Hyundai Santro: sturdy build, enough ‘Xing’

Launched in 1998, the Hyundai Santro was a very unusual looking small car then. It was tall and quirky in terms of appearance - properties which surprisingly did not stop it from becoming a bestseller. Around for more than a decade now, the Santro, having undergone a revamp now comes with a suffix, Xing. The car, combining the revamp with years of existence, has comes to look rather acceptable.

Built with the intention of squeezing as much space from as small a footprint as possible, the Santro Xing does look far more acceptable than the Santro of 1998. The tallboy stature remains, blunted somewhat by a smooth flow of lines. Helping the appearance are the squarish wraparound lamps at the front, a smallish grille, and a nondescript bumper.

The tall sides are kept from looking bland by a sharp waistline and unusually shaped wheel arches. Beyond the thick C-pillar, a considerable portion of the tailgate is occupied by the rear windscreen, with the wraparound rear lamps arranged vertically at the corners. Lower down is a bumper almost as nondescript as the front.

Structured on a wheelbase of 2380mm, the Santro Xing employs MacPherson strut suspension at front and a torsion beam axle, coil spring suspension at the rear. Reflecting a fair deal of solidity when compared to some of its competitors, the Santro sports good quality of plastics and materials inside.

Well sorted in terms of ergonomics save for the gear lever, which is placed a bit too far back, this small car does feel basic. One of the contributors is the door pads that cover only the half of the inside of the doors. The pedals are offset, and to an extent that it makes comfortable to rest the knee against the door pad for a comfortable driving position. Good visibility is courtesy the high seating.

The seats with integrated headrests offer decent levels of comfort, but could with more bolstering. Slide the front seat back to achieve a comfortable driving position, and there's a short supply of knee room and leg room at the rear. The bench seat is placed high, and makes for easy entry and exit. Firm, the seat can make long journeys tiring. Storage space at the rear is good, and probably the most in its class.