

Editor’s word interior:The Eon has amazing interiors, especially when you consider the cost of the product. Being a tall boy-ish design, there is sufficient head room. It is the kneeroom which is a bit tight, though better than the Alto.
Step inside the Eon and you will be surprised by the quality of the interiors. Not only go they look up market, but also their feel is good. The price tag of the car seems to be a great value for money for the overall package. The packaging seems to be more of a B segment car, than an A segment.
The space in the Eon is decent, but is much better than its biggest rival, the Alto. The seats of the Eon are comfortable and are of better quality when compared to its competition. The boot space is a bit smaller than what we would have expected. The brilliant ‘Toroidal’ tank in the new Hyundai Eon LPG variants endow with much bigger boot space instead of the archetypal and expected LPG-fitted models that are available in the market today.
D Lite: This is the base variant of the Hyundai Eon and it has no power steering, power windows and is a standard model with child lock, chrome radiator grille, engine immobilizer, rear seat belts, cup holder, remote tail gate release, low fuel indicator and 2-tone beige and brown interiors.
D Lite Plus: This is the improved base model of Hyundai EON and has the same engine specifications and same features as D-Lite but has an AC and full wheel cover.
Era Plus: This version gets tinted glass, body color bumpers are found in this model of Hyundai EON. Other specs are same as predecessor but a metallic finish centre console and electric power steering are introduced in this.
Magna Plus: It gets utility options like rear parcel tray, 2 DIN Radio+CD+MP3 Audio with 2 speakers in front, USB Port, Aux-in Port and a digital clock, Hyundai EON Magna is the best option for you.
Sportz: Hyundai EON Sportz is the suitable choice for those looking for added safety and convenience features. This is the high end variant with all the features offered in other models along with front fog, lamps, driver side airbag, keyless entry, body color outside mirror and door handles, metallic finish 3 spoke steering wheel unlike other variants which have 2 spoke steering. It also adorns metallic finished inside door handles which enhance the sporty style on EON.
Editor’s word on Engine:The Eon has a three-pot engine that is derived from Hyundai’s own Santro mill. This motor is shy of one cylinder and the drivability is decent. We wish that this engine had some more power or it also came with the 1.1-litre Santro engine also.
The Hyundai EON comes with 814 cc three cylinder SOHC petrol engine that exhibits a decent power of 55bhp at 5500rpm and a torque of 76 Nm at 4000rpm. This engine is Hyundai Santro’s four pot minus one. The NVH levels are low and the Korean automotive giant has done a decent job of reducing the idling for a three-pot motor, though it has some amount of rough idling.
One needs to downshift for overtaking. This isn’t because the gearing is incorrect, it is just that the engine is smaller than most of the cars on the road. The five-speed manual transmission has slick shifts and the box is easy to shift as well. The ARAI certified mileage of the petrol version of this car is exceptionally good at 21.1 kmpl.

Editor’s word on RnH: The Eon has a pliant ride quality as the suspension absorbs all the jounces and rebounds when even driven on rough roads. The handling is decent for the car, though nothing spectacular or bad.
The ride of the Eon is quite pliant as it glides over potholes. The suspension irons out all the jolts on uneven surfaces and does a good job without causing any jittering to the occupants.
It’s not as sharp or even as planted, but the body roll isn’t excessive, and unless you do something really stupid, it will not get out of hand. Quick direction changes are also managed very well. The steering wheel is light and even the turning radius is small. This makes maneuverability easy in small streets and lane.

The interiors of the new Alto800 are leaps and bounds ahead of the previous Alto, and have more space also. However, it is still basic when compared to competition and even the space isn’t sufficient.
The interiors on the Alto800 are definitely better than that on the older Alto. Plastic quality, fit and finish and even the feel of the materials is better, however some competition has even better quality. The Alto800 gets a new three-spoke steering wheel and also an all-new instrument binnacle as well. The new instrument panel looks better, but it could have been much better.
Even though most of the interior bits are a direct pick from other Maruti Suzuki cars, the interiors look better and even the seats are better than before. Still they aren’t very comfortable when compared to competition, as the knee room is a bit tight and headroom just ok. There isn’t enough of thigh support on the back seat and boot space is also decent. However, the access to the boot is poor.
Standard : The standard Alto800 is the base model and just like plain vanilla ice cream. It gets nothing, not even power steering or air conditioning, even the bumpers are black in colour.
LX : LX gets air conditioning, fabric seats and remote opening boot lid. Other than that it doesn’t even get coloured bumpers even on the LX model.
LXI : It is the LXI model that gets some of the frills, as it is the top of the line model. It gets power steering, body coloured bumpers, power windows. There is also an option to have airbag at an added cost, however passenger side ORVM is not available even on the top model.

This is the same three-pot Suzuki engine that is being used for over 25 years and is one of the most tried and tested mills in the country. Improvements are made to it and even the carbon footprint has seen a reduction.
The same Maruti 800 engine is used on the Alto800 – three-cylinder 796cc petrol mill— that produces 48bhp and 96Nm of torque. Maruti Suzuki engineers have worked upon the engine to meet the Bharat Stage IV emission norms and also improve the performance. NVH levels of the engine are decent, but there is some amount of vibrations at idling speed. There isn’t much grunt in the engine and you will have to work your work through to extract performance out of it. On redlining, the engine does sound coarse. One can easily coast on the highway at a speed of 80-90km/hr in the top cog.
The five-speed manual transmission on the Alto800 is decent and the shifts are less rubbery than the previous Alto. However, there is still scope for improvement.

The ride on the Alto800 has been improved over the previous Alto, but the 12 inch tyres do not help much. The handling isn’t something to boast about as the Alto800 is now more of a tall boy design.
The engineers at Maruti Suzuki have worked on the suspension set-up and improved the ride quality of the Alto800. The improvement is vast, but the difference can be felt. The 12 inch tyres and the 80 profile rubber is very less and doesn’t aid the suspension to iron out most of the bumps and one needs to avoid these bumps.
Being a tall boy and not so powerful engine, this hatchback isn’t built to drive around a track. Hence, one cannot expect great handling. But the characteristics and adaptive nature of the suspension makes it a decent handler. The Alto800 isn’t bad for the sort of ride it offers. The brakes are also decent and they bite progressively.
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