Hyundai Excel: История модели и модификации

Car model

The Hyundai Excel , also known as the Hyundai Pony, Hyundai Pony Excel, Hyundai Presto, Mitsubishi Precis, Hyundai X2 and Hyundai XL, is an automobile which was produced by Hyundai Motor Company from 1985 to 1999. It was the first front wheel drive car produced by the South Korean manufacturer. The Excel range replaced the rear wheel drive Hyundai Pony.

The Excel was based on the second generation of the Mitsubishi Mirage, but it received its own sheet metal design by Giorgetto Giugiaro. The Excel was available in three or five door hatchback and four door sedan models. The Excel was the first Hyundai car to be exported to the United States. The Excel was available with either a manual or automatic transmission mated to a four cylinder engine aspirated by a carburetor or fuel injection system, depending on market and model year. Originally, the Excel was supposed to be replaced by the Elantra in 1990, but it ended up being sold for four more years until being replaced by the Hyundai Accent in the model year 1995. From 1990, there was a coupé variant called the Hyundai Scoupe, which was replaced by the Hyundai Coupé in 1996.

Some markets, including Europe, had the Excel branded as the Hyundai Pony, although it is not directly related to its rear wheel drive predecessor of the same name. In South Korea the hatchback version was known as Hyundai Pony Excel, and the sedan version was known as Hyundai Presto.

With the 1987 facelift, the Pony name got the XP suffix in Europe which was also found on the car itself. More important, this series saw the return of both the three door hatchback and the four door sedan in Europe. The 1.3 liter engine was discontinued, the 1.5 liter remained unchanged. In Europe, the LE was added as fourth trim level, this being the new entry level followed by the familiar L, GL and GLS models. All trim levels could be combined with all three body styles. An automatic gearbox was again available only on the GLS model.

1.5 LE, 4 speed manual
1.5 L, 4 speed manual
1.5 GL, 4 speed manual
1.5 GL, 5 speed manual
1.5 GLS, 5 speed manual
1.5 GLS, 3 speed automatic

Brought as a new generation, the 1989 Excel was more like a next facelift. A new version of the 1.5 litre engine was introduced, with electronic fuel injection instead of a carburetor. This 1.5 MPI produced 85 HP (62 kW). Most remarkable, the 1989 look was very short lived: with the 1990 model year yet another facelift appeared. Another notable fact was the renaming of the four door Pony Sedan to Excel in Europe. This transition went gradually, for example in the Dutch 1989 brochure photos of a Pony badged sedan are shown while the text refers to Excel. The 1990 brochure shows an actual Excel. The 1.5 MPI engine was not offered in the five door Pony. On the other hand, both the Pony three door hatchback as well as the Excel four door sedan came in a vast amount of models. The second generation Excel was given a facelift and slightly enlarged from 1990 onwards, while its engine adopted multi point fuel injection, and a new 4 speed overdrive automatic transmission was offered. The 1.3 model and the Mitsubishi Colt also share the same engine and gearbox.

The Excel's 1989 styling was closely related to the all new Sonata, which was launched in Europe for the 1989 model year. The mid sized Sonata underwent a near immediate facelift for the 1990 model year. The styling of the Excel followed in late 1991 to keep the resemblance with the Sonata. Most noticeable was the front end, where all three cars' orange indicator lenses were replaced by clear ones and the headlamps became less rectangular. From 1991, the 1.5 versions were badged 1.5i to denote fuel injection.

When the Hyundai Accent was introduced in 1994 for the 1995 model year, it continued to be called Hyundai Excel in some markets, including the Netherlands, Belgium and Australia. Also in Indonesia, the first, second and fourth generation Hyundai Accent sedans were sold as Excel, Excel II and Excel III. Based from lowest trim level and only sold for taxi companies.