Clash Of Segments: Hyundai Santro Vs Maruti Suzuki Swift

Can the new Santro sway you away from buying the new Swift petrol? Let’s find out

The new Hyundai Santro is an interesting proposition to people all over the country looking to invest in a new affordable hatchback. So much so that it might attract buyers who are looking to splurge their hard earned cash on cars that are positioned even one segment higher. Keeping this in mind, we compare the new Santro against the Maruti Suzuki Swift.

The Hyundai Santro is available only with a petrol engine but can be had with a factory-fitted CNG kit. It can be specced either with a manual transmission or an AMT. The Maruti Suzuki Swift, on the other hand, can be had with a petrol and diesel engine and both fuel types can be specced with an AMT. In this comparison, we will only compare specific variants of the two cars that are priced close to each other. And this turns out to be the top-spec variants of the Santro and the base-spec variants of the Swift. While both cars can be had with an automatic variant in their petrol avatars, we will not be comparing these variants as they are priced too far apart.

Here are the basic differences between the Hyundai Santro and the Maruti Suzuki Swift.

HYUNDAI SANTRO	MARUTI SUZUKI SWIFT
Compact hatchback: The Santro is smaller than the Swift in all dimensions apart from its overall height. It’s also powered by a smaller and less powerful 1.1-litre (69PS) petrol engine.	Mid-size hatchback: The Swift classifies as a mid-size hatchback and it’s longer and wider than the Santro. It also offers a bigger boot than the Hyundai. The Swift is powered by a 1.2-litre (82PS) petrol engine.
Fuel types: The Santro is available only with a petrol engine. However, it can be specced with a CNG kit right from the factory. That means, no more opening your bonnet when filling up CNG.	Fuel types: The Swift is available with a petrol and diesel engine, just like its previous generations. It, however, does not get a factory-fitted CNG kit option, something available on other Maruti cars.
Warranty: The Santro comes with a standard 3-year/1,00,000km warranty.	Warranty: The Swift comes with a standard 2-year/40,000km warranty.
Traditional Rivals: In its segment, the Santro goes up against the likes of Maruti Suzuki WagonR and Celerio, Tata Tiago and the Datsun GO.	Traditional Rivals: The Swift sits in a higher segment and its traditional rivals include the Hyundai Grand i10 and Ford Figo.

Engine

Dimensions

Having got the basics out of the way, let’s take a look at all the variants of both cars to find out which ones can be compared.

HYUNDAI SANTRO (PETROL)	MARUTI SUZUKI SWIFT (PETROL)
Santro D-Lite (Rs 3.90 lakh)
Santro Era (Rs 4.25 lakh)
Santro Magna (Rs 4.58lakh)
Santro Sportz (Rs 5.0 lakh)	Swift LXi (Rs 4.99 lakh)
Santro Magna AMT (Rs 5.19 lakh)
Santro Asta (Rs 5.46 lakh)	Swift VXi (Rs 5.90 lakh)
Santro Sportz AMT (Rs 5.47 lakh)
	Swift VXi AGS (Rs 6.37 lakh)
	Swift ZXi (Rs 6.52 lakh)
	Swift ZXi AGS (Rs 6.99 lakh)
	Swift ZXi+ (Rs 7.32 lakh)
	Swift ZXi+ AGS (Rs 7.76 lakh)

When comparing cars that are not from the same segment, we only choose variants that are priced within (around) Rs 50,000 of each other and have a similar powertrain setup. As is evident from the table above, only two variants of the Santro and the Swift fall into that category.

Variants Comparison

Hyundai Santro Sportz vs Maruti Suzuki Swift LXi

Santro Sportz	Swift LXi	Difference
Rs 5.0 lakh	Rs 4.99 lakh	Rs 1,000 (Santro is more expensive)

Common features: Manual AC, 12V power outlet, multi-info display (MID), body-coloured bumpers, driver airbag, anti-lock braking system (ABS) with electronic brakeforce distribution (EBD).

What Santro offers over Swift: Front fog lamps, rear defogger, day & night inside rearview mirror (IRVM), body-coloured door handles and outside rearview mirrors (ORVMs), turn indicators on ORVMs, 7-inch touchscreen audio system with Bluetooth/USB/Aux-in connectivity, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, steering-mounted audio controls, front and rear speakers, rear AC vents, front and rear power windows, electrically adjustable ORVMs, keyless entry

What Swift offers over Santro: ISOFIX child seat mounts, tilt-adjustable steering, passenger airbag, front seatbelt with pre-tensioner and load limiter

Takeaway: The two variants we have compared over here are from opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to their positioning in respect to their respective models. The Santro Sportz is one variant below the top-spec Asta while the Swift LXi is the base-spec model of the Swift. What brings them together is the their price, which is almost similar.

The Santro would have been the ideal winner here if it were offered with dual airbags because of its range of features. The Santro Sportz is ideal for people who drive alone or are driven-in and, therefore, do not require a passenger airbag. For all other purposes, the Swift should be the car you should pick solely due to its list of safety features.

Hyundai Santro Asta vs Maruti Suzuki Swift VXi

Santro Asta	Swift VXi	Difference
Rs 5.46 lakh	Rs 5.90 lakh	Rs 44,000 (Swift is more expensive)

Common features (over previous variants): Dual airbags, front seatbelt with pre-tensioner and load limiter, turn indicators on ORVMs, body-coloured door handles and ORVMs, speed-sensing auto door lock, day & night IRVM, audio system with Bluetooth/USB/Aux-in connectivity, front and rear speakers, steering-mounted audio controls, keyless entry, front and rear power windows, electrically adjustable ORVMs

What Santro offers over Swift: Front fog lamps, rear defogger, 7-inch touchscreen, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, rear AC vents, rear parking sensor, rearview parking camera, impact-sensing auto door unlock, Rear washer and wiper

What Swift offers over Santro: ISOFIX mounts, tilt adjustable steering, height adjustable driver seat, auto-down power window for driver side

Takeaway: The top-spec Santro gets all the bells and whistles related to safety and it quickly overtakes the Swift, while undercutting it in price, to win this battle. The Swift is priced at Rs 44,000 more than the Santro despite the Hyundai Santro offering a lot more features than the Swift.

Why buy the Hyundai Santro?

• CNG: The Hyundai Santro comes fitted with a CNG kit from the factory. This means that you don’t have to spend extra money on installing a CNG kit in your car and also don’t have to go through the hassle of getting your Registration Certificate updated.

• Premium quality interiors: The Santro’s interiors are premium and look like they have been borrowed from a car from a segment above.

Why buy the Maruti Suzuki Swift?

• Diesel option: If you are looking to buy a diesel car, the Swift is also offered with the 1.3-litre Fiat-sourced diesel engine underneath the bonnet. The diesel is also available with an AMT gearbox.

• Standard safety features at a lower price: The Swift gets dual front airbags, ABS and seatbelt pretensioners with load limiter as standard. Some of these features are available only in the top-spec Santro. If you’re looking for these features at a lower price, consider buying the Swift.

Read More on : Hyundai Santro AMT