[rohan_iitr]

My vote goes for i10 1.1 . There is simply no comparison, i10 1.1 outclasses everything else in this price range. It has a proper 4-cylinder engine with decent power and FE, spacious cabin, excellent interiors, decent boot space, goodies like RPM meter, AC, PS, front PW, rear child locks, internally adjustable ORVMs and day/night IRVM in ERA (entry level) variant, proven reliability and niggle-free ownership experience with Hyundai A.S.S.

When I purchased my car 2 years back, I had requirements similar to yours. I evaluated all options and found i10 1.1 to be the most satisfying. It is a great city car and also okay for occasional highway use. It may not satisfy the enthusiast in you, but is a very practical car for everyday usage.

It does not excel in any particular area, but also does not disappoint in any area. The best thing about i10 is that it sells in great numbers even though it doesn't have a USP.

Even after 2 years, i10 1.1 is still the best buy in this price range.

Rohan

[mdsaab]

I agree the i10 1.1 is a great car.
but if you could stretch your budget by just a little bit.
I think you will be much more satisfied in the long run with the Kappa or kappa2 engine.

[suhaas307]

If you could stretch your budget a little, take a look at the Beat. It's a wonderful car. Looks funky and is an easy car to drive in the city. I don't think you need to stretch much to buy the Beat. And to top it off, Chevrolet is offering some good discounts and bonuses with it.

The Spark is your other option and so is the Hyundai i10. The A-Star is a cramped car and you're better off buying the Alto K-10 if you have the A-Star in mind, I'd say.

[sharma_sanjeevi]

My suggestion, go for the Chevrolet Spark. Fantastic Car for the price you pay, and above all the 3 Year Maintenance Plan is a steal for that price..!!

I have bought Spark LT for my wife, she is enjoying the car very much, very easy / peppy to drive and handle in the city with light controls. Also, the highway manners are above ordinary too.

[Aroy]

If you are getting a bigger car in future consider the Alto K10. As long as there are only two persons it is the best bet for both city as well as highway drives. The FE is excellent and the acceleration one of the best in its class, as is the AC. In short it is the ideal second car. With front seat pushed back, there is enough space to fit a 6 1/2 footer, and with rear seats folded down enough space to carry really large load - a room AC for example.

I use my K10 for short marketing trips and for longer trips when there are only two persons. Recently I did Delhi - Ambala - Delhi with my wife, and she was extremely satisfied with the drive, especially the AC which performed perfectly in the torrid heat. On top of that I got a round trip FE of 19+ with AC, traveling mostly at 90 and occasionally at 100-110.

The A* (newer and heftier Alto) and i10 are definitely better cars, but their FE is less and space not much more. To get goodies that are not available in the K10 (ABS, Airbags, Rear demister & Washer), you have to get the higher end models in i10 and it will jack the price up by 2L OTR. The K10 Vxi was 3.5 OTR in Delhi when I bought it last August, but you can get 20k+ discounts today.

Here are some pictures to get an idea of space available

Seat Movement

Front Seat Width

Leg space with seats full forward

Leg Space with seats full back

boot with rear seats folded

boot space with rear seats up

Instrument Cluster Vxi

[Dr.D]

The usual suspects:-
Maruti Alto K10
Maruti A-Spark
Chevy Spark
Hyundai i10 Magna
Well let the old with the pacemaker and the cosmetic surgery retire( Alto and spark)

The beat can also beat a retreat for reasons -cramped, bumpy, reminds me of cartoons chasing something and skidding when trying to change direction.

The contenders- I10 magna and A-star zxi( stretching the rupee ).
My champion would be the A-star because of it's safety features and peppy drive.

[satish_appasani]

Thanks for all the great suggestions. Lot of insight.

Test drove Spark LT. The petrol model is costing 3.95 on-road after Rs.50,000 discount in Hyderabad. I and my wife like the car. It was very peppy and very easy to drive. I am 6'1" tall and i did n't feel cramped in the car.

Will be checking out K10 and I10 1.1 next weekend. No question of stretching the budget as i would save that money for the sedan i wish to buy.

[mdsaab]

I think your best bet will be the i10.
the a star is extremely cramped at the rear. And when you do take some passengers onboard they are not going to appreciate the space on offer.
Also i was not to happy with the refinement levels of the 3 cylinder a star engine. Though peppy to drive at idle the vibrations filtering into the cabin are a huge turn off.

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by mdsaab

I think your best bet will be the i10.
the a star is extremely cramped at the rear. And when you do take some passengers onboard they are not going to appreciate the space on offer.
Also i was not to happy with the refinement levels of the 3 cylinder a star engine. Though peppy to drive at idle the vibrations filtering into the cabin are a huge turn off.

Absolutely right.

I'd driven the A-Star quite a while back and wasn't too pleased by a lot of things.

The engine's refinement, or rather, the lack of it, is quite a put-off. You can hear and feel the distinct rattle of the 3-potter when you give it the beans. The space at the back is pretty bad too. It almost feels like you're in a 2+2 sports car. And don't even get me started on the boot-space. You could barely manage to fit a lap-top in there.

On the plus side, it's a newer car when compared to the Spark and the Alto K-10. That will give it the 'fresh' edge, especially in the used car market a few years down the line. The top-end A-Star is loaded with some good features like ABS and airbags. And Maruti's A.S.S. in India, is bulletproof, as we all know.

[musicmanaman]

Ritz and i10 are the best bets here, I don't know which is more expensive in the bottom end trim, but I would go with Ritz and then i10 in that order.

[satish_appasani]

Visited Hyundai and Maruti showrooms today. i10 1.1 base version is costing much more than my 4 lakhs budget line. Even the entry Santro is starting couple of thousands above my budget. Eventhough Hyundai website shows 6 versions of Petrol only Santro, the sales man said Santro has only 2 versions.
The people at Kun Hyundai, Kondapur, Hyderabad are totally hopeless. They lack any professionalism or enthusiasm to talk to customers. They can learn few lessons from their counterparts at Kun Chevrolet right across the road.
Later visited Gem Motors, the Maruti dealership. The experience was very good. The sales person took lot of time in explaining variants and features across Alto K10, A-Start, Wagon R. He also explained various finance options.
We liked the interiors of Wagon R. If our budget was little higher, Wagon R would be one of the prime contenders. They are offering Rs.20,000/- cash discount on Alto K10. They are also offering accessories worth Rs. 7,000/- for free. Sales man promised to send Alto K10 for test drive tomorrow.

[JediKnight]

Try an alternate Hyundai dealer ( what about Talwar ? ) I guess with discounts Santro GL plus may just come in your budget. Santro feels much bigger from inside than the Alto. Alto K10 is also a great car if you are okay with interior space.

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by satish_appasani

.......... The experience was very good. The sales person took lot of time in explaining variants and features across Alto K10, A-Start, Wagon R. He also explained various finance options.
We liked the interiors of Wagon R. If our budget was little higher, Wagon R would be one of the prime contenders. They are offering Rs.20,000/- cash discount on Alto K10. They are also offering accessories worth Rs. 7,000/- for free. Sales man promised to send Alto K10 for test drive tomorrow.

For your budget the Alto K10 is the best bet. With the type of discounts offered the Vxi model should be less than 3.5L OTR (Vxi is VFM compared to the Lxi). Use the balance to fill petrol and enjoy the car, else make an FD for 50-60K (saved from 4L) and enjoy free petrol of 5K every year! (That should give you 1K km in normal run)

[satish_appasani]

Test drove K10 today. Enjoyed the drive. The pickup was good even with AC switched on. The car already had 14000 KMS on the odo but there were no rattles, ride was decent.

Now it's time to decide the color. Wife wants black, but i am not sure due to the maintenance it requires. I am liking the White color.

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by satish_appasani

Test drove K10 today. Enjoyed the drive. The pickup was good even with AC switched on. The car already had 14000 KMS on the odo but there were no rattles, ride was decent.

Now it's time to decide the color. Wife wants black, but i am not sure due to the maintenance it requires. I am liking the White color.

Congratulations, your search is over! One suggestion get the Vxi as it has the tachometer a must have for us enthusiasts. I have the burnt copper, but I think plain white is easier to maintain. Black would not suit the shape.

If possible -

. get the tyres changed to Michelin as they will give you a tremendous grip and last much longer than OEM, in my case it cost around 4.5K for all the five tyres.
. Get the rear door light switches installed, they would set you back by 200-300.