speed AC motor which doesn’t make the cabin chilly but then it performs well. The seats are very well bolstered and come with integrated headrests as well but the headrest position is not too comfortable and safe for taller passengers.
Front door pockets can hold a 1L bottle with ease and still have space. On the dashboard, exactly opposite to the co passenger, there is a storage pocket too. The glove box can fit commodities generously. In the central panel, there is a large storage pocket for the front row which also has glass holders and for the second row there is a bottle holder at the end of the central panel. The Hyundai EON 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 its fresh design language. The interiors of the EON are the best by far for any entry level car or even cars which feature in the immediate next segment.
Performance Drive
The Hyundai EON is powered by a 3 cylinder SOHC 814cc engine which produces a max power of 56 Ps at 5500 rpm and a torque of 7.6 Kgm at 4000 rpm. It comes with a 5 speed manual gearbox.
Since it’s a small engine, it is not a very enthusiastic motor. There are lots of vibrations and grunts at lower rpms. In fact the gear stick starts trembling from the time ignition is switched on. The gear stick has vibrations at lower rpms however with the increase in engine rpm, these vibrations tend to fade away.
Very contrary to the application of a micro car, I enjoyed it more on highways then inside the city reason being the motor gets smooth at higher rpms. Even though the Nano will not be an apple to apple comparison completely but then the fun factor of the Nano compared to the Eon is more. However, the Nano doesn’t feel as upmarket and plush as the Eon which is a very big advantage for the Eon (which can also be cause of the price difference of two cars).
If we compare the Hyundai EON with its direct rival the Maruti Suzuki Alto 800, Eon scores more not by a margin but by a considerable difference. The Alto 800 sadly fails to attract any charm as its interiors are too basic compared to the fluidic philosophy of the Eon. The Alto 800 merely enjoys the repute and reliability of its brand which can be seen from the sales figures.
Maneuvering the Eon is not a task at all but the steering could have been crisper in feedback. It has a hydraulic power steering which is tilt adjustable, an initiative to keep the costs down. The top end variant SPORTZ could have sported steering mounted audio controls as well. The design not being a typical tall boy type, even on sharp turns the EON doesn’t incline as such. I am 6’1 so for me the height of the EON was sufficient to sign documents by keeping them on its roof.
About the safety aspect, Hyundai EON offers engine immobilizer along with driver airbags among the other safety features. More than performance, the unique selling point of the EON is its mileage which Hyundai claims as 21.1 kmpl. We got a realistic figure of 16kmpl.
Tech Specs
Technical Specifications | |
Make | Hyundai |
Model | Eon |
Variant | Sportz |
Engine Capacity / No. of cylinders | 814/3 |
Power in PS/RPM | 56/5500 |
Torque in Nm/RPM | 75/4000 |
Gears | 5/M |
Dimensions in MM | |
Length | 3495 |
Width | 1550 |
Height | 1500 |
Wheel base | 2380 |
Ground clearance | 170 |
Fuel tank capacity L | 32 |
Mileage Kmpl | 21 |
Tyres rating | 155/70 R13 |
Tyres type | Tubeless |
Features
Features | D-Lite | Era | Magna | Magna(o) | Sportz |
Ex-showroom Price Mumbai | 294593 | 339503 | 371550 | 351494 | 401433 |
Engine Immobiliser | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Front and rear seat belts | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Cabin mirror | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
2-Tone beige and brown colour | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Single unit front seats | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Bench folding rear seat | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Floor console storage | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Cup holders | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Dual tripmeter | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Gear shift indicator | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Air conditioning | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Tinted glass | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Body color bumper | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Metallic finish center console | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Power steering | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Central locking | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Passanger outside mirror | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Full wheel cover | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Micro antena | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Alternator management System | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Internally adjustable ORVM | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Tilt steering | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Front power windows | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Front door full arm rest | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Tyres with size 155/70 R13 | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Front and rear speaker grill | No | No | No | Yes | Yes |
Rear parcel tray | No | No | No | Yes | Yes |
Music system with 2 speakers | No | No | No | Yes | Yes |
AUX-in-port,USB port | No | No | No | Yes | Yes |
Keyless entry | No | No | No | No | Yes |
Front fog lamps | No | No | No | No | Yes |
Driver airbag | No | No | No | No | Yes |
Competition All Specs
Specifications |
Hyundai
Eon |
Maruti Suzuki
Alto 800 |
Tata Motors
Nano |
Variant | Sportz | Lxi(Airbag) | LX |
Ex showroom Price Mumbai | 401433 | 333038 | 215607 |
Power in PS/RPM | 56/5500 | 48/6000 | 35/5250 |
Torque in Nm/RPM | 75/4000 | 69/3500 | 48/3000 |
Transmission | 5/M | 5/M | 4/M |
Tyre size | 155/70 R13 | 145/80 R12 | 135/70 R12 |
Brakes Front | Disc | Disc | Drum |
Brakes Rear | Drum | Drum | Drum |
Fuel Tank capacity (L) | 32 | 35 | 15 |
Dimensions in mm | |||
Length | 3495 | 3395 | 3099 |
Width | 1550 | 1490 | 1495 |
Height | 1500 | 1475 | 1652 |
Wheel Base | 2380 | 2360 | 2230 |
Ground clearance | 170 | 160 | 180 |
Minimum turning radius | 4.8M | 4.6M | 4.0M |
Claimed Mileage | 21.1 KMPL | 22.7 KMPL | 23.6 KMPL |
Features | |||
Power steering | Yes | Yes | No |
Air conditioning | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Front power windows | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Music system with 2 speakers | Yes | No | No |
Tubeless tyres | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Central locking | Yes | No | Yes |
Fog lamp | Yes | No | Yes |
Driver Airbag | Yes | Yes | No |
Conclusion
Even though, the EON is loaded with features and feels like a pricey car without costing much, the EON could not attract lots of eyeballs when launched perhaps cause of the lack of hype around it. Also, the micro-small car segment has been predominantly led by Maruti Suzuki for a very long period and thus accepting a new player in this segment with such ultra modern looks needed time.
Hyundai EON started gaining pace slowly which was also be seen with the company’s increase in market share from 17% to 23.8% between April to October 2012. So if the EON looks fluidic, has premium quality interiors and promises a decent mileage, it’s definitely a strong recommend.