Hatch for a short person.

[Aroy]

Older designs had ample of glass area, hence better visibility. With passage of time, and regulatory pressure, the glass areas is decreasing monotonically. So any older design - Alto, Alto-K10 or Santro will enhance all round visibility. I have the Alto K10 and can vouch for excellent visibility all round.

You will notice this reduced glass area in all newer designs - Fortuner, Pajero Sport, A Star, Beat even the high end SUV's.

[clevermax]

Originally Posted by faustus77

Hi everybody
I own a Beat and now my daughter wants to drive it to work.(she has just gor her licence through a driving school)
I am not too confident of her driving abilities nor am I willing to sit next to her and test her driving.
As she is 5 feet tall not too sure if she can reverse the car(due poor visibibility when reversing)in spite of reverse sensors being there.Nor is the front visibity so good for her height.I am 5'5" and I find it difficult.
Can some experts please suggest a small car which would be easy for her to drive with good all round visibility.
Thought of wagon R but she doesnt like it.
Please help.
Thanks and regards.

What about Honda Brio? It seems to have a good rear visibility and I think it will be easier for ladies to drive, give it a shot.

[satyamkaushik]

Alto k10 is the car for you, but do consider the figo.

I was really impressed by the figo petrol but the figo diesel has a great engine.

Figo has height adjust option and has a nice seating position, one can practically see the whole bonnet

Alto scores on the brand name,
Its a maruti so there is no problem on the after sales part and offers decent package over all.

Have you thought about the micra ?
The car seems small, i haven't driven it though.

[clevermax]

Originally Posted by satyamkaushik

Alto k10 is the car for you, but do consider the figo.
.

I am not sure why everyone is recommending Alto for a (short) person for ease of drive. Surely it is a budget car and is small. But is it the most easiest to drive? I don't think so. Have seen many stalling the engine in city traffic due to its bad clutch action - short travel, entire action happens at one point rather than a smooth transition. Also, it doesn't have enough lower end torque for withstand a sudden clutch release.

Smaller the car, the easiest to drive philosophy is not correct, if we consider some other aspects than just city traffic and parking space. There's a lot about how precise and easy to operate are the controls. I guess a more premium hatch will score better in such aspects.

My father is short, he says Punto is much much easier to drive than the earlier Zen we had. He is only driving through rural and semi urban roads though. (Not recommending Punto here!)

Recently drove a one year old Ritz 1.2 and I hated it. The controls (steering, clutch & accelerator) were pathetic compared to how they feel in my Punto. May be they are specific issues with that car, I don't know.

[Turbokick]

Alto now feels and looks very outdated. Unless budget is a problem, I don't recommend this car. Not even the K10.

My recommendation will be the i10 or the brio.
Excellent overall cars with good visibility.
They drive very well in city thanks to their light controls and low turning radius.

[satyamkaushik]

I suggested the alto as the budget was 5 L.
I did mention about the figo and the micra as well.

There are not much options under 5 L.

And i would suggest, to go for the top model of a car in a lower segment offering better features rather than taking a base model in the next segment.

I personally find the K10 more fun to drive than the i10 kappa.

The altos and the wagonRs are flooded on the road
Do have a test drive for the figo i assure you wont be disappointed.

[vijaycool]

Originally Posted by clevermax

My father is short, he says Punto is much much easier to drive than the earlier Zen we had. He is only driving through rural and semi urban roads though. (Not recommending Punto here!)

Recently drove a one year old Ritz 1.2 and I hated it. The controls (steering, clutch & accelerator) were pathetic compared to how they feel in my Punto. May be they are specific issues with that car, I don't know.

Thats correct. Its due to the hydraulic clutch system. After getting used to this clutch system, one can feel the point of engagement in the clutch and gives more control in start - stop traffic or climbling slowing up the ramp. This avoids over revving the engine and reduces clutch burn up compared to wired clutch system.

[ankur_fox]

Originally Posted by clevermax

What about Honda Brio? It seems to have a good rear visibility and I think it will be easier for ladies to drive, give it a shot.

I second that!! The all-glass boot lid gives immense rear visibility. Should be no problem for someone 5' tall. My sister is around that height and she can drive the i10 around no problem ... with a little hiccups during reversing, I'm sure the Brio won't be an issue.

[ghodlur]

Originally Posted by agbenny

One of my friend, who is around 5"1' wants to buy a Hatch (Budget around 5L), he expects to drive only a little - around 400 kms a month, so he doesn't need a Diesel for a high premium. There are 10+ hatches are available and its not possible to test every car.
I would like to recommend him something which gives better road view, occasionally his wife might drive, so something easy to handle within the city.

Does your friend wants to buy something close to 5L only? I would have suggested the Nano if he is Ok with it. I have seen short people drive it with relative ease. Its city car and suits all the other requirments too. Only if he is OK for a Nano with a 5L budget.

[faustus77]

Hi evrybody
Thank you all for your suggestions.
Wagon R and Alto definitely not interesting.
Doubt if my daughter will be able to handle the width of Swift.
Leaves micra i10 and brio.
Next to Maruti would prefer Hyundai(that is my opinion which may be wrong)
What is our members experience with Honda and Hyundai service and maitainence.

Important:what about i10 automatic?what are the problems and pitfalls inherent in automatics.
Thanks once again to all of you
Regards

[blackasta]

Originally Posted by faustus77

Important:what about i10 automatic?what are the problems and pitfalls inherent in automatics.

Pros:

Easy to drive and maneuver in the city
Good list of creature comfort equipment
One of only 2 small AT hatchbacks with A-star

Cons:

Overpriced
10-20% lower FE than manual shift variant
Not great for spirited driving

[saion666]

Brio is a glass house and it would be my recommendation for a short person.The dashboard is not very high either as in many hatchbacks. The steering is light and the car is easy to maneuver in city.

Chevrolet Spark would also be a nice cheap option.

Whatever you get the thumb rule should be 'dont go for a car with a high dash'. My sister struggles with my A-star whereas drives a Figo comfortably.