Upgrading to a 4-wheeler? Which one?

[Haque]

Hi folks

I have decided to upgrade to a 4-wheeler from a Pulsar. God-willing, Shall be getting one within the next two months... .

And as usual, am ConFused and not sure what to buy... Please chime in with your tips/suggestions/comments.

Heres a brief desc. abt the expected usage:
- Am single, may not be so for long...
- Parents , will be driven around. Which means I may need a part-time driver. In case I am not able to drive them around. I suppose this would be very occasional.
- Seating of around 5 persons required.
- Staying away from the city, ( yelahanka). Office @ Bannerghata road. Would be using it more on the main roads...well thts what i imagine now.
- No plans of disposing it off for atleast the next 4-5 years...
- Might use it for outstation trips. Probably once a year.
- Daily to/fro from office distance: 45kms.
[ Pulsar usage in 3 years = 43000kms. FE: 50kmpl very happy with this vehicle, as theres been no maintanence issues. looking for a worthy replacement]

This would be the first self-owned/driven car in the house. Earlier cars were govt vehicles..( amby/contessa )... Parents are used to the comforts of these... ( well thts the level of comfort/refinement we are accustomed to)

I have seldom ( once a year, short distances) driven a Jeep/Matiz/Zen. Have joined a driving school for classes on Esteem to gain more confidence ...

As for the budget, I am looking for something upto 5.5L on bangalore roads... Parents are not very comfortable with my spending upwards of 4L on a car which does not have boot space...

With these details, folks what are your opinions/suggestions...

thnkx
Haque.

[Posting in shifting gears, in the hope that this will be eventually moderated into which car section. ]

[Shan2nu]

Parents are not very comfortable with my spending upwards of 4L on a car which does not have boot space...

Well, the only small cars with the biggest boot (sorta) with all the seats up are the Wagon R and the Xing.

They're cheap to buy, easy to maintain and trouble free. We've done long distance trips on the Wagon R and it's pretty ok.

And since they're such small cars, parking is never a problem.

If you can overlook Fiats history in India, the Petra might just be the car for you.

U can't obviously expect one car to give you everyhting you've mentioned. You just need to prioritize your options.

Shan2nu

[Dippy]

Seeing your considerations you can opt for the Indigo diesel. It should come within your budget and extremely comfortable at the rear. A good VFM package

Dippy

[turbo_lover]

..wagon R's and Santro's are too cramped ,after the amby and the contessa your parents wont be as comfortable ...keeping that in mind you should look for an Indica has the best back seat leg room..will fall well within your budget ..
another option could be the Palio1.9D ...

the Esteem , Flair 1.3, Corsa 1.4,Petra are all in your budget if your are looking for something with a boot ...

[Conan]

I would suggest the Indigo diesel.

1. Very spacious interiors.
2. Best seats in the segment.
3. Fuel efficient
4. Has a boot.
5. Cheap parts and good service network.
6. Resonably good engine.

A good overall VFM package. And yours parents will definitely be happy.
But its a pain to drive in city.

[typeOnegative]

In the following order:

1) Indigo Diesel
2) Fiat Petra EL
3) Ford Ikon Flair
4) Opel Astra 1.4
5) Indigo Petrol
6) Maruti Esteem VXI
7) Fiat Petra 1.9D

[Steeroid]

Go for the Indigo, mate. Ikon/Accent may be considered but the Indigo scores over them in space and vfm.

Considering your daily drive, a diesel would be a better option and I dont think there is any other diesel sedan in that price bracket either.

[Surprise]

For me the replies seems be different from the usual one's. More from an end user point of view and not putting much emphasis on performance, which are not the only criteria.

Same sort of requirement for my friend & he finalized with TATA INDIGO diesel inspite of negative feedbacks from the other guys (car enthusiastics) who test drove the vehicle. That guy was very happy with the car. Considering that TATA INDIGO seems to be better option.

[satish_appasani]

I recommend either Palio 1.9D or the Indigo if your option is Diesel.

I own Palio 1.9D myself and I am very happy with it. It's one car you will never feel it's a Diesel and will enjoy every minute. It has good power and never lets you down even when AC is on. For sure it will be your good friend for 5 years or more. The service in Hyd by Anuroop is acceptable. I don't how it is in Bangalore.

I cannot comment on Indigo, because I never drove one. But from what I read the power is no where closer to Palio 1.9. I got this information from a driver who drives his master's Indigo. I doubt the long-term reliabily of Tata because you are planning for more than 5 years.

[GS300]

Originally Posted by Haque

Seating of around 5 persons required.
- Staying away from the city, ( yelahanka). Office @ Bannerghata road. Would be using it more on the main roads...well thts what i imagine now.
- No plans of disposing it off for atleast the next 4-5 years...
- Might use it for outstation trips. Probably once a year.
- Daily to/fro from office distance: 45kms.

I think everything except Indica or Indigo gets eliminated once you look at your requirements. if you have to drive from yelahanka to b'ghatta road and back everyday, diesel makes lots of sense.

[devarshi84]

THe best way to select a car according to me is to test drice the cars by yourself. See for yourself which suits you the best.

IF you need more boot space in your price range and want a better looking car than indigo then Indigo marina diesel is a good option.

first and foremost reason I will put forward is that It is an Indian car.

Seating and luggage for five can be easily be accomodated in the marina. Rear seats are comfortable enough and also have good legspace. The interiors are not in anyways exciting but good enough for a car in this price range. The build quality is very robust as it is a car from a truck manufacturer. Fuel efficiency will be just about normal around 12-14 kmpl in the city with the diesel. Petra is what I will suggest if you want to go petrol. The *** in Fiat has improved considerably . some links for you to check out more details.

indigo marina roadtest
http://www.autocarindia.com/new/Road...ls.asp?ID=1028

fiat petra
http://www.autocarindia.com/new/Road...ls.asp?ID=1067

best buys within 5 lacs
1. Indigo / indigo marina (diesel is more frugal and sufficiently powered)
2. fiat petra petrol(diesel is old so go for petrol)
3 hyundai getz/ maruti swift
4 Maruti esteem ( has both power and FE but old and cramped)

sumo victa and mahindra bolero are also available within the sub 5 lacs price range if you want big.

[lamborghini]

Well,
none of the small cars except Plaio and Indica and Getz will fit your requirements.
Since you are new to the game,
an easy to drive car will be good an i would reccomend a Getz.
But if you don't mind something bigger -
A dieel would be apt for you so choose from the following leaving out the Getz which is petrol but the only small petrol car that fits your requirements.
However do remember that none of the cars fir your requirements completely.
1. Indigo Diesel
2. Fiat Petra D
3. Fiat Palio D
4. Indica D
5. Getz

[Steeroid]

Originally Posted by lamborghini

Well,
none of the small cars except Plaio and Indica and Getz will fit your requirements.

I think he did mention that his family is very skeptical about paying more than Rs.4 lakhs for a car without a boot. That would leave the Getz, Indica and Palio out.

Satish Appasani - Please check up the specs of both the Indigo and the Petra D before commenting that the former is nowhere near the latter in power:

Petra D: Max Power 63ps @ 4500 rpm & Max Torque 120 nm @ 2500rpm

Indigo (pre-Euro 3)

Max Power 62ps @ 4500 rpm & Max Torque 125 nm @ 2500 rpm

I think the Euro 3 version of the Indigo is more powerful, too.

[lamborghini]

Hey steeroid ,
i know he is apprehensive about spending more the 4L on a small car but there is nothing else in the segment.
An the Petra D should be easier to drive in the city and i think it is faster because of the turbo lag and ACI test results though i am not sure.

[normally_crazy]

The Indica / Indigo - in diesel

The Santro / Wagon- R - in petrol ( i would go with the Santro here )

test drive the cars - even all the cars mentioned in the replies above and then take a decision !