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phamilyman · 6th August 2007, 20:09

The time has now come for me to choose a car. My wishlist goes something like this:

a. Cost: ~6L
b. Fuel: Diesel. With the car expected to easily clock 500+km a month on highways, 1000+km in city, this is a no brainer.
c. Driveability: High. I would prefer a light steering and clutch, almost like the Alto The Indica Xeta just about makes the cut. Those are the two cars i've driven extensively - want something mom/sis/bhabhi can drive without a thought. Something like the SUVs would *prolly* not fit that bill. Yes, self driven all the way.
d. Good turning radius - My 'burb needs tight driving skills to negotiate and park the crowded streets.
e. Good handling - Most of my jaunts would be off to hills and precise steering would be helpful.
f. Mileage: INR 3/km is my mental barrier. Ideally something like 2-2.5/km is perfect, like the Swift diesel guys are reporting.
g. Robustness: My place has some extremely bad roads. So would my touring - Manali Leh ahoy - I feel unsafe taking a CNG car there!
h. Comfort: This car should be comfy since I'd commute even upto 100 km a day on heavy days! Further, whenever I'd go for tours, it should be comfortable for my mom (62 years). One Leh level trip a year it should take, for the next five years easily! Or North East for that matter.
i. Breakdown assistance: Would be helpful. Please suggest cos which have an India wide network/service. MUL/Hyundai/Tata come to mind.
j. Speeds: Not really my interest. Being a paranoid biker, I won't really be venturing too far into three digits. A car that's peppy enough in the roll-ons, would be decent for city traffic. I'm not an expressway or traffic light drag freak - would much rather want it to do 60+ happily on potholed streets (like Andheri East/Powai Vihar!!)
k. Lastly, resale isn't really on my mind - a fun car to drive for four-five years (min) would have already done its duty. But I would want a car for which I don't have to lose peace of mind sourcing spares - just put in the workshop, and pick up later. Waiting for spares is a nono.

How do cars of this segment match up on these criteria? The swift diesel or Indigo TDI seem juicy as of now! What would y'all say?

/Apologies, but no test rides started as of now - just thinking out aloud in parallel - god bless 2 month waiting periods
//How often (in bumper to bumper traffic) does the turbocharger actually come in with all that torque?

6th August 2007, 20:09	#1 (permalink)
phamilyman Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Ask me, no? Posts: 2,820	Meri waali Touring Gaddi! The time has now come for me to choose a car. My wishlist goes something like this: a. Cost: ~6L b. Fuel: Diesel. With the car expected to easily clock 500+km a month on highways, 1000+km in city, this is a no brainer. c. Driveability: High. I would prefer a light steering and clutch, almost like the Alto The Indica Xeta just about makes the cut. Those are the two cars i've driven extensively - want something mom/sis/bhabhi can drive without a thought. Something like the SUVs would prolly not fit that bill. Yes, self driven all the way. d. Good turning radius - My 'burb needs tight driving skills to negotiate and park the crowded streets. e. Good handling - Most of my jaunts would be off to hills and precise steering would be helpful. f. Mileage: INR 3/km is my mental barrier. Ideally something like 2-2.5/km is perfect, like the Swift diesel guys are reporting. g. Robustness: My place has some extremely bad roads. So would my touring - Manali Leh ahoy - I feel unsafe taking a CNG car there! h. Comfort: This car should be comfy since I'd commute even upto 100 km a day on heavy days! Further, whenever I'd go for tours, it should be comfortable for my mom (62 years). One Leh level trip a year it should take, for the next five years easily! Or North East for that matter. i. Breakdown assistance: Would be helpful. Please suggest cos which have an India wide network/service. MUL/Hyundai/Tata come to mind. j. Speeds: Not really my interest. Being a paranoid biker, I won't really be venturing too far into three digits. A car that's peppy enough in the roll-ons, would be decent for city traffic. I'm not an expressway or traffic light drag freak - would much rather want it to do 60+ happily on potholed streets (like Andheri East/Powai Vihar!!) k. Lastly, resale isn't really on my mind - a fun car to drive for four-five years (min) would have already done its duty. But I would want a car for which I don't have to lose peace of mind sourcing spares - just put in the workshop, and pick up later. Waiting for spares is a nono. How do cars of this segment match up on these criteria? The swift diesel or Indigo TDI seem juicy as of now! What would y'all say? /Apologies, but no test rides started as of now - just thinking out aloud in parallel - god bless 2 month waiting periods //How often (in bumper to bumper traffic) does the turbocharger actually come in with all that torque? Last edited by phamilyman : 6th August 2007 at 20:17. Reason: Font tags mess, re-read the posting FAQ!!