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-   -   Hyundai Santro : Official Review (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/official-new-car-reviews/205678-hyundai-santro-official-review-3.html)

Excellent Review! I felt the Comparison table needs to have included the Ignis as well since the Grand i10 is anyways included. Another point to consider is that since Ignis is not a hot seller, there are always discounts running on it which brings the price down.

I am not too sure if this statement is true in current day scenario - I would agree with "wide reach of service centers, easy accessibility of service centers etc.." but in recent years, Hyundai service has become famous for adding too many ad-hoc items and fleecing the customer.

:D Happy to see my comments referenced in the Official Review :thumbs up

As has been called out in the review, this car in its AMT avatar is a wake up call for Maruti. Hoping to see a fitting response from Maruti in terms of an improved AMT soon...

Since the statement was that front-end styling was quirky and likely to polarize, will say this:

In the photos posted here I don't like it, but when I first saw one (in white) in motion coming down an Aizawl street last week, I thought it looked fantastic - and finally that's what matters, isn't it?

Whatever the case, IMO anything would be a huge improvement over the old Santro, which to me has always been the ugly duckling of the otherwise very compelling Hyundai styling department. Even in foreign markets, cars like the Sonata, Santa Fe, Tiburon stood out some in a field of relative indistinction. The i10 Sport and Xcent have been to me some of the best-looking small cars out there and I think the new Santro may ultimately stand proud amongst them.

Very curious personally to experience the new-age Automatic, since with GTO I have never liked them except in very powerful cars.

Been driving my father-in-law's Wagon-R Stingray out here... One thing is that for all its strong/taut performance, three cylinders really is one too few - the car is quite rough at idle especially. Other thing is that for the average non-enthusiast driver, and perhaps especially for old men, automatics really do make more sense. My pop-in-law's been driving most of his life but still managed to completely, mercilessly fry his clutch in less than 12,000km's with all his short-shifting and half-clutching.

-Eric

I agree with you. The front end grew on me. However, ChiragM hated it till the end. Hence, the word likely was used. :)

I saw the car displayed at the Mumbai airport. The car looked really basic and didn't even provoke me to have a closer look. That never happens!! I am the keenest even for a test drive of a Nano. Something about the design that was repulsive. Maybe because it looked like the Grand i10 which I think is one of the most horrible looking cars in India.

I contemplated the new Santro AMT for long time back in Nov, Dec when we were looking for a city car for my wife. Took multiple test drives and we then decided against it. And got home an Ignis Zeta AMT this Christmas. Here are some of the points that helped our decision making.

1) AMT - Let's address that first itself. The electronic unit on the Hyundai is superior to the hydraulic unit on the Maruti. The shifts are relatively smoother and better. And its very evident while shifting from 1st to 2nd where the Maruti unit feels clunky and slow. All the other shifts are fine in both cars.

2) Engine - The K12M belongs to a higher segment and it shows. The Hyundai 4 pot feels really weak in comparison. It shines with refinement, but the engine falls flat everywhere else. The car was struggling to put the power down when given a bit of load. And it struggles badly in comparison to the Ignis on an incline. It is fine if one is pottering around the city where the roads are flat. The 1.1 really does not feel like the unit which was there in the older Santro or the i10. Looks like it lost its peppiness when Hyundai worked on efficiency, pollution control and refinement.

So, overall the drive-train of the Ignis felt better to me. I think Hyundai will fare much much better when they equip the 1.2 Kappa with the electronic AMT. And it looks like it might debut soon with the new generation i10. So, I would rather wait for that than picking the new Santro.

3) The AC is a real chiller on the Santro. But the Ignis is no slouch either. So, its hardly a decision point. Rear vents are really not needed in cars of such small footprint. I wish Hyundai had spent that money elsewhere.

4) Equipment - The Santro falls flat here, especially since it doesn't have an Asta AMT. But it is missing quite a few things even if we compare the lower variants. For instance the Ignis Delta gets passenger airbag, front seat belt pretensioners, isofix mounts etc. And by picking the Zeta variant, we got rear wash wipe, 15" alloy wheels, proper headrests - both front and rear, keyless entry and go, 2 smart keys etc. The Santro doesn't even get 2 remote keys - one is just a basic key and that felt really cheap. It gets a touchscreen though - and that was a draw for the girls at home.

5) Interior - the finish of the plastics is at par for both. Good airy, roomy and practical cabins. Santro feels better put together compared to the Ignis on the inside. The quality of plastics is more consistent on the Hyundai. I prefer the colour scheme of the Ignis though where its black and white. Hate all that beige on the inside of the Santro, but then that is subjective!

6) Exterior - I just love the way Ignis looks. That again is very subjective. But the Santro looks awful to me. I tried to force myself and overlook its external appearance, but its hard work really!

7) Driving experience - Both a tall boys with light controls, to make your life as easy as possible in the city. But I felt better with the Ignis. Those 4 wheels are literally sitting outside the body line and its big - 175/55 R15. Santro gets puny 13" and 14" in comparison. And that makes a huge different when driving a bit enthusiastically. Yes, it is scary when pushed! And I feel that with most cars nowadays because of the Fiesta. :) But the Ignis feels stable, predictable and the chassis got grip.

8) Price - With the running discounts on the Ignis, the price difference was 50k. And that is between Santro Sports and Ignis Zeta. I felt Hyundai was asking too much for a car which hasn't proven itself in the market - apart from a very strong brand name.

So, that was that! I wouldn't pick the Santro in its current form. If your running is less, you are much better with the outgoing i10 AT - even the Magna is relatively well equipped (got ABS, Airbags etc.) and is not too far away from the Santro since there are lot of discounts on the former. It is better in every which way except for the F.E which is pathetic.

I really feel Hyundai wasted an opportunity here with the Santro. They should have taken this launch to seize control of the segment - instead they went for short term gain - with regard to equipment, pricing etc.

And Maruti got it wrong with the AMT on the Ignis - they should have given it the CVT for 50~60k more. And it makes a lot of sense when the cheapest Baleno AT is at least 2 lakhs more. That would have made the Ignis much more complete!

Excellent Comparison between the Santro and the Ignis - I do differ on a couple of points but its a good reference for people deciding between the two cars.

The higher shifts on the Ignis are better than 1st to 2nd of the Ignis but I felt Santro AMT gear shifting to be superior even in the higher gears in comparison.

Also for a City car which is going to be driven in bumper to bumper, stop and go traffic the weight-age on the 1st gear shift to 2nd gear is higher as that is the primary use case for the AMT. In this regard the Ignis AMT is a big downer.

Note: Hyundai still needs to fix the missing Airbag on the Santro or I would still never buy the Santro AMT despite the AMT feel :Frustrati

While I agree to all points called out here, the suspension on the Ignis is on the firmer side which I kind of got used to. But most people on my Ignis WhatsApp group keep complaining that its too stiff for city driving conditions. Since its meant to be a City car, Maruti could have tweaked the suspension to be a bit more softer and made it more ideal for city driving conditions.

At the same time, I must appreciate that the Ignis is an excellent highway cruiser, I recently did a Bangalore to Hassan Highway trip and drove it consistently at 110 kph and the car was extremely stable and planted - truly commendable for a car of this size. However, highway driving is not the primary use case for this car and hence I still feel Maruti could have sacrificed this for better City driving dynamics.


No two ways about it, if one is in the market for a Manual then the Ignis beats the Santro. Possibly the Wagon R based on the pricing may more more value for money with the same Engine.


The rear of the Ignis when looked directly from behind is ugly but it looks good from all other angles.


Let us wait and see what the stable sales numbers are. It seems to be doing good right now.


CVT is one alternative solution but I feel Maruti should fix the AMT or get it fixed by Magneti Marelli.


Looking beyond the Ignis, their mating of the 3 cylinder engine with the AMT has caused a lot of chaos with Celerio AMT owners suffering the most due to the "juddering" problems. How long do they plan to keep the issue under wraps by making warranty replacements for these Celerio AMTs? [ : ]

Yes, I agree. Like I wrote, the shifts are smoother and better. But the delta between the two hardly matter in the higher gears.

Yes, if your drive contains constant transitions between 1 and 2, then it is going to be hard. You are better off with a TC or CVT. Over here, our car is either creeping in 1st always or out in the open. So, it kind of works!

Also, if you help the AMT unit out with the A pedal, the shifts improve substantially. Just release the pressure a bit at around 2k rpm and the box will shift on cue. And the headbanging also doesn't happen when you anticipate the shift. One cannot drive it like a normal automatic, nor a manual - it needs to be driven like an AMT. :)

It's a compromise yes, but it still is stress free compared to a Manual, if MT is not your thing. And like I said, one doesn't need to bother with the higher gears. The K12M helps. And I am definitely not complaining when the MID shows 14.5 as the average here in the city with AC always on.


I like the underlying stiffness of the suspension in any car. I can handle bad roads, especially the city because you know where or how bad the broken bits are. But I absolutely cannot stand a wallowy ride. And yes, I understand the larger market might not like it. So, the Ignis is setup just fine for me.


Is it really? Not that good enough for a car which replaced Eon I would say. I feel there will be offers soon - maybe starting with the MT.

By the way, the Hyundai dealer is offering i10 AT Magna with ABS/ Airbags for 6.65 OTR over here now - the 2018 model i.e. For anyone with less running, I would suggest that with their eyes closed.

Great review Aditya as always. :thumbs up


Yes. The fire extinguisher indicates the importance of safety. :thumbs up
Hyundai has always been initiator for so many features like rear AC vents and now this.
But not having AC is a bit of over cost cut. Now a days every cab is mandated with an AC by the customers. :Frustrati

By law, It is mandetory to have fire extinguisher in a car with CNG.
My 5 year old Nano CNG had one.
Hyundai is doing nothing different / great here.

Saw this modified Santro in one of the Bangalore showrooms -


Interiors of the Sportz version -


Checked out the arch rival as well. Images here.

It is always interesting to gauge interest in a new car based on the responses to its thread. And with the new Santro we are still on page 3. Dare I say this car has not tickled the fancy of forum members here as other cars recently reviewed? say Aspire or JTP twins?

Full Article link

I believe Hyundai has failed here. They should have developed Santro for the Indian market as a solid WagonR competitor.
Translated: It should have been a tall boy and utilitarian. Right now it just feels a cheaper version of Grand i10.

Hyundai should have carried over all the traits of its original Santro. Right now it just carries one - the quirkiness.

Excellent observations deetjohn. I had similar experience when I test drove the Santro AMT. With lots of discount (almost 60K) on grand I10 - I would rather buy that as I get extra airbag, TC and better looks.

Hyundai Santro nominated for 2019 World Car of the Year award

The Hyundai Santro (AH2) has been nominated for the 2019 World Car of the Year award in the World Urban Car category. The top 5 finalists in this category also include the Audi A1, Kia Soul, Seat Arona and the Suzuki Jimny.



The second-generation Hyundai Santro was launched in October 2018. It features a tall boy design and comes with a cascade grille at the front. It has sweptback headlamps and trapezoidal fog lamps at the front and wraparound tail lights at the rear. The car comes with a dual-tone interior equipped with a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system, a multi-function steering wheel and a twin-dial instrument cluster.



In India, the new Santro is powered by a 1.1-litre, 4-cylinder petrol engine that puts out 68 BHP @ 5,500 rpm and 99 Nm of torque @ 4,500 rpm. On CNG, the engine produces 58 BHP @ 5,500 rpm and 84 Nm @ 4,500 rpm. Both engines get a 5-speed manual transmission as standard, while a 5-speed AMT is offered as an option with the petrol version.

Link to Team-BHP News