[fiat_tarun]

Originally Posted by ghodlur

Well, Punto mid variant Dynamic does have ABS as standard and was available only for the Diesel variant. Nevertheless a good choice in Figo too.

Thanks for that ghodlur. I did not know the Dynamic has ABS ! Did this come with when they re-worked the variants ?

Anyway, with a Punto already at home, I didn't even check to see if good deals were available.

[saket77]

Originally Posted by am1m

What about Honda? They're Japanese too. How do they, in your informed opinion, stack up in terms of quality, reliability and maintenance costs wrt to their India-specific models?

Honda has its own long stories of reliability running over its decades of existence. Its considered among the most reliable machines world wide. The quality is very much acceptable and there should be no issues on this front. The cost of ownership will be a notch higher than the Maruti Suzuki, but considerably & far lower than the Germans like the VW/ Skoda!

Time to update your consideration set!

Regards,
Saket

[ethanhunt123]

So here is the situation right now - We (me + missus) currently own a Cedia (5 yrs, 65k kms) and a Tata Nano (~2 yrs, 7k kms). We initially bought the Nano thinking that we would upgrade the Cedia after a yr or so - but now due to changing priorities; we are thinking of selling off the Nano instead and getting a B2 hatch. We will keep the Cedia for another 2-3 yrs. It will continue to be my daily drive and primary car for highway use. The hatch will be used primarily for city driving and maybe occasional outstation drives.

The primary requirements for the hatch are -

1. ABS + Dual Airbags (No compromise whatsoever)
2. Premium look/feel interiors
3. Reasonably peppy + decent handler (i am spoilt after Cedia, but my wife is OK with anything)
4. Should feel like an upmarket hatch
5. Finally - budget of ~7.5L OTR Bangalore (Cant stretch too much , maybe another 30-40k)

We spent researching/TDing cars last weekend, and have drawn up the following shortlist -

1. Maruti Swift ZXi
Positives - Handling, Engine, A.S.S., Safety (5 star Euro NCAP)
Negatives - OKish interiors, too common on the road

2. Hyundai i20 Asta
Positives - Interiors+Features blow you away, Feels from 2 segments above, ultra light steering (according to my wife), Safety (5 Star Euro NCAP). Looks classy
Negatives - Commuter engine, boat like ride at high speeds, light streeing (according to spoilt me :( ), high price (~7.8L OTR)

3. VW Polo Highline
Positives - Solid build, External looks (especially in Red)
Negatives - High Service Cost, Lacklustre engine, almost no features when compared to others in class

4. Nissan Micra (New Model Change) - the dealer had brought the old one for TD to our home - we plan to visit the showroom this weekend to check the new one out

Did not consider Punto (Emotion variant way too overprices, Fiat ASS, ultra low resale value, dont like interiors (personal choice), Figo (looks too outdated, low FE for petrol, cheapish interiors), Liva (horrible interiors, cost cutting obvious, centrally located facia), Brio (looks a segment below, wife doesnt like looks), Vista (Sorry but no Tata after paying 7L+),

Ideally, the perfect car would be the one having Polo's body, i20's interiors & Swift's engine. Since its not going to happen, i am stuck now between these 3 :(

[tbppjpr]

Originally Posted by ethanhunt123

Ideally, the perfect car would be the one having Polo's body, i20's interiors & Swift's engine. Since its not going to happen, i am stuck now between these 3 :(

There can't be any single perfect car for everyone. You will have to shortlist your priorities and then will have to make the decision. First decide which are your priorities and which negatives you can buy with those priorities and can live without complaining later.

3. VW Polo Highline
Positives - Solid build, External looks (especially in Red)
Negatives - High Service Cost, Lacklustre engine, almost no features when compared to others in class

Have you driven it for some remarkable distance? Don't go by paper specs, just drive it to make any statement on the engine which is at par with other similar engines come in other cars. About the features, Many more features have been added over the time in the past like auto AC, better music system, electrically adjusted ORVM and many more.

BTW You have forgotten the Figo in your list.

For the performance, you can consider the new Polo GT TSI, obviously you will have to spend for what you want.

And let @desertfox come and share his opinion on the Toyota Etios/Liva, I am sure it would turn out best pick out of the lot according to him.

[ethanhunt123]

Originally Posted by tbppjpr

There can't be any single perfect car for everyone. You will have to shortlist your priorities and then will have to make the decision. First decide which are your priorities and which negatives you can buy with those priorities and can live without complaining later.

Yep, obviously the wish was daydreaming

Originally Posted by tbppjpr

Have you driven it for some remarkable distance? Don't go by paper specs, just drive it to make any statement on the engine which is at par with other similar engines come in other cars. About the features, Many more features have been added over the time in the past like auto AC, better music system, electrically adjusted ORVM and many more.

BTW You have forgotten the Figo in your list.

For the performance, you can consider the new Polo GT TSI, obviously you will have to spend for what you want.

And let @desertfox come and share his opinion on the Toyota Etios/Liva, I am sure it would turn out best pick out of the lot according to him.

TSi is out of budget - at close to 10L, i would anyway rather buy something else. Figo as i wrote above is out of equation due to outdated looks and bad petrol engine (low FE, low power). Liva - well I would rather say nothing.

I drove Polo just after driving Swift on a empty stretch and it was obvious that Swift has it beat in driving fun. I guess Polo will be more stable at high speeds but it will take a long long time to reach those speeds. I will TD them again near my house in both inside lanes / highway conditions one after the other again before making up my mind.

I know a lot of features have been added to Polo - still the cabin looks bare compared to i20. And adding aftermarket stuff is difficult due to ridiculous policies by the local VW dealers.

[tbppjpr]

Originally Posted by ethanhunt123

I drove Polo just after driving Swift on a empty stretch and it was obvious that Swift has it beat in driving fun. I guess Polo will be more stable at high speeds but it will take a long long time to reach those speeds.

Believe me, the on road real time performance is not different between the two, its just that the Polo does all that without any 'drama' due to it's dynamic, hence you don't feel that.

I will TD them again near my house in both inside lanes / highway conditions one after the other again before making up my mind.

Extensive test drives would be better. If you can, then measure the timings of driving during a stretch or keep the constant eye on the speedo.

I know a lot of features have been added to Polo - still the cabin looks bare compared to i20.

Here I can't comment anything, it all depends your personal feel.
Personally I found both equally good for their own distinct feel they offer.

And adding aftermarket stuff is difficult due to ridiculous policies by the local VW dealers.

So do you think Hyundai or any other company is any different for that matter? All companies have same policies, and they all will be singing same song for warranty voiding in case of aftermarket installations etc. And if you ask me, there is nothing wrong in that policy. Its just to make sure our safety and car's life. Not everyone installs the aftermarket stuffs with all necessary care and precautions in mind. Take those 'warnings' as precautions and do the aftermarket mods accordingly. Applicable to all the modern day cars.

Best of luck for your hunt.

[overdose142]

Hello everyone,

This serves as my first post on this forum after lurking for more than three years. Well, the reason for this post is not a very uncommon one around here. I'm confused. Now this confusion is not about buying one car or another one. This one is a bit more complicated. Warning for the long wall of text that is about to follow.

First, a little background.
I'm a 23 year old male who's just started working. I've been driving for a little more than 6 years now. I've driven majorly two cars in my life. A Tata Safari and a Tata Indica. We sold off the Indica V2(Bought in 2004) a while back after it clocked 125k km. The Safari is a 2005 model and has clocked in 85k kms. My father travels a lot you see. There's no one else who drives in our family.

My office is approximately 10 kilometres from my home and I expect to travel an average of 40-50 kilometres per week for my job related work.

I basically need a car for my daily commute. Now here's the catch. My father is insisting on buying a Diesel. He's a believer in diesel resale value. He plans on using the car for travelling on sundays if it's a highway car. If it's not, then it'll only be used for my daily office commute.


The Moolah
I'm not willing to spend more than Rs. 7-8L on the car. I'm planning to go for an overdraft based loan for five years. I can easily prepay a Rs. 6 lakhs loan within a year. Luckily, I earn good. But the real problem is not the affordability. It's whether I should be shelling out Rs. 7 lakhs for a car when I'll get to drive it for say, an hour a day. I've got long office hours so I cannot even think of going for a spin on a weekday. What I'm basically asking for is not advice from a motor head, but advice from an experienced person who's been in a similar situation. What decision did he take, what was the outcome and what would he recommend to me.

The Question of the New or the Old
This part stems from the last one only. I'm comfortable with both a new or an old car. The only problem for me is the scarcity of time that I'll face when the old car demands repairs. On the other hand, the new car will clock less than 10k km in a year. The depreciation scares me.

The Thing about Needs and Wants
1. Drive Comfort
I've driven Tatas all my life. I know how it feels like to drive a Tractor. I want to move on to something much more comfortable. Honestly, every car I test drove felt like a ton better. I still want to go for a good, if not the best driving experience. I loved the experience of i20 and Polo. Hated Liva for some reasons. Also, I'm 6'3". I need space.
2. Interiors
Again, them Tatas. I don't want something very flashy like Micra's, nor something bizarre like Liva's or Amaze's. I found the interiors of i20, Polo and i10 to be pretty good. Brio's and Beat's are decent.
3. Fuel Efficiency
A bit of it please. I'm an Indian after all.

The Search
Since I'm a little low on time these days, I've not been able to test drive a lot of cars. Though I visited almost all the dealerships and checked out almost all the cars.
1. Volkswagon - Polo
Absolutely loved the car. The interiors are too good for my liking. The test drive was wonderful. Then I found about the service costs and my dad asked me to kiss it a goodbye. Seriously, can anyone give me an estimate about the service costs for a Polo. Another issue is, that I'll have to shell out Rs. 7.22L for the Comfortline variant. I've heard that the Polo petrol engine is not that good.

2. Ford Figo
Dad test drove the car. He didn't find it too appealing. He hated the ride quality. "Stiff Suspension". I liked the leg space, but I wasn't comfortable with the stereo controls on the steering's side.

3. Chevrolet - Sail U-VA
Don't like the car plain and simple. Don't want to be seen in one.

4. Chevrolet - Beat
For some reasons, I am not comfortable with the idea of me driving a Beat.

5. Hyundai - i10
The same case with Beat.

6. Hyundai - i20
Test drove it. Oh Boy. Them features, that drive quality. Loved the car. Even dad liked it. Was considering Magna Options or Sports.
Magna Options - Rs. 7.05L Sports - Rs. 7.70L

7. Renault Pulse, Nissan Micra
Hate the shape of both the cars.

8. Toyota Liva
Test drove it. Interiors were not to my liking.I was amazed at how quick it turns though. The drive was so-so.

The Plans that went Kaput
Three weeks back, I went to test drive a Polo. Finalized it. Them some bugger told dad about the high maintenance cost. He dropped the idea of it.
The next week, I test drove an i20. Loved it. Finalized it. Spread the news as well. Now dad again plays the spoilsport.
His argument now is that I should be buying a cheaper Petrol car like a Brio or a second hand car since he's planning to upgrade to a 12L+ car in the near future and the EMI for both the cars would burn a giant hole in our pockets.

For the second hand petrol, I'm considering a Swift.
Since Polo will be costly to maintain, i20 petrol variant's mileage and engine is not so good. That leaves me with Swift only.


Now I don't know what I should go for. A smaller petrol car, a bigger petrol car, a bigger Diesel car, a second hand petrol or a second hand diesel. I hope you guys help me take a decision which I don't regret. That's the most important thing right? Not regretting the decisions which you've taken in life.

Thanks a lot guys!

[Dopamine]

Wont you take a look at the Punto?

[drsingh]

It seems you'll be sharing cars with the family.In that case it makes sense to buy a simple petrol for the commuting and spend more on the 12 L+ highway car your dad is planning to upgrade to. Its a good idea to have a small city petrol and a big highway diesel in a two car family. As your family holds on to cars for a longer period depreciation doesn't really come into the picture. Brio petrol is a good choice.So is the i20 if youre after features. As youre going to drive less,affordability is not a problem, buy any car that appeals to you.

[johy]

Originally Posted by overdose142

But the real problem is not the affordability. It's whether I should be shelling out Rs. 7 lakhs for a car when I'll get to drive it for say, an hour a day. I've got long office hours so I cannot even think of going for a spin on a weekday. What I'm basically asking for is not advice from a motor head, but advice from an experienced person who's been in a similar situation. What decision did he take, what was the outcome and what would he recommend to me.

Quite a fix you are in. You need to buy a car that you cannot "drive" much. And also keep way for possibly a bigger highway car in the next few years.

I am in a sort of similar situation. I don't have much time to (drive). I would suggest this. For now, get a good small car which has good resale value later. Or get a good Pre-worshipped car (but one that has good resale value).

Keep the diesel plan for later (to satisfy your dad's argument). But when you do get the diesel in a few years, then get one that has a fun-to-drive quotient.

Giving you my own example. I have a Wagon R. I don't drive it much. It is mainly driven by the family/driver. However, I always wanted a good driver's car (for myself). So when I could afford one, I got a pre-worshipped Baleno. I would drive it only on the weekends sometimes. Then when I could yet afford another one (and yes the time comes), I swapped it for a Linea T-Jet. Because I wanted every minute of that hour I drive to be gratifying.

Edit: Another option might be the new EcoSport diesel. Although it is not really going to be "fun to drive" in the purist kind of way. But it will serve with efficiency, commuting, highway runs, and resale value.

[sandeepmohan]

The best car for you is the Hyundai i20. It is very comfortable, has plenty of room, is easy to drive and live with, is made well and the 1.2l petrol has adequate power for the city run about and the occasional highway run. The top of the line i20 1.2l without the sun roof should fall in your budget easily.

Between the VW and Hyundai, I pick the Hyundai as it has a quiet and refined motor. Where did you read or learn about poor mileage and engine on the i20? The 1.2l petrol is one of the most refined units around and real world fuel efficiency is 11-12kmpl.

Another option is the Honda Brio. I am not a big fan of its looks or interiors but you may like it.

Then again, you have the all time favourite Suzuki Swift.

[diyguy]

I would just go with a Swift, new or second hand since it is a VFM car and both petrol and diesel have their pluses. I have a 2006 Zxi Swift and a 2000 Qualis GS myself. I was amazed when I got to drive the Swift diesel of a friend. Amazing pickup and terrific FE.
Maintenance of the petrol is very cheap too and I've driven my Zxi intercity as it has air bags and ABS.

[ghodlur]

Quite a dilema you are in indeed.

Based on the requirements I would suggest a Wagon R since it suits you the best. Space wise, maintenance wise and fuel efficiency wise. Also its a tall boy design, will not be a problem during ingress/egress for your height. Quite a nimble city car.

If you want a feature loaded car, then I suggest go for the i20. I would have suggested Brio - but not sure about the space or the Jazz which is not in production.

[overdose142]

Originally Posted by Dopamine

Wont you take a look at the Punto?

Never really looked at it to be honest. Will go through some reviews today.
Thanks!

[saket77]

Thorny shoes to be in! Anyway, I will suggest you only 2 cars from the lot:


1. Wagon-R: Easy on your bank, low maintenance cost, fuel efficient, good space for a tall guy like you, decent ergonomics, decent drive and good for city.

2. Fiat Punto: Very good car, matured road behaviour, good build quality, a great Diesel option to satisfy you dad's wish, and excellent safety, but outweighed in terms of service & maintenance costs by the other Maruti option.

Regards,
Saket