2018 Hyundai Santro review, road test

The original Hyundai Santro was synonymous with practicality, ease of use and efficiency. Does the new, second-gen car live up to the legendary name?

Published on Nov 27, 2018 05:09:00 PM

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New car is wider and longer than the original Santro, and isn’t as upright in stance.

Well-finished cabin has a lot of feel-good elements. Black interior with green trim exclusive with Dana Green exterior paint.

Large windows and generous space make rear section feel airy.

The new Santro has been launched in five trims but only the petrol-manual car is available in all five options. The petrol AMT and CNG models can only be had in mid-spec Magna and Sportz trims.

Window switches sit near gear lever. Lack of backlighting makes them hard to locate in the dark.

The entry D-lite trim (Rs 3.89 lakh) is absolutely barebones and includes few features beyond its electric power steering, multi-info display, and folding rear seat. Era trim (Rs 4.24 lakh) cars add in body-coloured bumpers, air-conditioning, rear air-con vents, front power windows and a 12V power socket. Central locking, rear power windows, and a day/night rear-view mirror are some of the features on the mid-spec Magna (Rs 4.57-5.23 lakh) cars. However, not all Magnas are the same, with only the AMT version getting a Bluetooth audio system and steering audio and telephone buttons. A 7.0-inch touchscreen is the talking point on the well-specced Sportz trim (Rs 4.99-5.64 lakh) that also gets larger 14-inch wheels with full wheel covers, fog lamps, electrically adjustable mirrors, remote locking, and a rear defogger. A rear wash/wipe is exclusive to the fully loaded Asta (Rs 5.45 lakh) and it’s also the only one with a passenger side airbag, rear parking sensors, a reverse camera, speed-sensing auto door lock, impact-sensing auto door unlock and front seatbelts with a pre-tensioner and load limiter. Reverse sensors will be rolled out across the rest of the range to meet new norms in 2019 but it’s disappointing that lower versions don’t go above the minimum requirement of a driver’s side airbag.