Third Car - need a hatchback - Fabia,Ritz, i10

[mkh]

Here are my inputs and this being that i was EXACTLY in your situation a few days back with a little difference
1. Getz is the best choice as per me- it has space more than any car in this segment, check the specs and see. Leg room and rear seat comfort- unmatched and you will never feel its underpowered in the city. I have gone on highways and never found it lacking even with 4 people. However if you drive a higher powered car and THEN drive it- it will feel like really slow.
Boot space is great and it has so many practical points like storage space etc in the car
Another drawback: Its getting phased out in 2 years hence very slow sales and re-sale is bad. Go for the 1.3 if you want power and 1.1 if want fuel eco. I got 12km/liter always
2. Ritz- i will go for maruti reliability and A.S.S if thats what i want. FE is the best, the only thing that i got put off was - no discounts and freebies and almost 40K diff between this and the i-10 magna 1.2.
If that does not matter and you can live with the slightly lesser fancy interiors- go for it, its a good car
3. i-10: Go for the 1.1 if you found it great and peppy, no brainer.
Negatives: Slightly overpriced but since you are getting 27K, that is negated
Bouncy ride- since you have driven the santro, you will be used to it maybe
4. Punto: Only if you can risk dealing with FIAT- its a very nice looking car and a great option with a lot of space, would have taken this right away-but for the FIAT service and support.
I do not see any more confusion- as these are the best options as per what you have posted.
BTW how are you getting 27K discount- is it cause of exchange discount? What dealer are you looking at? If you finalize the i-10, PM me , i can get u a good sales guy who can give decent offers.

[VictorSinha]

Thanks everyone for those extremely nice inputs....

And after reading the posts I feel like taking the test drive of Punto and Vista once before deciding.

And as blackasta mentioned that calculation was a real eye opener. And yes I have read the comparison by GTO. It is a great one. So now I am more inclined to Petrol.

Also as mkh told, yes I am accustomed with the bouncy ride of Santro.

But I have a question. I heard that i10 maybe getting an engine upgrade in 4-5 months is that true ? Is the KAPPA engine already old ?

What I have read from this forum that fuel economies are like

City Conditions
i10 iRIDE - 14 KMPL
i10 KAPPA - 12.5 KMPL
Ritz Petrol - 15 KMPL
Getz 1.3 - 13 KMPL
Getz 1.1 - 14 KMPL

Are these figures perfect. Can the owners confirm please ?

And again thanks for all the help.

[cool.aquarian]

Originally Posted by blackasta

years to break even with petrol version = 72304/12282 = 5.88 ~ 6 years

From 7 th year onwards the owner shall gain from the low diesel costs.


Please correct me if I went wrong anywhere.

You have not considered the interest that he can earn if he puts the saved money(72304) in an FD for that period(If he is paying all cash down), or loan interest that he would not have to pay for the saved money(If he is taking loan for the car).
So it will take even more than 6 years for diesel to get even with petrol.

I dont intend to hijack this thread, but am also in similar situation.
Unable to decide between i10 and Ritz. Taken test drive of both and Here are points in my mind:

Ritz: I like almost everything about it(even rear design). Only Negative: I dont like its toyish looking interior design and build (esp that tacho sticking out.. feel like chopping it off). If interiors were comparable to i10, I would have definitely gone for this straightaway. Also it is costly compared to i10 with similar features (though this dont matter that much).
i10: Overall Good Package for city usage. Negatives: Lighter body, weak horn, also heard headlights are also not very effective at night, dont like its rear design that much.

Please suggest what I should choose from above two.
Whose negatives would be more easier to live with ?
Initial planned usage is 700-800 Km/month (85% city).

[aaggoswami]

Originally Posted by cool.aquarian

Please suggest what I should choose from above two.
Whose negatives would be more easier to live with ?
Initial planned usage is 700-800 Km/month (85% city).

I suggest you go for Ritz. Ritz has a better motor than i10. The 1.2 in Ritz is one of the best 1.2 we have in our country currently. Also the higher seating position of Ritz is a boon in city driving. Ritz has better space utilization, some of parts are shared with Swift so spare part cost will be less considering economies of scale.

One more flaw in i10 is the design of air vents. The air vents are not good at throwing air onto rear seats. This is not a very good set up that is what I found out in recent trip. Although this does not seem to be a major point at first, later on during summers this will affect a bit. This is what I experienced. All the four vents cooled the front passenger too much. Again you need to find this out yourself. This is just my opinion based on my experience.

[VictorSinha]

Originally Posted by cool.aquarian

I dont intend to hijack this thread, but am also in similar situation.
Unable to decide between i10 and Ritz. Taken test drive of both and Here are points in my mind:

Ritz: I like almost everything about it(even rear design). Only Negative: I dont like its toyish looking interior design and build (esp that tacho sticking out.. feel like chopping it off). If interiors were comparable to i10, I would have definitely gone for this straightaway. Also it is costly compared to i10 with similar features (though this dont matter that much).
i10: Overall Good Package for city usage. Negatives: Lighter body, weak horn, also heard headlights are also not very effective at night, dont like its rear design that much.

Even I felt the same. And please dont chop it off ...lol...

Lighter Body - I think it is ok
Weak Horn - can always be replaced with a 130 db one...
Headlight - Add 2 sets of Lightforce to the front and blind the oncoming car

[blackasta]

Originally Posted by cool.aquarian

I dont intend to hijack this thread, but am also in similar situation.
Unable to decide between i10 and Ritz. Taken test drive of both and Here are points in my mind:

Ritz: I like almost everything about it(even rear design). Only Negative: I dont like its toyish looking interior design and build (esp that tacho sticking out.. feel like chopping it off). If interiors were comparable to i10, I would have definitely gone for this straightaway. Also it is costly compared to i10 with similar features (though this dont matter that much).
i10: Overall Good Package for city usage. Negatives: Lighter body, weak horn, also heard headlights are also not very effective at night, dont like its rear design that much.

Please suggest what I should choose from above two.
Whose negatives would be more easier to live with ?
Initial planned usage is 700-800 Km/month (85% city).

Ritz
----

Can you chop off the tacho? - No
Can you change toyish looking interior design and build ? - No

i10
---

Can you change horn? - Yes
Can you change headlamp bulbs - Yes


Not sure what you mean by light body though. Are you talking about the curb weight or the width of the steel body?

[Ramsagar]

Is i20 out of your budget? if not that would be a great upgrade. Else Ritz/Swift will do the justice. We can't rule out i10 either.

[cool.aquarian]

Originally Posted by blackasta

Ritz
----

Can you chop off the tacho? - No
Can you change toyish looking interior design and build ? - No

i10
---

Can you change horn? - Yes
Can you change headlamp bulbs - Yes


Not sure what you mean by light body though. Are you talking about the curb weight or the width of the steel body?

Yeah I meant curb weight+13" tyres, which might mean more bumpy ride on rough roads. Also read the low curb weight is due to more amount of plastic-like material/parts in its built.

So, the above varying opinions dont help too much in decision making.
Engine+Seating is the best one in Ritz but have to live with the interiors, whereas i10 is cheaper could be upgraded later at additional cost to overcome limitations.

Dont know who could design such Ritz interior(mayb some stone-age fanatic/freak). Almost scared-off a lot of potential customers.

yes, i20 is out of budget considering the features it is offering in basic model.

[cool.aquarian]

Originally Posted by blackasta

Ritz
----

Can you chop off the tacho? - No
Can you change toyish looking interior design and build ? - No

i10
---

Can you change horn? - Yes
Can you change headlamp bulbs - Yes


Not sure what you mean by light body though. Are you talking about the curb weight or the width of the steel body?

Yeah I meant curb weight+13" tyres, which might mean more bumpy ride on rough roads. Also read the low curb weight is due to more amount of plastic material/parts used in its built.

So, the above varying opinions dont help too much in decision making.
Engine+Seating+Gearstick Positioning is better in Ritz but have to live with the interiors, whereas i10 is cheaper could be upgraded later at additional cost to overcome limitations.

Dont know who could design such Ritz interior(mayb some stone-age fanatic/freak). Almost scared-off a lot of potential customers.

yes, i20 is out of budget considering the features it is offering in basic model.

[Kannan_Marg]

You may want to consider Swift Euro IV, which could be launched anytime soon. Also try to test drive a Punto too and take call based on your feel.

[samsan02]

Originally Posted by mkh

4. Punto: Only if you can risk dealing with FIAT- its a very nice looking car and a great option with a lot of space, would have taken this right away-but for the FIAT service and support.

You know whats so funny, everyone bashes Fiat for its A.S.S when they dont even own Fiat vehicle. Things have definitely improved at Fiat at present times. Else they wouldn't be doing so much with Punto/Linea launches with decent sales. Look at Fiat Road Side Assistance program, extended warranty a definite step in the positive direction. Comeon give them a break.

You know whats even funny, people who buy a car for its so called A.S.S and say so many big things about getting royal treatment etc. But at the end of the day, do they even bother how much time do they spend driving the car on the road and the time at the Service center in the entire life of the car.

Just dont buy a car because you get just good A.S.S, include ride,handling,FE,A.S.S,resale, VFM, cost etc. in your list and prioritize accordingly.

[csr]

I'm in a similar situation, looking out for a car around 5 Lakhs for my wife.

VictorSinha: Could you post the OTR prices for all the cars that you considered along with the fuel efficiency figures? OTR in Bangalore is higher than many other states, and it's good to see how they compare along with FE numbers.

Which one of these expected to have least maintenance cost over say next 3-4 years?

I was considering Vista Qudrajet for it's space and driving comfort along with better FE but of course after looking at the calculations, I'm thinking of petrol cars again. Does any of these petrols have better driving comfort than 1.3 MJD cars.

[Maverick1977]

I am very unsure of the mileage figures that you have considered. Its almost impossible to get those kind of figures on Bangalore roads.
The biggest advantage of getting a diesel is not only savings. Going by my experience I have started driving much more than I used to earlier. In fact I never dared to take my car to off daily. However since the past odd year I have not only been driving to office daily but my outstation trips have also increased.
Also the torque offered by diesels make driving much easier, this is of course my thought & many might disagree (lets not start a debate)
I had also zeroed down on the Swift petrol LY till I drove the Indica Vista Quadrajet & instantaneously changed my mind.

VictorSinha - Please TD the Vista. I had similar requirements as yours & as far as hatch backs are concerned, the Vista offers you the best combination of a rear bench & very good mileage. I have consistently got 16+ avg in my Vista (13.5K km on Odo). If possible go to Concorde Motors. I have had a good experience with their Mumbai branch.
All the best with your hunt....

[ubsmart]

What about Palio MJD? Is it now out of production? If not, this should be also a good choice for the budget of 5L plus a little more.

[VictorSinha]

Originally Posted by csr

I'm in a similar situation, looking out for a car around 5 Lakhs for my wife.

VictorSinha: Could you post the OTR prices for all the cars that you considered along with the fuel efficiency figures? OTR in Bangalore is higher than many other states, and it's good to see how they compare along with FE numbers.

Which one of these expected to have least maintenance cost over say next 3-4 years?
.........

Here you go

All on road prices and before discounts and all and all in Bangalore and FE in CIty

i10 iRIDE - 14 KMPL
Era - 415000
Magna - 440000

i10 KAPPA - 12.5 KMPL
Sportz - 502xxx
Astra - 566xxx

Ritz Petrol - 15 KMPL
Ritz Lxi - 460xxx
Ritz Vxi - 495xxx
Ritz Vxi with ABS - 525xxx
Ritz Zxi - 568xxx

Getz 1.3 - 13 KMPL - I forgot the price tag
Getz 1.1 - 14 KMPL - I forgot the price tag