The Ultimate B2-Segment Hatchbacks Comparison!

[RavenAvi]

Thanks to everyone who have lauded this humble (and rather flawed) try from me. I promise to do better in the future.

Originally Posted by nkrishnap

From when did punto start having heavy clutch? I guess its supposed to be long clutch travel. Also the performance is just blown out of proportion to show that punto is a tortoise and all The other cars are hare.

Long travel clutch! That was what I was looking to describe, but had an attack of loss of words. Thanks, bud!

Punto is a great performer and pretty sprightly in it's own right.

Originally Posted by tj123

Definition of premium is getting faded as lot of low end cars have very good features these days especially the safety ones.

I think with so many classes of hatch back it is best to classify them into segments of 1.5 to 3 , 3 to 4 , 4 to 5, 5 to 7 and 7+ lac class of vehicle. With price as a common benchmark it is easy for anyone to gauge what he is getting for his buck and what car make most economic sense to buy and own.

Sound criteria for distinguishing, IMO. The i10 being a perfect example of a premium low-cost hatch,

Originally Posted by carfreak77

Great thread started here RavenAvi!

IMO, the Liva & Vista cannot be considered as "premium hatchbacks". The Liva has cost cutting evident everywhere, thus I do not see it as a premium hatch. Vista, well having the dials in the center of the dash is another form of cost cutting.
Jazz is a great handler, even better than the Polo (thats probably because I have upgraded my tyres).

Totally agree, bud.

Originally Posted by Sn1p3r

Err... A mistimed comparison I must say.
Jazz/Swift have recently been upgraded so the quality is a bit different than earlier iterations. Swift also gets variable timing.

IMHO the decision and discussion are too confusing for the reader. Please get all the info at one place and then let's start discussion. The perspective is lost with too many comments between the line.

Great thread. Cheers!

LOL! I agree that a lot of good viewpoints have gotten lost in translation. Wish I had the ability to edit posts after the initial 30 minutes.

Originally Posted by mdsaab

Hey the thread is up and looks fantastic.
Its going to be a huge help for folks looking out for a premium hatch.
I feel the Liva can be considered as a premium hatch due to two reasons the space on offer and the price tag. Sure it does not come with many goodies. But for someone for whom space is a big criteria it would help by including it in this list.
From my angle cars like the a-star,alto, spark etc are the basic hatches. While mostly all above them are premium ones. Barring the beat though as it is not too clearly positioned. This ofcourse is strictly IMO.
Thanks RavenAVI for starting this wonderful thread.
I am going to keep a close watch on it. As i am in the market for a new hatch for my wife in the not too distant future.
Maybe after the Brio is launched we can decide whether that should make it to this thread too.

Toyota has badged the Liva at a premium price. The top variant sells for 7L+ in some states, and that alone pushes it into this thread. Even though the cost cutting brings it down into the Vista, Figo, etc. territory. Brio should be priced and placed in this bracket, taking directly on the i10 and Figo, IMO.

Originally Posted by maverickxx2006

Can you help me understand about mileage being negative point for Punto?

Are you talking for Petrol or Diesel?

Petrol. The MJD is a pretty good FE performer.

Originally Posted by Sn1p3r

Too many hatch request. Premium is lost for if all variants are considered. I request Ravi to re-work the list with specific variant name, else Swift Lxi and Zxi both will be considered premium. Similarly Polo 1.6 and 1.2.

This thread has greatest potential to make it as the most read thread ever

I agree as well. However, the model offered in the price range makes for an interesting comparision, rather than comparing specific variants of models. Base variant of any model cannot be considered premium, unless it is chock full of goodies and features, IMO. The only one I can think of is the Jazz S, which comes pretty decently loaded for it's price.

Thanks for the good wishes, my friend! Let's hope it does!

[VeluM]

Originally Posted by RavenAvi

Tata Indica Vista - (3.84L to 5.97L)

(+) Diesel performance, Interior space, boot, highway riding, driveability.
(-) Noisy engine, city driveability, suspension, fit and finish, looks, Tata's A.S.S.

I don't think either of Vista's Fiat engines is noisy in the Vista itself. It is pretty well insulated, IMHO & from others' reviews.

PS. That blue Vista is quite a looker! Esp if the same alloys are made larger to fill the wheel-wells

[mkh]

I guess its not the "premium hatch" shoot out- its the complete range of hatch backs here! Great for a full set of cars to choose from, its certainly very very crowded in the 5-7 lacs segment
That said, there are only these i would feel which are indeed premium hatches
Jazz
Fabia
i20
Polo
The rest maybe closely priced but fall out of contention because of the overall offering they give
Will be interesting to see which one of these wins the Diesel sales battle( my feeling is still the Swift will rule - till the Toyota Diesel comes along)

[lavish_n]

Originally Posted by RavenAvi

Honda Jazz - (5.5L to 6.06L)

(+) Loads of space, Magic Seats, price vis-a-vis features, fit and finish quality, Honda's bulletproof reliability, road presence, mileage, cabin insulation.

Nice thread RavenAvi. Good luck
It sure would be useful for folks looking to buy a hatch.

I would also like to mention that Honda Jazz is among the most refined engine car in India + good NVH & gear shift is butter smooth.

[vb-san]

Good thread. But looking at the no. of responses on premium v/s non-premium, I have a suggestion – Instead of removing certain cars, shed the word premium, and rename the thread to something like “The ultimate hatchback guide (4 to 8 lakhs)”. Otherwise, the discussion may go mainly on my preferred car is more premium than yours, and some owners may get offended on why his/her car is not there in the premium list

[wilful]

The only premium (large) hatch that currently ticks all the boxes (well almost all) as far as options are concerned is the i20 - since its versions include diesel and an AT version in petrol. The only thing missing is an AT version in diesel. Plus it is high on space and comfort and loaded with features.
Of course it rates below some others in FE, handling etc.

[karty_83]

Good thread Raven . It ll be of great help for all the guys out there to make a more informed decision.

How about another thread on similar lines for AT's only ?

[blue_pulsar]

Liva, Vista are premium hatches??? Even though Figo is built to price, I feel its eligible to be in this list.
And if that's the case, I wonder how Ritz is missing from this list?

Do you people realize that in this whole list, there is no 'perfect' hatch? Only one which is near that tag for me is the Jazz. Truly premium offering, even the base variants carry ABS and airbags, great engine, best-in-class space, great quality interiors, bullet-proof Honda reliability, Honda service. Only automatic climate control might be missing here.

[Deep Blue]

Originally Posted by oxyzen

My opinion on Performance.

Diesel
I20>Swift=Ritz>Micra>Figo>Punto>Polo1.2=Fabia1.2>B eat


.

I don't know hard figures but Punto MJD felt more sprightly than the Figo D. Figo is flat beyond 2500rpm.

[Parm]

my pick list would be:

1. Polo 1.6
2. Jazz 1.2

well i can afford only two vehicles, so the above two would be my choices.

Polo for myself and Jazz for my wife.

[aryasanyal]

Just the Polo 1.6 and the Jazz for me. Haven't seen the new Swift - hence can't comment on it.

No, not the new Fabia - a car that doesn't provide a rear defogger and wiper to the buyer even on the top-end model doesn't deserve a 'premium' tag, in my opinion.

[devarshi84]

U-VA and Beat are missing.

I don't see a reason why Ritz should not be included.

Also if premium goes by price then Premier RiO should be included too.

What about Fiat 500 and VW Beetle?

[aryasanyal]

Originally Posted by devarshi84

What about Fiat 500 and VW Beetle?

Is the Beetle a hatchback?

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by mkh

I guess its not the "premium hatch" shoot out- its the complete range of hatch backs here! Great for a full set of cars to choose from, its certainly very very crowded in the 5-7 lacs segment
That said, there are only these i would feel which are indeed premium hatches
Jazz
Fabia
i20
Polo
The rest maybe closely priced but fall out of contention because of the overall offering they give
Will be interesting to see which one of these wins the Diesel sales battle( my feeling is still the Swift will rule - till the Toyota Diesel comes along)

I would include the Fiat Punto in the 'premium-hatch' category too.

The Punto is one of the largest hatchbacks on sale in India today. The top-end variant offers goodies like Blue & Me, auto-climate-control and auto-mirrors, which is what you'd expect from a premium hatch. Plus, you get a range of engines to choose from, including the 90 hp diesel.

Quality might let you down, but the i20 suffers from this too.

The Punto has one of the best dynamics for a hatchback. One must not forget that.

[ethanhunt123]

I think this debate is never ending. If Punto is premium, so is Swift/Ritz. They offer ACC, electric OVRM etc. And so is Micra. First in class to offer Keyless entry etc.

I think instead of having the title as "Premium Hatchback", just keeping it has hatches between 4-8 Lakh would be better.