Buying a car ain't an easy task, and in the past 6-7 months, I personally started the selection process every weekend. Multiple test drives, haggling with the dealers and scaring the hell out of their sales team was part of their scary ghost stories. Because, every rupee saved is a rupee earned.
So, it was decided, no matter what, each and every diesel car will be test driven and then shortlisted.
The Americans:
Chevrolet Beat 1.0 TCDI
Only model we could consider was the LT-O which came with ABS plus RR washer/wiper/defogger. The only good thing about the car was its on paper fuel efficiency and service plus warranty packages. Rest, the car was full of compromises. Claustrophobic interiors, polarizing styling, wheezy underpowered engine and uncomfortable seats with too firm cushions (solid as a rock) meant that the car had to be instantly struck off the list; without even a second thought. Added bonus: Parents thought that I will look like a girl driving that car, given my choice of colour I told them-cocktail green.
Ford Figo 1.4 TDCI
Multiple test drives aside, I instantly fell in love with this machine. This thing handles so beautifully, the steering just dances to the sound of music played by your command. The engine is extremely user friendly and flexible, though it sounds gruffy (old pre facelift model) and granted it has a weak top end, it does its job extremely well. Space for 5, big boot, almost fully loaded (Titanium) and a competitive price. Its a very good all round package but low GC plus bumper design (too close to the radiator) and low placement of front seats was the last minute deal breaker for us.
The Japanese:
Nissan Micra/ Renault Pulse
Another twins in disguise which we liked for their all round talents and user friendliness. The K9K motor is a gem in city, and till date, the micra remains the most user friendly high quality diesel hatch in its class. Service uncertainties and concerns aside, the cars were nicely built, easy to drive, pretty comfortable (below average rear seat comfort) but had one big deal breaker-brakes, and more so, at that time, no ABS was offered, plus only a single airbag (pulse had option for 2). Safety concerns aside, the price to specs to features to value ratio was not favoring our requirements, the prime reason why it was listed out. The new micra came in much later and now is more complete. But, is also more costly now.
Maruti Swift
This, perhaps has to be the most controversial car ever that we have driven. Because, it commanded insane waiting periods and also, we had to stretch a lot for the ZDI variant. The car was refined, looked good, had brilliant front seat comfort, driving position and handled pretty well. But, for the asking price, I found it to be too compromised. Granted, it has peace of mind, reliability and resale value attached as added bonus but poor rear seat and boot space, flimsy build quality inside and out and the engine lacking tractability in city driving plus the biggest concern-the inconsistent braking mechanism that was also reported by many owners made it to strike it off the list.
Maruti Ritz
This ritzy glitzy glitterati tall boy had easy ingress and egress, nice ergonomically laid out dashboard, better build quality and a touch more practical than the swift. In fact, it was a non nonsense functional car, and also, the engine felt better in terms of user friendliness than the swift. car-toonish looking tacho aside, the biggest drawback that my mom felt, was its rear end design. She compared it with the slice of bread that is offered in shatabdi express and often wondered-why can't shapes be symmetrical and perfect? She simply felt that the car didn't have enough personality. Women, you know, have unpredictable minds. In fact, I too was not so keen because it lacked soul and flair and above all, no passion. Plus, highway use also meant compromising on high speed dynamics. Off the list, it went.
Toyota Liva
Something which is boringly good as a perfect beater car seemed to be a downgrade for the asking price at north of 6.7L. The design was boring inside and out but what sealed the deal was the amount of space it offered. Acres of legroom, width and boot space. Just that perfect dose of practical, reliable family car. The motor is extremely user friendly, very flexible, very torquey, and cost of service plus maintenance is very low. But, for once, let that take a backseat, and what you have a car that is built to a cost, has poorly designed interiors, esp the speedo console, and the sheetmetal gauge is just like tin foil. It won't rattle, but on highways, what if you feel vulnerable to HCVs? And, above all, no rear washer/wiper/defogger for that price. Brand alone does not shout value if it isn't competitively priced. Has to be a risky decision of head vs heart, but, here, neither ruled, simply because we felt that we were not getting our money's worth. After all, first impression is last impression. Off, it went.
The Koreans
Hyundai i20
What better way to judge the car as an existing user of the said brand for 6 years and reviewing it earlier that year? I wanted something that looked god, and that this car wasn't. It looked, like somewhat confusing, something like an aggressive face has been plastered on a conservative body. But, boy, was it loaded with bells and whistles....the engine, easily the most refined, acceleration, easily the quickest in straight line, the fit and finish, all felt premium inside and out. But, something was not right. That was, the car's depth in engineering. The interiors are spacious, flexible and pretty comfortable, the boot is big and its more of a "costly luxury hatch" than something which is targeted at those who love to drive. the suspension is clunky at high speeds, the ride is below average and of course, the infamous steering feel-disconnected and lifeless, just like a 60 year old driving a 60 year old American car. Parts and maintenance were costly, and the added headache of imported components of U2, plus long term longevity concerns (quality of diesel used in India is very sensitive WRT this motor) made this strike off the list, after a long heated debate, of course, for want of functionality over aesthetics. Plus, the price factor-8.5 big ones for the asta (which has the rear wiper-a necessity for me).
The Czechered German twins in disguise
Volkswagen Polo
Creation of walter de silva, he polo has one timeless design, full of simple curves and lines. No doubt, all 3 of us loved it, especially the VW logo. The build quality is precise, with top notch fit and finish. Poor rear legroom aside, the car had ample boot space and nifty attention to detail that we appreciated (quality of fittings, plastics, VW logo boot release mechanism, the body rigidity compared to the cars mentioned above), and all that admiration fell into pieces when we took on multiple test drives at different routes. The GT TDI was not launched, and the 3 pot motor sounds just as crude and unrefined and this is not something that's expected out of a modern common rail motor with DOHC configuration. The car is a pain to drive in the city, thanks to the lag, and the intrusive clutch vibration only makes it more painful. I felt the clutch to be heavy on TD cars, and the amount of usage this car will be made to, body pains will become part of daily routine (at least for me). Minus the motor, and reliability concerns and above all, the cost of servicing have been potential deal breakers. No free service, but that time, VW did not introduce underbody sump guard that was later introduced on highline. I have seen many costly and frighteningly expensive insurance claims on underbody hits, so we decided, to let this forgo, and better be safe rather than be sorry, at a later stage.
Skoda Fabia
Built on an older platform of the polo, The car looks simple, no nonsense, but dig deep behind it and the attention to detail is simply outstanding. It feels and gives you more than what you have paid for. Just look at that build. The fit. The precision. the finish. That dimpled plastics. The solid body and underpinnings. That grippy steering wheel. That space management. That attention to detail inside and out. No surprise, then, the motor has the same negatives that the polo suffered from. It rides and handles well, but the cost of maintenance is sky high, not to mention, the perceived long term reliability and service issues of skoda, at that time. And above all, the high import content=costly spare parts in the long run. Not surprisingly, skoda was incurring losses on every Fabia sold, and as news suggest, the plug will be pulled out soon.
The Indo Italian debate
Tata Indica vista vs Fiat Punto
While test drives continued, this was a battle that lasted for no longer than 40 days between me and my parents. The cars were sold from the same showroom, and jostled for brand visibility and space. Just we looked at the price offered for the 75 VX after discounts and that simply made dad's jaws drop. Looking at features, specs, space and value quotient plus the maintenance into consideration, the vista 75 was offered at a price that was hard to ignore. Within 6, and that too OTR Delhi. I have seen swifts everywhere, and this is a grossly underrated car that deserved my chance. It had nice decent interiors, was built well WRT safety (sheetmetal thickness was top notch), had acres of legroom and width inside and offered ABS plus rear wiper with defogger as standard, something the VDi wasn't. The later models were also better to drive (with the quadrajet) and niggles aside, almost looked like a complete car, just because it was offering an optimal quantity at a value price, minus the boot space, and above all, mom wasn't convinced on the chrome quotient everywhere. She likes simple, understated designs and that played a pivotal role in this decision. Tyre upgrade with 15" was on the agenda, but somehow, let me admit, I still like the older, simple, pre facelifted vista more than this chrome modeled one.
Enter the finalist, the punto. Still looks like a million bucks, is built top notch, has a proven multijet engine, and brilliant engineering that cannot be ignored for Indian conditions. It just feels secure inside and out, goes optimally, packs in large, has a lovely trip computer and brilliant brakes, has a steering that has just the right amount of connectivity, has high clearance that is utmost important while negotiating those speed breakers, has a brilliant ride and above all, its a car with an all round character. True, the interiors look dated and built to a cost, true, the car has a stone age radio, true, the car has slow straight line acceleration, but it more than makes up with its driveability. And its high speed highway dynamics? Its just second to none. Its not a car that excels everywhere but, its something that blends the best of all the cars and makes it into an optimized package, for an optimized price tag, an all rounder, which we required, and at the end, which we got. And the warranty plus other deals offered also, sealed the deal for us.
And based on the money worked out above, we found the dynamic variant, which comes with ABS and RR washer/wiper and defogger and many required list of equipment, to be the best VFM.