Hyundai Santro: Old-World Companion In A Glass-Tower Appeal The Hyundai Santro, once a popular name in Indian households returned with its new avatar targeting first time car buyers and small families.

Famed for its small footprint, abundant space inside and user-friendly nature, the Santro is still Hyundai’s entry-level hatch.

With a handsome look, untarnished reputation of reliability and economical ownership, the Santro manages to be a car that shines a little edge closer to the present than rivals,

but with feet remaining firmly planted in a practical zone: it makes for a great city car for considering buyers too.

Sophisticated and Sleek Design

The Hyundai Santro looks friendly and young.

At the front, there is a large cascading grille along with swept-back halogen headlamps and integrated fog lamps with chrome surrounds in top trims.

A short bonnet and tall-boy proportions add to the spatial feel inside and visibility is great all round making for relatively pain-free manoeuvring.

Sharp lines along the sides (including a rising shoulder kink) give it a touch of flair.

At the back, the small hatchback stands out with its stylish tail lamps, neatly sculpted boot design, and tastefully applied chrome elements that lend it a mature feel.

Even then, in dual-tone, the Santro looks quite premium for a car in this segment.

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The interior of the Santro is cleverly packaged and gets good attention to detail.

The two-tone dashboard provides a chirpy ambience, the ergonomically positioned controls are within easy reach.

It provides segment-firsts such as 7 inch touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, steering mounted audio controls and rear AC vents – features which are hard to find in its segment.

Its tall-boy design affords it ample headroom, and the cabin never feels claustrophobic.

There’s also plenty of legroom in the back, and the broad rear bench can accommodate two adults and a small child with plenty of room to spare.

There’s enough in the boot for urban errands and the 60:4-spilt rear seat gives added versatility to storage.

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Power and Gas Mileage

The Santro comes with a 1.1-litre 4-cylinder petrol engine pushing out 69 PS and 99 Nm of torque. It gets accompanied by a 5-speed manual or a 5-speed AMT (automated manual transmission).

Power delivery should be smooth and linear, while performance is refined — perfect for your urban commute.

The Santro may not be fast, but it’s quite at home in the city. The gear shift has a light touch, clutch is smooth and steering is convenient.

For those looking for greater practicality in traffic, the AMT option has slick-shifting manners and sufficient efficiency.

Fuel efficiency numbers are fairly competitive – 20-21 km/l from the petrol version and even more from the factory-fitted CNG, which makes it a good proposition for daily commuters.

Quality of Ride, Safety and Handling

Hyundai’s suspension tuning gives a comfortable ride over poor pavement, and it’s good at soaking up bumps for a little car.

It’s not hard to steer and it can turn sharply, so it’s great to maneuver on narrow city roads even when parking in small spaces.

Safety kit comprises of driver-side airbag (dual front airbags in higher trims), ABS with EBD, rear parking sensors, speed alert, and seatbelt reminders.

It wouldnt be as safe in a crash as those more-money cars, but it meets all the important safety rules for a cheap hatchback.

Pros of Hyundai Santro

Secres of a Roomy Small Car

Slick 4-Cylinder Engine provides easy of use power band

Good Mileage on Both Petrol and CNG Versions

AC Vents for Rear and Touch Screen (Upper Variant)

Convenient to Drive and Park in the City

Cons of Hyundai Santro

No adjustable headrests or height-adjustable driver’s seat.

Build Quality: Average Vis-À-Vis Competitors Like Tiago

Conservative looking compared to the many hip rivals

Highway Power for Days to Drive further Down the Road

Poor Features on Lower Trim Levels

Hyundai Santro : Conclusion

The new-generation Hyundai Santro is still the reliable, sensible city car that’s more than it seems.

Thanks to its spacious cabin and refined drive, and with Hyundai’s service support, the Santro works for those who seek comfort, convenience and frugality.

While it wasn’t the most feature-laden or good looking in its segment, where it did,

it delivered where it matter the most — for price-conscious Indian family. As a city runabout and family hatchback, the Santro does justice to its name.