The 2018 Hyundai Santro has been officially launched, and thanks to Laxmi Intercontnental Pvt. Ltd. Nepal Drives is right on the scene here at Hotel Taj Palace in New Delhi. The Hyundai Santro had garnered a lot of attention with over 23000 confirmed bookings prior to the launch. Considering the supreme popularity and dominance that the Santro displayed in the past, the all-new version could very well be one of the most important launches for this year. Slipping in between the Hyundai Eon and the Grand i10 it is set to go head on in one of the most competitive segments in the industry where it will have to lock horns with the likes of the WagonR, Renault Kwid, Tata Tiago and Datsun GO.

Although the tallboy design that the first Santros were famous for has been retained, the new one is curvier and more alike to conventional hatchback designs. It looks more premium too, with an overall accentuated design especially when viewed in profile. Hyundai’s signature cascading grille does make an appearance on the new Santro which gives the front fascia an upmarket feel. The sweptback headlamps are halogen and there are no projectors or LED daytime running lights on offer yet. The new Santro will also only come with a set of steel 14-inch wheels with wheel covers and there are no alloy wheels on offer, even on the top-of-the-line Asta trim. At the rear, the car gets minimal lines with the wide boot-lid, large windscreen and stubby taillights.

In terms of the features on offer, the new Santro is miles ahead of its predecessor with 25 new features. It has a host of modern elements right from a touchscreen infotainment system to the option of an automated manual transmission, a first-ever for Hyundai. It is presented in 9 trims and seven exterior color shades.

The top of the line trim gets a new dual tone interior with an infotainment system and multi information display instrument cluster. The infotainment setup will also support Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a segment first feature.

It gets a foldable rear seat which extends storage space in its boot, a spacious glove box, bottle holders and upgraded upholstery. One of the biggest plus points on the new Hyundai Santro are the rear AC vents, which not only aid to comfort for rear seat passengers, but is seen as a premium feature as well.

In terms of safety, the 2018 Hyundai Santro gets ABS and EBD as standard features along with driver side airbag, voice recognition function and rear parking camera with display on screen.

Hyundai Santro will get its power via two gearbox options – manual and AMT. Fuel options on offer will be petrol and CNG. The 1.1 liter, 4 cylinder engine offers 68 bhp power and gets mated to a 5 speed manual transmission. The CNG powered Santro will make 58 bhp power mated to a 5 speed manual gearbox. This is a factory fitted CNG kit that is offered only on the Magna and Sports trims. The petrol engine will offer fuel efficiency to the extent of 20.3 kmpl while the CNG variant will offer 30.5 km/kg.

The Santro is expected to come to Nepal by November-December of 2018.

Hyundai Santro Engine Specifications & Transmission

• Displacement (CC): 1086 CC
• No of Cylinders: 4
• Power: 68 bhp@5500 rpm
• Torque: 99 Nm@4500 rpm
• Gear Box: 5-Speed MT/AMT
• Mileage: 20.3 kmpl
• Fuel Type: Petrol, CNG
• Length: 3610 mm

Hyundai Santro Segment Firsts

• Rear AC Vents
• 64 cm touchscreen infotainment system, compatible with Android Auto, Apple CarPlay and Mirror Link.
• First in segment rear parking camera display
• First in segment Eco coating Technology
• Voice Recognition

Hyundai Santro Prices  (Ex- Showroom Price Delhi)

• D-Lite: Rs. 3,89,900
• Era: Rs. 424900
• Magna: Rs. 4,57,900 | Rs. 518900 (AMT)
• Sportz: Rs. 4,99,900 | Rs. 5,46,900 (AMT
• Asta: Rs. 5,45,900