New Hyundai Santro vs Maruti WagonR: variants comparison

Hyundai has launched the much-awaited Santro at a starting price of Rs 3.9 lakh (ex-showroom India). At this price, it sure does rival compact hatchbacks like the Maruti Celerio, Datsun GO and the Tata Tiago, but it also renews rivalry against its age-old rival and the current segment leader, the Maruti Suzuki WagonR. So, without further ado let’s find out which of the two hatchbacks deserves your hard earned money.

• New Hyundai Santro: First Look

Before diving into the variant-wise details let's take a look at the dimensions and mechanicals of the two cars.

• The new Santro is longer than the WagonR Lxi and Vxi, but is 26mm shorter than the WagonR Vxi+, which is essentially the WagonR Stingray
• Despite that, both the cars have an identical wheelbase of 2400mm
• However, when it comes to width, the Santro is the wider car here
• At 1,700mm, the WagonR is the taller of the two by a fair margin

Engine

• The Santro’s 1.1-litre engine has a marginal advantage of 1PS/9Nm over the WagonR’s 1.0-litre unit. While the Santro’s engine is a 4-cylinder unit, the WagonR’s motor has 3 cylinders. 4-cylinder engines are more refined than 3-cylinder units
• The WagonR commands a better claimed fuel economy figure of 20.51kmpl, 0.48kmpl more than the Santro’s
• Both cars are available with both MT and AMT gearbox options

• Both the cars here are available with petrol/CNG bi-fuel engines
• At 59PS, the power output of both the cars is identical. In terms of torque, the Santro takes the lead.
• The Santro is more frugal as well. It can do 3.88km more for every kg of gas it consumes.

All prices ex-showroom Delhi

• New Hyundai Santro Variants Explained: Dlite, Era, Magna, Sportz And Asta

Only similarly priced variants have been compared

Hyundai Santro Era vs Maruti WagonR LXI

Common Features: Body-coloured bumpers, steel wheels with wheel caps, manual AC, front power windows, folding rear seat and electric power steering.

What Santro Offers Over WagonR: driver side airbag, ABS with EBD and rear AC vents.

What WagonR offers over Santro: Day/night IRVM, front and rear adjustable headrests, central locking, and 60:40 split rear seats.

Verdict: For a premium of Rs 6,000 over the WagonR, the Santro gets essential safety features such as driver airbag and ABS with EBD, both of which are missing on the WagonR. So the Santro should be your pick here.

Hyundai Santro Magna vs Maruti WagonR LXI(O)

Common features (over the previous variants): Driver side airbag, ABS, day/night IRVM and central locking.

What Santro Offers Over WagonR: body coloured wing mirrors, rear AC vents and rear power windows.

What WagonR offers over Santro: Passenger side airbag, front and rear adjustable headrest and 60:40 split rear seats.

Verdict: The WagonR would be our pick here. It is not only more affordable, but is also safer, thanks to the dual front airbags. The WagonR sure does miss out on some features compared to the Santro, but it’s a fair trade-off for the extra safety it offers.

Hyundai Santro Sportz MT/AMTvs Maruti WagonR VXI+(O) MT/AMT

Common Features (over the previous variants): Body coloured electrically adjustable ORVMs, front fog lamps, rear power windows, keyless entry and music system

What Santro Offers Over WagonR: A 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, steering-mounted controls, turn indicators on ORVMs, rear AC vents and eco coating for AC.

What WagonR offers over Santro: Passenger side airbag, front and rear adjustable headrest, 60:40 split rear seats, tilt adjustable steering, projector headlamps and alloy wheels.

Verdict: From the safety point of view, the WagonR is our pick here since it gets dual front airbags, whereas the Santro offers only one. It is also the right choice if you're going to drive with passengers on board, as it gets practical features like adjustable headrest and steering. However, if you are someone who drives alone most of the times and want a feature-rich car, the Santro should be your pick.

Hyundai Santro Magna AMT vs Maruti WagonR VXI+ AMT

Common Features: Driver side airbag, body coloured ORVMs, body coloured bumpers, front and rear power windows, day/night IRVM, central locking, music system, manual AC, folding rear seat and electric power steering.

What Santro Offers Over WagonR: ABS with EBD, steering-mounted controls and rear AC vents.

What WagonR offers over the Santro: front and rear adjustable headrest, 60:40 split rear seats, tilt-adjustable steering, dual barrel projector headlamps and alloy wheels.

Verdict: Since both the cars here miss out on dual front airbags, we will recommend you to extend your budget a little (by Rs 4,000) and go for the Maruti WagonR VXI(O) AMT. Priced at Rs 5.24 lakh, it gets essential safety features such as dual front airbags and ABS. However, if you are really on a tight budget, go for the Santro Magna AMT, as it gets driver side airbag and ABS with EBD. The WagonR VXI+ AMT misses out on ABS.

Moving on, let's compare the similarly priced CNG variants of the two cars.

Hyundai Santro Maga CNG vs Maruti WagonR LXI(O) CNG

Common features (over the previous variants): Driver side airbag, ABS, body coloured bumpers, steel wheels with wheel caps, manual AC, front power windows, folding rear seat, electric power steering, day/night IRVM and central locking.

What Santro Offers Over WagonR: body coloured wing mirrors, rear AC vents and rear power windows.

What WagonR offers over Santro: Passenger side airbag, front and rear adjustable headrest and 60:40 split rear seats.

Verdict: The WagonR would be our pick here. It is not only more affordable, but is also safer, thanks to the dual front airbags. The WagonR sure does miss out on some features compared to the Santro, but it’s a fair trade-off for the extra safety that it offers.

Disclaimer: This article has not been edited by Deccan Chronicle and is taken from a syndicated feed. Photos: CarDekho.