New Hyundai Santro: features to be key differentiator

Hyundai cars are known to be feature-rich and the brand’s upcoming Santro hatchback will be no different. In fact, some of the Santro's features will help it go one up on hatchback rivals, when it arrives on October 23, 2018.

 

Besides sporting a plush (for the segment) cabin, a highlight of the new Santro’s interior will be the 7.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system (on higher variants), which is expected to come with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatibility. Neither of the Santro’s key rivals, the Tata Tiago and the Maruti Suzuki Celerio, get a touchscreen infotainment system at the moment. Another first for this segment, and a feature that will set the Santro apart, will be the addition of rear AC vents. 

 

In terms of safety kit, dual front airbags and ABS will be standard. Additionally, in order to comply with upcoming safety regulations, expect the tall-boy hatchback to also sport standard rear parking sensors. Higher-spec variants of the Santro will also come with a parking camera, which is a segment-first. The top two trims of the Tata Tiago, the XT and XZ (and the respective AMT variants) come with rear parking sensors at the moment, while the Maruti Suzuki does not offer this feature on the Celerio. 

 

The new Santro will also be the first Hyundai to be equipped with an automated manual gearbox. An updated version of Hyundai’s 1.1-litre Epsilon petrol engine will come with a 5-speed manual and a 5-speed AMT, both of which are claimed to have a fuel efficiency figure of 20.1kpl. While this transmission is not a segment-first, it will help Hyundai price an automatic version of the hatchback at a much more competitive level.

 

Taking about the Santro’s price tag in comparison to its competition, Hyundai is expected to continue its trend of pegging its models at a slight premium. The Tata Tiago is priced between Rs 3.40 lakh and Rs 5.22 lakh for the petrol-manual variants, while the petrol-AMT options cost between Rs 5.04 lakh and Rs 5.63 lakh. On the other hand, manual versions of the Celerio carry a price tag between Rs 4.21 lakh and Rs 5.28 lakh, while the AMT-equipped models are priced from Rs 4.98 lakh to Rs 5.40 lakh.

 

Hyundai will also introduce a CNG-powered variant of the Santro to compete with the Celerio CNG, which is priced at Rs 5.17-5.32 lakh. While the Tata does not get a CNG option, it does come with a diesel motor that is priced from Rs 5.21 lakh to Rs 6.05 lakh.

 

All prices, ex-showroom, Delhi