At the outset, thanks to all the Mouthshut members for your overwhelming support and appreciation of my review on Ford Figo Diesel.
I thought I will share my views on Hyundai Santro which was my faithful companion prior to Ford Figo.
A welcome break
Well, Hyundai Santro, the Korean “Tall boy” doesn’t need too much of an introduction. it wouldn’t be an overstatement to say that this car really revolutionized the small car segment in India in 1998, after the modest Maruti 800, of course. It made a point to the Indian market that a small car doesn’t have to be ‘small’ and’cheap looking’ after all.
Today, it is one of the most sought after cars in the used car market, still commanding a very good resale value. It is still selling in good numbers(approx 3000 units per month on an average in the year 2013!) even after a solid 15 years in the market! Now, there has to be a compelling reason why the Indian market has patronized this car for such a long time. Let us now see what makes this car so special and reminisce my days with this Korean beauty.
My earlier Maruti 800 had served me well for about 2.5 years and I felt a need for an “UPGRADE”. I wanted more power, more space and a little more premium feel than my modest M800. And I was looking only for a USED car due to budget constraints.
Other cars considered
Way back in 2010, Maruti Wagon R, Hyundai Santro and Chevy Spark were the popular cars in that segment and I did take a test drive of all these cars before narrowing down onto Hyundai Santro.
CHEVROLET SPARK
The least popular of these 3 cars, it still had a special space in my heart for these reasons.
Absolutely “SUPER SILENT” engine – you will not be able to tell if the engine is “ON”
Most efficient AC of the 3 cars in comparison
“Cuteness” factor – remember the winking Chevy Spark add?
The car that can do the highest top speed without a fuss among these 3!
As an inexperienced buyer, my “mind” took an upper hand over the “heart” and I turned it down because of apprehensions about resale value, service center availability; and it was difficult to get a used Chevy Spark in good condition in Chennai and thus, I had to drop her from shortlist.
MARUTI WAGON R
This was definitely the most recommended car from all my friends and used car dealers alike. It is a Maruti after all and you have this “1. cheap to maintain”, “2. good resale value”, “3. good service center backup” factors flooding your thoughts.
But the major let down in this car was the gear shifting quality. It was rubbery, wouldn’t slot in properly and overall gave a very poor experience in shifting gears. Sometimes one major grouse for the customer is all that is needed for product to become a deal breaker and the poor gear shift quality in Wagon R it was, for me.
HYUNDAI SANTRO:
I did narrow down to Hyundai Santro finally and let us see whats’s GOOD and what’s NOT in Santro. Mine was a pretty looking Santro Xing eRLX’ XO, 2006 model
What I like about Santro:
1.Peppy nature of the engine:
This car has the best acceleration of the 3, easily. The surge of power when you put the pedal to metal and “rev happy” nature of the engine thoroughly amazed me! The acceleration is progressive until about 90 - 100 kmph. Push her a little further and she can do 120 Kmph without a lot of fuss.
2.Braking:
This is one area where Santro scores over a lot of other cars; there is a pronounced ‘bite’ in the car’s braking and it is very confidence inspiring. I used to show off its braking ability when my friends are in the car by bringing it to halt instantly and get the occupants to leap forward.
3.Driving position:
Santro being a tall boy, you get an excellent view of the road ahead. This also makes ingress and egress convenient for the elderly(another reason why I traded off my M800 as my parents found it hard to get in and out of the car)
4.Gear shift quality:
"THE BEST" selling point for Santro perhaps. Gear shift is butter smooth in Santro and this is probably why it is such a hit with the fairer sex; This clearly sealed the deal for me over Wagon R’s(poor) and also Chevy Spark’s(ok) gear shift quality.
5.Ground clearance:
I have NEVER scraped the under body even once even with 5 people on board on bad roads and insane humps. I used to drive carelessly on humps overly confident that no harm will be done to the underbody. How badly I miss this comfort now - Yes Figo, I am bitching about you now!
6.Reliability:
I used this car for about 18 months and added 14000 Km to the odo in addition to the 18000 Km that it had already clocked; Though it is not a great deal of mileage to comment on reliability of a vehicle, I haven’t had the slightest of niggles whatsover with this car and it never let me down even once. And from what I gather from many people who have used Santro for quite some time, they have always lauded the vehicle for its reliability and pocket friendly maintenance
7.Rattle free construction:
Even after 32k Km on the odo, this car still felt and behaved like a brand new car with absolutely no rattles. It gave me a feeling that the parts were glued and bolted to last rattle free for the lifetime of the car. Several Santro owners who have many more km on the odo do speak about its rattle free nature unlike our Japanese brothers from the Maruti stable which start rattling just with 10k on the odo, including the Swift! I always felt that my M800 would fall apart into pieces whenever it went over a bad stretch.
8.Interior quality
Compared to Wagon R and Chevy Spark, the quality of interiors felt pretty good for me. Mine even had dual tone interiors with whitish grey and blackish grey interiors. It feels very roomy and airy inside; Both Spark and Wagon R somehow felt a little claustrophobic to me somehow probably because not blackish interiors.
This car comfortable seats 4 passengers and can accommodate the rare 5th occupant; It is not a very comfy 5 seater though(neither was Wagon R and Chevy Spark)
Could there be a car that is completely flawless? Presenting to you the flipsides in Santro.
1.Suspension:
I hated Santro for its choppy ride quality especially at the rear. Santro happily transfers all road imperfections to the passengers; there is almost nil absorption of shock from the roads and only the occupants are left shocked when we drive past a pot hole or a bump. Backpain sufferers beware!
2.Power steering:
Though I don’t any have serious complains about this hydraulic unit which does its jobs pretty well, I don’t like to feel / and actually “hear” the PS take power from the engine; this is felt especially at slow speeds and attempting to turn from stand still. And a major drawback with hydraulic units is that if your engine stalls somehow, the steering wheel would just freeze and you wouldn’t be able to steer the car AT ALL! It has happened to me once when I was driving in Bangalore and it wasn’t a pleasant experience.
3.Fuel efficiency:
I was spoilt by my M800 5 speed MPFI which returned astounding FE figures of 18 in city and upto 24 in highways! The transition from M800 to Santro in terms of FE was nighmarish to say the least. Expect nothing more than 12-13 in city even with a light foot on the accelerator; switch on the AC and you can expect this to further reduce by 1 to 2 kmpl. I have got16-18 Kmpl on highways with a sedate driving style, though.
4.Air conditioning:
While the AC as such is pretty effective; the loss of power when the AC is turned on is simply annoying and if you try to steer your car at low speeds with the AC switched on, you will feel that the engine is literally begging for power; you could actually hear a whining sound when you do that.
5.Dated technology:
Remember that the technology in this car is over 15 years old! You do have plenty of other options in the new car market these days and it is advisable to consider cars launched within the past 5 years, if you are planning to buy a new car. Old may not always be Gold, after all.
Conclusion:
Hyundai Santro is an excellent car considering the points discussed above and it used to be among the toppers in the sales chart and rightly so, being the "car of choice" for the middle class.
However, given its too long in the tooth now(as of Feb 2014), it is strongly recommend for people looking to buy a ‘used car’ especially first time car owners and ladies.Even a used Santro(3 to 5 years old cars) if taken care of properly, with regular servicing at proper intervals will be a dependable companion to you for many years.
My friend to whom I sold my Santro, still raves about the car’s dependability and she is going strong without any rattles and niggles after 8 years from the day she came out of the factory!
Put your money on a Santro if looking for a used car and you will be very pleased with your decision for sure!
Thanks for your time reading this post!