Anamit Sen spent half a day with Hyundai's new EON to see what all the awards, the shouting and cheering is about.
Hyundai's arch rivals Maruti never updated their 800cc city runabout really speaking and when Maruti actually decided to finally do away with the car, the general feeling was that there was so much Maruti could have done in terms of updating the car and keeping it fresh in the minds of Indians but it seemed as if the men at Manesar were not really bothered about the 800 – as long as it sold and in whatever form, the company seemed to be happy. Now that there is a void in that section of the market, Hyundai has smartly stepped in with it's own 800cc small car, the EON.
Look at the EON from any angle and it is quite evident that Hyundai has gone in for some radical looks and styling. The general idea that cars at the entry level have to look and be staid and conform to some goody-goody regulations has been turned on it's ear and thrown out the window. Here is a car that even an entry level buyer will be happy to be seen in. The fact is that millions of dollars are said to have been spent on research and development and it shows. The new Verna started it off with its fluid lines and that has had a rub-off effect on the little EON as well.
Look at it from the front, the rear or in profile – Apart from the family resemblance to the i10 thanks to the hexagonal grille, there is the two-tone radiator grille, the swept back or ice-cream scoop-like headlights at front. From the rear the first thing that strikes you is the crab-claw style rear lamps a la Tintin and the crab with the golden claws. The rear also has a spoiler integrated into the roof. View the EON from the rear three-quarter and the swooping, exaggerated lines of the waist as well as the exaggerated curve over the rear arch make for a very aggressive look.
Inside, one is pleasantly surprised with the two-tone fascia – there are design elements at several points along the fascia, be it the interestingly shaped receptacle above the glove box (where the air bag should have been), the centre console that seems to resemble a hooded cobra with the vents serving as the reptile's eyes, the smart three-spoke steering wheel or the clear, large instrument cluster which unfortunately lacks a tachometer. There are a lot of storage spaces all over the inside of the car – above the central console, the aforementioned storage space on top of the fascia, the map pockets in the doors as well as floor console storage.
The Hyundai EON is available in four variants starting with the D-Lite at the bottom and the Sportz at the top. The in between variants are Era and Magna. The D-Lite does not get central locking, keyless entry, front fog lamps and driver-side airbag that are standard in the Sportz. Nor does it get tinted glass, body-coloured door handles and bumpers, passenger-side door mirror, front power windows, electric power steering and the 2DIN audio system all of which are in the Sportz model. What is common through the models is the power transmission unit. The engine is a 3-cylinder, 814cc unit that develops 56PS of power at 5500rpm and 7.6Mn of torque at 4000rpm. The EON sports a five-speed manual gearbox and has dimensions of 3495mm length, 1550mm of width and 1500mm of height. The D-Lite and ERA models ride on 155/80 R12 rubber while the Magna and the Sportz ride on 155/70 R13 rubber. The EON is available in the following colours: Sleek Silver, Mushroom, Dark Grey Metallic, Pristine Blue and Maharajah Red. The car I got to drive was a Sportz and it was in Maharajah Red.
Read Full Test Drive Review : Hyundai EON is stylish, with VFM too!
There are no comments yet