I started out with a budget of upto 4 lakhs. Fuel efficiency, after sales service, inside space, drivability and resale value were my prime concerns. I needed AC with heater, Power steering as minimum fitments.
I short listed four cars. Alto, Santro, WagonR and Indica (Turbo Diesel). I took out Alto due to a few reasons.
Alto:Very good car. Has got everything I wanted. Scored high on 80% of my parameters (Except Space). However, space inside does not meet my requirements. I have visitors from my home frequently and also will go for long drives with luggage. 5 Persons can’t sit comfortably in Alto, especially with luggage. Also, with AC on, the car performance (pick-up, engine smoothness) gets affected. So, after a lot of thought, I took out Alto.
Now, I have three options. The first decision I needed to make is whether a Diesel car or a Petrol car. After lot of thought and a simple mathematical calculation, I dropped the diesel option.
Tata has always been criticized for their lack of after sales support and almost everyone talks about the various ranges of problems which occur after 3-4 years of purchase of an Indica. Please remember, Indica turbo DLS does not have a heater (That still sounds ridiculous to me, but it is true). Here, I assumed that I will drive 1000 Km per month.
I wish I could show you the calculation here but there is only a limit of 8000 characters in mouth shut and hence I am unable to include it here (will try putting it some other place)
The Net Difference (Running Costs, Loan, Down Payment) between a WagonR/Santro Petrol and Indica Diesel car in the first year is: INR 5,000
I have taken the highest end Indica Turbo Version while I took a medium end (XL/LXi model) for comparison. This is because I only wanted a Car with AC, Power Steering and Indica has that only in the top-end version, while I get that in XL/Lxi. If I take a highest end Petrol version of WagonR/Santro, the difference will be about 10,000.
No Discounts have been taken into consideration (Indica won’t give you much discounts unlike WagonR/Santro). If you take discounts, the petrol version will be even more attractive.
The objective of this calculation is to show that unless you intend to drive quite a lot of kilometers a year (I took 12,000 which is for an average person), petrol is a much better option. You get a quieter cabin, lesser headache and of course much smoother ride for 5000 Rupees more.
After dropping Indica, I finally had to decide between WagonR and Santro. I took a test ride for 30 mins on Santro eRLx XO model. I drive my friend’s WagonR Lxi. So, the following is a result of my own judgment.
Engine:Both cars have very comparable engines. In terms of engine sizes and BHP (Brake Horse Power), there is nothing really to choose from. WagonR has 32 bit Microprocessor and Santro has 16 (More Intelligent Engine for WagonR-claimed). WagonR has 16 valves per cylinder, Santro has 12 (This results is slightly lower vehicle weight, but compromises on performance). Also, WagonR has Electronic Power Steering while Santro has hydraulic (which is a slightly dated technology)
Gear Box: Santro’s gearbox is smoother and the gears are pretty close to each other, which means lesser effort compared to WagonR
Suspension: Santro’s suspension is smooth. WagonR is smoother. The engine performs better for Santro at decent speeds (upto 60 Km/Hour). But, at higher speeds WagonR’s suspension is much better.
Dashboard: Quality of Plastics seemed better/sturdier in WagonR, while in Santro, fit and finish of upholstery and buttons/switches seemed poor.
Drivability: Santro is a better car to drive. They have given a foot rest next to clutch pedal which comes handy. The A, B, C pedals (Accelerator, Brake, and Clutch) are pretty close to each other which also help.
Maneuverability: Santro is better to maneuver in city traffic and it is “Zippy”, compared to WagonR which is more stable/solid and hence difficult to maneuver.
Cabin Space: WagonR has more cabin space (though overall dimension is less than Santro). This is because wagonR’s engine is smaller and takes less space at the front.
Seating: Both cars have high seating, which means getting in and getting out is very easy. WagonR’s seats can be adjusted in lot of ways, while Santro’s can’t be.The back-seats in Santro are badly designed and it will cause back-pain if you try to sit in vertical position for a longer ride.
Smoothness: WagonR has a smoother ride, especially for people at the back.
Cabin Noise: WagonR has a much smoother cabin and noise is minimal. While, Santro has a consistent humming noise from the engine.
Rear-Seat Comfort: Much better in WagonR. Santro’s ride is bumpy and the seating positions for back seat are very uncomfortable, even for a short ride. It seemed, Hyundai Engineers originally planned it to be a 2 seater!
Mileage: WagonR has been shown to give higher mileage. But the new Santro eRLx claims to give more. Expect 13-16 Km on an average and nothing much to choose from here.
AC: Very noisy in both vehicles and it seemed WagonR’s AC is more effective (Starts “Chilling” much faster and better).
Utilities: Santro has provision for four speakers. WagonR has for two. Santo has cup holders for three cups; wagonR has for one large bottle.
Boot Space: Much better for WagonR, while Santro’s is less.
Looks: Again, personal opinion may vary, but I think Santro looks better
After Sale Service/Spares: WagonR will be slightly better entirely due to Martuti’s wide extensive network
Resale: Will be slightly better for WagonR
I had almost made my mind to buy the Santro but four things put me off when I took the test ride.
Very uncomfortable back-seat ride (Important because I need to drive with 4/5 people consistently)
Overall Bumpy Ride (Don’t feel as secure as in a WagonR)
Less Boot Space (Essential as I have family members visiting me often and need that extra space for long drives)
Slightly Noisy Engine & Cabin (Irritating)
Slightly Less Effective AC (I drove both cars in peak temp at 12 noon at 44 degrees in Delhi heat)
Finally, even though I don’t like its looks, I decided to go for the WagonR. It is like going to see a girl for your marriage, and rejecting her on the basis of looks, while she is by far better than her peers in many aspects.
I got WagonR Lxi at a discount of 35,000 (Due to a special Maruti Promotion run in May last week).Which effectively meant it cost me 20,000 cheaper than a Santro eRlx (Santro was giving me 15000 Discount). Add the 4000 for getting a body colored bumper in Santro XL (Wagon R has it already) and the difference will be 24,000. Amazing isn't it ?
I made a “Smart” decision thinking about the long-term. The car fulfills my entire criterion I noted down at the beginning.
In the end, I will like to give few guidelines to all buyers planning to purchase their car:
Start with a budget
Decide on Petrol/Diesel
Note down essential requirements (AC, Power Steering etc.)
Zero down on options
Do extensive search on short listed vehicles
Take test ride (MUST)
Once, you decide on final car, hunt for the dealer who will give you best deal
Thanks a lot for reading this review and hope it was useful for you.
