Although we had driven the Santro before and given you our take on it, Hyundai did not allow cameras to capture it at that time. Now that the launch has been done with, we were invited to drive the car again, here is our final verdict on the car in less than 5 minutes! The Santro will go against the likes of the Renault Kwid, Datsun Go, Tata Tiago and the WagonR and Celerio from Maruti Suzuki. We talk about how the car stacks against the rivals in the video as well.
New Hyundai Santro Exterior:
The Santro follows a tall boy design but also happens to be one of the widest cars in the segment. The dimensions of the car are 3,610 mm x 1,645 mm x 1,560 mm with a wheelbase of 2,400 mm and ground clearance is 165 mm. Up front, you have Hyundai’s signature cascading grille with 5 slats and fog lamps surrounding them. There is no LED lighting present at the front end, DRLs have also have been omitted. On the side what catches your attention is a slat in the window line which makes the cabin feel airier. You get 14-inch steel wheels with a wheel cap, alloys have been omitted. At the back end, you get a reverse parking camera, parking sensors, a wiper and washer, a defogger and a high mount stop light.
New Hyundai Santro Interior:
The interiors of the Santro follow a black and beige dual tone theme. The quality of materials used is very nice, although the materials used are not soft to touch. They are no sharp edges present anywhere and the interior is built to last. The Diana Green outer body colour gets a different all black interior which is done to give it a sporty look. On the inside of that, you will find green accents around the AC vents, instrument console and the gear knob, the seatbelts too are green in colour. You get ample storage space everywhere in the cabin, door pockets are huge enough to carry 1-litre bottles. The rear bench is flat and you can manage to fit three adults abreast, knee room and headroom for the rear passengers is more than sufficient.
New Hyundai Santro Equipment:
The Santro packs in quite some equipment found in cars above its class. The centre console holds a 7-inch touchscreen unit which is also seen in the i20, Verna and other Hyundai cars. Although it misses out on navigation, you get Android Auto, Apple CarPlay and Mirror link to connect your smartphone. The speakers are good and you also get an option to divert the music to one part of the cabin. The instrument console is quite simple, in a good way though and gets a small MID which shows your distance to empty, fuel efficiency, etc. The ORVMs are power operated and also get integrated side indicators. The rear passengers get their own AC vent, a segment first, also the AC gets an antibacterial coating on the evaporator core which keeps the bad smell away. Standard safety equipment on all trims includes driver airbag and ABS with EBD. The top end Asta variant gets dual airbags. Do watch our video on the infotainment system linked below.
New Hyundai Santro Engine:
At the heart of this hatch is a 1.1-litre 4 cylinder petrol engine making 68 bhp and 99 Nm of torque. The ARAI claimed fuel efficiency of the car is 20.3 kmpl. Hyundai also offers a factory fitted CNG version of the Santro which develops a little less power but delivers a fuel efficiency of 30.48 km per kg. The power is sufficient for its call and the Santro pulls right from 900 rpm. The AMT in the new Santro is very nice, responds to shifts very well and the creep mode works like a wonder. The manual also feels great to use with its short throw and slick shifts. The engine does get noisy past 3,000 rpm but at low rpm, the NVH levels are quite well contained. The car handles corners very well for a tallboy, long corners feel very stable with a very less hint of body roll.
Also Read: Next-Gen Hyundai Creta In The Works – To Get 5 & 7-Seater Variants
So here is the all-new Santro for you. The prices of the car start from INR 3.89 L and go all the way till INR 5.65 L. It sure is a bit pricey than the competition but it’s worth the extra cost. You get a very well finished product and an iconic name with it. We do believe this Santro will recreate the magic of the old icon. We would definitely recommend this car to our friends and family without any doubt. Do watch our video linked below, will just take 5 minutes.