Hyundai Santro Xing GLS

The Korean Giants company Hyundai Motors has been in India for just 16 years but it is already the second largest automobile manufacturers. Their first car Hyundai Santro created a sensation in Indian market and it was their lucky charm and the trend continued even when the company changed the name from ‘Hyundai Santro’ to ‘Hyundai Santro  Xing ‘.  Originally introduced in 2003 in Indian market, this car has seen numerous changes and has added a lot of exciting features to keep up to date with the Indian consumers. Its success can be judged from the fact that it is being exported in very large numbers to many countries round the world. At first look one can see that it still has the same designing and built as the previous model had but with addition of new and unique features one is sure to give it a try. It has a 1.1L under its belly which is more than sufficient when considering the Indian environment. The 5 speed manual transmission system does give some joy when it comes to acceleration and quick response. Plus the suspension system as well as the braking department is fitted keeping in mind with their competitors. The GLS model is the top model of the Hyundai Santro Xing Series which means that it has many delights and features to offer. Let it be the entertainment system or the durable outer built, it has a very good combination of comfort and safety features.         

Exteriors

Hyundai Santro has been very traditional and conservative when it comes to the outer body structure of the car. One will hardly find any major difference since the first Santro model which was introduced in India. And the same things follow with Hyundai Santro Xing GLS . The radiator grille and the bumper is body colored. Waistline moulding surely gives a unique look to the car. The presence of rich features such as tinted glass, rear spoiler, wheel cover, detachable bumper insert moulding further provide sensation to the eyes. This car comes in mainly 6 body colors namely Coral White, Sleek Silver, Mushroom, Twilight Blue, Ember Gray and Maharaja Red. And now over to the dimensions, the overall length, width and height measures out to be 3565mm, 1525mm and 1590mm respectively. And the kerb weight is 854kgs. The 13” tubeless tyres provide a decent ground clearance of about 172mm which is very good for Indian messy roads and speed bumpers.     

Interiors

Hyundai Santro Xing GLS offers a very good combination of dual tone Beige and brown color interiors which by the way look very cool. The front seats have been given a sporty look. There are obviously cup holders, rear parcel tray, folding rear seats and ash tray. Five people can sit very easily and without any hassle. The rear speaker and front speaker have been integrated with grille to give a bold finish. The addition of Anti glare inside rear view mirror is also very good. The centre console has a silver finish and doors are trimmed with fabric insert. Also one amazing thing is that the gear knob has a chrome finish and gives a strong feeling to the driver.      

Engine and Performance

Under the hood Hyundai Santro Xing GLS has a 1.1Liter Petrol engine which can produce a decent engine displacement of 1086cc . This engine can produce a maximum power output of 62.18bhp at the rate of 5500 rotations per minute. And the maximum torque it can generate is about 89Nm at the rate of 3000 rotations per minute. This inline engine has 4 cylinders and 3 valves per cylinder and the engine is neither turbocharged nor supercharged. It is a front wheel drive with 5 gears forward and 1 reverse as usual. The engine performs decently in the fuel economy too as it gives round about 17kmpl on highways and 12kmpl in city as fuel consumption. The top speed of this compact car is claimed to be 141kmph and touches the 100km mark under 15 seconds which is pretty ordinary but what can you expect with 1.1L engine. This inline engine has 4 cylinders and 3 valves per cylinder and the engine is neither turbocharged nor supercharged. Also Hyundai gives a factory fitted LPG kit with this model if anyone wants to customize with the LPG as the desired fuel.

Braking and Handling

The Hyundai Santro Xing GLS has also improved the suspension as well as the braking system with time and with this one they have installed McPherson Strut as front suspension and torsion beam axle as rear one. Both the front and rear suspension also supports coil spring. While the brakes are also of good quality as the front brakes are Ventilated disc and the rear brakes are self adjusting drum. The tubeless tyres which are radial also are equipped which has a tyre type of 155/70 R13 with 13inch being the tyre size.

Safety features

One should expect much from this car in terms of safety features but still Hyundai has managed to put up some safety precautions like the child safety door locks, collapsible steering column, keyless entry and engine immobilizer. Also there are dual side impact beams to have safety via the side doors. The self locking door and dual day and night IRVM is available as they give some sense of safety. Though one will not be able to find airbags or ABS with EBD but still one won’t be disappointed with the amount of safety features that it has.

Comfort features

Hyundai Santro Xing GLS comes with many comfort rich features as air conditioner cum heater, internally adjustable outside rear view mirrors and intermittent front wiper and washer. Also the addition of low fuel warning lamp, power steering, power windows, it just adds more convenience to the car. The fuel lid as well as the tail gate is remotely operated.  Plus the 1 DIN audio player supports CD, MP3, AUX and USB which can be a great entertainment system for the car .

Pros

·Quality service.

·Rich Features at low price.

Cons

·Simple and basic design.

·Possibly the waiting period.