At the outset I should accept the fact that I’m not a very technical person as far as cars and bikes are concerned and hence my engineering knowledge about these is not up to the mark. I have written a review about Pulsar Motorbike earlier as it is been now almost three years I’m using that.
I bought my first car(this Santro) in September 2008 after finishing my driving lessons. I opted for CNG just to keep the running expenses on check .
Why Santro
My research and budget constraints have given me four options to buy from: the ever reliable Maruti 800(later they launched a CNG version, I presume), Alto, Wagon R and Santro. Maruti 800 and Alto were definitely cost effective but since the space in them was limited and my car would carry me and my dear oversized friends I thought Santro and Wagon R would fit the bill. The looks of Santro appealed to me hence I opted for it, the base model GL with CNG.
The Features of the Car that I like:
The steering – The power steering is really very smooth. One of my friends bought his Maruti Swift alongwith me buying this car. His power steering is a bit hard as compared to the Santro one and I have tested the power steering of Alto and Indica that my friends/colleagues have and feel that the one used in Santro is a better of the lot.
The Front Leg Space – The leg space at the front is exceptionally better for a small car and provides a good sitting posture for taller guys.
The look: It is again I consider one of the pro’s of this car compared with its competitors.
The Engine: Santro now-a-days has this erlx engine a more automated one than the previous versions and it has a good pick up and the engines performs well when it comes to running in CNG too though the pick – up suffers a little. But I would suggest if someone is interested in a CNG fitted small car then this and Wagon R are the best options better than Alto and Indica.
The Features of the Car that I don’t like:
The Gear Transmision: The gear transmission of this car is not as smooth or as subtle as the Maruti cars.
The look and feel from inside: Its more of plastic and the grayish plastic interiors are a bit boring. WagonR/Swift interiors are better.
The Mileage: While running on CNG its consumes more Gas as compared to the Swift which is bad since Swift is a bigger car. In terms of Petrol its still a bit on the higher side may be it will improve upon once it gets done its second service.
The Rear Leg Space: Its not as good as compared to a Wagon R.
Friends who are interested in buying a small car with CNG should keep in mind the Boot Space is used up completely. Plus some additional formalities are required to get you car registered with the RTO, of course your dealer will help.
Dealer Experience – Was not bad.
At this point of time and after 3 months of having this car I have found this much. I would definitely come back with a more technical review once I become a more experienced driver and update myself with more technicalities of this car.