Santro XK or Maruti Alto.. Please help

[msbelagavi]

Hi All,

I am planning to buy my first car.I have shortlisted my search to Alto and Santro XK. I am looking out for a model that is spacious and which can give good mileage. My budget range is 3.25 - 3.6 Lakhs.
Can u please help me out to decide among the two I have specified or any other car which meets my requirements ?

Thanks in Advance.
Mahesh

[mail4ajo]

Both cars fall in your budget. Santro for good interior space and Alto for better mileage. Alto also for wider service and spare availability and better resale value. Santro for better ride, instrumentation, pickup and comfort.

I think I have covered all the areas. You can make your choice now.

[DCEite]

Mahesh,

Since your budget permits Santro, you should go for it. The extra money is well worth it. You get better driving experience compared to Alto, more space, better quality of interiors and a very smooth gearshift (which i find best in the small car segment).
Do also look at WagonR and Zen Estilo. Both very similar to Santro, being Marutis come with extra peace of mind.

[akroy]

Analyze your usage (city / highway) etc and then decide...
Also you can find WagonR Duo in that range which can be economical if u want to use it more in city....

Personally, I am too biased on Alto so will not comment on which car to buy...

Abhi

[navdeep]

I would pick Santro it has more space than a maruti vehicle. All other factors are neck to neck. Resale will be a bit lower for a santro.

[DriverR]

Just my two cents... Between Alto and Santro, I would recommend Santro as it is bigger (interior space), more powerful, more luggage space, good engine that if maintained well should be easy on the pocket, and more features than an alto, eg power windows, etc.
The main plus point of the Alto is milage. It gives at least 2-3 kpl more than the Santro. Another plus point would be the comparitively lower cost of maintenence.
So see what attributes you would like in your car and decide.

Additionally, based on the various experiences people have written in this forum, it seems that in Banglore, Hyundai seems to have a better A. S. S. reputation than Maruti! You may want to keep that in mind. But then again it can be that the Bangalore Hyundai owners are more enthusiatic and therefore write more than Maruti owners!!!

[deep_bang]

I dont know what "xk" means in Santro XK. But having owned a Santro before, here are my thoughts:

Santro has a great seating position for city driving. Its high position makes it ideal for city. Gear shift is awesome. Engine is amazing - you cant hear the engine sound sometimes at signals. Service is pretty good in cities like Bangalore - comparable to Maruti.

Alto - the only plus I see is the mileage. So, i suggest to look at this option only if you are a high mileage user. Alto may give 15kmpl in city and santro about 13kmpl (About 15%). I dont know how effective the AC will be on the 800cc engine. I have seen a friend's alto which really suffers when using AC. So if you are going to use AC quite a bit in city, then Santro may be a better choice.

Have heard that the ride quality in Santro in the rear seats is a bit harsh - dont know about how it compares to alto.

Stability wise, Alto may be more stable since it is a low vehicle and santro is a tall boy.

any other thoughts from anyone else?

[nikunj_cal]

Somehow i feel Santro is better looking than alto any day . I personally would go for a good looking car and comfortable ride if the FE is decent . Heard that the new Santro ERLX Engines is giving very good FE . Given your choice Santro is better !!

[deepak_ms]

if u r looking for space then go for Santro.... am 6 feet tall... i checked alto when i was buying a car... was not comfortable....
but when it comes to mileage alto is any day better..... SANTRO gives a decent mileage but not as much as ALTO...

[SLK]

yup... your shortlisting.. is inconsistent with your requirements!...

Space... is something completely missing in alto. Its cramped even compared to an 800.

[Jaggu]

Santro for your requirements, sacrificing couple of kmpl

[squarecut]

Santro is better in most counts, except fuel efficiency. And fuel efficiency should not be the be all and end all for a car. Considering the features available in santro- more space, much more powerful engine, very good gear shift, much more space, much bertter driving experience, much better build quality etc- and all that at the same price- it is a no brainer, IMHO. One should go for Santro.

[jango]

santro all the way !!