We are a country of extreme first world excess and dire third world poverty, with a mish mash of a working class somewhere in the middle trying to grind out another day of economic survival. And for a person who only has R300 000 to spend on a new car, like the new Hyundai Exter, this car for them is the same as another’s new Porsche or Ferrari. Or Merc, or BMW, or whatever.

I know I am being a bit dramatic, or ridiculous, depending on which end of the financial scale you find yourself, but I think you get what I am trying to say. And this is one of the biggest reasons that the likes of Suzuki are challenging hard to take second spot off a stalwart of the South African motoring landscape, Volkswagen.

Hyundai Exter fits the bill

Suzuki offers a bunch of cars under the R300 000 mark. This is how Hyundai’s success story plays out too, as they have climbed from sixth, to fifth, and are currently sitting in fourth duking it out with Ford. How? Because they are bringing in more models, like the Exter I had on test, that come in under this R300 000 magic mark.

Getting into the review itself, beauty, or lack thereof, as always, is in the eye of the beholder. I had mixed feelings about the Hyundai Exter’s styling, but it’s not something that would have put me off buying one. Others felt a bit more strongly about the topic. Some people love the styling of the Hyundai Staria van, while others think it is hideous. You can’t win them all.

Moving inside the Hyundai Exter, there is more space that the exterior lets you believe. Sure, the boot is not large, this is a compact crossover after all. But for a young family or singles, there is enough space to meet almost all your needs. You also get the likes of an adjustable driver’s seat, storage space all over the show, fast USB chargers, aircon with rear air conditioner vents, steering mounted audio and trip computer controls, plus cruise control switches.

Frugal ride

In front of you, you will find a digital instrument cluster with a 4.2-inch TFT multi-information display and a centre-mounted infotainment system with an 8-inch high-definition screen. The latter displays the rearview parking camera’s images along with smartphone connectivity that offers Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Hitting the road, the naturally aspirated 1.2-litre four-cylinder petrol engine is best around the suburbs as it offers an acceptable 61kW of power and 114Nm of torque. Obviously pulling out onto the highway with the Hyundai Exter and punching the accelerator pedal is not exactly going to push you back in your seat and get you into the fast lane in a hurry.

Is the five-speed manual gearbox slick and short shifting in a Honda Civic Type R like way? No, but it does the job just fine if snap changing is not your thing. And what it loses out here, it makes up with fuel economy. The Citizen Motoring averaged just under 6.0 litres per 100km, which is right about on the claimed 5.7 litres per 100km.

Value for money

Onboard safety features of this Hyundai Exter derivative, as is mostly the case in this segment, does not compromise much more than the six airbags, three-point seatbelts, ISOFIX child seat anchors, tyre pressure warning and ABS with Electronic Brake Distribution. On the top-of-the-range derivatives (there is an Executive and Premium AMT model above the car I had on test), you get an Electronic Stability Programme and Hill Assist Control.

The Hyundai Exter in manual transmission Executive trim retails for R289 90. This includes a seven-year/200 000km warranty and three-year/45 000km service plan.

No, it is not a Porsche or a Ferrari, but I thought it did exactly what you would expect it to do. And that is provide economical, well appointed, everyday transport.