Tata Punch vs Hyundai Exter: what owners and experts say

Seat comfort

Punch: Strongly positiveExter: Generally negative

Punch: “there is an extended thigh support and that really makes the difference for tall passengers... they are well cushioned and they're also nice and large”

Exter: “seats mere hisaab se comfortable thodi si zyada ho sakti thi, mujhe lumbar support ki zaroorat padegi, isme back pain ho jaata hai jab long drive karo.”

Handling

Punch: Strongly positiveExter: Generally positive

Punch: “Handling-wise it corners quite confidently and even the feel from the steering is rather nice.”

Exter: “when we take a slight turn or approach a curve, we can feel a little body roll... at that point, we definitely feel a little body roll. It feels controlled. It doesn't feel out of place, as if we're about to overturn.”

Ride comfort

Punch: Strongly positiveExter: Generally positive

Punch: “we had all but praises for the way Tata has nailed the punch's ride and handling balance, I mean this car exudes an underlying sense of toughness and it tackles bad and broken roads with a sense of authority and a sense of maturity.”

Exter: “the ride is amazingly pliant, it's only the very sharp bits that come through, everything else is soaked up really very nicely, so ride and handling is definitely a high point, not what I expected from a micro SUV lifted off the ground.”

Highway stability

Punch: Strongly positiveExter: Mixed reviews

Punch: “where the punch does shine is when it comes to its highway manners. This car feels flat, drives in a composed manner, and it feels reassuring and confident from behind the wheel. And that it does much better than the Hyundai Xter.”

Exter: “we drove the Exter but it was little too boxy in its look also, at high speeds we noticed that it was swaying, like it was not stable in your control, it was not stable... steering is very light”

Touchscreen responsiveness

Exter: Strongly positivePunch: Generally negative

Exter: “Hyundai's 8 inch touchscreen is slicker and nicer to use and it even gets physical shortcut buttons making it that much easier to operate on the move.”

Punch: “The 7-inch touchscreen however remains the weak link inside the Punch's cabin - it gets the job done, but in slickness and speed and responses it is just no match for the unit on the C3.”

City drivability

Exter: Strongly positivePunch: Generally negative

Exter: “agar 80-100 pe normal city drive karni ho toh uske liye best hai bhaiya... city mein yeh jerkiness feel karati hai? nahi bhaiya bilkul bhi nahi, city mein sahi chalti, badhiya chalti hai.”

Punch: “In the hills on CNG with four people and luggage it struggles on steep climbs; first to second gear there's more lag, and at low rpm it jerks a bit; drive on petrol there (translated from Hindi)”

Braking

Exter: Generally positivePunch: Generally negative

Exter: “I have to be ready with the handbrake. But most of the time, it works. I can say that if I have stopped the car in such a situation 25 times... 24 times it is helping. So, for me, that matters more.”

Punch: “When reversing, manual or automatic, the brakes sometimes go very hard and the car doesn't stop; on the Mussoorie road it rolled back and I had to pull the handbrake and put it in gear; my earlier Punch had this too (translated from Hindi)”

Rear seat space

Exter: Strongly positivePunch: Generally positive

Exter: “isme peeche bhi bahut jagah hai na, kaafi spacious hai peeche toh log phail ke baith sakte hain... isके andar baith ke na ek badi car waali feeling aati hai, peeche headroom aur kneeroom kaafi badi hai.”

Punch: “I'm seated quite High much higher than in the extra and in a very chair-like position with the backrest which is slightly upright but I don't mind that at all, I have decent enough headroom, there's decent enough knee room.”

Which is better, the Punch or the Exter?

Owners and experts rate the Punch better for seat comfort, handling and ride comfort, while the Exter comes out ahead on touchscreen responsiveness, city drivability and braking. Go for the Punch if seat comfort and handling matter most to you. Pick the Exter if you care more about touchscreen responsiveness and city drivability.

Which is cheaper, the Punch or the Exter?

The Punch starts at ₹5.74 lakh and the Exter at ₹5.8 lakh ex-showroom, so they cost about the same to get into.

How did CarDhoondo compare the Punch and Exter?

We went through 21 owner and expert video reviews of the two cars, tagged every statement by topic, such as mileage or rear seat space, and scored how positive it was. Nobody paid for this comparison and it is not sponsored.