Maruti S-Presso vs Hyundai Santro Comparison: Which Car Is Worth Buying?

1. Maruti S-Presso vs Hyundai Santro: Introduction

After months of anticipation, Maruti Suzuki’s latest entry-level hatchback, the S-Presso has been finally launched in India at an ex-showroom price of Rs 3.69 Lakh. Called it as the “micro SUV”, the all-new Maruti S-Presso comes as a direct competitor against the Renault Kwid crossover-ish hatchback in the domestic competition. However, when it comes to the pricing, the new S-Presso is rather arch-rival for the like of Hyundai Santro, which is one of the most sought-after hatches in the India car space. So we pit the Maruti S-Presso against the Hyundai Santro to see how these cars fare against each other on the specs sheet. Look at our Maruti S-Presso Vs Hyundai Santro comparison, which has been listed in terms of dimensions, design, features, specifications and prices.

2. Maruti S-Presso vs Hyundai Santro Dimensions: Which Is Bigger?

Though both the S-Presso and the Santro slot into the sub-four-metre vehicles category, the South Korean car still beats the S-Presso in any dimension. That said, the Hyundai Santro is longer, higher and wider than the S-Presso by quite a margin. Check out the dimensions of these cars in the table below:

The Hyundai Santro measures 3,610 mm long, 1,645 mm wide, 1,560 mm high along with the wheelbase of 2,400 mm, all of which towers over those of the S-Presso by a margin. The Korean offering becomes the clear winner of this part of our Maruti S-Presso Vs Hyundai Santro comparison. 

Maruti Suzuki has worked on a very compact car, one that has been the company’s core strength. The S-Presso looks quite small in its length but manages to cover up in its height, giving it a “mini SUV” advantage. The S-Presso gets a 3,565 mm in length, 1,520 mm in width, 1,549 mm in height along with 2,380 mm in the wheelbase. From these, the Santro is exactly 45 mm longer, 125 mm wider and 11 mm taller than the Maruti offering. Also, its wheelbase is slightly longer than the S-Presso’s 2,380 mm. Thanks to its boxy SUV-like silhouette, the Maruti S-Presso does look tall, albeit having an 11 mm shorter height as compared to its counterpart.

3. Maruti S-Presso vs Hyundai Santro Design: Which Is Better Looking?

Exterior Comparison

Firstly, talking about the newly-launched Maruti S-Presso, the new entry-level hatchback looks much like a jacked-up Alto K10 that mimics several design cues of the Vitara Brezza. As said earlier, the Maruti S-Presso carries an upright stance, in a bid to emulate the Kwid hatchback’s huge advantage, which is its SUV-inspired appearance.

Based on the Future S Concept that debuted at the 2018 Auto Expo, the S-Presso shows some hints of aggression at the front with a set of twin-chamber headlights merging into the sleek upper grille. The grille is accentuated with angular chrome inserts that are reminiscent of the one seen on the Maruti Vitara Brezza. The S-Presso comes with a squared-off front bumper, high hood lip while the LED daytime running lights are mounted lower under the headlamps. Overall, we must say, the Maruti S-Presso has a simple design. The side and rear profile of the car are rather bland as well. To be honest, it looks a bit dull on the exterior when compared to other viable rivals of the segment.

The moniker tells its message, the new Santro comes to redefine the great confidence of the South Korean carmaker and it isn’t hard to understand why. To remember, Santro was Hyundai’s first car in India and it has carved a niche for itself in the Indian space for quite some time.

Hyundai Santro follows the same traditional way as other regular hatchbacks do. From our visual standpoint, the Hyundai Santro is much like the Hyundai Grand i10 and it makes sense as the car shares the K1 platform with the Grand i10 sibling. The overall design of the car is actually a blend of the Santro’s tall-boy silhouette and a typical entry-level hatch.

The front profile of the Santro is the best reminiscent of the Grand i10 with Hyundai’s signature large cascading grille and swept-back headlamps placed high-up. Distinctively, the grille is extended wider and accommodates the high-set fog lamps that make it look excessively large. The Santro also features some “boomerang” creases over the front and rear wheel arches, adding a bit of flair to the side profile of the model. Above all, as most of Hyundai cars, the Santro holds a pretty upmarket look, especially when putting it at the same place with the S-Presso. While the S-Presso might look fresh in the eyes of young buyers, the Santro turns out to be a more premium urban hatchback in the budget-end vehicle segment. While the design is subjective to personal tastes, we feel that it's the Korean model that becomes the winner of our Maruti S-Presso Vs Hyundai Santro comparison. 

Interior Comparison

The Maruti S-Presso gets an all-black interior them which is endeared by some orange colour-coded inserts, all matched to the exterior paint scheme of the car as well. The interior of the newer S-Presso looks fairly unique. And to be honest, if the exterior of the S-Presso fails to catch the attention of the onlookers, its interior comes to spice up things around properly and completely. The S-Presso’s dashboard layout carries some distinctiveness. Instead of being at the front of the driver, the instrument console, for instance, is placed at the centre of the dashboard. The 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system sits right underneath that also reminds us of the one seen in the Mini car. The new Maruti S-Presso boasts an all-black cabin that is accentuated by some colour-coded orange bits, giving a younger and more exciting feel for passengers in effect. The central AC vents are placed to either side of the instrument panel.

Hyundai Santro is a fantastic urban car. That's been signified well not only on the outside but also behind the window glasses. The Santro chooses the dual-tone black-beige interior colour theme that looks much nicer and feels much airier than the all-black theme of the S-Presso rival. The touchscreen infotainment system sits right at the centre of the dash and is flanked by two horizontal AC vents. Physical buttons are placed properly under the screen with three rotary controls, for both cosmetic appeal and convenience of usage. The steering boasts dull-gold accents and fits well with that on the AC vents, gear level and door handle. There are two round sporty-looking air-vents on either end of the dash that reminds us of those on the Mercedes-Benz vehicles - another modern touch on the Santro.

4. Maruti S-Presso vs Hyundai Santro Features: Which Is Safer & More Convenient?

Safety Features Comparison

The Maruti S-Presso does not score well in terms of safety bits. At the time of launch, the S-Presso caused some let-down for the auto enthusiasts as only higher variants of the car get passenger airbag, even though the fifth-gen Heartect platform could be a good point. The standard safety features like a driver-side airbag, anti-lock braking system, speed warning, seatbelt reminders and rear parking sensors are available across the board.

In the meantime, Hyundai cars have been really appreciated for offering good safety quality and the same goes for the Santro as well. The Hyundai Santro comes with a strong body structure thanks to the utilization of high strength steel. The essential safety kits of the Santro comprise dual airbags, ABS with EBD, immobilizer, child safety door locks, rear parking sensors, rear defogger, etc.

Comfort Features Comparison

For its price sticker and segment, how Hyundai chooses to equip the Santro is very impressive. All trims of the Santro are available with a dual-tone beige-black cabin that, like many other Hyundai vehicles, is replete with a range of electronic bits.

The new Hyundai Santro offers a long list of equipment on the inside, including a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system compatible with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, MirrorLink and Bluetooth, first-in-class rear AC vents, power-adjustable outside mirrors, steering-mounted controls, MID amongst others. For top-spec Asta models, the infotainment screen can double up as a reversing camera. There are several bits that are carried over from the previous-gen Hyundai Grand i10 like the stalks and the buttons on the steering. Other comfort goodies on the Santro include power front & rear windows (from the Era trims), Hyundai's swachh can, rear seat bench folding, remote fuel lid open and remote tailgate.

The S-Presso, on the other hand, comes its own way with a range of features for better convenience and comfort. It is equipped with a dynamic centre console, AC with heater & power steering (excluding the base variant), front & rear console utility space, bottle holders with map pockets, co-driver side utility space, sliding and reclining front seats.

The top-spec variant of the Maruti S-Presso is available with a 7.0-inch SmartPlay Studio touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto, Apple CarPlay and voice recognition support, multifunctional steering with audio controls, manual air-cons, 12V accessory socket, rear parcel tray, body-coloured ORVMs and more.

Maruti Suzuki revealed that its S-Presso is designed for younger customers who demand a vibrant combination of an SUV-like sporty-looking appearance, colour options, features, easily on a tight budget. Whereas, the Hyundai Santro is aimed at filling in a gaping hole in the compact cars market. The Santro comes to target the Indian family buyers who look for an urban car with utmost comfort, spacious cabin without compromising on the styling. Even in this aspect, it's the Korean tallboy that becomes the winner of the Maruti S-Presso vs Hyundai Santro comparison. 

5. Maruti S-Presso vs Hyundai Santro Engine Specs: Which Is Better In Terms Of Performance?

Maruti S-Presso makes the headlines for introducing a BSVI-compliant 1.0-litre K10B petrol engine that produces 68 HP of max power and 90 Nm of max torque. Transmission duty on the S-Presso has been taken by either a 5-speed manual gearbox or an AMT option. Despite having been upgraded to the new emission norms, the S-Presso still churns out a good amount of fuel efficiency. While the lower variants get an ARAI-certified fuel mileage figure of 21.4 kmpl, the higher-spec models reach at 21.7 kmpl.

Powering the Hyundai Santro is also a 1.1-litre four-cylinder motor that is capable of making 69 HP/ 99 Nm of torque for the petrol variant and 59 HP/84 Nm for the CNG-fueled variant. Both the petrol and CNG versions come mated to a 5-speed manual transmission but the former gets a 5-speed AMT as an option.

6. Maruti S-Presso vs Hyundai Santro Top Speed: Which Is Faster?

Hyundai Santro can run faster than the S-Presso. The Santro can easily travel up from 0 - 100 kmph in around 15 - 16 seconds and hits the top speed of around 156 kmph while the S-Presso falls behind with the maximum speed of 148 kmph.

7. Maruti S-Presso vs Hyundai Santro Mileage: Which Is More Fuel Efficient?

In terms of frugality, both the regular MT and AMT version of the Santro achieves an ARAI-rated figure of 20.3 kmpl while the CNG variants do a 30.5 km on a kg of gas. The new small car from the country's leading carmaker becomes the winner of this part of our Maruti S-Presso Vs Hyundai Santro comparison. 

8. Maruti S-Presso vs Hyundai Santro Comparison Price: Which Is Cheaper?

According to the price sheet below, the Maruti S-Presso turns out to cheaper than the Santro by a great level. By the advantage of 98 per cent of localization, the Maruti S-Presso gets quite a competitive price of Rs 3.69 – 4.91 Lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). At this healthy price point, the Maruti S-Presso holds a big edge over the Hyundai Santro which is currently priced at Rs 4.30 – 5.78 Lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).

9. Maruti S-Presso: Other Competitors

Maruti S-Presso is rivalling some models like Maruti Ignis, Hyundai Grand i10 Nios, Maruti Swift among others.

10. Hyundai Santro: Other Competitors

Hyundai Santro would face the competition with the likes of Datsun GO, Maruti WagonR, Maruti Celerio and Tata Tiago.

11. Maruti S-Presso vs Hyundai Santro Verdict: Which Model Is Worth Buying?

Considering a better profile, feature-laden comfortable cabin alongside a convincing safety package, the Hyundai Santro obviously scores higher in the cost-effectiveness. Still, the S-Presso is a great choice that’s worth taking into consideration, especially if you do not want to go over budget. To our subjective points, it's the Korean model that's the winner of this Maruti S-Presso vs Hyundai Santro comparison.

What do you think about the Maruti S-Presso and Hyundai Santro? Which model do you prefer between the two? Let's IndianAuto know your choice in the comment section below.

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