XING eRLX - definitely a steal. Review on Hyundai Santro Xing eRLX

THE ALL NEW SANTRO XING eRLX

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Definitely a steal at new prices.

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Why is this page coming like this?

I was never a fan of the Santro, and the shape of the old Santro has never got more than a 2 of 5 rating from me. But the company had me rethinking with the European model the Xing, and now has me all impressed with the all-new Santro Xing eRLX; at the new prices it is being offered.

Hyundai has been frightened by the prices at which the Swift is being offered. The Getz is definitely a fine car, but it is way more expensive. The Swift is at down to earth prices and it was even a scare for the Santro. But Hyundai has been very quick in devising new tactics and the Santro now starts at 2.80 LAKHS.

The latest eRLX is definitely the best technology available at the price in the country. This makes the car a class apart from the other vehicles of the category. The latest technology ensures mileage and acceleration. This engine is what makes the new Santro distinct. So I am giving you the engine details first.

The Santro Xing eRLX comes with a 4 CYLINDER, 12 VALVE, and 1086 cc ENGINE. IT PRODUCES A MAXIMUM TORQUE OF 9.8/3000 AND THE POWER DELIVERED IS 63 BHP@ 5500 rpm. O.k. impressive.

But what sets these engines a class apart is the ''ACTIVE INTELLIGENCE''. Don't be led to the conclusion that it is an artificial intelligence technology as Hyundai claims, but it is pretty good in controlling itself. The unit ensures that the engine is at its peak performance delivering maximum power and mileage in the varying driving conditions.

RHiATM, THE ROTARY HEAD INTELLIGENT VALVE ACTUATOR , takes over from the conventional CAM. It opens and closes the valves of the engine cylinder reducing the workload of the engine, as the conventional cam is directly coupled to he crankshaft. Also, from the Hyundai website, I came to know that very low friction piston has been used. The piston is the reciprocating part of the engine cylinder, and if the friction is reduced, then there will be considerable reduction in the heating of the engine, thus increasing the overall engine efficiency.

DPiITM, THE DIFFERENTIALLY PROGRAMMED INTELLIGENT INJECTION, takes over the job of the poor carburetor. It supplies fuel to the engine as per the driving conditions. It supplies a high quantity of fuel by working in pairs during the time of rapid acceleration and also it supplies fuel differentially to the engine as per the firing order of the cylinder, to ensure a very decent mileage. So the car gets a combination of both the requirements.

RTiITM, THE REAL TIME INTELLIGENT IGNITION, is a very good improvement over a normal ECU. The ECU is designed to fire the sparks at fixed time intervals. But the RTiITM is designed to fire the sparks after determining the best time to do so. That is not astrology, but it checks out the quantity of the fuel- air mixture in the engine, and also the driving conditions and then decides on itself the correct time to fire the sparks.

The car is basically with no change over the Santro Xing, except in the engine category and the pricing. Pricing is definitely an attractive factor.

The Xing XK comes with a price tag of 2.79 lakhs. Unbelievable? But there is a catch. There is no ac for this base version. You just have to sweat it out. But it is definitely going to be a very good first car, for all those who are looking to buy the Maruti or the alto.

The Xing XK with the ac comes at 3.27 lakhs, and the XL with the power steering comes at the price of 3.46, down by over 16,000 rupees in India.

The overall dimensions of the car are pretty impressive, if you are ready to go for the TALLBOY DESIGN. It is definitely not the royal costumers of the hatch back design, or even the jellybean design of the Zen. But it has its identity, I guess. The new European model is much better than the older version. The car has an overall length of 3565 mm, width of 1525 mm, and a height of 1590 mm. The car definitely gives you more headroom. It has a wheelbase 2380 mm. The car would be very easy to handle with the small turning radius of 4.4 mm.

Hyundai has a comparatively good network of dealers, when Maruti is taken out of the picture. So service should also not be a major problem. Also the car is not a headache and it doesn?t require more service than the periodic check ups.

The colour I like best on the car is the black. But it is very difficult to maintain. You have to wash the car everyday, or it will be looking like crap. I guess, the red and the green are excellent, once you have a liking for the car.

The greatest competition for the Santro has come from the Wagon R. Although the WAGON R was a ''DABBA'' (source- comment on my review on wagon r by GUESS WHO?) before, the new model looks really good. And it offers airbags and many other added perks.

Some main points I could figure out from driving the two is that the Wagon R is a bit more stable, while the Santro is fun to drive.

The only main problem area is from the fact that the

SERVICE NETWORK of Hyundai is nowhere near that of Maruti Suzuki.

BUT THE SANTRO XING eRLX IS DEFINITELY A VALUE FOR MONEY PRODUCT AT THIS PRICE. AND YOU HAVE THE SATISFACTION OF HAVING THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY AVAILABLE IN INDIA UNDER YOUR HOOD. FOR THIS PRICE,

THAT IS.

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