Santro is still a good car then a few of its rivals

Exterior Not bad at all for a decade old model.

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort) Very good for price. Everybody knows about beautiful interiors, front power windows and that RPM meter is a bonus. I bought Santro for the interior space it provides..Specially headroom.

However, I have to keep driver's seat right at the bag to feel  comfy while driving. SO I am not sure if  very tall people would like it. I am 5 feet 8 inches.

Rear seat very comfy to. however might have to compromise with the legroom if the driving seat is right at the back.

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox I sometimes feel lack of power on highways when it comes to overtaking. But I have mostly driven big cars (1.6 and 1.8 litres). So, maybe thats just me. Otherwise good for a small car. Another good thing I have noticed is the low end torque.

Its pretty good. Santro doent ask for lower gear shift if you are driving at low speeds on higher gears but this is not the case with estilo or wagonR where you constantly need to put the gear down if you are driving slow. 4 CYLINDER 1.1 LITRE ENGINE ADVANTAGE OVER 3 CYLINDER 1 LITRE K10 ENGINE STILL COULD BE NOTICED.

I am specially wring this review to let everybody know about the fuel economy. I bought new santro xing gl (petrol) in september 2009. My only concern has been the fuel economy eversince.

Upto around 5000-6000 kms the average was ridiculous .. was getting around 10.5 km/l city to 14km/l max on highways.

Then ataround 8000 kms it was doing around 450 to 470kms per 30 litres fuel... that is 15kms to 15.5kms per litre.

After around 9500 kms i checked it was slightly highr at 16.5kms/litre. I was happy with it then.

But now I am surprisingly happy with the fuel economy. Eversince, car has done over 11400 kms, it is running 550kms per 30-31 litres fuel.

Eventually, I am now getting 17.8 to 18.1 kms/ litre (with aircondition on most of the time).(80 % highway driving) I am now really happy with the fuel consumption of the car. 

SO FOR MOST USERS OF SANTRO, I WOULD SAY. WAIT TILL IT DOES OVER 10000 KMS. THE FUEL CONSUMPTION WILL IMPROVE SIGNIFICANTLY.

Gearbox not bad in comparision to its rivals. Small gear shift. May not be as smooth as new generation hyundai cars.

Ride Quality & Handling Ride quality is good, city driving is easy. Though santro is a small car , the comfort and handling on highway is very good. Car is very stable for its small size on highways. you can drive with confidence. Suspension in a bit softerthan most suzuki cars , hence smooth. However. sometimes you will ntice that the car throws rear passenger on bumps .

Final Words Satisfied with the car. Its a good package if you still like the looks of the car after over a decade. Good enough for its price. Buyers can think about it over Wagon R and Zen estilo

Areas of improvement Those keyholes on the doors would look a bit better if mounted a bit higher. The  dash board needs to have more space to keep water bottles and stuff. Also the door handles look a bit dated. We look forward to a common rail deisel engine if Hyundai continues to make this car.

Good decent style, interiors, fuel economy , space, smooth, stable at high speeds, great handlingNot enough power to overtake , i wish the key holes were located a bit higher , bumpy rear sometimes