For Hyundai to name its new hatchback ‘Santro’ is a show of great confidence from the Korean brand, and it’s not hard to see why. The Santro was its first car in India, and one that’s got a strong place in the Indian people’s hearts and minds. Moreover, it was the first solid mass-market alternative to the might of Maruti Suzuki – fresh in design, high on quality, tremendous on space and, yet, rather good value. It set the template for all Hyundais that would follow. The other thing that resounded with Indian buyers was the term Hyundai coined – ‘tall boy’, which went on to represent not just the Santro, but the whole segment of cars, like the WagonR, which used their height to maximise space. That’s some legacy, but the Santro was eventually superseded by the i10 and the Grand i10, which were bigger and better. In its final Santro Xing avatar, it lived on in lower segments (you’ll still see hundreds of them running the streets of Mumbai as taxis) but was given the axe at the end of 2014.
What is it?
So successful the Santro was that it reached 1.86 million households globally and 1.32 million in India. Hyundai is really aiming to achieve high numbers with this new hatchback, hence the company has invested Rs 700 crores or roughly 100 million USD towards this new project.
The all-new Santro’s structure uses 63% advanced high tensile steel and high tensile steel, which not only ensures adequate rigidity, but keeps a check on the kerb weight too, which is in the sub-1-ton region, in the whereabouts of the Celerio, but lower than the Tata Tiago. This car is 45mm longer and 120mm wider than the older Santro and it sits on a 20mm longer wheelbase too. Many expected a return to that tall-boy silhouette, but that’s not quite what’s happened. Sure, it is tall, giving it a stance more akin to the Grand i10 – which makes sense, as it shares its (K1) platform with the Grand i10. The look, too, is a lot like the Grand i10, with angular, swept-back headlamps mounted high up and Hyundai’s new ‘cascading’ grille below.
The grille, however, extends even wider and encompasses the high-mounted fog lamps too which makes it look disproportionately large. The car’s designer, Sangyup Lee, says the grille is partly functional (for better cooling in our conditions) and partly to give the face some drama. Frankly, it’s a bit too dramatic for typically conservative budget car buyer but then the Santro’s oddball styling was even more radical and that didn’t deter people from buying one.
There’s some of this deliberate drama at the side in the form of boomerang creases over the front wheel arch, and that over the rear wheel arch, which add some flavor to the side profile and make the car appear visually squat . Another interesting detail is the shoulder line that dips down on the rear door (Lee says this was to add an element of style as well as increase the glass area), leading to a set of small and simple tail-lamps. What livens things up, however, is the blacked-out section in the base of the bumper, mimicking a diffuser, that houses the rear reflectors. Overall, it looks like a pretty upmarket design, as do most Hyundais, but there are signs that the Santro has been designed to a cost For one, the rear door frame varies in thickness around the quarter glass and, while its outer edge is smooth, its inner edge is very sharp. It sticks out like a sore thumb on an otherwise sleek-looking car. More obvious are the budget looking flip type door handles which hark back to the original Santro. A push-pull design handle (which even the Celerio has) feels more premium and should have been considered as this is the first point of contact with the car
What is it like inside?
For its price and segment, the way Hyundai has chosen to spec the new Santro is hugely impressive. There is a wow-factor the moment you step inside the cabin, and that’s mainly due to the sense of quality it exudes for a budget car. The dual-tone beige and black dashboard (on the Asta trim level ) boasts of high levels of fit-finish and feels much nicer and airier than the all-black theme. The piece-de-resistance is the 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system that is loaded with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and functions very slickly. The infotainment screen doubles up as a reversing camera in the top-spec Asta variants, which by the way are available only with the manual transmission. To the right of the steering column are buttons to power-adjust the outside mirrors (themselves with LED turn indicators built in). Several bits like the buttons on the steering and the stalks are carried over from the Grand i10 and that’s no bad thing as quality is top-notch. The dials are crisp and appear very sporty with the speedo needle resting at a zero-degree angle, and there’s a detailed MID too displaying useful information average fuel economy, average speed and distance to empty, apart from the trip computer data. The air-con control knobs are a bit sticky but like the rest of the switchgear feel hardwearing and chunky. The dull gold finish on the accents surrounding the steering wheel, gear lever, AC vents and door handles looks classy whilst the sporty looking round side air-vents resemble those on some Mercedes models, is another upmarket touch.
Many of the cost-saving efforts are subtle and largely inconsequential, like the Hyundai logo on the steering finished in grey plastic, not chrome, the exposed screws inside the interior door grabs, and the fact that there are only two parking sensors at the rear. There are some missing features that are a bit inconvenient, like no height adjustment for the front seats and seatbelts, the lack of any adjustment for the steering, and the fact that there is no external release for the tailgate. You need the key to open the boot or reach for the lever in the driver’s footwell. And finally, it’s things like the fixed headrests, front and rear, the lack of a door lock/unlock button, and missed opportunity for more stowage space next to the handbrake, which range from annoying to a bit unsafe. Even the placement of the power window switches placed beneath the gear console is a measure to save costs, and it’s inconvenient that these aren’t back-lit. for all its talk of safety, Hyundai discriminates against those on a budget with only a single airbag, It’s the pricier Asta version that gets two front airbags.
The iconic tall and narrow proportions aren’t quite there anymore but that doesn’t mean the new Santro is low on interior room. Quite the contrary, in fact. This new car is larger in every dimension compared to the older car, save for headroom of course. Users will love it for ease of ingress and its tall seating position.
The front seats do remind you of the ones in the Eon, however. They’re slim, again with fixed headrests, but they have just about enough contours to allow you to get comfortable. Only broader passengers might find them lacking in shoulder support. However, the lack of height adjustment for the driver’s seat and no adjustment for the steering means tall drivers in particulawill find the seating position awkward – the seat is too high and the steering too low. What’s nice though is the visibility all round, thanks to the tall glass area and low window line.
The amount of leg, head- and even shoulder room in the back seat is really impressive for a car of this size. The back seat is flat and bench-like which is good if you want to sit three abreast and we particularly liked the generous under thigh support that’s been built along with a high ‘hip’ point. It all adds up to making the back seat one of the most comfortable around. Hyundai has thrown one over the competition by slipping a rear air-con vents in the Santro, a segment first. The air-con itself is possibly the best in class and chills the cabin rapidly, despite the huge glass area.
There may be only one cupholder in the front but otherwise there’s a huge amount of storage in the cabin. The cubbyholes in the centre console are very useful, there’s a decently sized glovebox as well but what we particularly liked is the very practical and useful shelf with a rubberized finish to hold your phone and other loose items, which you need to regularly access. Each door gets a full-size bottle holder and the parcel shelf too has enough depth to hold odds and ends. The boot has a very high loading lip, but is par for the class; you could probably get one medium-size suitcase and a few small soft bags in there.
What is it like to drive?
Though the platform is new-generation, the engine is not. It’s not the 1.0-litre (Kappa II) engine from the Eon, but instead, is the same 1.1-litre Epsilon engine (G4HG) that was in the old Santro Xing and in the original i10. And this is likely for cost reasons, as the Kappa II engine, though a cylinder down on the Epsilon, uses four valves per cylinder and variable valve timing. In this latest state, the 1.1 Epsilon makes 69hp and 99Nm (almost the same as the 1.0 Kappa engine), which is on par with Maruti’s 1.0-litre K10 engine, but lower than Tata’s 1.2-litre Revotron. The 20.3kpl ARAI-rated fuel economy figure is lower than both rival engines, although it’s the same whether you opt for a manual or an AMT in your new Santro. That’s right, you can have this car with a 5-speed AMT – Hyundai’s first-ever attempt at one.
Fire the engine and you’; immediately appreciate the refinement of this engine. Vibrations are almost non-existent at idle and on the move. The engine is pretty responsive and just like the Santro, it’s a zippy car to drive around town. Driveability and a strong mid-range is this engine’s forte and you don’t need to change gears that often which makes it quite user-friendly to drive. And even when you do have to row the stubby gear lever its hardly a chore. The light clutch and gearshift is effortless to operate.
Those used who driving in higher gears at lower revs will love the fact that performance is available from as low as 1000rpm and it remains strong throughout the midrange. It’s only when you cross the 5000rpm mark does it tend to sound a bit strained and coarse. This engine doesn’t like to be revved and feels best in the lower reaches of the power band. Though power delivery is largely seamless you can feel mild flat spots which can be blamed on engine calibration that has been tuned for future BSVI regulations.
Coming to the automated manual transmission (AMT), this is Hyundai’s first in-house developed AMT and it’s a brilliant first effort. The big pauses between gearshifts, a fundamental flow of an AMT, have been smoothened out but no eliminated. Compared to a conventional automatic transmission, the shifts are still slow especially between first and second gear. Flex your right foot, and the AMT is quick to respond by shifting down a gear too. However, all’s not perfect, and there are times when the AMT holds revs for higher than required up to 4500-5000rpm, making the engine sound strained. Flat-out it will hold revs till 6200rpm. What’s nice is that there is a Tiptronic mode present to shift gears manually.
Ride comfort is one of the highlights of this new Santro. It takes on bad roads very competently and absorbs bumps with a sense of maturity. It is only the sharp bumps that filter through. Even the dynamics are very sorted of this car and it can confidently take corners without feeling unsettled or unnerving. The steering, typical of a city car, is light yet very consistent in its behaviour. It isn’t bristling with feedback, but you’re always aware of what’s happening at the front end. The turning radius is tight and manoeuvring this car through traffic is effortless. The only small issue we had is that while taking U-turns though, the steering doesn’t self-centre easily and needs driver input to bring the wheel back to the straight ahead position. portray a sticky characteristic, and requires some inputs to re-centre.
Should i buy one?
To put the new Santro into perspective, it’s first important to remember, how much the market has grown since the original Santro. This is no longer an entry-level car, as the Santro Xing until it was discontinuated in 2014. This is not a rival to the Maruti Alto or Renault Kwid either, as the Eon was conceived to be. This isn’t a replacement for the old Santro, but really the replacement for the discontinued i10 and its up squarely against the Celerio and Wagon R and Tiago.
Since it’s not a full-on premium hatchback, you can see where Hyundai has made some compromises to keep costs in check. Apart from an old-generation engine, there’s a raft of smaller cost-cutting measures but those aren’t really deal breakers. Instead, what the Santro brings is a certain wow factor which has been seriously lacking in this segment.
The design is bold, its hugely spacious for its size and class and above all its been lavished with features and equipment never seen before in the budget hatchback segment. The well-designed touchscreen is, of course, the master stroke, but there’s also stuff like the rear camera and sensors that make you feel you’ve gone a segment higher. At a price of Rs 3.90-5.45 lakh (ex-showroom, India) for the petrol version (CNG costs extra), the new Santro, especially the pricer automatics, may seem expensive but it gives you your money’s worth. Even though it may have shed that tallboy look of the original car’s, it’s clear this new Santro embodies the same core values
from Autocar India - Cars https://ift.tt/2EMtHlX
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