[ms_rana]

Hi,

I have Santro DX EuroII since last 6 years (bought in 2000). Over all these years, the car has served me well. I have visited my native place in Uttaranchal many a times. The only problem I find is its high center of gravity. With car like Zen you don't have to worry about that but with Santro you have to be cautious. The car returns me 17+ Km/pl on highway (with speed ranging from 90-115 Kmph). The brakes are although not good when the car is fully laden.

Now I am planning to change my car. The new Santro is in the market for sometime but I still wonder how good is it. Is it drastically different from my old 999 cc Santro? Is it worth a change?

Solicit your comments as per mileage, performance and other factors of the new car. This would certainly help me make up my mind.

Thanks

[revharder]

hello welcome to tbhp.

since you used santro for last 6 years, dont you think you need a change?!
new santro is quite better than the older one coz it has better power, looks, brakes and a new name Xing! but the fact is that you'll get/feel nothing new!

imho, you should go for some other car.
tell us some of your priorities like family car/single perosn car/chauffeur driven/ economical or powerful/ KMs to be driven per day and some more aspects like that!
and above all , your budget!

i guess without such parameters it'll be impossible for anyone to suggest you a car.

but since you already gave a hint that you are looking at new santro as an option, i considers your budget to be around 4 lakhs and you needs a family car.
if i m correct in guessing that, than i'd suggest you to pay some attention to Palio1.2, WagonR, Swift LXi, new upcoming Zen, Indica Xeta.
Versa is also there but since you hate high COG, better forget abt it!

looking forward to get your priorities!

[ajmat]

There may be a new santro this year end

[ms_rana]

Well, one thing that I like the most about Santro is its low end torque. You need not go through many gear changes. This really helps when driving in hilly areas. As far as other cars are concerned, I find Indica a bit crude; Zen is definitely lacking in boot space; WagonR is strict No..No from your family side. Palio is good but its new version is around the corner. So, I am not considering the current one. Moreover, the 1.2L engine is not charming either.

I went to Maruti and evaluated Esteem VXI and Swift VXI. Esteem looks and feels very lightly built car. Its seating is also low (definitely in comparison to Santro). I found Swift OK but then my wife found not much of a difference in back seat. In fact, it is bit claustrophobic there. Also, I am bit concerned about various quality issues with Swift (such as rattling etc.). Have read many posts here. I am also concerned about the low end torque capability of Swift. This is important as I often visit hills. Getz is good but then again, its new version is about to come soon.

I also seriously considered Maruti Baleno. But not sure about the spare part costs. If its headlight costs 11K+ and taillight close to 18K then I am certainly off it. Moreover, I have heard about low ground clearance of Baleno. Roads are often in shabby condition in hills and with full load the car is bound to face tough challenge. Baleno's interior again is not very pleasing. I was looking for LXI version and interiors are all plastics. Especially the rear power window switch looks and feels totally repulsive. Aveo and Fiesta are there in market but at much higher bracket (out of my means). Hyundai Accent is available at a good price but then fun factor is totally missing. The brakes too are not very confidence inspiring either. But have heard that if you drive it light footed then it rewards you with good mileage.

[speedsatya]

if its a small car that you are looking at ...then as you have rejected all teh other small cars ,you can look at the Indica Turbo or the Getz ...both of them are more spacious than the swift but dunno if yopu would get the same driving pleasure as in a swift .

[jkdas]

I did was you are thinking of doing and accept what revharder said.

If you can get a Getz. MOre spacious et ctec. I love my Xing though and do get good mileage and is powerful than old Santro ( my old one was the 3rd santro in my district!). I haev covered 22k in my Xing within 8 months.

[johy]

Originally Posted by ms_rana

Hi,

Now I am planning to change my car. The new Santro is in the market for sometime but I still wonder how good is it. Is it drastically different from my old 999 cc Santro? Is it worth a change?

Hi ms_rana,

I think you should test drive the new Santro. Test drive it some rough patch of road before making up your mind. I too had an old Santro Deluxe (1999) and was pretty satisfied with it, but it was growing old and moreover I had bought it second hand from a friend, so I was never really attached to the car. Therefore, when I was deciding on my new car, I had the new Santro on the top of my priorities. I wanted a small car - because I have to drive often is really congested lanes and did not want a larger car.

I ended up buying a Wagon R (I know it is a no-no from your family's side). I test drove both cars on pretty bad rural roads and the ride quality of the new Santro was really disappointing. It was like "when is this ride going to end kind of feeling." In contrast, the Wagon R was much more smoother on those rough roads and handled much better. Here, I would like to point out that the Wagon R I drove was a test drive car and the Santro was brand new (The Hyundai people here were 100% sure that I was going to buy it, so they sent me the exact color, exact model - it had only 12 kms on the odo). I was so disappointed with the ride quality that I came home and then took my old Santro on the same patch of road - well it was a much better ride - much to my surprise. Yes, the interiors of the Santro and the finish - really nice (compared to the Wagon R), but I was so shocked with the ride - I called off the deal. I am not trying to compare the two cars - there are many posts on this - but just stressing the need to trying out the new Santro on some rough roads. I think the old Santro is way better.

I would suggest you going for the Palio really, get the 1.6 or the adventure if you can stretch it - I wish I did!

..or have you tried the Getz? or the Aveo? - If not the Adventure, I would have got the Aveo --- if I did not have all those limitations - it has good ground clearance as well.

johy

[revharder]

ms_rana,
you have tested almost every car, very good to see that.
but still you dint mentioned a thing abt your priorities!

it seems as if you are telling us about the pros and cons of all cars and are not asking for a car!

when you'll be providing some details about your needs?
or is it so that you can go for any car ranging from santro to swift, esteem to accent, merc to bmw, gypsy to prado?

be a bit practical man!

[ms_rana]

OK. Got the point.

I am a family man and have twins who are 1+year old. So I need to carry a lot of stuff. Their toys, bag and baggage ... everything. In terms of weight it might not be too much but then it certainly occupies a lot of space. So, boot space is a sure must. Mileage has to be reasonable (if not great). Low end performance is definitely required. And my budget is upto 6 lakhs. Build quality must be sturdy keeping in mind the rough roads that I occassionally encounter in hills.

[revharder]

ms_rana,
and how many KMs you'll be doing everyday or monthly?!
and will it be self driven or chauffeur driven?!

[ms_rana]

Well my weekday usage usually is around 20km and upto 50 kms on weekends. The vehicle would be self driven. My trip to hills clocks approx. 700 - 800 kms on odometer. And there would be 5-6 such trips in a year.

[normally_crazy]

Have you looked at the Petra or Adventure ? I know you arent interested in these cars as a new model is to be launched - but go and take a test drive , you will get a clearer picture. I say this considering this -

I am a family man and have twins who are 1+year old. So I need to carry a lot of stuff. Their toys, bag and baggage ... everything. In terms of weight it might not be too much but then it certainly occupies a lot of space. So, boot space is a sure must. Mileage has to be reasonable (if not great). Low end performance is definitely required. And my budget is upto 6 lakhs. Build quality must be sturdy keeping in mind the rough roads that I occassionally encounter in hills.

IMO - The Fiat Petra / Adventure fulfill all the above criteria.

[aZa]

2006-2007 is gonna see Lots of new cars coming into the market ... try waiting it out for a while if u can. Otherwise i think the new eLRX or getz would be fine. You are used to the old santro, the newer eLRX will definatly make u at home. the performance vis-a-vis the old one is much better. Resale value is also strong for a santro.

[satish_appasani]

Originally Posted by normally_crazy

Have you looked at the Petra or Adventure ? I know you arent interested in these cars as a new model is to be launched - but go and take a test drive , you will get a clearer picture. I say this considering this -

IMO - The Fiat Petra / Adventure fulfill all the above criteria.

My words too. As i was reading your priorities, the only car that sparked to me was Petra. Go for a test drive. The only technical issue with the car is large turning radius. You need to be extra careful when parking and u turns. But you will get used quite soon.

And Petral was the only car in your budget you did not test. Also check the Indigo. But it's Dsl. Petrols are better ignored.

[vivek.singh.73]

I would suggest wait for a while to see new models coming in, New Santro is not really a good buy considering you are looking for better ride quality.

If you can't wait, try Palio - you would love it