I bought a Hyundai Santro Xing XG(Bharat Stage III) in July 05. It was my first car. It has been a really wonderful experience with the Santro. Topmost it is a very reliable car. I have never had anything to complain about in the last four years.
The car has been consistent throughout and has always exceeded expectations. This is very important especially to first time car owners.
I would recommend this car to anybody looking for a small car that is reliable and comfortable.
The car is better suited for city driving but is definitely not bad for long drives. Me and wife have often driven in it to Palakkad/Kozhikode from Trivandrum(around 400 kms). We never felt uncomfortable during these drives.
We have experienced very good after sales service from Hilton. Once on a trip to a forest resort near Ponmudi, I managed to misplace the keys of the car. I called up the Hilton Support center and the staff immediately arranged for a car to pick us up(though later I found the keys and saved them the trouble).
The only negative aspect I could think of is the rear leg room. This is especially so when the driver and passenger in the front are tall people. The situation worsens when the rear passengers are also tall. I think this drawback might apply to most of the small cars and is not specific to the Santro Xing.
Pros:
1) Reliability
2) Breeze to pilot and park
3) Very good after sales Service
3) Slick gearshift
4) Good build quality - no rattles after 4 years
Cons:
1) Rear Leg Space - especially when there is a tall driver and a tall rear seat passenger