Hyundai Eon is the first hit from the house of Hyundai into the entry level market. Until now Hyundai has been a favorite with only the premium city audience. With the launch of the Hyundai Eon the company takes on the entry level market against the likes of the Maruti Alto and the Tata Nano. The car is directly pitted against the Alto which is still running strong with sales of 3.47 lakh units in the last fiscal year and is one of the top selling cars on the planet, having edged Fiat Punto, and VW Golf.
Unlike its cheap competitors the Hyundai Eon surely looks a class ahead. If not for the price tag of Rs. 2.75 lakh onwards it is really hard to tell that the Eon is a low cost hatchback. In January 2012, Hyundai India announced LPG models of EON as well, with an additional cost of approximately INR 27000 to the available models. The high end variants of the car will cost less than the base variant of the Hyundai i10.The EON will bear Hyundai’s latest design philosophy of Fluidic Sculpture. The Hyundai Eon variants include D-LITE which is the base model, D-LITE (O), ERA, MAGNA, MAGNA (O) and SPORTZ being the top model.
On the other side, the new fluidic sculpture of the Hyundai Eon feels like fresh breeze having lots of flowing lines across the entire chassis. The Eon runs on an 814cc engine with a power of 56 bhp at 5,500 rpm. The Hyundai Eon Mileage for the City is 18.0 kmpl and 22.0 kmpl on the Highway with a top speed of 135 kmpl.
Hyundai surely has charted a new course for the entry level small cars in India. With a starting price of Rs 2.75 lakh it makes for a good first car choice for most buyers with its spanking looks. The Tata Nano may be cheaper, but the failure of the Nano clearly shows that the Indian consumer is looking at better value, more substance and style rather than just focus on pricing. With 340 strong dealer network and 783 service points in the country, the Eon should surely realize its growth and expansion plans.
The new Hyundai Eon with an 841cc engine delivers a maximum power of 56PS at 55oorpm and torque of 74.5Nm at 4000rpm which means the Alto K10 leads the race that has a more powerful 1.0 litre, 998cc engine offering a peak power of 68PS at 6200rpm and torque of 90Nm at 3500rpm.
In terms of the mileage the Alto with 20.2 kmpl, is lesser than the Eon which offers an ARAI tested mileage of 21.1kmpl. The Maruti Alto K10 is however still the better in terms of the engine performance. The main trump that tilts the favor towards the Hyundai Eon is the maintenance cost which is almost similar for both the vehicles. Overall the powerful engine of the Alto K10 still feels weak against the new Hyundai Eon, which is superior in terms of comfort, luxury, elegance and power.
