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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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Dear Mr. Vibhu,
The wagon R is more compact, in terms of width where as santro is slightly wider and thus needs to be expert/extra cautious in handling during the peak neck to neck driving conditions. Since the responses of break or accelarator is so quick that you need to keep sufficient distanace from back or front vehicle till you are expert.
The clutch foot rest is of great use in city conditions when you re tired.
Response of engine is far better than W-R when on AC.Both cars have almost same mileage. Seating conforts are far better in santro than WR.
Body is more aerodynamic than WR. AC response is very fast in Santro.
With regards.
Mritunjaya
Hi,
Yesterday I went for test driving Santro. I took it to Noida – Gr.Noida expressway and touched 130+ kmph. I couldn’t feel any wobbling as claimed by few in the blog. I’m planning to buy Santro XO (SS). The on road price is coming close to 3.86L with free insurance, seat cover et. al.(no music system). The dealer is Nimbus Hyundai, is this the best deal I can get?
One question to Mr. Advani, Does power steering’s power effect wears off with time. I’d driven XO (1 yr old car) its steering was smooth like butter, then i test drove the demo car of the dealer, it wasn’t too soft. The guy said that its because the car is 3-4 yrs old. I liked the engine response when AC was on. Is santro having a wider wheel base, ground clearance? how does it affect the drive?
Importantly Should I go for santro??
regards
Sanjay
We have a Wagon -R LXi…..thinking of going for ‘Autoclutch’…..to drive in bangalore city…..anybody has any experience? lets us know the pros-cons plzzz…………
Has anyone used the Autoclutch from Automate, what are the pros and cons of it. I have a wagon r LXi(Nov 2003, has done 11,000 kms) planning to go for it.
One more idea is to exchange it for an Santro AT, what is your suggestion on this?.
Do radials reduce the fuel efficiency of the car?
Hello ,
I got a very good deal from bangalore hayundai.
The deal was for
1. Remote locking
2. Teflon coating
3. Seat and Body cover
4. Mp3 player with 4 speakers
5. Bumper painting
6. Spoiler
7. Gr8 Cash discount
If anybody intereseted to join, contact me immediately at tcj.blore@gmail.com or phone me at 9226702600
Regards
tcj
I’m planning to buy a Santro Mettalic XL. For this I approached both Advaith Hyundai and Trident Hyundai. Customer service is very bad for Advaith Hyundai. So I approached Trident Hyundai. They offered me 3.94 Lakhs On road price and accessaries worth 12 K. Is there anyone getting better deal than this?
yes…. I have got better than that Suvendu.. U can call me @9886702600
Regards
tcj
tcj, How much is “Gr8 Cash discount”?
Also are you getting free insurance along with the above freebies?
Sunil…. I didnt get free insurance.. but got 12k discount..
I m geting EMI of 5370 & Downpayment of 35142
for santro XL EXL for 7 yrs pls comment
Wats wrong people where is everybody !!??
hi rick
can u tell me where u got the offer i’m looking for the same….
please reply asap
alok
Hi, I have recently bought a Wagon R -Vxi , from Sagar Maruti – Blore for on-road price of 4.07 lacs( 22 k discount) and free accessaries ( without MP3 player).Has anyone got a better offer than this in Bangalore. If yes , than pls blog me here. WR is amazing .I feel its better than Santro in Bangalore crowed roads,ground clearence is amazing and power stearing is superb.Value for money when u drive it.
Hey alok I got this offer from icici @ noida
So does anyone know what Mileage one should expect from an Automatic Transmission – Hyundai Santro?
Anyone there!!
I think somewhere around 11 to 12 as far I know (according to my knowledge gatthered through blogs)
RE:
Bored Says:
April 20th, 2006 at 12:03 am
So does anyone know what Mileage one should expect from an Automatic Transmission – Hyundai Santro?
Anyone there!!
All Automatic Transmission vechicals gives mileage less than 10, reason being that in city conditions it moves in 2 and 3 gear only thus consumption of petrol is more as compared to other vehicals where u can go to 4-5 gear if the roads are not that crowed.More over it also depends on ur driving skills.but believe me 8 – 10 will be ur milegage for all AT.I hope this answers your question.
hi
AT mileage is comparitively lesser than the normal ones is wht i’ve heard dnt knw the autheticity of it
Yes I seem to be getting about 7.8 km/ltr. on a brand new Automatic Santro. Does this seem on the low side?
I m geting a santro XL which is 100 kms done through Dealer is it normal for brand new car ? pls comment asap
Is there any way I can check wheher the car I m geting is ERLX and what are oter things I should check before taking delivery please comment .
hi rick
i 2 hav bookd a santro…
XL erlx..
free features being offered are
front 2 power window
blaupunkt mp3 player wth 4 spkrs & antenaae
central locking
seat cover
steering wheel cover
car cover
floormats,mudflaps…
price is 3.94 orn road with lifetinme tax and insurance etc
icici loan offer is
3.09 lakhs… monthly 5225 for 7yrs
downpayment comes to 91000 inclusive of insurance, reg, road tax, first months emi…
please comment
Alok
Hey uddalok,
U didnt mention in which city ur coz that also matters …..
I m in Noida .front power windows are standard feature of XL …so thats not freebee I m geting discount of 11 thosand plus free Insureance(95 of dealers are giving that in & around Delhi) which comes around 22 K hope thats where ur freebes are coming from ..I m not sore bout road tax thing I wld confirm and get back to u and my interest rate is 10.25 as booking amount I have given 15 K to Santro dealer and rest 6 K more on delivery
Alok…overall in 7 years you r paying an extra of 1,35,000 more….why 7 years…why not 5 years…how much ICICI Bank is charging u per lac…at present ICICI should give u 2154 per lac , SBI is giving 2064 , CITIBANK – 2084 and HDFC – 2136….pls chk the interest rates before going in for ICICI….its ur call now !!
New car showing 100 kms.Its should be below 20 kms the most in showroom.
is santro going to be phased out in 2007?
Not necessary Ajay…it should show approx 50 kms…thats normal
Hi Guyz,
I bought a wagonr lxi in sept.05. I must say one thing after researching alot I took the decision. My car has bee doing great. AC is great, pick up amazing and the fuel efficiency is amazing. Its giving me 15kmpl in city with AC. As far as stability is concerned I did 140km/hr on pune/mumbai xpresshighway with 4 adults and decent luggae. Though I hadnt finished with the accelarator yet, Im sure it can easily do 150kmph.
I think its the best car in its segment and the power it delivers 64bhp from 1.1L is exceptional.
cheers
Ashish
There is a lot of change in santro xing XL and santro xing XO.
Well, guys tell you what? I test drove both the cars, the Wagon R Lxi (they did not have an Vxi and so they got me the Lxi) first and then the Santro eRLX XO. Also, I would like to point out that I myself own an old Santro Deluxe (1999) – which I am going to sell off soon.
The Wagon R
Feels surprising comforable to drive. Within a couple of minutes, I felt I had been driving this car all my life. Maneuveribility is MUCH better than the Santro – good visibility adds to the experience and you can do U-turns very well — absolutely tight U-turns. Excellent pickup, good AC (I would rate it BETTER than Santro XO). I took both cars on a bad patch of road and the open highway because I was sure that the city traffic is not the best place for a test drive..you need to give “bad” roads for a “good” test drive. The ride was pretty comfortable even on bad roads on the Wagon R. I was pleasantly surprised. The drawbacks…very poor interiors (horrible plastics), stiff gear shifts. Also, plain rear view mirrors…but that is a minor glitch. You can change the glasses there..one can buy some Qualis of Santro mirrors, remove the factory-fitted rear view mirrors and replace them.
Santro XO
They got me the exact model and color I am looking to buy…took it on the exact same road — found the ride BUMPY. VERY BUMPY. Back seats .AND front seats …..I could not believe it. It was as if I wanted the trip to end soon! Even the AC too was not as good as the Wagon R. U-turns…could not turn tight enough and on the bad patch of roads…the ride was terrible…nearly got thrown off! I don’t know what is with Hyundai. I was so disappointed that I took my old Santro 1999 on the same patch of road the next day…and the ride was much much better, though not as good as the Wagon R ride. Obviously, over the years, Hyundai’s quality has DECLINED. The interiors — well they are MUCH better than the Wagon R’s but man you are buying the car first…the interiors come later..you need to have a reasonably comfortable car..when you are looking at a car of Rs 4 Lac range (on road). One good point, the pickup was better than the Wagon R. HOWEVER, the car was UNSTABLE AT THOSE SPEEDS (70 kmph)…scary ride….
Really, I was terribly disappointed by the Santro …I have now decided to go with the Wagon R. I hope to be able to get the car soon, perhaps in 10 days or so..The old Santro was still a good car, the new Santro is a BAD product to say the least. I wonder what you guys have to say…
Before making the final decision between Wagon R and Santro xing, I had referred the informations and opinions available in the internet. But it instead of making the facts more clear, it could only help to confuse me. So, finally I decided to conduct an opinion poll between Santro and Wagon R owners. With the help of my friend, we have approached Santro and Wagon R users separately. After finishing the study many things I could understand:
01. Wagon R owners are much more happy with their cars compared to Santro people.
02. Maintenance of Wagon R is much much less compared to Santro.
03. Internet information will not give a clear picture of the actual fact as only very few post their opinion to inetrnet.
04. So, I have purchased one wagon R VXi and now Iam a very happy man.
Can somebody pls tell me how to check mileage of car
Rick. Its easy.
Kms done between two full tanks divided by the fuel you filled the second full tank.
Suppose your km reading is 100 kms and you do a full tank. Now when you do a full tank again and your kms reading shows 300 and you have put 20 liters of fuel, your mileage would be 300-100=200/20 =10. So your mileage is 10 Kms to a Liter.
You need to do this a couple of time to get an accurate reading. There are softwares for the Mobile/PDAs which makes it easy to calcuate this.
John and Rajesh …I ditto your words …I have bought a Wagon R Vxi…and I am enjoying it….one point u guys missed…fuel efficency….i bet it is the most fuel efficient car in its category…
Wagon R is a LADIES Car.Do’t beleive me go to any place and count How many peoples driving Wagon R and u find that more than 60% drivers are infact LADIES. For most of peoples[men] it’s more like a van not even a car.Its still a 4 Seater.Maruti Dealers have attiude is ” take it or leave”.This Car is mostly considered a DABBA.Wagon R and Santro e-rlx have same average.Santro have Better AC than Wagon R’s.Its warrenty is more than Wagon R.Beleive me Santro do’t need frequent spare part changes.I am happy owner of Santro and no trouble at all like its is dangerous to drive 70+ kms. I touched 140+ with ease.Usually I drove under 80 for better mileage. It gives me 17+ on highway and 14+ in city.
before deciding on which car to go for out of Wagon R and santro, I did proper research. I enquired with experts, friends and websites. Since I am tall, I wanted to go for any of these vehicles. I know the reliablity of Suzuki vehicles, so at first i thot I ll go for the R. Then I also consulted the dealerships. When I asked for discounts, the Suzuki dealerships were willing to give me upto a total discount of 40k on the Wagon R. But the Hyundai dealers said, as already Santros are moving very fast in the market there is no need for them to give discounts. So I got the clue that Santro is definitely the BEST. Now I am the proud owner of a Santro.
Can somebody tell me what are pro & cons of CNG conversionof petrol engine I have a Santro XL if i go for CNG Conversion would my Hyundai warrant would be still valid …coz the petrol is about to rise 5+ Rs more Is CNG a good option .
While I am inclined to buy a Santro over WagonR aftre going through these messages, I am not sure what model to go for – XO or XL. What are the differences between the two?
Any replies will be highly appreciated. Thanks.
Santro is a great car and its better in technology where as wagonr is worst bcoz its an maruti suzuki company i have taken test for both car and santro is havin very fast pick up than wagon r its.santro is even better than swift
Hey Sameer nice decision …i just bought XL myself
let me give me my point of view
The diffrence between two is 25 K
In which you are geting xtra is 1. adjustable Seats (up & down )
2. Fog lights front
3. Colred bumpers
4. Back viper
5. Defoggers (which is not possible to get it install afterwards or on XL )
6. rear Spoiler
7. adjustable window mirrors from inside
which I think is worth 25 K
otherwise everything else is same engine , interiors etc
Hey Akshat , I think CNG is very inteligence choice according to these days as fuel price is going high and would continue to do so …..though I dont know much about its effect on Engine maye Prakash can put some light on it ..!
Sameer,
XO is fully loaded car with the max features Hyundai could given in whereas XL has limited features. The difference will cost you around 20,000 in both the versions (XO being cotsly).
Regards,
Ashish
Sameer, excuse me for being blunt, but I think it makes more sense to go to a Santro dealer & checking out both variants for yourself rather than asking this question here in this forum.
Hi,
I think its not worth going for Santro XO model. It costs around 3.7 lacs and spending this big amount for santro is not worth.(then better go for getz).
Remember the base price of santro is Rs 2.68 lacs
Thanks
Hi sameer,
Go for XO, it has posh cabin with power windows for all four doors. and the interiors are superior to other variants. Go for leather seats to addup to the looks.
thanks
Thanks all for replying to my query. Today, I visited Sanjay Hyundai in Pune and was offered Santro XL for 3.89 L and he is offering me a cash discount of 14 K and no free accessories.
Anyone who got a car in Pune recently, let me know if this is a fair price.
Manish, thanks for your reply. However, I think it would make more sense to do a homework before going to a dealer, whose only job would be to sell the car to you at any cost. I assume the basic purpose of this blog is to share as much info as we can.
Hi,
I am planning to buy a Wagon R LX in Bangalore. Can anybody suggest what is the best discount I can get and from which dealer in bangalore.
Thanks
Hi Rajiban,
Can you please tell me what free accessaries did you get from Sagar Maruti ?
Thanks