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When I bought my car, I did a comparison of the available choices. Many friends have been asking me my views on the Hyundai Santro Vs. Maruti Suzuki Wagon-R since these are the most sought after. Both are very popular hatchbacks sold in India. Here are some of my thoughts.
Hyundai being the underdogs is always the first to offer better features such as MPFI engine and ABS. They also tend to be more aggressive and Maruti dealers have the take it or leave it attitude.
Maruti has a bigger service network and the cost of spares it cheaper.
Both cars are tall boy model and have high seating. This add to driving/seating comfort and makes it easy for people to get in and get out.
Here is the comparison.
Santro Pros:
- Better Looks (as compared to Wagon-R).
- More comfortable to Drive.
- Better Service.
- Better Pickup.
- Provision for 4 speakers, Wagon-R has provision for only 2.
- Perceived to be more expensive.
- Air conditioning more effective hence cooling is better.
- Ability to adjust the side view mirrors from inside.
- Seat belts for 5 passengers, Wagon-R has only 4. Santro is also approved for 5 people and Wagon-R has got approval for only 4 passengers. Not that anyone ever checks but still.
Wagon-R Pros:
- Better resale value.
- Cheaper cost of spares.
- Bigger service network than Hyundai.
- Slightly more fuel efficient. Although now Santro has new eRLX engine which is suppose to have improved mileage.
- Better Engine and electronic power steering.
- Cheaper.
- Option for Airbags (only available in the top of the line model).
- Slightly more leg space and better comfort for tall people.
- The seats can be dropped completed to create a bed or even a double bed. Useful while traveling and someone can sleep.
I also suggest that irrespective of which car you decide to buy, don’t compromise on safety. Pay that extra for ABS and Airbags (only in Wagon-R).
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Hi, I am planning to buy Santro Xing XO model. Can anyone tell me what is the best deal / discounts offered for XO 2006 model.
Hello All,
Finally purchased a Santro eRLX XO model, excellent car!. I have driven around 250 Kms and I am quite satisfied by the performance. I have following aspects to share.
1. Santro is a ergonomically designed car, seats comfortable, outside view excellent. Gears located at correct place and dashboard very well organised.
2. I liked the storage space provided, apart from the glove box the drawer below the driver seat is extremely useful and spacious too.
3. Pick-up is great and extremely smooth.
4. Gear shifting is also smooth and requires very little effort, the gear stick just glides into the correct slot.
My second choice was Wagon-R, but after driving Santro eRLX I think I have made a very wise choice. I think one should not bother the difference about Wagon-R giving more average, the difference is negligible to be considered as a buying incentive.
Hi all! I have been driving my new Santro XL since more than a month now & clocked 1100+ km so far. Recently travelled about 850 km on highway. Average speed was 60-70 kmph, however, went upto max 90 kmph. No stability issue. Got a better than expected mileage of 19-20 kmpl (with AC on 50% of the time).
Hi all! Santro and WagonR are equally(almost) good… WagonR has a slight advantage over Santro.. the reason being cheaper spares, maruti dealer network, better ride(believe me, the ride qaulity is a bit better than Santro), stability (it is not true that santro is more stable in highways). Santro is slightly better in City while WagonR holds up on highways. WagonR has a max speed which is about 15km/hr more than Santro. The mileage of both the cars are almost same, but mostly depending upon how you drive it. The 5 seater- 4 seater thing is very meaningless. Both the cars are comfortable for 4 people, and 5 can be squeezed in. Santro is just about 5cm wider.. and has an extra seat belt! But WagonR interior is very versatile, clever. You can recline all the seats, make it like bed, fold the back seats and use it for luggage space etc.
The look is very subjective. I personally do not believe that any of there are any good lookwise. Santro can be called a TOY, or a FOOTBALL or a glorified RIKSHAW, and WagonR a BOX or a MILKVAN. To me, WagonR looks like a miniSUV.. of course you get used to the looks after sometime and start falling in love with it.. be it a Santro or a Wagon. Regarding the resale vale, it doesn’t differ much for these cars.
So guys, choose yours… mine is a lovely little WagonR.
I forgot to mention one thing.. the gearshift.. it’s much better in Santro, and the switches… like the power window buttons and A/C knobs etc are of better quality in Santro. WagonR VXi comes with a Tacometer but none of the Santros has it.
Hi, I am planning on buying a santro eLrx. However I got confused after checking the past few comments about the discount etc. I was talking to 2 dealers a Hyundai dealer for a santro and a maruti dealer for Wagon-R.
My Hyundai dealer is very firm that only 10K accessories are free with the 2006 Jan santro.
1)Please give me pointers to where you are getting discounts in cash.
2)Are these because you are taking a loan from Hyundai @ 9.5 %???
Please write to me at vinhinduja@rediffmail.com
Hey prakash,
A great blog…..
Am planning to upgrade to Santro/Wagon R from M 800. The new model is Erlx XL .
Need some guidelines on the mileage and spare parts cost…
Review the statistics at the below site for true information. So anyone claiming 19/22/ kmpl regardless of the type of rocket fuel is a duffer. Just shows their Bias.
http://marutiudyog.com/bp/prodwagon.htm
At the santro site it is
http://www.santroxing.com/santroMain.asp?pagename=tech_comp
With regards to the looks, I always loved the Matiz when compared to the Santro or the Wagon R. Just hated the looks of two standing frogs. Too froggish for my liking. But the manufacturers have thoughtfully added a lot of interior features which are in fact quite good (for the santro). The exteriors are also matched to the interiors. (Not the reverse) In comparision the Wagon R is a little plasticky but more functional inside. Review the inside features as provided in the brochure.
Both are similar in terms of suspension. But the tall boy is Wagon R being 70 mm taller. How does that make a difference? Unless you have a lot of luggage for the rear.
One of the main reasons for me opting for the Wagon R is the seating. Though both cars are capable of seating 4 comfortably (and 5 with Adjust Maadi) the rear of the WagonR is quite spacious if you fold the seats. In fact the luggage space it holds is cavernous.
When you have a lot of lugging especially to and fro from the airport or when going on journeys where a lot of luggage is expected, then you can fold the seats to provide more luggage space. Also if you can fold the front seat, you have a recling bed as in an international flight.
Now that’s the problem. The Wagon R is used as an SUV in Japan, not as a car. And the Wagon R is more of a car than an SUV. So each stands out with their own features. (In Japan it was 660cc)
The performance of the newer Santro Xing is slightly more faster than a Wagon R. (0-60 Wagon R is half a second behind) But otherwise both are the same in terms of speeds. Don’t tell me you actually want to test the maximum.
And as Indians, if it’s the price and the mileage then forget that.(Fuel Efficiency = 14.15 km/l for Wagon R and Fuel efficiency = 13.3 km/l for Santro as determined by Autocar 2004) Forget it because it would eventually be the same based on your driving skills.
Base your decision on your purpose. Think what is your purpose. One is a car and one is an utility vehicle.
And if you want to review the prices visit the manufacturer sites. All auto manufacturers provide pricing based on regions.
The Wagon R does have a lot of plus points for me. It suits my needs.
Sorry, the below precedes the above post.
In 2001, my sister purchased a second hand wagon R. After using it for quite some time, and comparing with my friends Santro, I decided to make my purchase for the Wagon R. Why?
Continue to earlier post..
Padrevaters: Good feedback. Did you know you can drop down the Santro seats and fold it again and create a huge boot space? If you do that you can only seat 2 but is a great way to create additional space if you need to carry things around.
Anirban: The mileage of Wagon R used to be slightly better but after Santro introduced ERLX engine, the difference is marginal but still Wagon would be better. If you are moving from Maruti 800 you would find the cost of spares of both the cars expensive cause 800 spares are so cheap. But still Santro spares would be more expensive.
I discussed this with a friend of mine who owns a Santro for 6 years and he says that he hasn’t replaced any major spares except once. His only cost is routine maintenance.
So when you consider cost of spares, also consider how often do you need to replace them and that depends on the driving conditions and how you drive.
Padrevaters – I strongly object to your statement that “So anyone claiming 19/22/ kmpl regardless of the type of rocket fuel is a duffer. Just shows their Bias.”
You, being such an intelligent person, should know that the mileage given in Autocar 2004/Maruti website is for older Santro Xings & not for the newer ones with eRLX (Euro-III) engines which were launched only in 2005. Secondly, the reported mileage is the overall mileage which may consist of any ratio of highway/city driving. For all you know, it may be the mileage in city only. Highway mileage is much more than city mileage as any of the so-called duffers can tell you.
I stand by my earlier post that my car gives 19-20 kmpl on HIGHWAYS. Overall, the fuel efficiency is atleast 17.5 kmpl with a mix of 20% city & 80% highway driving (I have filled 70 litres petrol after taking delivery of my car & clocked 1228 kms). And yes, I use 87-88 octane “speed” petrol and not any rocket fuel.
Hello all you guys. Sorry could not reply for some time now. Am giving details of all the questions asked from me.
1. I got the car from Krishna Motors (showrooms in Mulund and Thane). You can contact Madhuri at 56007065 and give my name. This is a multi car showroom which stocks everything from maruti’s to Mitsubishi’s (they procure the cars from the main dealers) and hence offer better discounts than the main dealers.
2. As I had mentioned earlier Santro was officially offering Rs 40K discount for Dec ‘2005 models. (You cud have the registration done in 2006) I bargained a bit with Krishna Motors and was able to get a 50K discount. I know Citibank and ICICI Bank offer 5% of the loan amount taken as discount (I think from Jan onwards, Citi would only be financing Maruti cars…the Citicorp Maruti tie up). You can ask the dealer about the discount offered by banks on the loan amount. Am sure you would receive a positive response. I haggled a bit on the loan discount also and got it. On a 275000 loan, I was entitle to get Rs 13750 (@ 5%) as discount, which I stretched to Rs 17,000. My EMI for a 5 yr loan of Rs 275000 is coming to 5880 per month.
3. I feel you might not be able to get better deals at the present moment bcoz of a} Company has hiked prices by Rs 8000 b} Mine was a Dec 2005 model, hence the better bargain I could get.
4. The prices for the current models at Krishna Motors are
XL version –
————
On road cost Rs 418483 (inclusive of regn/octroi/insurance
Dealer discount Rs 24000
Less- 5% discount of loan amount
XO version
————-
On road cost – Rs 447800
Dealer Discount – Rs 24000
Less- 5% discount of loan amount
5. Veera, I think the company has stopped mnfg the XG models. The XL model now comes with power steering/ac/front power windows and key central locking (i think these features were previously present in the XG model)
regds
kayo
Hello everyone!
I am glad to see online discussions like in other hi-tech countries.
I am trying to understand which make-model is for me. Can any one let me know about any specials in 2006 models of both WagonR and Sentro Xing. I am planning to buy Automatic Transmission due to some reasons (one of them I drive AT in usa, secondly I want to have my family an easy card driving experience in india).
Thank you for your comments which made me learning so much about these two models.
MD
My Santro giving me 15+ km/lit. in city and 19+ km/lit. on higway.Mine is e-RLX model.With 20 Litre of Petrol It goes 300+ kms in City and 375+ kms on highway.
Hi,
I am confussed about buying zen or wagon R.
I had tried santro and Indica. But santro is not so impressive and Indica becomes a TRUCK after 2 years.
I am looking for good Average and Pickup in city(poona).
Mandar
I am a proud owner of a Maruti(1996) and clocked 73000 KM. With the lowest maintainance cost( same as my bike) and I gives me 19kmpl on highway cond.
Can any techinical staff from Maruti give me an Idea how to take extra of it. some details abt engine worn out. I was told by many mech. that the life of the petrol engine is 1,00,000. KM is that true. Dose maruti takes care of such old cars?
Please reply
Regards
Mandar
If someone is not impress by santro then he should buy wagon-r instead of zen.
Hi All,
Can any one please throw some light as to which Automatic is better – Wagon R or Santro Xing.
I think toll boy design of these cars is handicap friendly, providing easy ingress for elderly and handicapped.
I want to buy one of these, after I found out in Honda City (old) driver’s as well as rear seats are not comfortable.
Thanks
Dan
Dan
I agree with you. Even I did that study and could not find AT in any other then these two which has foldable seats and all. Just to share with you, I felt that WagonR is little better choice as it has a largest Maruti network and if you overlook the style-look it has almost 180 degree reclinable seats which is much better for some elder person. AT is just not being used for Phisically challanged person but AT is actuly a smart choice if you want to drive in city limits with heavy traffic.
Any one has any idea of new add-ons on 2006 models of both WagonR AX and Sentro Xing AT?
Thank you!
MD
Santro xing AT have 4 gears automatic transmission whereas Wagon R have only 3 gears automatic transmission. Santro AT’S mileage and pickup is better than Wagon-R in heavy traffic.
I am told for highway use WagonR is much better than Santro.
Other plus points seem to be better A/C and suspension.
Is Santro AT’s mileage ( and gearbox) really that superior so as to compensate other plus points of WagonR- AX ?
Any expert around?
Thanks
Hi MD,
Did you buy the Automatic you were looking for?
Dan
Hi,
Santro is Korean while Wagon R is Japanese. Having said that Iam not telling that all Korean products are inferior and that of Japanese are superior. However, I personally feel that as far as Santro Xing and Wagon R, are concerned, the latter is a superior one. Reasons are
1. Wagon R engine is superior, more powerful, and cool
2. Wagon R is having the state of art electronic power steering while Santro is having the outdated hydraulic PS which is atleast 30 years old technology.
3. Strictly speaking, both cars are good for 4 perons only. The statement that Santro is 5 seater and Wagon R is 4 seater is just meaningless.
4. Boot space is better for Wagon R. Even the biggest type VIP briefcase can be easily kept in a Wagon R while it is not possible for Santro.
5. In general the maintenance cost of Santros is much much more than that of WagonRs. This is a general opinion and not an isolated case.
Hey guys iam a person having a wagonr vxi and santro xg. According to me both cars are having its own advantages and disadvantages. In speed,stability,mileage,power,ac cooling and styling both are almost similar. In case of suspension santro gives little more comfort. If wagon r is having alloy wheels it gives added comfort. The interior ……Dash board and other finishes are good in wagonr. Steering superb in wagonr.gear shift santro slightly better. Braking both same. rear seating santro more leg space .Go for santro or wagon….both will not disappoint you. Any how when we drive wagon we feel more driving comfort and pleasure. Excellent city driving in wagon r.
Hi, I think both WagonR and Santro are great hatchbacks. It’s time to add some music to our ears. I recently bought Santro Xing in Mumbai. I’m looking tobuy a decent car audio system now, within 10K – 12K or so.
Any ideas about good head unit-speaker combination guys?
I have a Blaupunkt music on my Santro and works quite well. It has CD/MP3/Radio. I also read about JVC DVD MP3 player so it can play a DVD with thousands of MP3 songs, sounds interesting.
Hi Niraj ,
What is your experience with Santro Automatic.
Is it better than WagonR AX?
How is the Auto Transmission?
What KPL are you getting after 1sr service?
Thanks
Dan
Hi Ajay,
What is your experience about Automatic?
Dan
Hi Prakash,
What do you think about Santro AT v/s WagonR AX ?
Thanks
Dan
Can anyone advise me on the discounts & accesories that one can look for when buying a Santro Xing in Mumbai/Thane/Navi Mumbai?What’s the max that can be squeezed out of the dealer?
Hi, I am undecided between a santro and a Wagon-R. I would like to know which is a better car in the long run?
I don’t think I will sell the car, it would just become a second car after a few years. My topmost consideration is annual running cost and comfort for our family. (My in-laws are old and riding comfort, back seat space etc is important for us)
Thanks,
Aditi Mathur
I am thinking of buying a small-sized car. Here is what I am looking for.
1. My budget is 4L max
2. I will be traveling 25 kms in a day (to & fro office). – would like to get a good milage like any other middle class Indian 🙂
3. Occasionally would like to go for a long ride (vacation)
4. Looking for AC variant/Power Steering
I feel swift and getz are more expensive and will not fit into my budget.
So my choices are coming down to Santro/Vagon R etc.
Can you suggest me one? Also what you think about Palio?
Looking for a reasonable re-sale value also.
Thank you for your time and advise.
Regards
Prajith Nair.
Hi Dan,
In my opinon Santro AT is better also as per a few magazines reviews.
Go automatic if you live in a city with a lot of Traffic congestions
(Bombay/Bangalore) and are tired of shifting gears!
Regards
Prakash
Aditi:
Annual running costs wise Wagon R would be a bit cheaper but Santro is
easier to drive and more comfortable.
Wagon-R has one advantage that you can drop the seats completely and
create a full bed out of it. May be useful sometime for old people as
they can sleep if they are not feeling well.
I would also suggest that take your in-laws along and go for a test
drive, lets them actually sit and feel if its comfortable or not.
Do writeback once you decide which car to buy.
Regards
Prakash
Prajith,
Considering your usage, mileage costs for both cars wouldn’t be much
different specially after Hyundai has introduced the eRLX engine which
gives better mileage.
AC of Santro is very good and their Powers Steering is suppose to be
better. Note however that Power Steering in any vehicle would give
you less mileage.
Palio is a great car but is suffering from poor service and
uncertainty since the company is not doing well. Also mileage wise its
not great.
Regards
Prakash
Also would like to know in Santro rlx power steering version
how much of average do u get with A/C(in peak summer so the a/c is on all the times) in city
Is Santro unstable on high speeds (above 90 kmph)and shaky in comparision with Wagon R
and when u say Santro is expensive maintaince wise can somebody give example in terms of figures real time
I contacted today to one of Hyundai dealer. He is offering only Insurance and 4000/- free with no other free accessories. Is it the best deal we can get today. What about other dealers… Are all people in india are getting the same deal. Is it OK to wait for some more time. Anyone has any clue, please share
This is the deal which is offered by one dealer in Hyderabad in Santro XO model.
1) Insurance free
2) Sony MP3 player with 4 speakers worth about 4k
3) Remote Locking
4) Sun Film
5) Full matting
6) Teflon Coating
The price has come down further and presently it is quoting for XO metallic is as given below
Ex showroom -368982
Life Tax – 33210
Insurance – 13481
Prices / Offers are likely to better in April as per the dealer. This is because what ever sales which are made in the month of the march, the company doesnot get the Excise Duty reduction benefit. Only sales from April will qualify for the Excise Duty reduction and the same will be passed on to customers in terms of better discounts / free accessories.
Sorry, MP3 player worth 11K. So the total discount works out to be around 34K.
Hi every one,
Has any one from Hyderabad give me mileage and other features of Santro zing eRLXXO model. How is Wagon R compared to XO. I am planning bo buy XO shortly.
Pl give feed back on performance. I have driven my sisters car Santro 2001 model and found to be good in pickup, mileage. Driven at 110-120 Kms pr hour was comfortable. How is new XO and what are the differences between the two.
Pl help.
Mritunjaya
hyderabad
Hi Pawan,
Santro Dealers in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Pune are not giving any freebies since prices have fallen over 20000 after Excise duty cut. They, however, give free insurance which is worth around 15000..that’s all.
If any one is getting more than this pls let me know.
Dan
Hi Satish,
Can you pls tell me more details abt the dealer kun or lakshmi or talwar. I called up talwar today and he is quoting 4.15 for XO model with acc worth 18000. How much did you pay?
Hi,
I am planning to book Santro Xing XL later this month. I visited one of the dealer in bangalore (Advaith). Now after the budget, they quoted 3.93L on road.
Discount: Rs 4000
Free Acces..: MP3 player with speakers, mats, teflon coating, tinted glass, mudd stuf….
This was only the first round of talk. thinking to bargain more as i am not happy with 4k discount while maruti offering more.
Can anyone help me is it possible to get more discount/ any other free accessories …by bargaining. Anyone had better deal with advaith?
Thanks in advance,
AP
Hi Prakash,
I recently test drove Santro Automatic, the car was very smooth and it was fun to drive. You don’t even feel anything at 60kmph and the controls are very light especially the brakes.. Pickup is excellent but road bumps are felt.
I have decided to buy this car.
(which dealer ???!!!)
Thanks
Dan
Vijendar, The offer is from Talwar. 4.15L is the on road price and he will be giving accessories worth around 20K + Insurance free. So in effect it is about 34K discount.
In Pune I am getting on Santro Automatic Free Insurance (15K), Cash Discount (4K), freebies: Mudflap, mat, reverse horn, engine bulb, number plate and sun film. Antirust coating at special rate of Rs 1200/-
If anyone getting more than this pls let me know 🙂
Dealer here is selling daily 10 santo cars and couldn’t be pushed for more freebies.
Dan
Satish,
You are right, you will get more free stuf in April.
Dealers were refusing to give free acc. earlier and are slowly opening up now. I had to accept less acc. because I wanted to book now, get delievery before March 31st, so I can claim a depreciation of 7.5% on ‘On Road price’. My Tax saving will be 10K.
Dan
Hi Prakash. I booked the Santro XO model today which comes to almost 3.99L in trivandrum, Kerala inclusive of insurance +tax+Basic Accessories(mat, mudflap,no.plate and Body cover). I have asked for a loan of 2.98L from ICICI for 5 years for which the EMI comes to about 6500/month. Prakash is there anything that I should ask for in terms of Accessories. Should I have the teflon coating and the underbody rust proof coating done before I take the vehicle. Please advice on this.