3 Years with the Sunshine Car !!

Vik0728 · 11th March 2010, 14:21

Hey Guys, this is my first review on TBHP and about my Xing '07. Will keep it short and sweet without actually taking the readers through laborious memory lanes !!

It all Started in January '07 when me and Dad decided to pick up a car for the family, THE VERY FIRST ONE !! My Bro was and guess still is a huge fan of Swift. I have always been who prefers reaching from Point A to Point B fastest rather than in the most efficient way !!
So Swift was an Ideal "FIrst Car" since it had loads of what I yearned for "POWER". I visited the nearest Suzuki Showroom for a TD and boy was I impressed with the power under the hood of this hot hatch. I was pretty naive regarding after sales mods since this was our first car, as well had done absolutely Zero research prior to picking the car. So Swift it was, or so I thought!!
Then came the Shocker !!

I booked a Grey ZXI but the sales guy came back to me in couple days and told me that I would be getting a '06 model in a month's time, by Feb 2nd week. As I wrote earlier, I was, at that time, not sure of which car and any mods, but what I was sure of was that I would keep this Car for Eternity since it was the FIrst Car of the Family !!
So Technically, the moment I would get the Swift out of the Showroom it would be a Year Old !! I was pretty Dissapointed with this and just when I thought it could not get worse, my Dad's good old friend came up with a "Better" suggestion which was Alto!! I just felt like

As well, the Swift was incidently bought by couple of my friends and 2 of my neighbours. Now I did not want to be one in the Huge herd......I rather be a Loner!! So Swift was out of the equation. On TD and Alto was out as well even before the thought had started !!
Never once had I even thought about Hyundai. One of my very close pal's, wanted to pick up Getz then and advised me to join him for a TD. When I entered the Trident Showroom on Sankey Road, I almost Knew which Car I would be driving next !! First Of All, Santro was one car which I never really had any opinion about all along. I always believed it was like the Suzuki Samurai, the Car with no Problem!!
But, this time, I saw a Dark Blue Santro parked in the Showroom. I left my Pal to himself and went straight for the car. Check with the Salesman if they had re-launched the infamous Xing. He politely replied that this was actually a New & Limited Launch of Santro. It was a Limited Edition, which had all the features and more, than any other Xing ever did !! Whats more, they had launched 2 new Colors of which One was my Fav and the other was my Mom's Fav colour (Dark Maroon) !! This was when I decided that this would be my Car, since it pretty much had every feature of a High end Xing and many other exclusive stuff!!

I am posting this Review since Yesterday (10th March) was my ride's 3rd B'day!!! .

Its come a long way and have driven many awesome drives on this. Personally, I feel, Santro is the BEST HATCH if it is the First Car of the family. Its FE, pretty Peppy, looks fairly descent and boy is a great VFM for many. I have altered loads of things on my Xing to my personal liking but many of these features are exclusive to a Limited Editon. It was prices at 4.5lks OTR (Bangalore)
The Stuff I got from the factory as a LE model were :
1. Built in RPM Meter
2. 13" Alloys with 175/65/R13 Bridgestone Rubber
3. Chrome Grills and Interior Door Handles
4. New Colour(Deep Pearl Blue) on a Xing, Body coloured Internal Adjustable ORVMs, body coloured bumpers, exterior door handles.
5. Red Upholstry and door designs.
6. Pioneer Head Unit, 4 speakers, Fog lamps, Rear Washer, wiper, 4 Power windows, Central Locking, Autocop, floor mats, LED Spoiler and Steering Grips.
Guess that explains, why I went for this Peppy Hatch !!

Note from the Team-BHP Support Team: Post Edited. Smilie usage is restricted to two per post on Team-BHP. Please refrain from using excessive smilies.

We advise you to read the Announcements and Board Rules section before proceeding any further.

WindRide · 11th March 2010, 14:47

Santro will always be the RahulDravid of hatchbacks - nice and dependable. In the modern hatchback world of flashiness and false promises, this car remains rock solid and an eternal favourite.

Enjoy many miles of motoring!

A few pics when the car was still new would be nice.

Vik0728 · 11th March 2010, 14:58

I couldn't agree more with you Windride!! Xing surely is one Hatch which lives upto its promise if not deliver more.....

I have to look through the archives of my collection for old snaps, but will surely upload them once I hit pay dirt!!

jkdas · 11th March 2010, 15:55

Seems you missed the Announcement section

Too many smileys my friend.Stick to two per post.

Hyundai gave you a Santro with 175/65/R13? Wow!

Why dont you post some pix for us?

Vik0728 · 11th March 2010, 16:21

OOps Im sorry, still very Novice on TBHP and sure will walk by the rules moving forward !!

I don't have any Initial snaps of my Xing on hand right now, but will post them at the earliest. At the Moment, my 3 year old Xing has the following stuff:
1. K&N Performance Filter
2. Halla Horns
3. 15" Veloche Alloys, 195/45/78V
4. LED lights for Speedo Console
5. Philips Xeon Headlights
6. Pioneer P4100SD with 1200w Sub and Bull Audio Speakers
7. White LED cockpit lights.

There is one thing which has been buggin' the hell out of me. I just want to know if we can install Angel lights for a Santro or atleast change the Yellow indicator lights in the Headlight assembly. Have almost exhausted all possible resources in finding a positive reply for this!!

Here are some of the the latest snaps of my Xing!!

Since these are captured from my mobile camera clarity may be low, sorry for the same.

Ramsagar · 12th March 2010, 10:53

Superb..Pics, review, & Alloys. Love the Blue Dials. Well maintained.
Have a rear spoiler?

Vik0728 · 12th March 2010, 14:39

Hey Ram, Thank you for your feedback. I had to wait a long time for those Blue LED's since I was very particular about the color!!

Yep, I have a Spoiler, which came along with the car as a Part of the Limited Edition feature. Posting some more pics, this time along with one of my Best pal's Xing as well who has 14" Alloys with 185/50/78V rubber

jkdas · 12th March 2010, 15:45

Wow! looks nice.!

Hows the ride?Thats a lots of type for a Santro; any issues when taking tight turns?

atulmuley · 12th March 2010, 16:01

Thats' a really great looking ride. I own a Santro Xing XL '07 and I share the same experience - "ABSOLUTE VFM HATCH" never has the car let me down.

How is the ride quality with the 15" alloy wheels?

Vik0728 · 12th March 2010, 16:10

Thank you JKdas.
Hmm well Its just about anybody's guess, the ride is not "Great"! But then again, I do not drive down any mountains or drive through dirt tracks everyday ! Luckily, the part of town where I commute regularly has fairly descent tarmac.

But I have to admit (I know I have done this zillion times before), it just feels so good while on Highways.

Regarding issues while handling turns, I have installed Spacers on my car, though one of my friend uses his santro with 15" and no spacers!! I did not want to take any chances with mine.

pramodkumar · 19th March 2010, 14:58

Vik, that turbo might be a wishlist but IMHO get rid of the turbo logo, it looks little show off kind, I hope you would take it in the right sense.

Pramod

dar3dev|l · 19th March 2010, 15:11

i agree with pramod, a real enthusiast would never show off the stuff he has under the hood. He would rather let others realize once the monster is off in a flash :-)

anekho · 19th March 2010, 17:29

Really great looking ride man! I love the dials - they are super cool!

Your friends santro looks nice aswell, the tire rim combo is sweet

Vik0728 · 22nd March 2010, 17:23

Hey Pramod I respect your opinion about the turbo thing looking like a show off!! I might be wrong, but you have not observed the pic properly coz I got nothing else at the back other than Turbo!! I in fact stuck the Turbo on purpose since the rear end was looking very blank as I had removed everything else stuck there!!

Just to add to that guys, I really dont like to show off but just Love to feel good looking at my ride!! One thing's for sure, everything that's there on my ride was put there by me as per my liking.

"REALLY NOT TRYING TO SOUND ARROGENT HERE BUDDYS, JUST VOICING OUT MY THOUGHT".

Utopian · 26th March 2010, 00:40

Nice ride Vik. The meaty tyres would certainly have taken a toll on the FE. This is the first Santro I have seen with a tacho.I always wonder why manufacturers are so stingy in providing them on entry level cars, when it makes driving a bit easier.

11th March 2010, 14:21	#1
Vik0728 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Bangalore Posts: 2,061 Thanked: 3,281 Times View My Garage	3 Years with the Sunshine Car !! Hey Guys, this is my first review on TBHP and about my Xing '07. Will keep it short and sweet without actually taking the readers through laborious memory lanes !! It all Started in January '07 when me and Dad decided to pick up a car for the family, THE VERY FIRST ONE !! My Bro was and guess still is a huge fan of Swift. I have always been who prefers reaching from Point A to Point B fastest rather than in the most efficient way !! So Swift was an Ideal "FIrst Car" since it had loads of what I yearned for "POWER". I visited the nearest Suzuki Showroom for a TD and boy was I impressed with the power under the hood of this hot hatch. I was pretty naive regarding after sales mods since this was our first car, as well had done absolutely Zero research prior to picking the car. So Swift it was, or so I thought!! Then came the Shocker !! I booked a Grey ZXI but the sales guy came back to me in couple days and told me that I would be getting a '06 model in a month's time, by Feb 2nd week. As I wrote earlier, I was, at that time, not sure of which car and any mods, but what I was sure of was that I would keep this Car for Eternity since it was the FIrst Car of the Family !! So Technically, the moment I would get the Swift out of the Showroom it would be a Year Old !! I was pretty Dissapointed with this and just when I thought it could not get worse, my Dad's good old friend came up with a "Better" suggestion which was Alto!! I just felt like As well, the Swift was incidently bought by couple of my friends and 2 of my neighbours. Now I did not want to be one in the Huge herd......I rather be a Loner!! So Swift was out of the equation. On TD and Alto was out as well even before the thought had started !! Never once had I even thought about Hyundai. One of my very close pal's, wanted to pick up Getz then and advised me to join him for a TD. When I entered the Trident Showroom on Sankey Road, I almost Knew which Car I would be driving next !! First Of All, Santro was one car which I never really had any opinion about all along. I always believed it was like the Suzuki Samurai, the Car with no Problem!! But, this time, I saw a Dark Blue Santro parked in the Showroom. I left my Pal to himself and went straight for the car. Check with the Salesman if they had re-launched the infamous Xing. He politely replied that this was actually a New & Limited Launch of Santro. It was a Limited Edition, which had all the features and more, than any other Xing ever did !! Whats more, they had launched 2 new Colors of which One was my Fav and the other was my Mom's Fav colour (Dark Maroon) !! This was when I decided that this would be my Car, since it pretty much had every feature of a High end Xing and many other exclusive stuff!! I am posting this Review since Yesterday (10th March) was my ride's 3rd B'day!!! . Its come a long way and have driven many awesome drives on this. Personally, I feel, Santro is the BEST HATCH if it is the First Car of the family. Its FE, pretty Peppy, looks fairly descent and boy is a great VFM for many. I have altered loads of things on my Xing to my personal liking but many of these features are exclusive to a Limited Editon. It was prices at 4.5lks OTR (Bangalore) The Stuff I got from the factory as a LE model were : 1. Built in RPM Meter 2. 13" Alloys with 175/65/R13 Bridgestone Rubber 3. Chrome Grills and Interior Door Handles 4. New Colour(Deep Pearl Blue) on a Xing, Body coloured Internal Adjustable ORVMs, body coloured bumpers, exterior door handles. 5. Red Upholstry and door designs. 6. Pioneer Head Unit, 4 speakers, Fog lamps, Rear Washer, wiper, 4 Power windows, Central Locking, Autocop, floor mats, LED Spoiler and Steering Grips. Guess that explains, why I went for this Peppy Hatch !! Note from the Team-BHP Support Team: Post Edited. Smilie usage is restricted to two per post on Team-BHP. Please refrain from using excessive smilies. We advise you to read the Announcements and Board Rules section before proceeding any further. Last edited by Dippy : 11th March 2010 at 17:24. Reason: See note in your post
	() Thanks

11th March 2010, 14:47	#2
WindRide BHPian Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 682 Thanked: 479 Times	Santro will always be the RahulDravid of hatchbacks - nice and dependable. In the modern hatchback world of flashiness and false promises, this car remains rock solid and an eternal favourite. Enjoy many miles of motoring! A few pics when the car was still new would be nice.
	() Thanks

11th March 2010, 14:58	#3
Vik0728 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Bangalore Posts: 2,061 Thanked: 3,281 Times View My Garage	I couldn't agree more with you Windride!! Xing surely is one Hatch which lives upto its promise if not deliver more..... I have to look through the archives of my collection for old snaps, but will surely upload them once I hit pay dirt!!
	() Thanks

11th March 2010, 15:55	#4
jkdas Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Thiruvananthapu Posts: 9,687 Thanked: 1,492 Times View My Garage	Seems you missed the Announcement section Too many smileys my friend.Stick to two per post. Hyundai gave you a Santro with 175/65/R13? Wow! Why dont you post some pix for us?
	() Thanks

11th March 2010, 16:21	#5
Vik0728 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Bangalore Posts: 2,061 Thanked: 3,281 Times View My Garage	OOps Im sorry, still very Novice on TBHP and sure will walk by the rules moving forward !! I don't have any Initial snaps of my Xing on hand right now, but will post them at the earliest. At the Moment, my 3 year old Xing has the following stuff: 1. K&N Performance Filter 2. Halla Horns 3. 15" Veloche Alloys, 195/45/78V 4. LED lights for Speedo Console 5. Philips Xeon Headlights 6. Pioneer P4100SD with 1200w Sub and Bull Audio Speakers 7. White LED cockpit lights. There is one thing which has been buggin' the hell out of me. I just want to know if we can install Angel lights for a Santro or atleast change the Yellow indicator lights in the Headlight assembly. Have almost exhausted all possible resources in finding a positive reply for this!! Here are some of the the latest snaps of my Xing!! Since these are captured from my mobile camera clarity may be low, sorry for the same. Attached Thumbnails Last edited by Dippy : 11th March 2010 at 17:24.
	() Thanks

12th March 2010, 10:53	#6
Ramsagar Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: BLR_Nellore(AP) Posts: 1,396 Thanked: 252 Times View My Garage	Superb..Pics, review, & Alloys. Love the Blue Dials. Well maintained. Have a rear spoiler?
	() Thanks

12th March 2010, 14:39	#7
Vik0728 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Bangalore Posts: 2,061 Thanked: 3,281 Times View My Garage	Hey Ram, Thank you for your feedback. I had to wait a long time for those Blue LED's since I was very particular about the color!! Yep, I have a Spoiler, which came along with the car as a Part of the Limited Edition feature. Posting some more pics, this time along with one of my Best pal's Xing as well who has 14" Alloys with 185/50/78V rubber Attached Thumbnails
	() Thanks

12th March 2010, 15:45	#8
jkdas Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Thiruvananthapu Posts: 9,687 Thanked: 1,492 Times View My Garage	Wow! looks nice.! Hows the ride?Thats a lots of type for a Santro; any issues when taking tight turns?
	() Thanks

12th March 2010, 16:01	#9
atulmuley Newbie Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Pune Posts: 22 Thanked: Once	Thats' a really great looking ride. I own a Santro Xing XL '07 and I share the same experience - "ABSOLUTE VFM HATCH" never has the car let me down. How is the ride quality with the 15" alloy wheels?
	() Thanks

12th March 2010, 16:10	#10
Vik0728 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Bangalore Posts: 2,061 Thanked: 3,281 Times View My Garage	Thank you JKdas. Hmm well Its just about anybody's guess, the ride is not "Great"! But then again, I do not drive down any mountains or drive through dirt tracks everyday ! Luckily, the part of town where I commute regularly has fairly descent tarmac. But I have to admit (I know I have done this zillion times before), it just feels so good while on Highways. Regarding issues while handling turns, I have installed Spacers on my car, though one of my friend uses his santro with 15" and no spacers!! I did not want to take any chances with mine.
	() Thanks

19th March 2010, 14:58	#11
pramodkumar Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Gods own country Posts: 2,302 Thanked: 2,208 Times View My Garage	Vik, that turbo might be a wishlist but IMHO get rid of the turbo logo, it looks little show off kind, I hope you would take it in the right sense. Pramod
	() Thanks

19th March 2010, 15:11	#12
dar3dev\|l BHPian Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Munich, DE Posts: 290 Thanked: 98 Times	i agree with pramod, a real enthusiast would never show off the stuff he has under the hood. He would rather let others realize once the monster is off in a flash :-)
	() Thanks

19th March 2010, 17:29	#13
anekho Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: . Posts: 1,995 Thanked: 684 Times	Really great looking ride man! I love the dials - they are super cool! Your friends santro looks nice aswell, the tire rim combo is sweet
	() Thanks

22nd March 2010, 17:23	#14
Vik0728 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Bangalore Posts: 2,061 Thanked: 3,281 Times View My Garage	Hey Pramod I respect your opinion about the turbo thing looking like a show off!! I might be wrong, but you have not observed the pic properly coz I got nothing else at the back other than Turbo!! I in fact stuck the Turbo on purpose since the rear end was looking very blank as I had removed everything else stuck there!! Just to add to that guys, I really dont like to show off but just Love to feel good looking at my ride!! One thing's for sure, everything that's there on my ride was put there by me as per my liking. "REALLY NOT TRYING TO SOUND ARROGENT HERE BUDDYS, JUST VOICING OUT MY THOUGHT".
	() Thanks

26th March 2010, 00:40	#15
Utopian BHPian Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: New Delhi Posts: 603 Thanked: 123 Times	Nice ride Vik. The meaty tyres would certainly have taken a toll on the FE. This is the first Santro I have seen with a tacho.I always wonder why manufacturers are so stingy in providing them on entry level cars, when it makes driving a bit easier.
	() Thanks