Bringing back the crowd-favourite: Here's how it feels at the wheels of revamped Hyundai Santro

Trade

• Watchlist
• Portfolio
• Message
• Set Alert

 

 

Choose Stock Exchange: BSE LIVE NSE LIVE

26 Aug, 2025 12:21

Volume

Todays L/H

More

×

After phasing out the i10 last year, Hyundai’s strength in the hatchback space dwindled further even as rivals Maruti Suzuki and Tata Motors juiced up their presence.

India’s second-largest car maker was losing volumes of around 10,000 units a month with the reduced presence. Hyundai has acknowledged that it is the primary reason behind bringing back the Santro — the car that established Hyundai in India.

Scheduled for launch on October 23 by Bollywood actor and long-time Hyundai loyalist Shah Rukh Khan, the new generation Santro largely carries forward the legacy of the older model. Hyundai invited some journalists to be part of the limited experiential drive, organized at its Chennai plant.

The new-generation Santro uses a modified platform of the Hyundai Grand i10. This means that the broader design of the Santro appears similar to the more expensive model. Swooping back head and tail lamps, tall and broad bonnet, chiseled lines along the rear doors make the new Santro stand out when compared to the earlier generation model.

Also Read | Hyundai brings back Santro; global launch on October 23

The manual variant gets a five-speed gearbox. Gear changes offer no resistance and slip into the desired gear with ease. The car pulls off from standstill without any surprises, though the clutch does feel extra soft. Acceleration in all the gears remains upbeat. The car took off from standstill even in the third gear.

The steering feels light and easy to manoeuver. Its design is ergonomic though it lacks any feel of richness. There is no leather wrapping here. Managing the Santro during heavy traffic conditions or taking a sharp U-turn will be a breeze. The drive and handling makes the car feel smaller than it actually is.

The automated manual transmission (AMT) version of the Santro has the same characteristics as the manual. Gear changes happen at higher engine revolutions than the competition cars, making the head-jerk less noticeable and the drive pleasant. Hyundai has developed the AMT unit fully in-house, unlike Maruti Suzuki and Tata Motors who source it from a supplier.

The four cylinder 1.1 litre engine unit used by Hyundai on the Santro is quiet and therefore puts less pressure on the insulation bits used to make the passenger cabin quiet. As a result, there is next to no noise and vibration inside the cabin.

The Santro gets dual tone colour scheme in the interiors. Front seats are comfortable but could have used a bit more cushioning. Rear seat passengers get a segment-first twin AC vents, which push out cool air at nearly the same rate as the front vents. Hyundai has done extra work on the AC unit after conducting clinical trials with customers, most of whom asked for rear AC vents considering the hot weather conditions in India.

Switches for central locking and power windows are placed near the gear level. All doors have storage spaces; the front doors have space for keeping bottles too. Head room is generous and nearly on par with the Maruti Suzuki Wagon R. Leg space can accommodate a person as tall as six feet with ease.

The 7-inch touch screen infotainment system will not be standard as the airbag and ABS system are across all variants. The entertainment unit will be part of the higher of the five trims the Santro will be offered with. Though the operations of the unit were glitch-free and without any command lag, the audio unit mated to the system lacked some punch. The unit has Android Auto and Apple CarPlay embedded into it.

The camera installed at the rear uses the touch screen system for display purpose when reversing the car. This too is a segment-first by the company.

Hyundai hopes to sell 8,000-10,000 units of the Santro every month, which will be higher than the lifetime average of 7,500 units a month clocked by the previous generation. In some of the best months, the older Santro clocked 15,000 units a month, making it one of the best selling cars of that time.