[ferrarirules]

I am not able to understand why is everyone comparing Santro with Tiago. Tiago has been there for long and has been under priced than Wagon-R but still it has not made even a small dent in the Wagon-R numbers.

Hyundai has priced Santro comparable to Wagon-R which is the segment leader. With the brand equity that Hyundai and the "Santro" name enjoys over Tata, this will beat Tiago any day. Maruti will be worried as they are offering more features and plus their base model with CNG (Taxi Segment favourite) is equally priced to Wagon-R.

Originally Posted by PrideRed

Despite the strong brand image, I feel Santro will have tough time . For one the entry segment is fading, even first time buyers prefer bigger car. Secondly consumers are better educated, thanks to Internet. The biggest advantage other than name I see w.r.to competition is 4 cylinder motor.

I disagree that the entry level segment is fading. It might be somewhat true for the Tier 1 cities but nowhere true for Tier 2 and 3 cities. Yes, hatchback or compact sedan sales have picked up in the last few years but entry level segment is still going strong.

[Dry Ice]

Originally Posted by PraNeel

Hyundai has given a 4 cylinder engine and that is a real differentiator in segment where 3 cylinder engine is the norm.
I see Magna and Sportz as the highest selling variants.

Ok, so Hyundai wants me to choose between my (driver) comfort or passenger's safety? I can't pick an automatic and also ensure it's safe for my co-passenger (no airbag!).

I have to either pick 2 airbags or automatic - can't have both. Whoever designed the variants must be a genius.

[Rshrey22]

What one needs to do if he/she is buying the Santro, is that they purchase the top end Asta variant and take 2.5 lac loan, so you get a nicely equipped car for around 3.8 lacs and a loan which is easy to pay back.
This way, it won't hurt your pocket while you still can enjoy some advanced features and still be on a budget.

[Arjun Reddy]

Originally Posted by hemanth.anand

The cheapest trim - Dlite Petrol Manual will be around 4,87,000 and the most expensive trim - CNG Sportz will be around 7,06,000. Quite steep IMO. Also we have to keep in mind that these prices are bound to increase after 50,000 cars have been sold

If I can remember right, I bought the I10 Grand Asta automatic for around 7 Lakhs OTR Bangalore 3 years ago. So the top spec versions of the Santro a pretty steeply priced for an entry level car. Just checked that the I10 automatic is around 8.5 lakhs( current OTR) and they are running discounts of around 80k.

[drnilswap]

Though I’ve never owned a hyundai before or had one in family, that tv advt featuring Accent, surely made me nostalgic. I loved the Hyundai Accent unconditionally. It still turns my head everytime I see one on the road. Though not in market for a car in this segment, I was hoping for something really special from Hyundai. And boy didn’t they do that really, and how!! A family car, in this day and age that doesn’t have air conditioning as a standard feature? You surely took me twenty years back, Hyundai.

[Guna]

Originally Posted by Arjun Reddy

If I can remember right, I bought the I10 Grand Asta automatic for around 7 Lakhs OTR Bangalore 3 years ago. So the top spec versions of the Santro a pretty steeply priced for an entry level car. Just checked that the I10 automatic is around 8.5 lakhs( current OTR) and they are running discounts of around 80k.

Only problem is, the i10 Grand Auto is a 4 speed TC, which is a guzzler. I am sure i10 will come with the AMT within 6 months. When it happens, price difference will be the only reason for someone to pick the Santro.

[sachinayak]

Originally Posted by ksameer1234

Even the response here is odd. I was expecting a lot of posts from members with their views on the launch, maybe even some live posts from the event.

+1

A few hours from launch, the response on this thread too has been lukewarm. The thread does not even take the top spot on the forum, on the day of launch.



In comparison, the Tata Tiago thread has some 5-6 pages of comments immediately post the pricing announcement. A very crude way to compare the interest levels, but still some benchmark.

Hyundai missed out on giving the Santro a really contemporary design. Agreed the original Santro was not a looker, but 20 years back you could get away with function over form. They probably offered the best value for money + quality + a very torquey engine that differentiated the product.

In 2018, you cannot just milk on your past success (unless you are Maruti Suzuki, of course). Competition is higher, People have more disposable income and are much better informed. Hyundai, there were certainly higher expectations from Santro V2.

That said, competition is always good and as a customer it is always a win-win.

[saket77]

With the pricing, I just hope that naming the car as 'Santro' doesn't back fire! That too after all the hype and hoopla of 'name the car contest'. Most of us remember the Santro being almost an entry level hatch-back with competitive pricing. Some other name could have been better if the plan was to price it at premium.

Marketing failure or cashing on the goodwill of the old Santro, only time will tell.

Regards,
Saket.

[needforspeed88]

6.50 lakh rupees on road for Asta Manual, the only variant with dual airbags. Santro definitely does not fit in to value for money bracket. I could understand a little premium attached to pricing but this is outright expensive. Tiago and Ford Freestyle are better alternatives to the top end variant.

[Adi22]

The VFM factor looks missing. Tiago undercuts this. Not much gap b/w swift lower variants and this. Freestyle variants till Titanium are a lakh or below off variant to variant with everything they has to offer (higher segment, driving dynamics, safety kit primarily the titanium). We may not call this an entry level hatch no more i guess with these prices. My money stays where it is though.

They might need SRK magic. Waiting for the official drive impressions.

[Ragavsr]

Originally Posted by PrideRed

Despite the strong brand image, I feel Santro will have tough time . For one the entry segment is fading, even first time buyers prefer bigger car. Secondly consumers are better educated, thanks to Internet. The biggest advantage other than name I see w.r.to competition is 4 cylinder motor.

Originally Posted by ferrarirules

I am not able to understand why is everyone comparing Santro with Tiago. Tiago has been there for long and has been under priced than Wagon-R but still it has not made even a small dent in the Wagon-R numbers.


I disagree that the entry level segment is fading. It might be somewhat true for the Tier 1 cities but nowhere true for Tier 2 and 3 cities.

Strongly disagree that the Tiago has failed to create a dent in Wagon R sales. Most of the Wagon R sales are CNG cabs. The Tiago sells close to 10000 a month, which would be far higher than WagonR white board sales.

I would buy a Tiago without a thought but I won't even consider a WagonR , leave alone test drive it. Tiago fares average when it comes to reliability, which I am fine with having been used to Fords.

The real problem is the Santro is not priced like an entry level car and hence the debate is unwarranted. The variant with AC, which is the bare minimum any sane person will buy is 4.25 L showroom, will be 5L on road. The base Ignis has better features and would coat only 25 K more and is a much more premium car.

Originally Posted by Rshrey22

What one needs to do if he/she is buying the Santro, is that they purchase the top end Asta variant and take 2.5 lac loan, so you get a nicely equipped car for around 3.8 lacs and a loan which is easy to pay back.
This way, it won't hurt your pocket while you still can enjoy some advanced features and still be on a budget.

Instead take a 3 lakh loan and get a Ford Freestyle Trend Petrol. Packs a punch at 95 HP despite being a 3 cylinder. The interiors, space and dynamics are all far superior.

[aaggoswami]

Had a brief look at new Santro.

1. Rear seat base is not that bad, there was reasonable under-thigh support with sufficient headroom. However, the seat back was a bit upright to my liking plus those pathetic (might sound harsh) fixed headrests weren't helping either. Strictly budget. Rear seat shoulder room is not good. Two adults of my size means rear seat would be fully occupied. Legroom at rear was Ok-ish. Can rival Celerio, but Wagon R is in different league when it comes to rear space. Rear A/C vents are placed too low.

2. Front seat to floor ratio is good, seat is reasonably good. However, its placeda bit to0 near to the B-pillar. I felt my shoulder was hitting B-pillar while I was seated. Fixed headrest here was of no use. Of the fixed headrest designs, Liva had a better one. View from front seat is nice, makes the cabin feel airy while improving front visibility. Front visibility would be a good reason to buy this car as a city centric hatch in my view.

3. Gear lever is from Grand i10. Shift quality wasnt good, but then this was a brand new parked car.

4. Hyundai could have avoided the "pull type" door handle. Doesn't look or feel nice, a fact accentuated by higher than expected price tag.

5 Boot space is Ok-ish again, one step lower than Grand i10. The hatch lid is not having full cover from inside. A typical Hyundai Santro trait I guess, there was finished-yet-exposed metal in the doors of Santro Xing.

6. Interior plastic quality and fit and finish are better aspects of cabin. Glovebox is well finished, but I expected more.

7. While operating doors, I felt that its fully one step lower than Grand i10. At the price, its not a good proposition. Ingress and Egress is not as easy as Wagon R.

My take : If one can afford, Grand i10 with discounts is a better bet any given day. I had K10 Wagon R with me, can confirm that it has much more cabin space than new Santro and has better seats too. Plastic quality of Santro cabin is better than Wagon R. Santro as a product has mixed placement in my view. Not that good yet not that bad. But in current era, I feel its outclassed. Had high expectations, was disappointed.

[Carpainter]

Well I think after a long time Hyundai has launched a car that is not attractive to look at and not priced properly either ( If I forget the overpricing of Creta when it was launched but now seems value for money). Hyundai has Eon which is doing okay and i10 is a hit. They shouldn't have launched this car just to bring back the brand name. Instead they could have discontinued the Eon and launched Santro at that price range. Would have garnered more interest I believe. And after i20 and Verna with stunning looks, they have finally managed to design a car that is not attractive. And with this pricing one would better buy i10 grand than this.

[MaheshY1]

The pricing is just to give it an upmarket appeal. Once the early adopters are done buying it, it'll get some 50-60k discounts. It's in Maruti's territory. It can't do 5-digits every month without discounts.

[landcruiser123]

Is this a made for India (or BRICS exclusive) car? If yes, I hope we don't get a severely compromised structure.
I think this car would have faded away if not for the 'Santro' nameplate just like how the Celerio would have faded away if not for the AMT.

The pricing of the Asta is dangerously close to the entry level Baleno. And yes, that's a massive difference in terms of size, space and engineering levels.