[Daewood]

Originally Posted by honeybee

This experience made me a little weary when I drove the Santro over the same road, but I soon found that I can easily manage the Santro at the same speeds, i.e. around 50kmph, and my body doesn't roll as much.

Might be you didn't feel it because the front seats of Santro are quite cramped, compared to the IKON and that prevented you from tilting sideways.

Having driven more than 20k kms on my dad's Santro in some of the narrowest and twisty highways of south kerala, i've never felt confident taking a curve in it, even though it's a non-power steering one. Wheras in the Ikon/Fiesta or Figo i've always felt like pressing the pedal even more as i approach a corner.

[Torquedo]

Disclaimer: I am not an expert on ride and handling, but here are my 2 cents.

1) Ride: I am assuming that the ride quality on the K10 would be better when compared to the Santro, as the latter happens to be a Tall Boy design, now on the contrary, the low kerb weight of the K10 might make it suffer on the ride, so I am confused.

2) Handling: Again attributing to the Tall Boy design, I think the handling of the K10 should be better than the Santro. I think because, I have not extensively driven the K10 but have the Santro. Cornering scares the **** out of me on the Santro and is not something that I would recommend on the Santro. I have TD the K10 and it felt more planted and sure footed than the Santro while cornering.

Happy Motoring !!

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by Torquedo

Disclaimer: I am not an expert on ride and handling, but here are my 2 cents.

1) Ride: I am assuming that the ride quality on the K10 would be better when compared to the Santro, as the latter happens to be a Tall Boy design, now on the contrary, the low kerb weight of the K10 might make it suffer on the ride, so I am confused.

2) Handling: Again attributing to the Tall Boy design, I think the handling of the K10 should be better than the Santro. I think because, I have not extensively driven the K10 but have the Santro. Cornering scares the **** out of me on the Santro and is not something that I would recommend on the Santro. I have TD the K10 and it felt more planted and sure footed than the Santro while cornering.

Happy Motoring !!

1. Santro being heavier, it will make a difference when you are alone. With 4 persons, K10 does not jump much over the road irregularities. Neither are as smooth as a 1+ ton car, and no where near the 2 ton SUV.

2. Yes K10 stays planted due to its low CG. The front is also more streamlined, so high speed behaviour is better, especially in cross winds, where its lower side profile is an advantage. At low city speed these advantages are of no consequence.

[saadat1992]

If it is on performance basis, then you should probably get the K10. But , if you consider the rest of the criteria, Santro's your car!
The Santro's bottom end torque is simply awesome!
You can pull from a standstill even in 2nd gear, the car will happily move without creating a scene. You are comparing the K10 and the Santro both of which are small hatchbacks so, i guess the car will spend 90% of it's life in the city. The Santro is the better car to drive around in the city. It's not an enthusiast's car but, it's a pleasure to drive. It's big on space and thanks to the big glasses, you can park it without any hassles! The biggest advantage of the Santro is the Ingress and egress. It's spacious and easy to get into the Santro. Where the Santro gains over the Alto is the interior quality. You simply cannot compare a Hyundai with a Maruti ( no offence to Maruti owners ) when it comes to interior quality!

So, IMO Santro is a better car !

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by saadat1992

If it is on performance basis, then you should probably get the K10. But , if you consider the rest of the criteria, Santro's your car!
The Santro's bottom end torque is simply awesome!
You can pull from a standstill even in 2nd gear, the car will happily move without creating a scene. You are comparing the K10 and the Santro both of which are small hatchbacks so, i guess the car will spend 90% of it's life in the city. The Santro is the better car to drive around in the city. It's not an enthusiast's car but, it's a pleasure to drive. It's big on space and thanks to the big glasses, you can park it without any hassles! The biggest advantage of the Santro is the Ingress and egress. It's spacious and easy to get into the Santro. Where the Santro gains over the Alto is the interior quality. You simply cannot compare a Hyundai with a Maruti ( no offence to Maruti owners ) when it comes to interior quality!

So, IMO Santro is a better car !

Yes for city Santro is better especially in a stop and go traffic. Not that the K10 cannot match it, but with K10 your driving style has to change drastically. You have to drive at higher RPM, which while not affecting the FE, increases the drivability a lot. With Santro you can just potter around and it will pull.

The only problem which I can see, is that recently, at least in Delhi, Hyundai have increased their service charges a lot, so that a service at the Hyundai can be twice as expensive as MUL, as reported by my acquaintances who have a Santro.

[rageshbhaskar]

The good part of Santro is that it is rattle and niggle free . Plus seating position and easy to drive around in the city . Ideally compared to Wagon R .

It was my second car after 800 and I can tell you inspite of all this , its not an enthusiast's car if at all that is the criteria . I am an enthusiast and I could not live with it . but if i were not , Santro is the best , if needed will last for 10 years without any problems , will keep you happy in the city .

K10 is far better with respect to performance , no doubt .

But as another member commented , its better to take the person who is going to use it to share views (pardon me if done , i have not read all the posts )

[superlux]

The K10 is more bang for the buck, better acceleration and fuel efficiency while the Santro is more at ease in city traffic. The body roll is obviously more in the santro while the K10 lags at low revs and you have to keep a heavy foot in bumper to bumper traffic. Overall, the K10 is a more VFM proposition.

[rambo1o1]

Just reviving an old thread. I am looking out for a second hand hatch for me. My budget is around 2.5 lakhs... i had mostly narrowed down my choice on 2010 k10s, but suddenly i get a call from my trusted Mechanic telling me that there is a 2012 santro xing glplus for 2.5 lakhs, owner is going abroad, so now i am totally confused. I need to decide fast since that car may be grabbed.
How much mileage can i expect from the santro and will the santro be cheap to maintain?
Are spare parts reasonable of the santro.
I had never considered the santro due to perceived higher maintenance cost and less fuel economy(compared to the k10) and was getting older santros in my budget. But getting a year old santro with warranty still left has left me confused.
Any help will be appreciated.

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by rambo1o1

Just reviving an old thread. I am looking out for a second hand hatch for me. My budget is around 2.5 lakhs... i had mostly narrowed down my choice on 2010 k10s, but suddenly i get a call from my trusted Mechanic telling me that there is a 2012 santro xing glplus for 2.5 lakhs, owner is going abroad, so now i am totally confused. I need to decide fast since that car may be grabbed.
How much mileage can i expect from the santro and will the santro be cheap to maintain?
Are spare parts reasonable of the santro.
I had never considered the santro due to perceived higher maintenance cost and less fuel economy(compared to the k10) and was getting older santros in my budget. But getting a year old santro with warranty still left has left me confused.
Any help will be appreciated.

Santro Pros.
. Tall boy, hence can seat 5 easily
. Good low end torque hence easy to maneuver in city
. Much cheaper than K10 for the similar vintage/milage

Alto K10 Pros
. Better FE
. Better performance
. Lower maintenance costs

If you are going to use the car only in heavy city traffic and have to seat 4 persons comfortably, get the 2012 Santro.

If you are having mixed driving pattern - city and highways and have at the most two passengers and like performance get the Alto K10.

With a slump in sales coupled with massive discounts, a new Alto K10 VXi will cost you around 3.25 OTR or less depending on your negotiation skills. I would recommend a new K10 rather than spending 2.5L on a second hand car.

[rambo1o1]

Well that particular 2012 santro was sold(bad luck)... i asked current santro owners about negatives of the santro and the only gripe they had was the lower fuel efficiency and slightly higher maintenance cost. Will now most probably search for a 2010 alto k10. If i get good deals on a santro then i may consider it...

[MavericK46]

Originally Posted by rambo1o1

Well that particular 2012 santro was sold(bad luck)... i asked current santro owners about negatives of the santro and the only gripe they had was the lower fuel efficiency and slightly higher maintenance cost. Will now most probably search for a 2010 alto k10. If i get good deals on a santro then i may consider it...

You would need to factor in the fact that the Alto being a Maruti will command a considerably higher price than an equivalent Santro would.
- You may have done so already


That said, I've extensively driven the K10 in city traffic as well as weekend getaways. And save for the cramped rear which makes it strictly a four-seater for sub-6 footers, it's a brilliant little car.
This was the vehicle that introduced me to the famed MS steering feel.
And boy can the K10 surprise most hatches that cost twice as much when it comes to a dash to 60 or the ton
I own an i20 and would hands-down prefer my mates K10 on pretty much any out-of-town trips.

All things considered, I'd say that the K10 would keep you happier for longer and would end up probably saving you a pretty penny when you hit the A.S.S.

Here's hoping you land a K10 soon !

Cheers !

[Aroy]

I would still maintain that instead of getting a 2-3 year old car for 2.5L, get a new one for 3.5L.

There was a recent news item that the second hand market is hotting up and the prices are rising. At the same time new car market has slumped drastically so the OTR prices are reducing.

[arunphilip]

Originally Posted by MavericK46

I own an i20 and would hands-down prefer my mates K10 on pretty much any out-of-town trips.

Sorry to be negative, but please read this (http://www.carsafetyrules.com/alto-k...s-safety/0805/) before you take an Alto platform on the highway instead of your i20.

[Geo_Ipe]

I am an owner of the Santro Xing for the past 7+ years, and these are my inputs.
(I have not driven the K10 extensively to comment authrotatively)

- Service costs are manageable. I pay 2600 - 2800 for a regular 6 monthly service.
- In my 7+ years / 64k km of ownership, I haven't had to replace any major parts, only regular services
- Space is tremendous, compared to an Alto
- Bottom end torque is nice, helps a lot in city traffic
- Performance is not the Santro's forte: Cornering at high speeds is scary, and she's not happy going above 90 kmph

If you have any particular queries, will only be happy to answer.

[Geo_Ipe]

Originally Posted by arunphilip

Sorry to be negative, but please read this (http://www.carsafetyrules.com/alto-k...s-safety/0805/) before you take an Alto platform on the highway instead of your i20.

Thanks Arun, for sharing the link. But do we know how safe the Santro is? Has anyone ever crash tested it??

(Mods: Apologies for back to back posting - Kindly merge)