Hyundai has launched the new Santro in India and the car looks quite promising. The company has released the the car in 5 trim levels with different transmission choices along with CNG option. The car will lock horns with the likes of Maruti Suzuki Celerio, Renault Kwid, Maruti WagonR and the Tata Tigor.
While a full fledged road test of the car is still some time away, based on the specifications and first ride impressions, we bring you a comparison list of the new Santro vs the rest of the main competition. Let’s go.
Design and Dimensions
The Santro is the newest of the lot and hence comes with a more recent styling than others. It features a tall boy design and the major of the front portion is taken by a wide black enclosure at the front that also houses the chrome grille and the fog lamps. The headlights are typical Hyundai design units and sides of the car are pretty much bland save for a kink in the rear window line. The rear is mostly plain and houses the rectangular shaped headlamps which look decent. The car measures 3610x1645x1560 mm (LxWxH) and has a wheelbase of 2400 mm.
The Maruti Celerio is among the top selling cars of the company and features minimalist design. The front grille house the company logo with a chrome strip at top and is flanked by big headlamps on the either side. The bumper houses the two fog lamps with the sides being plain. The rear is again a clean design with tail lights on both sides of the tail gate and a number plate housing in the bumper. It measures 3695x1600x1560 and has a wheel base of 2425mm
The Renault Kwid features a SUVish design with squared out wheel arches along with small front and rear lights. It measures 3679x1579x1478 mm and has a wheel base of 2422 mm. Also, the Kwid has the highest ground clearance of 180 mm among all other cars here because of its SUV like design.
The Maruti WagonR is another car which uses the tall boy design. The car has almost the same boxy design language now for almost a decade with straight lines all around the car. The WagonR measures 3599x1495x1700 mm and has a wheel base of 2400 mm. It also is the tallest car in the segment.
Lastly, the Tata Tiago comes with different styling than the others here. It features a sleek smiling grille with small headlamps units on both sides and a company logo in between. The sides carry the clean look with the rear looking simple and elegant. It measures 3746x1647x1535 mm and has a wheelbase of 2400 mm, which is the same as what the Santro offers.
Interiors and Features
The Santro is one of the most feature packed car here and brings many segment first features to the table. This includes a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay or the first time in the segment. It also gets rear AC-vents, again a first-in-segment feature. The cabin is a dual-tone affair and comes with a black and beige shade. Safety-wise, Santro offers features like dual front airbags, ABS, EBD, seatbelt reminder, speed alert, reverse parking sensors and speed-sensing door lock. The standard features include driver-side airbag with ABS.
The Celerio and the WagonR both come with ample of interior space and though simple, the interiors don’t feel like a let down considering the price range. Both the cars don’t get any touchscreen infotainment system but are equipped with basic audio systems. The top end WagonR gets two airbags, ABS, seat belt warning but lacks on parking sensors among others.
The Renault Kwid comes with rear parking camera and a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system. It also gets all-black interior with black and red dual tone upholstery,12-Volt charging socket at rear, rear seat belts pre-tensioners and load limiters. It gets a single driver side airbag but misses out on ABS and EBD.
The Tata Tiago on the other hand gets Bluetootn and USB connectivity, steering-mounted audio and phone controls. It also gets an excellent speaker setup tuned by Harman KardonThe dashboard fitment quality and plastic quality is good by segment standards and storage areas around the cabin too are ample and conveniently placed. Safety features include ABS, rear parking sensors, driver and passenger airbags.
Engine and Transmission
The Santro comes with a 1.1 litre petrol engine that produces 68 Bhp of power and 99 Nm of torque. It gets a choice of either a 5-speed manual or an AMT gearbox.
The Celerio and the WagonR both share the same engine which is a 998 cc petrol engine. It produces 67 Bhp of power along with 90 Nm of torque. The engine comes mated to wither a 5-speed manual gearbox or a 5-speed automatic transmission. The Renault Kwid’s 999 cc petrol engine on the other hand churns out 67 Bhp of power and 91 Nm of torque and it also comes with both manual and automatic option
Lastly, the Tata Tiago gets a choice of either a 1.2 litre petrol engine or a 1.1 litre diesel engine. The petrol motor produces 84 Bhp of power and 114 Nm of torque and comes mated to a 5-speed gearbox. It also gets an automatic transmission option and by far, its the most powerful car of the segment.
Fuel Economy
The new Hyundai Santro gets a ARAI certified fuel efficiency figure of 20.3 km/l for the manual variant and same for the automatic variant. On the other hand, the Maruti Celerio has a ARAI certified figure of 23.1 km/l while the WagonR is at 20.5 km/l.
Talking about the Tiago and the Kwid have ARAI figures of 23.84 km/l and 23.01 km/l respectively. This makes the Tiago as the most fuel efficient car here.
Price
Hyundai was expected to keep the prices of the new Santro low and the company has not failed in that. The Santro starts at Rs. 3.9 lakh for the base variant and goes all the way upto Rs. 5.45 lakh for the top variant.
The Maruti Suzuki Celerio pricing starts at Rs. 4.21 lakh and goes all the way up to 5.32 lakh. Then comes the WagonR, which retails at a price starting from Rs. 4.14 Lakh till Rs. 5.35 lakh.
The Renault Kwid starts at the most economical rate of Rs. 2.66 lakh and goes all the way up to 4.63 lakh. Lastly, the Tata Tiago starts at Rs. 3.39 lakh and top of the line variant comes for Rs. 6.04 Lakh
Also Read: Next-gen Hyundai Creta: Launch timeline & engine details revealed