The Korean company ‘Hyundai’ got a tremendously positive response back in 1998. From then till now, Hyundai never looked back and why should they? The ever-growing demand and production have let the company to a respectable position in our automotive market.
But how did they start their journey in 1998? To answer the question, some history lessons. Hyundai, for their start, offered the first generation of Santro Zip that was not exactly an instant hit but the people loved the aesthetics and the things it had on offer. Hyundai only had this hatchback until they introduced a premium car ‘Sonata’ in 2001. Later alongside new launches, Hyundai secretly updated Santro Zip slightly. This is where the company sneaked in an automatic transmission and that is the topic of discussion for today.
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2002 Hyundai Santro ZipPlus (Automatic)
Hyundai Santro did a decent job when it comes to sales. With that said, this boxy cute little hatch came with decent engine and features for the time and price. In 2002 the car received a mid-life update and the hatch got even better from good. Starting from an automatic transmission to variable-assist power steering is what Santro had on offer. Let’s dive a bit deeper into nostalgia and see what the car boasted of.
What did Hyundai offer Under the Hood?
Under the hood, Hyundai Santro ZipPlus came with a 1.1-litre naturally aspirated 4-cylinder petrol engine that delivered 63ps of peak power and 90Nm of max torque. The motor came with the technology called DDIL (Dual Coil Distributer-less Ignition System). The use of this technology eliminated the periodic distributer maintenance. Besides, the DDIL system allowed the engine to have fairly precise spark timing. This reduced the overall emissions and improved efficiency.
Engine Specifications
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| Engine | 1.1-Litre Naturally Aspirated Petrol | |
| Transmission | 5MT/ 4AT | |
| Power | 63ps@5,500 rpm | |
| Torque | 90 Nm@4,000rpm | |
This refined motor was mated to a 5-speed manual transmission with an option of an automatic. No! you read it right, the Santro did offer an automatic transmission. Though the transmission was just a 4-speed torque converter unit. It was more than adequate and did the job of what it was meant to do fairly well.
What did the Hatch offer in terms of Driving Dynamics?
When it comes to getting behind the wheel, again for the time Hyundai Santro did offer the top of the line tech for the price. The car included:
- Front Disc Brakes
- Variably Assisted Power Steering
- MacPherson Strut Suspension with stabilizer bar in front.
- Torsion Beam Axle with 3-link off-set spring coil suspension at the rear.
All this gave the car exceptional handling and the assisted power steering felt right at home in the daily city traffic. This coupled with the 4-speed automatic transmission though expensive delivered the promise of comfort.
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Hyundai Santro was Entertaining Back Then!
Among all the hatchback of those days, it was the Hyundai Santro that offered the most bang for your buck. This package from Hyundai came with many convenience features to make its owners feel comfortable. The features included:
- Deluxe music system
- Day and night mirror
- Dual Horn
- Power Steering
- Front power windows
- Central locking
- All-round tinted glass
- Rear wash and wiper
- Rear Defogger
- Remote Tailgate
- Remote fuel filler
- Rear spoiler with LED stop lamp
Was the Hyundai Santro Zip Safe?
“Hyundai Santro’s safety is not just a feature of the hatch but it is an integrated part of the total car design engineering”. This is what Hyundai used to say. But what all is included in the safety department?
For starters, car safety was not taken seriously until some cars from our Indian market went for an NCAP crash test. After which people at least considered vehicle safety in their shopping list. So, Hyundai Santro didn’t come with the top tech when it comes to safety.
- But still, the overall chassis was made in such a way to absorb the energy from mild to moderate impacts.
- Also, Santro came with features like collapsable steering column and keyless entry (central locking).
- The Hatch also came with a crossbar under dash panel to give the front extra protection.
- Child safety door locks were a part of the safety package.
Fun Read: 9 Things you can do to Prevent Your Car from Overheating
Hyundai Santro back in old times was a versatile and practical vehicle. The car offered a large boot with a big opening making the car the perfect companion to go for a picnic. Later Santro Xing was also offered with an automatic transmission. But similar to its elder brother it didn’t have the impact on the market. Hyundai Santro automatic was priced at ₹4.7lakhs that was about ₹35,000 more than the top GS variant of the manual gearbox.
So, was the car a fail? Well, Hyundai Santro with the manual transmission was a hit but the automatic took a beating. This could be because of the poor mileage and the premium to over the standard version.
Also, Read How Torque Converter Automatic Transmission Works | Explained
