Review: 2020 Volkswagen Santana Gts 180 Mpi Se Blaupunkt
I don’t desire to acknowledge it, but it’s clear: Volkswagen’s fumbling inwards the Philippine market. Most dare non tell this out of fearfulness of losing advertising revenue, but I would live doing you, my honey reader, a slap-up disservice if I didn’t tell otherwise. If y'all desire proof to consider how far they’ve gone down, there’s no clearer sign than this: the Santana GTS. It’s a million-plus-peso hatchback/wagon that, frankly, shouldn’t exist.
The Santana, also offered inwards a Plainer Jane manual sedan variant ticks the correct boxes. Priced at P 686,000, it’s non simply enticing to fleet buyers, but also for those who’ve been aspiring to ain a decent European-badged car. However, every bit y'all climb upward the variant list, this sense of aspiration turns to exasperation. I mean, volition anyone consider the Santana GTS’s longer roof worth the P 343,000 toll jump?
Sure, it looks practiced plenty inwards a corporate VW kind of way, together with yes, it’s got a to a greater extent than flexible cargo jibe than a traditional sedan, but putting those aside, it simply doesn’t cutting it inwards today’s design-driven market. At the real least, it should receive got been the automotive equivalent of vanilla H2O ice cream—at the real to the lowest degree it makes for a nice, sugariness ending to whatever meal. But this hither is an H2O ice cube. It chills your Coke, but it’s non something to fountain for joy about. It’s non a spice, no sir. It’s a condiment.
Open the door, together with the real same stern, emotionless handling greets you. Vee Dub did endeavor to give it some flair inwards the cast of a flat-bottomed steering wheel, carbon fiber applique, together with some cerise pinstriping on the dash, but overall, it’s drab-looking. As amongst whatever other machine inwards this toll range, the cabin’s plasticky, but at to the lowest degree the switches, knobs, together with what receive got y'all experience solid together with well-wearing. It’s also worth noting that spell the driver’s topographic point moves half-dozen ways together with the steering is adjustable for tilt, I couldn’t larn comfy amongst it. This is the start machine I’ve driven where I ended upward having a sore correct talocrural articulation because of beingness forced inwards an awkward angle inwards rush sixty minutes traffic.
It's non all bad amongst the Santana GTS though. Compared to other sub-compacts inwards the market, it, at least, fulfills some basic hygiene factors. It’s roomy for one, non simply at the front, but fifty-fifty to a greater extent than at the dorsum every bit well. There’s no middle armrest dorsum there, but at to the lowest degree there’s 3 adjustable headrests together with 3 3-point seatbelts. Another where it does good is cargo space, summation the raise seats tin live dropped inwards a 60/40 dissever adding a grade of flexibility.
Driving-wise, the Santana GTS is mechanically solid, but is every bit apparently every bit its looks. It’s purely a commuter car—designed to receive got y'all from Point Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 to Point B, but inwards the most innocuous mode possible. Compared to the base of operations Santana MPI (the official designation of the manual transmission model), this Santana GTS 180 MPI SE adds 100-cc, bumping its outputs to 110 horsepower together with 150 Nm of torque. It’s a rigid motor, if a flake lacking inwards overall refinement. It makes curt operate of accelerating betwixt intersections or traffic lights, but turns somewhat asthmatic when commanded amongst a full-throttle overtake.
Also, dissimilar the Santana MPI, the Santana GTS comes amongst Volkswagen’s BlueMotion technology, together with for that adds the most horrible idle start/stop organisation I’ve always encountered. It’s bad plenty that it takes ii to four seconds to re-start everything, but what makes it worse is the unpredictability. Do yourself a favor, together with simply plow the darn matter off. Naturally, await the already horrid 7.8 km/L fuel mileage to drib downwards further.
Pain inwards my correct talocrural articulation aside, at to the lowest degree the Santana GTS feels reasonably solid, together with this is soundless some other hygienic element it does right. The ride is firm, but never uncomfortable. Solidity is baked correct into the chassis absorbing anything earlier it reaches the cabin. The steering, though a flake dull, is precise. Oh, together with every bit the speeds create up, together with then does the floor of confidence. It tends to alternative upward a flake to a greater extent than air current dissonance past times the side mirrors in ane lawsuit the needle goes past times eighty km/h, but at to the lowest degree it has none of that floaty, hallow sensation that’s mutual inwards this cast of car.
It's real clear at this betoken that the Santana GTS scores amongst its solid chassis. However, beyond its Teutonic solidness, it offers almost null remarkable or memorable for a machine that costs P 1,029,000—unless y'all really, actually necessitate a sunroof on your sub-compact. Oh, together with fifty-fifty opting out of the Blaupunkt good packet brings the toll downwards past times simply P 31,000 to P 998,000.
And that’s the kicker correct there. The Santana MPI made sense because it relied on its solid engineering scientific discipline together with affordable positioning, together amongst its bigger than typical A-segment size together with engine. In this top-trim Santana GTS cast though, those advantages disappear. As it starts to larn entangled inwards a segment dominated past times competitors that offering to a greater extent than tangible, emotional differences live it design, technology, or connectivity, the Santana’s over reliance on its German linguistic communication underpinnings loses all its luster. Peel everything dorsum together with it does receive got solid foundations, but the theatre built on top of that is simply also flimsy.
2020 Volkswagen Santana GTS 180 MPI SE | |
| Ownership | 2020 Volkswagen Santana GTS 180 MPI SE Blaupunkt |
| Year Introduced | 2018 |
| Vehicle Classification | Sub-Compact Car |
| Warranty | 3 years / 100,000 kilometers |
| The Basic | |
| Body Type | 5-door Wagon |
| Seating | 5 |
| Engine / Drive | F/F |
| Under the Hood | |
| Displacement (liters) | 1.5 |
| Aspiration | Normally Aspirated |
| Fuel Delivery | EFI |
| Layout / # of Cylinders | I4 |
| BHP @ rpm | 110 @ 6,000 |
| Nm @ rpm | 150 @ 4,000 |
| Fuel / Min. Octane | Gasoline / 91 |
| Transmission | 6 AT |
| Cruise Control | Yes |
| Fuel Economy @ Ave. Speed | 7.8 km/L @ xiii km/h, 13.1 km/L @ 29 km/h |
| Dimensions together with Weights | |
| Length (mm) | 4,282 |
| Width (mm) | 1,706 |
| Height (mm) | 1,489 |
| Wheelbase (mm) | 2,603 |
| Curb Weight (kg) | 1,120 |
| Suspension together with Tires | |
| Front Suspension | Independent, MacPherson Strut |
| Rear Suspension | Composite Torsion Beam Axle |
| Front Brakes | Vented Disc |
| Rear Brakes | Drum |
| Tires | Dunlop Enasave EC300 185/60 R xv T (f & r) |
| Wheels | Alloy |
| Safety Features | |
| Airbags | 6 |
| Anti-Lock Brakes (ABS) | Yes, amongst EBD |
| Traction / Stability Control | Yes |
| Parking Sensors | Yes, Rear |
| Front Seatbelts | 3-pt ELR amongst pre-tensioner x 2 |
| Rear Seatbelts | 3-pt ELR x 3 |
| ISOFIX Child Seat Anchor | Yes |
| Other Safety Features | None |
| Exterior Features | |
| Headlights | Halogen |
| Fog Lamps | Yes, Front & Rear |
| Auto Lights | No |
| Rain-sensing Wipers | No |
| Interior Features | |
| Steering Wheel Adjust | Tilt |
| Steering Wheel Material | Leather |
| Seating Adjustment (driver) | Manual, 6-way |
| Seating Adjustment (front passenger) | Manual, 4-way |
| Seating Surface | Fabric/Leather |
| Folding Rear Seat | Yes, 60/40 |
| On-Board Computer | Yes |
| Convenience Features | |
| Power Steering | Yes |
| Power Door Locks | Yes |
| Power Windows | Yes |
| Power Mirrors | Yes |
| Proximity Key | No |
| Climate Control | Yes, Manual |
| Audio System | Stereo CD MP3 Aux USB SD Card Bluetooth |
| # of Speakers | 6 |
| Steering Controls | Yes |