Hyundai Santro Xing diesel Review


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Hyundai Motors India Limited {HMIL} is the second largest manufacturer in the country, only second to Maruti Suzuki Limited. Hyundai first started their operations in India way back in 1996 but it wasn’t before 1998 that they launched their first car in India- the Hyundai Santro. The Hyundai Santro was an immediate success after its launch. It was a welcome change from the slew of Maruti’s small cars. The Hyundai Santro Xing has the reputation of been the first of the tall boy designs in India followed by the Maruti Suzuki Wagon R. The tall boy concept was demonstrated first in the Delhi Auto Expo in 1997 and then subsequently launched in 1998. Hyundai Motors India admits that its bread and butter model in India is the Hyundai Santro now christened the Hyundai Santro Xing erlx. Not content with its success, Hyundai announced that on the eve of its 10 th anniversary, it will sell the Santro car at the same price that it was when it was initially launched. The Hyundai Santro Xing has been discontinued in every other market, where it has been replaced by the new Hyundai I10 but in India, the I10 is one rung above the Santro. To catch a greater chunk of the Indian market, Hyundai Motors India Limited are all set to introduce a diesel version of its popular Santro Xing. Below is the Hyundai Santro Xing diesel review:

Looks of the Hyundai Santro Xing diesel

The looks of the Hyundai Santro Xing diesel would most likely remain unchanged from its petrol sibling. It would most likely sport a CRDI tag on its grill and also on the rear. The front looks typical Korean and over the years has evolved. The earlier Hyundai Santro isn’t something that you would call cute and neither is the current one however we still prefer the old one to the new one.

The new Santro has a V-shaped grill and features re ctangular head lamps.It has short bonnet overhangs and this makes it one of the compact cars in the market today. The silver Hyundai logo sits atop the grill. Two black bumper claddings adorn the space between the head lamps and the air dams. The air dam is a slightly wide affair with slots for the Fog lamps. The bonnet is devoid of any crease and is a plain thing. The outside rear view mirrors are not body colored but they are big and are a big help in the city and highway.

Moving on to the side profile, the car rides on 13 inch steel wheels with plastic covers and no option for alloys. The door handles are also not body colored. The wheels seem apt for moving around this car and it is recommended not to upsize tyre size. However you can definitely go for after-market alloys and one of the black variety. This gives the car an angry menacing look. The car also has a vertical quarter glass. Speaking of glass, been a tall boy design, it boasts of good visibility all around. In fact, it is rated as one of the easiest cars to drive around after the erstwhile Maruti 800.

The rear also has a huge glass area but without a rear wiper. It has vertically stacked rectangular tail lamps.A black cover helps in lifting the hatch. On the bumper,a black plastic cladding cover is prevalent. The stop lamp is amounted atop the rear spoiler.
Interiors

The Hyundai Santro Xing is one of the roomiest small cars in its category and the diesel is expected to be the same. The doors, unfortunately don’t open wide enough though. Its column mounted hydraulic assisted steering was earlier a two spoke affair but now it has become a 3 spoke affair. The meters are white in color and the Santro petrol sadly though, misses out on a rev counter. However expect the diesel to sport one and it would have an icy blue background color. Flanking it would be a digital instrumentation showing the fuel, temperature and other tell tale lights. The flat dashboard has two swooping inserts in it which can hold a bit of your change and papers.

The Hyundai Santro Xing diesel India would have steering mounted audio controls as well as one for the Bluetooth controls. This would a segment first and would make the Santro Xing Diesel pricier, but it would definitely be in the options list. The glove box would be a double door thing in the diesel and would be elegantly carved out. The AC vents would be the same old circular ones. The Hyundai Santro Xing was also the first car in its segment to sport a dead pedal for those long highway drives. The diesel would miss out on entertainment package as standard but it would be a 12,000 more options Pioneer package. The door pockets are deep and lined with some soft material that protects your fingers from getting scratched. The central console would feature two cup holders as well. The gear lever would have an aluminum cover to it.

Overall a cheerful place to be in, than some other hatches in its segment.

Hyundai Santro Xing diesel Photo Gallery

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Handling and ride quality

The Hyundai Santro Xing petrol was always a sweet handler and only let down by its slightly low rubber wear. Its tall boy design means that it is more at home in the city than the highways. It is buffeted by cross-winds on the highway and anything above 120 kmph looks scary. Since the Hyundai Santro Xing diesel would feature a relatively heavy motor, expect the front suspension to have more bush and strut mounts. They would also be of the aluminum type to save weight. The rear seats can comfortably seat 3 without rubbing shoulders but leg room would be a problem. The boot is also small however it is more than the competition at 220 liters.

The Hyundai Santro Xing diesel may feel nose heavy or show heavy pitch during hard braking. The ride is quite comfortable at low speeds however when the speeds rise, the ride of the car becomes nervous. It seems sort of choppy but never to the point of been uncomfortable. The ride used to be silent on the petrol motor however the diesel been a 3 pot motor may be noisy and been a cheap car, it would sport less of sound deadening material as opposed to the Verna.

Engine,Performance and fuel efficiency

The Hyundai Santro Xing diesel will sport a 1.2 liter 3 pot CRDi engine pumping out 75 bhp @ 4000 rpm and also putting out a maximum torque of 157 Nm @3800 rpm. This is one of the best figures achieved by a small Crdi engine. It would be a DOHC unit and one having 12 valves, 4 per cylinder. Hyundai Motors India is more famous for having launched the first Crdi engine in the Hyundai Accent and it has been a huge success. This would be the company’s smallest Crdi engine till date and will also perform duties in the Hyundai I10 later on. The gearbox would be a 5 speed manual with a 4 speed auto coming later on.

The diesel car would sprint from 0-100 kmph in approximately 16.4 seconds. Its fuel efficiency is pegged at around 18 kmpl in the city and this figure rises to 26 kmpl on the highway. This makes it one of the most efficient small diesel cars around.

Braking would be handled by up-rated discs on the front and bigger drums on the rear. Safety features would take on a new high with the Hyundai Santro Xing diesel sporting two air bags as standard and will also get ESP as an option. It also comes with 3 point ELR seat belts as standard.

Verdict

The Hyundai Santro Xing Diesel or Crdi would be a huge success when it would be launched. Indians are known for lapping up diesel motors in a jiffy. Hyundai Motors India have always got the pricing right for their cars and we expect the Santro diesel to be no different. It has got the best fuel efficiency of small cars, diesel running costs, Hyundai reliability and spacious interiors. The only things going against it would be the price point and staid looks. With Hyundai Santro Xing diesel price, it may cannibalize the sales of the Hyundai I10. Hyundai Santro Xing India is expected to be launched in January 2011 and would sport a price tag starting from Rs. 4.10 lakhs to 4.50 lakhs for the top end diesel version.

Engine specifications of Hyundai Santro Diesel Car are as follows:

Engine: 1.2 Liter 3 cylinder engine DOHC, 4 Valves per Cylinder, 12 Valves in all

Dimensions of engine: Bore x Stroke – 75.00 mm × 84.50 mm

Maximum Output : 75bhp @ 4000RPM

Maximum Torque : 157NM @ 3800 rpm

Top Speed : Approximately 158kmph

5 thoughts on “Hyundai Santro Xing diesel Review

  1. Looking for the car and waiting for the past 2 years….

    Just want to know when will be launcing date and can be available in delhi showroom……..

    1. It would be launched in India this year, as far as estimates go. However nothing has been made official by Hyundai Motors as of yet and so further details aren’t available. As and when, we get the information on the same, we would update it on our website.

  2. Hi,

    Please let me know when will the new Santro Xing Diesel be launched in Hyderabad?

    Also let me know whether a 6 foot 1 inch guy like me can drive this car with comfort with the immediate rear passenger being comfortable seated.

  3. i really like this car ………..its features when it will be launched in bareilly up…….i want to buy this car…

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