[sidindica]

Baar baar dekho, 1000 baar dekho, presenting the all new santro in a new avatar!

the new grill has completely transformed the look of my car at 75,500 kms.

More pics will be shot tomorrow.


the new grill comes black and has been painted silver, gives a bold look.


bonnet scratch gone finally


second lease of life.


Santro, someone's getz, parents' jazz

[sidindica]

Hows the car performing after 75,500 kms on harsh Delhi roads?

Pros:

• build quality-except for minor parcel tray rattles, the body has withstood together well even after years of hard abuse. actually santro body even feels more riid than that of the i10.
• user friendliness-for congested Delhi traffic, a combination of peppy engine, light controls and accurate steering makes this car fun to dart with. Superb horn and easy to operate too.
• interior plastic quality-regular maintenance still has that gleaming shine on the plastics, a good thing and all the knobs plus buttons function well. Fiat, take note of this. Was bloody disappointed with the plastic feel on the 90hp punto demo car.
• engine-simply the best 1.1 engine. torquey, refined with amazing pulling power at 3rd gear. doesn't run out of breath. 0-100 still can be done in 14 odd seconds.
• gearbox-mated well and smooth shifting at a flick of a wrist.
• agility-still in my books the best handling old kei-car. hydraulic steering is very accurate and is weighted perfectly with the chassis.
• the rear wiper placement-unlike many hatches which have rear wiper placed at tailgate with a semi "L" shaped design, I like this full horizontal straight line shaped wiper, cleans the rear windshield a full 180 degrees for clear view during heavy rains.
• self locking doors-just press the lock button and shut the doors without touching the handle. the doors stay locked.
• dead pedal-a boon for city and long drives. missed on I10.
• stability-michelin XM1s plus I10 rims=improved stability even at 140 kmph.
• bumper design-aids safety. santro bumpers are pretty strong and come with a reinforced iron rail bar behind them for additional safety.
• taillight design-it looks classy and understated, yet amazing at night. 4 standard bulbs aid safety.
• tall rear seating position-makes up for shortage of legroom and provides comfortable seating position.
• hyundai service network-nationwide network and easy availability of parts=no headache running for it.

Cons:

• fuel efficiency-the car is known to be very efficient, but a change in driving style changes the figures dramatically. I extracted figures varying from 22 to 17 to 15, even 7 kmpl at once.
• excessive torque-sometimes I actually feel that the car is over torqued. Inadvertent wheel spins are produced at a mere flick of a throttle at traffic lights. it can become an addiction.
• ride-stiff suspension=very bumpy rear ride quality.
• legroom-extremely poor space management at both front and rear for tall drivers. I like to stretch my legs while driving, but the santro has a short front seat travel, making this impossible.
• AC controls-very outdated slider controls look out of place. Cooling good, but can be better.
• pedal placement-badly placed throttle pedal, right foot can be painful.
• front seat comfort-firm cushioning compromises driver comfort.
• headlights-stock 60/55W bulbs woefully inadequate, upgraded to 90/100 standard halogen bulbs and no problems. No modifications done for the same.
• labour charges-atrocious pricing for labour by Hyundai motor India limited.
• looks-side design not to my liking. too many creases and curves.
• service-inconsistent service quality.

Overall it has been a love hate relationship with this car in these 4 years. But this car has reliability written to it with a capital R. Never left me stranded me anywhere, even after abusing it heavily at all kinds of Delhi roads. The newer fluids changed at 74,000 km service has made my car running just like new.

I tried many service centers.

• sunrise-atrocious experience with them- the less said the better.
• nimbus-just about OK, quality can be better.
• Samara patparganj industrial area-got serviced twice, above average.
• MGF patparganj industrial area-again a better experiance than samara.
• capital noida-gave it a try on a friend's recommendation, by far the best in service quality at their sector 2 workshop.
• capital noida sector 63-the major workshop, from where my car came back yesterday. quality of work done is wonderful but the communication between them and iffco causing delays has left me utterly disappointed. Iffco to blame for that. But capital staff was very courteous and friendly. So came back satisfied.

Sometimes i get bored of this but sometimes I feel to keep this car purely for the ease of use that it provides.
I intend to complete 1,00,000 kms and then search for a replacement.

But what will it be? I don't know.
Maybe whatever my instincts feel would be good, we would buy that. And it could be anything. Like I said, anything.

[sidindica]

Dad literelly murdered me when he saw this report of my fuel efficiency. he gave me some tips and what a difference it made. 22.34 kmpl.

[iPai]

Originally Posted by sidindica

Dad literelly murdered me when he saw this report of my fuel efficiency. he gave me some tips and what a difference it made. 22.34 kmpl.

Could you please share them sid?

[sidindica]

Got a surprise call from carnation, Noida regarding a free service camp for Hyundai cars today. They checked the car thoroughly, made adjustments here and there, tightened some underbody loose nuts and gave it wash and polish, FOC. Overall 4/5.

Pics shot today:

[sidindica]

UPDATE: 50 months, 90,000 kms:

Time for an update after 5 odd months..yesterday the car went for its routine 90,000 km service.

Jobs performed:

• engine oil (shell) and oil filter change
• engine flush
• air filter change
• fuel filter change
• brake pads changed
• cleaning of brake shoe
• alignment and balancing
• timing belt change (finally)
• suspension check, all was well, still on original shocks and dampers
• transmission oil change
• coolant, brake oil and PS fluid was normal.
• tailgate shocks replaced
• rear power window inside iron holders replaced as they were rusting
• door and tailgate rattles solved

Total bill: Rs 9,700 including labour and parts, tax, discount on labour.

Excellent A plus service by capital Hyundai, sector 2, noida.

Fuel efficiency:

Best: 23.4 kmpl
worst: 5.3 kmpl
city (winter conditions): 13-14.5 kmpl approx
highway (winter): 18-20 kmpl approx.

After 90,000 km, the plusses:

• strong highway performance and smooth, zippy motor.
• insane 3rd gear acceleration
• immense torque=easy overtaking
• rigid and durable body for a kei-car
• enhanced stability due to michelins
• still amazing interior parts quality for this class of car
• user friendly controls and light clutch, smooth gearbox
• nicely calibrated power steering for a kei-car
• till now has proved to be very reliable mechanically

The negatives:

• shortage of legroom at front
• badly placed pedals=ankle strain
• rigid suspension=bumpy ride
• inconsistent mileage, varies with driving style
• expensive labour rates of Hyundai

Sum-up:

• still a superb entry level VFM hatch but has aged gracefully and past its prime, its a 1997 design after all. Yet, a superb choice for a small car buyer on a limited budget.

[fast_elegance]

Hey Sid, your car looks absolutely fresh even after those 90,000 kms. Absolutely brilliant maintenance.
Which shiner do you use for the plastic trims on the bumper and doors?

[lsp]

Originally Posted by sidindica

Cons:
...........

• headlights-stock 60/55W bulbs woefully inadequate, upgraded to 90/100 standard halogen bulbs and no problems. No modifications done for the same.........

Hi Sid,
What brand of bulbs are you using??

I have a Santro of similar age and I am planning to change the bulbs to more powerful ones. But I am not sure if the wiring also needs to be changed with that. Which brand would you suggest.

Thanks in advance

[motomaverick]

Thanks for your ownership review of the Santro was considering it as a replacement for my 2004 zen base model. Why i am looking for a 2nd hand santro? well i want to ultimately buy a diesel suv but in the interim require a car that has a wonderful power steering, gives mileage almost as much as the zen and does not feel lagged down in power when u put the a/c, i drove a santro for 1 day and it fitted the bill. what do you say?

[sidindica]

The car has clocked 96,815 kms as of now. Some heavy running, some fun driving, some abuse included. Good that capital hyundai has taken my car seriously after a pathetic last experience where my car wasn't cleaned properly. The car was wobbling at high speeds and braking was becoming a cause for concern.

Took the car to capital, sector 2, noida.

• poor braking with brake judder at high speeds
• steering rattle
• gearbox vibration
• other small rattles.

The culprit was worn out factory brake discs. Straight away asked for brand new replacement instead of "polished used" discs. Costed 840 rupees per piece.



One OEM wheelcap was scratched badly on a wrongly judged turn so asked for a replacement which arrived from their sector 63 workshop. Costed rupees 441. The front wheel cap is the new piece.



Alignment and balancing was done properly and a long road test was conducted, some camber settings later and the car is back to normal. Braking now improved and also got the pads cleaned and caliper greased. Some heavy dirt came out.

They washed the car FOC and gave it back to me with a bill of approx 2600 rupees including parts and labour plus some discount.

Overall FE is in between 11.5-13 kmpl with 70-30 city-highway driving mix with AC on and the best achieved recently was 18.3 kmpl.



The next service will be done at 97,500 kms. Till now, the car's all rounded user friendliness has left me impressed. As of now, some other priorities are there, so will keep it till 2012. Am waiting for the new diesel swift, etios and brio before I'll decide.

Just before this issue, me and a friend of mine took a trip to surajpur via the greater noida expressway. That time the wobbling and steering rattle started and it was rectified in time yesterday.




Finally, my car adorns the team bhp stickers.



At front of closed daewoo plant where the matiz was manufactured. The board is still there, and the big factory still intact. The main gate had a small sign of "argentum" like a roadside STD booth placed on the road but the guards there told us that the plant is almost dead due to hurdles in acquisition and some 10-12 brand new matiz cars are still lying in shambles.


(image from business.in.com taken in december 2010 of the daewoo plant)

[amrisharm]

Hi sid, a very well written report, and one of the reports that pulled me towards buying the santro. The test drive i took in city traffic sealed the deal for me over the i10, marutis and the chevy beat.

The santro is just perfect for a place like siliguri in Darjeeling district West bengal. Being a tier III city, the roads are narrow and the average inner city speed is about 30kmph. Also being so close to the hills of darjeeling, weekend trips to the hills are always on the cards. And for all of the above, the santro in my humble opinion is the best. And this is proven by the fact that there are so many santros in and around where i live.

My personal santro was purchased about 5 months back and till date has only travelled about 2,200 kms. I travel to kathmandu, nepal for work quite regularly (via air and not by road) and so have not been able to fully utilize my car as much as i would have liked. But so far i have been very very satisfied with my car. i just love the low end torque and the pull in 3rd as you mentioned is fantastic as well.

Trips into the hills are a delight in the santro with fantastic brakes, and a good pull from the motor. All in all a very satisfied customer and a huge fan of the eRLX engine .

Below is a pic i clicked over the weekend when we went to my grand parents house in Kurseong, near Darjeeling to celebrate Easter. Elevation 1,500m A.S.L

[SPIKE ARRESTOR]

@Amrisharm, could you please share the specs of Tyre & Alloy in your Santro? Your feedback on Ride & Handling in this combo.

Spike

[amrisharm]

Originally Posted by SPIKE ARRESTOR

@Amrisharm, could you please share the specs of Tyre & Alloy in your Santro? Your feedback on Ride & Handling in this combo.

Spike

sorry for the late reply, to answer your question, they are stock tyres that came as standard equipment. But my friends and i we noticed that with the alloys the tyre appears to be protruding out slightly when viewed from the back or the front. So i guess the guy who sold me those alloys forgot to mention that little fact.

They are Taiwanese made alloys and cost me exactly 10,000 for the 4. Since the shop owner was a friend of a friend he said he gave me a discount of Rs 1,000 per wheel, but being new to india i have no idea whether that is true or false.

When it comes to ride and handling, Well i can feel a little stiffness when turning but over all stability has improved quite a bit. And instead of driving cautiously on twisty roads i can now attack them with confidence. All in all i am very satisfied with the alloys and the wider stance it has given me.

[SPIKE ARRESTOR]

@Amrisharm, what size is the alloy 4J or 4.5J?

Spike

[sidindica]

UPDATE: 56 months, 1,00,000 kms

So the car has been out of action for the past one month as I was out wrt my new job related assignments. Car was lying almost ignored but dad drove it in random. Today the car went for its routine 1,00,000 km service in pretty shoddy condition as the 97,500 km service was skipped. Was about to give yesterday but due to rain did not go.

Once again, kudos to capital Hyundai noida for a brilliant job after my hammering some time back.

Work performed:

• shell engine oil, oil filter, air filter and fuel filter change
• engine flushing
• radiator flush and coolant change
• brake pad and shoe cleaning with caliper greasing and brake fluid check
• wheel alignment and balancing
• throttle body and fuel injector cleaning
• new set of spark plugs
• a thorough wash and clean job.
• suspension was checked and given my green signal. All izz well.
• Total bill: Rs. 6,500 including labour plus parts plus tax plus discount

Last month, the car got a set of 5 spanking new michelin XM1+ tyres in stock size of 155/70 R 13.

The car retains its traits even after 1 lakh kms of heavy usage.

• One, its epsilon-2 eRLX engine. In the 1.0-1.1 litre category, I would still rate this as one of the best engines available in its class. The aluminum based motor has an amazing torque band and a raspy exhaust note. Acceleration is strong and there is tremendous amount of power and torque available throughout the range. For a kei-car, the car is amazingly fun to drive and pilot around and dart in city streets, for what its primarily designed for. Its impossible to drive this car with a light foot. Once you get used to driving a new santro, the engine can get addictive and its calibration to chassis is simply outstanding.
• Two, for a 14 year old design, the build quality is still strong when compared to its jap or other korean rivals (marutis and spark). There were some interior part rattles which were rectified, but from a car driven this much, that was to be expected. but the exterior build and the body has held up well with no persistent rattles even after 1,00,000 kms.
• Three, the interior plastic quality used is still rated as best in class in the entry level upper A segment. The interior plastics are still as close to fresh as they were in the past 4 years and kudos to hyundai for keeping the USP intact.
• Four, the user friendliness. A combination of peppy motor, smooth gearbox and light controls make it a blast to drive. High seating position makes it perfect for ladies too.

Yet, the gripes remain:

• stiff suspension=bumpy ride at the back though suspension components are robust for Indian roads.
• poor space management inside. My erstwhile matiz had much better legroom.
• uncomfortable rear seats. stiff compound and flat cushioning, though better than comparable maruti cars.
• inconsistent mileage. Depending upon your driving style, the car can give as low as 9.2 kmpl or as high as 21.1 kmpl. But for a well rounded city car, it simply is a blast to drive unlike the spark or the 3 pot k-series marutis which lack low end torque or refinement.
• expensive to maintain, thanks to Hyundai's high labour rates. I have stuck to HASS because I get good quality work and all genuine parts available.

Overall, its a kinda love-hate relationship with the car but as far as reliability is concerned, its still stupendously reliable. For a first time car buyer on a tight budget, despite being 14 years old, I would STILL recommend a buy. Its that good an all rounder in the 1.0-1.1 litre petrol small car segment.

some more random pics clicked today: