Hyundai Santro vs Tata Tiago vs Maruti Celerio: Know where the 'Sunshine' car stands

It's been four years since the Hyundai discontinued the Santro when it rivalled the Tata Indica and Daewoo Matiz. This time around, the revived Santro goes up against a whole different class of rivals, the likes of Tata Tiago and Maruti Celerio. While all of these cars perform in the same segment and much of the features are found throughout the range, there are a few key differentiators.

Getting to the most important part of the car first, the Santro features the updated version of Hyundai's 1.1-llitre epsilon engine which understandably makes more power and torque that the previous Santro. The numbers however fall short of taking first place thanks to the Tata Tiago's larger 1.2-litre 3-cylinder engine. The Celerio on the other hand falls slightly short of the Santro with a 1.0-litre petrol engine.

While both the Celerio and Santro have a factory-fitted CNG kit as options, the Tata Tiago has a diesel option. The Celerio did get a diesel option, but the variant was discontinued a few years ago. All three cars get a 5-speed manual and 5-speed AMT (automated manual transmission) gearbox.

In terms of fuel efficiency again, the Tiago takes the lead while the Santro lags behind mainly because of the 4-cylinder engine compared to the 3-cylinder its rivals get.

The Santro is definitely not a long car and compared to its rivals, it is the shortest. The car does stand higher and wider though. The height just about matches the Celerio while being taller than the Tiago and the width is higher than the other two. Wheelbase runs just about the same for all three cars, while in terms of tire sizes, the Tiago takes front seat.

This is where the Hyundai Santro takes the lead. The car will be typically Hyundai with a few segment-first features being added. For example, the Santro's rear AC vents and 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system are class leading. The Celerio gets a fairly short features list while the Tiago's gets features like height adjustable driver's seat and adjustable headrests.

Safety features remain constant for the most part with the Santro missing out on dual front airbags. ABS, rear defogger and wiper, seat-belt reminders and pretensioners.

With reports suggesting that the Hyundai Santro will be priced extremely aggressively at a starting price of Rs 3.7 lakh, this will undercut even the Maruti Suzuki Celerio (Rs 4.21 lakh ex-showroom) while directly targeting the Tata Tiago (Rs 3.40 lakh ex-showroom).