LAUNCH | Mixed feelings about the new Hyundai Exter

The Hyundai Exter has arrived in Mzansi to battle it out in the hotly contested A-segment: a veritable piranha club where machines such as the Renault Kiger, Suzuki Ignis, Nissan Magnite, Toyota Starlet Cross and Mahindra XUV 3XO are fighting hard for sales chart glory.

Slotting in beneath the Venue and sharing its underpinnings with the Grand i10 hatch, the Exter is relatively pleasing on the eye – albeit a bit generic – with styling that should appeal to a broad spectrum of tastes. Keen to drive home its SUV-ness, the South Korean carmaker has given it 185mm of ground clearance (nice for tackling the odd choppy dirt road) and lots of black plastic cladding to protect the wheel arches and rocker panels from the elements.

There are faux aluminium skid plates spliced into the bumpers and, like on so many other SUVs out there these days, squinty LED daytime running lights mounted above separate main headlamp clusters. Swing around to Exter’s rump and you will find LED taillamps beset with the firm's distinctive H-pattern. The latter are bridged by a textured gloss black finisher.

Six solid exterior paint colours are on offer (Tomboy Khaki and Cosmic Blue are definitely the pick of the bunch) as well as three two-tone hues that incorporate a contrasting black roof. To please as many wallets as possible, Hyundai is offering the Exter in three model grades starting with the entry-level Premium that makes do with 14-inch steel wheels disguised with plastic covers. Dig inside its cabin you will discover cloth seats, a polyurethane multifunction steering wheel, height adjustable driver's seat, manual air conditioning, rear air vents and front/rear electric windows. Adding a touch of class is a 4.2-inch digital instrument cluster and an eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system that syncs with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

You also score a tyre pressure monitor and some rear park distance sensors. During the recent media launch us automotive scribes spent time in the mid-tier Executive model – no doubt the sweet spot of the range – that razzles things up a bit with 15-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels, a leather steering wheel and rake-adjustable steering column, cruise control, reverse camera and ambient lighting. The flagship Elite unlocks further niceties such as automatic climate control, a sunroof and cloth/artificial leather upholstery. Global NCAP is yet to beat the stuffing out the Exter so we can’t tell you how many stars it does or doesn’t score in the event of a smash.

We can, however, confirm every derivative packs six airbags, side impact protection beams, ISOFIX tethers and ABS brakes with EBD. Automatic models benefit from an electronic stability programme (ESP) and hill start assist. Momentum across the entire Exter lineup is provided by the carmaker’s ubiquitous 1.2l four-cylinder ‘Kappa’ petrol engine that churns out 61kW and 114Nm of torque. In town it does a fine job at hauling around the 940kg Hyundai to which it’s bolted but out on the highway it can soon feel a bit breathless particularly when faced with long inclines or having to overtake slower moving traffic. It’s in situations like this that you remember rivals such as the Suzuki Fronx/Toyota Starlet Cross twins offer a wodge more muscle for not much more money.

The Nissan Magnite and Renault Kiger can even be ordered with forced induction. To its credit though, the Exter Executive I drove from Stellenbsoch to Hermanus was happy to cruise at the national speed limit at an indicated 3,800rpm without much protest. The five-speed manual transmission to which it was meshed was easy to use with a slick action and smooth clutch with decent weighting. A five-speed automated manual gearbox is available as an option but unfortunately I didn’t get an opportunity to give it a whirl en route. Interior refinement is commendable for such a budget-orientated piece of machinery and I was impressed at how little road or wind noise filtered through into the cabin during the extent of my 110 km trip, even when travelling at highway speeds.

Ride quality is pretty good for a car with a relatively short wheelbase; the Exter absorbing undulations sans any chassis-rattling histrionics. Don’t expect any form of fun through the twisty bits though: a combination of eco-biased tyres, numb electric power steering and softly sprung suspension make even the legendary ribbon of tarmac linking Gordan’s Bay to Rooi-Els feel like a chore.

Luckily that’s not what the Hyundai Exter was made for. It’s honest everyday transportation for honest everyday people straddling a financial shoestring. Viewed in this light it seems to have a reasonable amount going for it. Although whether this is quite enough to tempt customers away from the likes of more potent and arguably more spacious rivals – a 290l boot and non split-folding rear seats might be a deal breaker for some – remains to be seen.