Santro eRlx Short test drive

[DCEite]

Ok after hearing a lot about Santro eRlx, i decided to check it out myself for a short test drive..

dealer: Samara Hyundai
location: Lajpat nagar, New Delhi
car: Santro Xing eRlx XL

Exteriors:
The car is an eye catcher specially if you compare it to wagonr and zen.. but then, few like me would call it a football on wheels


Interiors:
From inside, the car looks quite compact, but offers the same amount of space as my wagonR specially at the rear. The quality of plastics used in the dashboard is good (definitly better than Maruti small cars excluding Swift).

Other thing i liked about the interior was that the AC blower does not make loud sound as in wagonR, and when all the windows rolled up, the sound proofing is better too. Its one of the most silent cabins around..

Another thing better than wagonr/Zen is the seats. The front seats although a bit on the harder side are wider and more supportive as against flat seats of the wagon..

The steering wheel has a good feel to it but the plastic seem to get dusty too easily.. and thank god its not lifeless..

One thing that disappointed me that the usual cubbyholes were not present. Wagonr scores here in terms of storage space with tiny bits for keeping mobile,cups etc. here and there..

Engine and gearbox:
Now this is where i was quite impressed.

Let me start by the gear charge. Its not rubbery like the wagonR, and the throw is shorter (although not as short as Swift). And it has no reverse gear issues as in Marutis..

The upgraded engine, now producing 9.8kgm of torque @3000rpm is quite refined once running but at idle wasn't too silent.. It not only is more responsive, but gives better FE as well

9.8kgm@3000rpm: This is the key figure here as far as city driving is concerned. I stepped on the accelerator in first gear, and almost felt a "jhatka" as the car moved forward with good acceleration. The car is one of the quickest upto the 60kmph mark if the gears are used optimally. So going off signals is fun... The wagonR on the other hand needs to be revved but is better for higher speeds..

In higher speeds though (>80kmph) the Xing does not feel much stable and also does not respond so well it did in lower speeds to accelerator push..

For effortless city driving, i think Santro is NOW a great choice for buyers in the 3-3.5 lac range..

I cant comment much about suspension, as i did not sit in the rear.. but have heard that it is a bit bumpy ride at the rear.

Bottom Line:
Hyundai has done it again. Who would have thought that Santro will bounce back yet again after the launch of Swift. But it has. With clever price cutting and more models to choose from, and with the upgraded engine which maked city driving totally effortless, the Santro Xing is once again going to sell like hot cakes (like it always had) and its bad days for Zen and WagonR again...

[SLK]

I somehow don't trust this torque figure!...
everything remaining the same you increase the torque by such a BIG margin!

previous... 1086cc >>> 63ps >>> 9.1kgm@4000rpm
new......... 1086cc >>> 63ps >>> 9.8kgm@3000rpm

[DCEite]

whatever it is, it works..

[Rudra Sen]

SLK, torque wouldn't play a big game here especially if the car is loaded. I don't think that one has to look for torque figure for Santro. It's a good peppy machine and does it's work pretty well.

[Mpower]

Originally Posted by SLK

I somehow don't trust this torque figure!...
everything remaining the same you increase the torque by such a BIG margin

I think the compression went up.

[SLK]

Well agreed .. they improved the torque. but somehow it still produces the exact same bhp!.. they just put a bump on the torque curve?... then it slides down sharply!...

I still think something is missing... exact same bhp with totally different torque is more than a coincidence.

[jkdas]

so all Xing's sold now r eRLX ones?

and if not , how 2 find teh diff b/w non eRLX and eRLX ones???

[RX135]

Originally Posted by SLK

Well agreed .. they improved the torque. but somehow it still produces the exact same bhp!.. they just put a bump on the torque curve?... then it slides down sharply!..I still think something is missing... exact same bhp with totally different torque is more than a coincidence.

Power is proportional to both torque AND rpm. Even though peak torque value has increased, it is produced at lower rpm. High-end torque values might be the same as earlier, which explains the same peak power.

[DCEite]

Well when i wrote that review, i didnt knew even the WagonR EIII has had some minor torque changes.. its a more flat torque curve now, and its more driveable as well... so its pretty much even stevens again....

[Technocrat]

I HATE Santros but a recent drive in a Santro eRlx(My friend just bought it) got me confused, I was actually wondering whether its the same Santro which I had driven a couple of years back & which I hated so much, the engine is really quite, smooth & felt torquee as well.

I believ the eRLX ones have a 32 bit ECU.

[pranil]

32 Bit ECU is required to meet EURO III standards as the processing has to be done much faster. Higher torque is just a by product and part marketting Gimmick

[jkdas]

so all Xing's sold now r eRLX ones?

and if not , how 2 find teh diff b/w non eRLX and eRLX ones???

[Hackett]

With sooooooooooo much wait period of swift the best option among wagan R, Santro eRLX and if you consider Zen is definately SANTRO

After test driving all these , i found santro xing eRLX -XO model is more value for money and pleasure to drive.
The vehicle comes with PS all four Power Windows, rear defroger and wiper along with other regulars in the segment (ABS is an option but no possibility of Airbags)

[BUSA]

Originally Posted by jkdas

so all Xing's sold now r eRLX ones?

and if not , how 2 find teh diff b/w non eRLX and eRLX ones???

No there is the XIng as well as the eRLX both are sold side by side!

The eRLX has been written on the left of the car so you can distinguish with ease!

Cheers

[Surprise]

Originally Posted by Hackett

The vehicle comes with PS all four Power Windows, rear defroger and wiper along with other regulars in the segment (ABS is an option but no possibility of Airbags)

With all these available they charge only inbetween 3-3.5 lakh range?