Recently got a chance to drive a Santro for a week or so. Had been to my brother’s place(Chennai) got a chance to drive this car for some time.
Things that I liked.
Dashboard layout(Although black) - The A/C controls are neat. The switches are good for this segment. There is a tachometer and easy to read instrumentation.the dashboard has a flat top surface where you can fit a big tweeter on top on the corners.
Driveability - Steering is very light and easy. People who want to zip in city will love to. Coupled with very short gearing driving is a breeze. With A/C the car never feels the extra load. Hyundai has very smarly used a very short gear ratio to achieve good zippy drive feel.
Engine - Torque is very good in the lower and mid range. But on high speeds like above 80 the torque falls down.
Good resale value being a hyundai. Most of the people go with this decision. So we end up buying mostly people’s choice. This pattern tends to supress genuinely good products and always works towards highly overrating a specific product. In my opinion we tend to forget our original requirements.
Things I didnt like.
- Driving on highway beyond speeds of 80 kmph is not inviting. The car feels like its running wrecklesly and brakes are not too confidence inspiring. The car being light coupled with a bouncy rear suspension can send shivers if the road is not completly smooth.
In my opinion this car would be similar to a Wagon R but better than Alto. The boot is not spacious.
The spark would be a much better choice considering the driveability, pulling power, build quality, overall efficiency etc.