Story & Photos by Patrick P. Tulfo
THE Santana is part of the new generation of Volkswagens that was released in the country last year. The new models are now sourced from China, which makes sense as it is nearer to us than Europe where the previous models came from.
This brilliant move by Volkswagen (VW) Philippines has allowed it to sell their new models at a more competitive price thereby making it accessible to more buyers who wants to own one.
But is it any good? Is it on a par, quality-wise with models that are manufactured from Germany as there are misconceptions about those models that came from China as being inferior to their European counterparts? These are the notions that VW wants to correct.
The Santana replaces the Polo in the lineup of the German car manufacturer in the country. It goes up against the likes of Toyota Vios and Honda City to name a few in the hot subcompact segment.
Exterior
Tested the top-of-the-line 1.5 180 MPI AT SE Blaupunkt four door sedan. Styling-wise, the Santana is a dead ringer for the discontinued Jetta which isn’t a bad thing as the Jetta was a good-looking sedan.
Up front, the trademark VW design can be seen on the bold chrome grille with that famous VW logo located in the middle. This is flank by large headlights that provides great illumination at night. The fog lamps located under the bumper complete the classy look.
The rear mimics the style of the bigger Jetta perfectly from the tail lamps down to the bumper. Volkswagen designers should be given a pat on the back for the minimalist design. In fact, one cannot tell the difference of the 1.5 to the 1.4 variant as only the Santana badge located on the lower right side, below the taillight can be seen.
The nicely design alloy wheels complete the simple but very elegant look. The Santana is one of those cars that don’t need any more tweaking to improve it looks.
Interior
Inside, one is greeted with the familiar VW ergonomics where all the controls are sensibly located. Buyers who will upgrade to this model will immediately find themselves right at home, while new owners will only take a little time to familiarize themselves of the controls and switches.
Unfortunately, hard plastic was used throughout the interior when most of its competitors have switch to the soft variety. Don’t fret though, as the hard plastic have a nice texture on them and doesn’t look cheap. The chrome strips on the door and the dash follows the elegant theme.
The 7-inch Blaupunkt infotainment system features a navigation system, smartphone connectivity for calls and music, and amusingly, it still has a CD or compact disc slot. Its features can be controlled via the buttons on the steering wheel and it can connect with iPhone, android or even a windows phone.
The compact cabin is quiet roomy inside. Tall passengers will not have any problem fitting inside as even the rear has plenty of legroom. I am happy to report that cup holders located on the door can accommodate large water bottles for those who like to bring one whenever they go out.
Engine and performance
Power comes from a 1.5-liter, in line four-cylinder gasoline engine with multi-point fuel injection and Blue Motion technology that has a Euro 5 rating, and it pumps out 110 hp and 150 N-m of torque.
It’s mated to a six-speed automatic transmission that has economy and sports mode setting. I prefer the latter over the former as the economy mode seems to make the engine lethargic on get up and go situations.
And even at on sports mode, it was able to deliver a decent 9/kms to a liter fuel economy in city driving thanks largely to the start and stop feature, which can be disabled if one finds it annoying.
The electronic power steering delivered good feedback, but the ride is on the firm side as expected in the tradition of German made cars even when this one is made in China.
Safety and other features
There is a long laundry list of safety features for this variant that includes driver and passenger air bags, front side air bags, Isofix anchorage points for child seat, Electronic Stabilization program, anti-slip regulation (ASR), Anti-lock braking system (ABS) and rear park distance control.
There is also a sunroof, automatic headlights, a feature that I sorely miss from my old Chevrolet Orlando. The Santana, I dare say is even better than the model it replaced. It is packed of safety features and is surprisingly priced under a million pesos. And if you’re still not convinced, I would like to add that it still has that heavy one-piece seamless door construction that closes with a thud just like those previous models that I tested.
Thumbs up
- Packed of safetyfeatures
- Quite frugal even when on sports mode
- Elegant exterior
- Spacious cabin
- Good steering feedback
Thumbs down
- Ride is a bit firm
- The use of hard plastic on the interior
- Front compartment is small as well as the one located in the middle
Specifications
- Vehicle Volkswagen Santana 1.5 180 MPI AT SE Blaupunkt
- Type subcompact 4-door sedan
- Engine 1.5-liter, inline four-cylinder gasoline engine with multi-point injection and BlueMotion technology, Euro 5 standard
- Maximum power 110 hp @ 6,000rpm
- Maximum torque 150 N-m @ 4,000rpm
- Transmission Six-speed automatic with economy and sports mode setting
Dimensions
- Overall length 4,475mm
- Overall width 1,706mm
- Overall height 1,469mm
- Wheelbase 2,603mm
- Wheel size 6J x 15” Alloy
- Tire size 185/60R15
- Price as tested P929,000
Image credits: Patrick P. Tulfo