Date set for new car. Which car?

[devarshi84]

Since 2005 we have been looking to replace our wagonR.

1. http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/hatchb...-1-5-lacs.html (What used car for 1.5 lacs)
2. http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/sedans...vs-fiesta.html (Special needs. Linea vs. Aveo vs. Fiesta)
3. http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/sedans...mmon-rail.html (Need a Common Rail)
4. http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/hatchb...-city-use.html (Which car for city use?)
5. http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/hatchb...ce-wagonr.html (What car to replace WagonR?)

But things never materialized. Fast forward to 2009. A date has been finalized. 10th september.

1. Budget around 5-7.5 on road abad.
2. No Honda. It doesnt fit my budget and its over priced and under equipped.
3. Sound cabin. My mom's ears are very sound sensitive.
4. Excellent handling and fun to drive factor. Is a family car to be driven by me or my father.
5. Car will see 12-15K milege annually. 90% city with 10% highway with 100% a/c.

I am looking at (prices are without discounts ex-showroom)

1. Fiat Punto Emotion PK 1.4 petrol 5.75
2. Ford Fiesta (preferably 1.6 sxi or 1.6S) 6.99
3. Hyundai getz crdi 4.94
add 15" alloys for better driveability and ICE system. add another 60K.
4. I20 Asta (o) 1.2 with sunroof 5.95
Is the sunroof fully retractable on this one?
5. marutisx4 zxi- 7.29
most discounts possible as I know the dealer. Also My WagonR may fetch more as its a maruti.
6. maruti swift zxi- 5.29.
add 15-inch alloys. more discounts possible as I know the dealer. Also my WagonR may fetch more price as its a maruti.
7. Skoda Fabia 1.2 Elegance- 6.30
Not very keen but if NVH are good then maybe an option. Also needs to be price competitive to Swift zxi and punto emotion pk or else its out.
8. Tata indigo XL classic petrol - 5.44
add 15" wheels and ICE system. add another 60K. Also intend to add an air filter. what is the difference in the new standard petrol model?


With any car I intend to get a total 4 years warranty coverage which includes spares. We have never owned a diesel before as CRDI only made inroads after 2003. Any new cars coming which are worth the wait?

[vkochar]

My suggestion would be a Petrol since you are going to average only 1000 kms a month.

Fiesta 1.6 S

i20 ( Fully Loaded - 2 airbag model )

Linea - Petrol emotion ( I guess it is around 7.5 )

These 3 cars are fantastic and will give you trouble free performance.

The Fiesta is really a good drivers car. In fact Frankmehta is also in the process of buying one and getting it today. Do go through his thread.

If Diesel - then the Getz Diesel is absolute VFM package and an excellent road rocket - look no further if performance is what you need.

[aaggoswami]

1) Earlier also you have mentioned about low noise inside cabin. This rules out the following cars :
Hyundai Getz
Maruti SX4
Maruti Swift.

2) Second Priority IMHO is the the mileage this car is going to clock. Its around 1K to 1.25K kms per month. Makes sense to go for diesel.
The only car that comes close to your requirements is Hyundai I20 CRDi.
The car is silent and diesel propelled. Fun to drive is not much.

3) This brings me to Fiat Punto. TBHP threads are proof that people are indeed satisfied with their cars.
Here you are losing on performance, but you are able to get quieter cabin.

So if engine performance is of greater priority than quieter cabin, go for I20 CRDi else go for Punto. Punto IIRC has more pronounced turbo lag.

Fabia motor is not that refined as far my reading goes ( could be wrong though ).

4) This is an option. Get Aveo and install CNG. Will be cheap to run and is very quiet inside the cabin.

[?ushk@r]

You not considering Indica Vista Quadrajet? It's a good option too which fits in your budget.

[DCEite]

My recommendations:

1. Swift P/DZire P with new K12M engine. You will have to wait a bit for these.

2. Ritz ZXi. Tall seating, practical city hatchback. Good to upgrade from a WagonR.

3. Hyundai i20 Asta. Decent quality, space, and after sales. Silent cabin too. Tad underpowered though.

4. Fiesta 1.6 S. Superb performance, but after sales not as good as MSL.

[JVH]

Ford Fiesta it is
I think they do have extended warranty.

Next in line - Punto. Sound insulation will be an issue though!

[anekho]

My suggestion, if your local Skoda dealer is reliable go for the fabia. The fabia owners on t-bhp seem very impressed and really like the car.

It's really a great car.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...ol-diesel.html (Skoda Fabia reviews (petrol and diesel))

EDIT: just saw you want 4 years warranty. Skoda only offer 2 years and no extending options.

[StarVegabond]

I suggest that you also consider SWIFT D'zire, it has airbags and other safety features.

are you happy with Maruti after sales service ?, If you are happy then it makses sense to continue with them as your Wagan R will also fetch higher valuation and you will also get loyalty discount.

[kuttapan]

Ford Fiesta Zxi. Close your eyes and buy it.

[JayD]

Let me put this in a simple way:

Petrol hatch- i20 Asta (O). The sunroof on the (O) version is fully retractable and tilts up too. But not sure if the 1.2 version has the sunroof.

Sedan- Fiesta. Awesome car!

diesel- Getz Crdi. But you may have to hurry to get one!

[karanraheja]

Fiesta seems more apt for you. Get ready to Go Fida.

[extreme_torque]

Decide between the Fiesta 1.6 S or the Punto (diesel preferably). i20 does everything ok but excels in nothing.... and believe you me there is no fun to be had from it given the weedy 1.2 litre engine which struggles to move and the dumbest steering on any hatch in India.

[gaurav_chopra04]

Ford Fiesta.. all the way (Excellent handling and fun to drive factor).. decent support

Second I would suggest SX4 followed by Swift... they are value for money cars with decent driving pleasure, very very reliable and easy to maintain backed by excellent after sales support.. inter quality and built is acceptable..However, rattling issues are very common 2-3 years down the line..

Tata and Skoda.. I would say ae not very reliable.. though Fabia is a good car with decent quality interiors and excellent built quality. Though, its not value for money

I personally dont like Hyundai.. if you buy a Hyundai you will have to compromise on your excellent handling and fun to drive factor. I am sure you wont like driving any of their cars having driven the Lancer.

Fiat Punto is again a good car but after sales is questionable...good to drive car, very very stable but since its a heavy weight initial pick up is not as good as that of swift which share the same diesel engine but stability at high speeds is much better....however, the noise and vibration insulation quality is pathetic..pastic quality in my opinion is not acceptable..clearly shows cost cutting

[nurni76]

Let me break my suggestions into 2. I am going by your mileage which would probably suit a petrol.

Hatch Backs:

If you are looking at a car that doesnt need too much space in the dickey and are ok with slightly congested back seat, look no further than Swift ZXi. As someone pointed, it may come out with the K series engine soon. Superb performer, great fun to drive character, good handling and above all reliable with a good service back up. You will never go wrong with this. I know it is an old car, but nothing can beat it right now as far as the fun to drive aspect is concerned. Punto 1.4 is very sluggish although a good handler

Sedans:

1. Ford fiesta for you as it clearly comes top on the fun to drive aspect. You may have to compromise a little on the interior space.
2. Sx4: Good overall package (ZXi), but I am not sure if it will fall within your budget

If you are ok with Diesel then

Hatch Back:

1. You could look at Punto. The advantage of the Punto is that you get a fully loaded version with all safety features, that is missing in the swift, but performance would be below the swift for sure
2. i20 Asta: I Don't know if this will be within your budget

None of the Diesel Sedans may fall within your budget, but I think the best bet would be the Verna CRDI or Linea MultiJet

Cheers

[Thomas8700]

one simple question have you test drived all these cars?

if yes you will know which all you like( let your dad also drive all the cars ok )

your running indeed needs a petrol. ( diesel is more fun no doubt about it. )
petrol is fun but not fun on the pocket. it will be a tragedy. ( and still when it comes to a diesel like getz crdi. all others which you have mentioned in the list will be trashed!!)

so you have mentioned a wagon R already in your family. then trust me when i say this the kind of treatment you got from maruthi guys will be given only by the hyundai guys. ( only these guys have such infrastructure)

being fun to drive depends on you and your dad. i suggest both of you drive it and see. the hyundai steerings are always a hit with the older folk. its real easy to drive around in city. and besides they arent much into highspeed circus. and do keep in mind that your folks might also have to go for service. its best to get a maruthi / hyundai. for this purpose.
and since you have mentioned 90% city driving? if ahmedadbad doesn't have wide roads. forget the punto its got a higher turning radius and older folks will find it difficult to make turns inside city.

and yes sound insulation is not a forte for the punto.

Fiesta is THE DRIVERS CAR. but dont expect it to be light on maintenance. spares will obviously be costlier than maruthi, hyundai and Fiat. no doubt.

for practicality purpose. inside city there wont much you can do with the Fiesta unless you purposefully become aggressive in driving. atleast 30-40 % highway driving only warrants for a sedan. but still go ahead if you want a nice sedan with good build quality, fun to drive and free revving. but dont expect the fuel bill to be light.

so if i were you the choice would be

hatch back. i20 asta (O) 1.2 is more than enough for the city. fuel efficient also.

highway sedan. fiesta. still be prepared for heftier maintenance.

city and highway diesel madness. with jaw dropping acceleration Getz Crdi
cheap maintenance, fuel effecient and too much fun to drive. ( yes!! drive it the last or you will feel all other cars as lame excuses.!!)

Sx4 is not that fuel effecient but is a great all rounder.
swift is still a great package but is rattle prone, cramped .

if it was me. i would go for the getz crdi eyes closed.