3 years, 60,000 kms of living with the tall boy

[sidindica]

just got it seerviced from HMP Delhi, at 25,000 km.

looks and styling:

looks are subjective but have grown on me after really enjoying to drive in this car. acceptable, still love the taillamps!

engine and performance:

out of all the small cars in the lower b segment( i10 included), this car seriously has the best performance in this category. Just dab the throttle and the engine responds so instantly that it makes drives enjoyable and overtaking a breeze. simply the easiest and stress free car to drive for Delhi roads.
engine oil used: mobil 1 synthetic.

fuel economy:

city-bumper to bumper traffic with a/c on: 15.6 kpl approx
highway: with a/c on at 80 kph constant: 18.9 kpl approx
mixed: 13-14 kpl approx
fuel used from day-1: speed 97.

driver appeal:
the high seating position is a boon especially the great all round view, which i dare say, is not present even in many expensive cars like the swift.
However, the badly placed pedals, sometimes pain for my legs, same goes for oddly placed rear power window switches.however, dead pedal is a big plus for those long drives.
great a/c cools instantly, gearshift simply smooth.

however, the front chin sometimes scrapes on the road when the car is driven over high-set speedbreakers, otherwise, no problem with the ground clearence. i wish hyundai improves the rear suspension or better ride comfort.

Steering feel:
absolutely delightful. compared to wagon-r, zen stilo and even spark which feels overlight and disconnected, this feels connected the wheels and secure at high speeds.

highway stability:

contrary to magazines' reports concerning the car's por stability on highway, many times i touched 145 at greater noida expressway and if driven with full concentraton and eyes wide open on the road, it feels absouletely stable and secure with no road noise.

tyres: stock goodyear GPS-2 tube type.

build quality:

even after 15 months and 25,000 km and abused over bad roads, the taut body structure feels rigid with no complaints of squeaks and rattles. will keep on updating over a period of ime as i clock more kms.

ownership experiance:

servicing done through sunrise, MGF and HMP.all the dealers are pretty competitive.only some minor issues lik late delivery etc faced but over all ownership experiance is very satisfying for me.
maintenence costs are low considering the heavy taxes levied on parts which go to the government.

verdict:

anyone looking for a car as a first prchase on tight budget, a car which is enjoyable to drive and to own, looking for cars like wagon r, zen estilo, palio 1.1, indica xeta, alto, spark, and i10, the santro accoding to me is the best allrounder for both city and highway driving.

overall, 4/5, a very satisied owner of santro xing XO eRLX.

[rks]

Originally Posted by sidindica

Out of all the small cars in the lower b segment( i10 included), this car seriously has the best performance in this category. Just dab the throttle and the engine responds so instantly that it makes drives enjoyable and overtaking a breeze. simply the easiest and stress free car to drive for Delhi roads.
engine oil used: mobil 1 synthetic.

Steering feel:
absolutely delightful. compared to wagon-r, zen stilo and even spark which feels overlight and disconnected, this feels connected the wheels and secure at high speeds.

highway stability:

contrary to magazines' reports concerning the car's por stability on highway, many times i touched 145 at greater noida expressway and if driven with full concentraton and eyes wide open on the road, it feels absouletely stable and secure with no road noise.

tyres: stock goodyear GPS-2 tube type.

Very well written and accurate review. I can back up this experience even on my old Santro, with 1-lit engine. A great little car for Indian road conditions.

Just this Friday as I entered Khandala tunnel on the way to Mumbai on the Expressway, I cut to the left and prepared to overtake an Indica taxi on the right lane, which is usually a very routine affair. But this time the Indica guy decides to challenge my overtake attempt and tries to prevent me from getting to the right lane in front of him, as there was a lorry in my path on the left lane towards the end of the tunnel. We both accelerated and as we approached the sharp left just after the exit of the tunnel, I smiled and kept my car at close to 100 kmph (a cinch, since I have done the same curve at even ~120 kmph in the past). Sure enough, the Indica guy lost his nerve and slowed down. My Santro cuts to the right lane with nonchallant ease in front of the Indica, and takes the sharp left while overtaking the lorry without slowing down at all. The Indica guy will think twice before trying this stunt again on a Santro. In fact many a sedan/SUV/elite hatch driver on the Mumbai-Pune route will remember my old Santro wtih respect, especially in the Lonawala ghats.

And yes, magazine reports and reviews on car forums give a wrong impression of this car's handling. If tyre pressures are accurately set and with proper wheel balancing/alignment, this car's handling is just superb. I strongly recommend alloy wheels and tubeless tyres. In heavy rain, I have pushed my old Santro to more or less full speed (140+ kmph) on the Mumbai-Pune Expresssway. Not even a hint of a skid, even on curving stretches.

[jkdas]

Originally Posted by sidindica

just got it seerviced from HMP Delhi, at 25,000 km.

engine and performance:

Best for city drives but a good intercity runner too

fuel economy:
mixed: 13-14 kpl approx
fuel used from day-1: speed 97.

wow! I dont think it needs this seriously.
I used to get 15 plus most of the time.

however, the front chin sometimes scrapes on the road when the car is driven over high-set speedbreakers, otherwise, no problem with the ground clearence. i wish hyundai improves the rear suspension or better ride comfort.

Try another car on the same road/speed. If the front chin of Santro hits then its seriously high hump.

Steering feel:
Change it to smaller one if you want fun.

highway stability:

tyres: stock goodyear GPS-2 tube type.

Upgrade to Potenza G111 and see. You will come back and hail about its performance.

build quality:

even after 15 months and 25,000 km and abused over bad roads, the taut body structure feels rigid with no complaints of squeaks and rattles. will keep on updating over a period of ime as i clock more kms.

Ah! one of the best.


ownership experience:

overall, 4/5, a very satisied owner of santro xing XO eRLX.

Nice review. See that you put caps and period when needed when you write next time. Will look more neat

[DieselFan]

sidindica,

If you have driven more than 25000 km in 15 months it would have made enough economic sense to go in for a Diesel. Swift D would have been a wonderful choice looking back.

[sidindica]

got its 50,000 km service done from HMP, DELHI, staff is very courteous and competant.

city mileage in typical delhi traffic: 16.64 kmpl
highway mileage: 19.55 kmpl
fuel: speed

still the best car for Delhi streets due to it's user friendly nature and still the most stress free car to drive.
e-rlx engine runs like a dream with great pick-up, especially the torque available at 3rd gear.

tyres changed to michelin XM-1s mounted on new i-10 rims, providing better grip and handling, which is the best feature of this kei-car.

a reliable daily commuter.

attached pics taken just minutes ago:

[Eddy]

Where is the review, lol ?

Fabulous looking car. Has it be painted recently ?

[sidindica]

only the front left fender, both bumpers and tailgate have been painted due to an accident in heavy fog.

otherwise, all the paints are original.

every 6 months the car gets teflon coating, which I do personally by hand, the key reason for its lustre, and of course, it has to be maintained, which I do.

[phamilyman]

Teflon coating by hand? Please share how its done. I am extremely interested!

Very very well maintained car with lovely mileage

[Lalvaz]

You've really maintained her very well. But 50k in 3 years is a lot of driving. Have a 05 model and shes done only 43k yet. Curious as to why you've not changed the speakers to better oval shaped speakers. How does it sound?

Also, you're getting really good mileage figures. I can only manage around 14, but then thats with ordinary fuel, not speed.

Do post more information on how you do the teflon coating, how long does it take and how much does it cost?

[sukiwa]

tyres changed to michelin XM-1s mounted on new i-10 rims

Any specific reason for changing to i10 rims?
Santro Xing has 13x4J rims whereas i10 has 13x4B rims.

[sidindica]

santro rims were not available in black, i-10 rms were, so that i can fit the wheel covers from XS model to give it a sleek look.

most independent workshops which deal in accident repairs have this something called-teflon polish, not the real teflon which the dealers claim to do and charge 2500-3500 rupees for that.

the polish for a car of the size of the santro costs approx 900 rs.

doing by hand is very easy-just wash the car, shampoo and rinse it, dry it and apply with a soft sponge. leave for an hour, and wipe it with a dhoti-cloth for that lustre.

[sidindica]

Originally Posted by Lalvaz

You've really maintained her very well. But 50k in 3 years is a lot of driving. Have a 05 model and shes done only 43k yet. Curious as to why you've not changed the speakers to better oval shaped speakers. How does it sound?

Also, you're getting really good mileage figures. I can only manage around 14, but then thats with ordinary fuel, not speed.

Do post more information on how you do the teflon coating, how long does it take and how much does it cost?

the speakers ARE ovals-JBL GTO 947, but are fitted on company provided grills since I do not personally prefer exposed speakers on parcel trays, they do not look good to me. moreover, the boot is mostly loaded, so it can cause damage to the wiring, and moreover, I am not that crazy about listening to music on the move at loud volume, so just have the basic setup.

[Rajesh Rawal]

the car looks full chamko washing powder dude!(touchwood)

abhi tak no alloys ?

[shabahmad]

Sid@ You have taken good care of your car. Nice, Neat & Shiny Santro.

In one of the pics of interior, there is one lever near by the power window switch. Whats is that for? Is it a gear lock or some arrangement for stering lock.

[sidindica]

some more pics (the interior pics are old-took some time back)