chauffeur driven hatchback in 4.5lakhs <

[NM360]

We want to buy a car for father to be used to commute to the office in a budget of 3.75 - 4.5 lakhs on road.

it would be a chauffeur driven car, the daily run would be 45 kms... /1200 km per month. 70 percent highway, 30 percent city driving all time A/C. the vehicle would not be used by any other member of the family.

our priority is rear seat comfort, good suspension, safety, good A/C, reliable (less downtime), performance does not matter as far as it is better than the maruti 800 he is presently using. the office gives fuel allowance, so a fuel efficiency of around 12 kmpl with A/C should be fine if the car is good in terms of rear occupants comfort and safety.

power windows, tachometer, ABS, Airbags etc are not required.

We stay in Navi Mumbai (every car dealer is in 5 km radius) and the office is in BKC (Bandra Kurla complex, Mumbai).

intend to keep this car for atleast 5 years. resale value is not that important.

want to buy by the end of November 2007.

Cars that we have short listed are:

TATA Indica (petrol/ diesel).
Maruti Estilo/ Wagon R.
Hyundai Pa/Santro.
FIAT Palio 1.1


TATA Indica (petrol/ diesel).
+good rear seats.
-heard that a V3 variant would be launched soon.

Maruti Estilo/ Wagon R
+Maruti service backing
-not so comfortable rear seats. dont like the looks.

Hyundai Pa
-dont know much about this car. hyundai santro i have heard does not have rear comfort.

FIAT Palio 1.1
+good rear seats, solid built, heard that its sluggish...but then my father does not let the driver go above the 70 kmph mark.
-A.S.S. is a major issue i hear.... i hear a 16 valve 1.1 engine is going to be offered from an auto magazine...FIAT officials say "there are no such plans as of now." (i mailed them). i hear 16 valve would be better for performance in efficiency.

really confused, limited budget. looks dont matter much as far as there is rear seat comfort, safety, good A/C and least down time. we cant cross the 4.5 lakh budget for on road price.
please reply .

sorry for such a long post/ query.
waiting for your experienced opinions.

thanks.

[hondadude]

If you don't worry about resale why do you care about new version of Palio 1.1 or Grand Punto or something else from Fiat Stable. Apparently, after Fiat-Tata alliance, A.S.S. has become better. I would recommend Palio as it suits your other requirements. You might want to wait for some of the Mumbai Fiat owners to chime in with their inputs on Fiat A.S.S. in Mumbai.

[tsk1979]

Among the hatches, Palio, Indica and Getz offer decent back seat space.
Indica is the best for back seat riding, followed by getz and palio(speaking from my standpoint, as I am 6'2")
If you are worried about things like A.S.S etc., try for a getz, after discounts it can be had for less than 4.5

[lamborghini]

@tsk - That is in temrs of space but in terms of comfprt, the Palio is indeed better IMHO.
I would say go for the Palio.

[clevermax]

Palio 1.1 would be a good choice as long as its chauffeur driven...
But don't forget to upgrade to a 1.6 the very next day chauffeur is fired.

[burnt.]

The Getz and Indica offer good back seat comfort and space. If you are tall these cars should serve you well. Not sure about the Palio though. Never had a backseat ride in it.

[PatienceWins]

Go for Palio or Getz for rear comfort and space.

[malgudi]

I have a indica and getz and my neighbour has a palio and among the three getz is much better in terms of rear seat comfort and space. I am not sure though what is the mileage of getz prime 1.1 as i have the older 1.3 version and it gives me ~11 with 100%AC.

[Strider]

Three options: Tata Indica, Getz 1.1, Palio 1.1

Indica: Yes, a new Indica is on the horizon but the current Indica will be continued so don't worry, if you like this then take it. It is an excellent highway vehicle. The only problem is that it ages badly, i.e. it is not even a faint shadow of its new self in three years time.

Getz 1.1: Matches all your requirements, the only probable niggle is that its suspension is hard - I didn't like all the bumps transferred inside when I rode it recently (it was a 1.3, though).

Palio 1.1: Also matches all your requirements, and I found this to be more comfortable and composed than any other car at high speeds (not that its going to break any speed records with that insipid engine ).

Recommendation: Fiat Palio Stile 1.1 SL (the most basic version).

PS: Since he's going to ride it, do get him to test 'ride' it.

[aditya.86]

the palio would be the best option considering the fact that resale is not an issue...after the tata-fiat tie up the servicing has improved and is much much better...so nothing to worry about that either...the ride offered by the palio is pretty much good and there is a decent amount of space for good leg room also...and as everyone knows its built to last...

[PatienceWins]

[quote=Strider;599672]Three options: Tata Indica, Getz 1.1, Palio 1.1

Getz 1.1: Matches all your requirements, the only probable niggle is that its suspension is hard - I didn't like all the bumps transferred inside when I rode it recently (it was a 1.3, though).

quote]

I dont agree. I own a Getz 1.3. The ride is the best part of Getz. The suspension is soft. The handling is good, though not as good as palio/ swift.

[JayD]

My vote goes to the getz. The ride quality in my opinion is the best among hatches. I'd steer clear of the palio, as it is an old model(the stile is just some makeup job), and the service is horrible. You can read experiences with fiat dealers all over this forum.

[burnt.]

Originally Posted by Strider

Getz 1.1: Matches all your requirements, the only probable niggle is that its suspension is hard - I didn't like all the bumps transferred inside when I rode it recently (it was a 1.3, though).

That's strange. You find the Getz suspension hard? I wonder how you would find the Swift suspension.
If Getz suspension is hard then Swift has no suspension at all .


Honestly, IMHO I find the Getz suspension the best among hatches here. Haven't been in a Palio recently, and that's the only one I'm not sure about.

[neoonwheels]

Go for Palio 1.1. It has 3 versions from which I guess after discounts even the higher would come in your budget. Diwali is around the corner, disc would be raining like nehting.. FIAT *** is not a problem at least in metros..

[abhilashvk]

Looking at all the specifications like reliability, space, good suspension, chauffer driven, decent mileage etc GETZ 1.1/1.3 are the best options. Among these two I suggest 1.3 GVS because there is a fuel allowance factor. Since the car will not be used other than chauffer, the most complained sluggishness of GETZ is taken care of. Among all the car, this one is the most silent and smooth also offeres a decent leg room and comfortable back seat.