Hyundai’s latest vehicle offers a formidable package in the small car segment. It has officially christened its AH2 hatchback as the new Santro and it has been launched with a lot of fanfare in India. The market has also given the car a solid welcome with the company garnering over 31,000 bookings till date.
Modern allure
The new car has taken the ‘tallboy’ theme and married it seamlessly with their contemporary design language which has translated into a striking looking car, that isn’t as tall as before, but much taller than what we see in the market today, so in essence, it lives up to the name! It is also wider than its predecessor and possesses a quirky new design with key highlights being the massive griller and sculpted sides.
Feature rich
The brand has been known to kit their cars out extremely well and the new Santro lives up to those standards. Key items on the feature list include the 17.6 cm touchscreen audio video system, smartphone connectivity, Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, Mirror Link, Voice Recognition, rear parking camera display, steering mounted controls and rear air conditioning vents. The sound quality of the music system is worth a mention as it is arguably one of the best factory-fitted units on a small car that we’ve seen.
Safety first
The carmaker does take safety standards rather seriously. With the platform made from Advanced High Strength Steel + High Strength Steel, the company has been able to deliver the right level of rigidity and improve structural connectivity as well. The new model will also come with ABS, EBD and a Driver’s side airbag as standard, while top-end variants also benefit from a passenger airbag.
Peppy performer
Powering the new automobile is a 4-cylinder 1.1-litre petrol engine that is touted to be extremely refined and frugal. The engine delivers 69 hp of power, 99 Nm of torque and is paired with a five-speed manual transmission and for the first time, the South Korean company will be providing the car with their in-house developed Smart Auto AMT technology. The fuel efficiency is an ARAI-tested 20.3 kmpl.
Our verdict
The new Santro is the perfect all-rounder. It ticks all the boxes in terms of features you expect from a family car and it performs effortlessly. The car is touted to be rather frugal as well and with Hyundai, you know that the cost of ownership is also quite low. The car has been launched at a very good price point and is a value for money proposition. The new Santro range starts from `3.89 lakh.