[Rubbertramps]

Originally Posted by sourabhzen

This 'defamed' brake issue shall be confirmed after test driving a car in your city. I haven't seen any Swift accident till date on my daily home-office route (Gurgaon - Delhi, 35 kms one way). And yes, I am driving Swift Vxi for past 6 years and 85000 kms.

Ah ok. Let me try to give it a shot !

Originally Posted by arnabchak

Rubberstamps

Vxi and LXi Brakes are not outstanding but do well for city drives.

Even on highways, they may be a tad underperforming but that should not be a deal breaker.

Else, if you can stretch your budget, get the ZXi or else if you are ok, you could consider the Ritz Vxi ABS.

You need to TD the cars you have selected/shortlisted and only then can you arrive at the pros and cons of each car!!

Yes. I am starting today !

Originally Posted by suhas_raj

I would suggest you stay away from Hyundai if are looking for it to drive like you Punto did. It never can. Period.

I did that mistake of buying an i10 as a second car after Punto but could never connect with the car. End result, sold it !! Still own the Punto

If driving dynamics is on top of your list then you should stick to something European. Interesting to see that some worthy hatchbacks are missing from your list.

Why not the updated Polo or the updated Punto Evo? Even if your budget will not allow you for the fully loaded versions.

I totally understand. But i am trying to be conservative after marriage. So Maruti and Hyundai are better choices since they have better resale. But i havent driven them till now. May be if i did i would second your thoughts!

Originally Posted by Biraj

Based on my ownership experience of T-jet for 2.5 years and 31K KMs, and owning a Punto for 2 years, I would say the T-jet is definitely more expensive to maintain. Most of the spares are imported from Brazil or Italy thus, the costs are much higher than that of Punto or regular Linea. You should factor in these additional costs while selecting a pre-owned T-jet. Brake pads cost ~6000/set thus, 12K for replacing all four. Rotors are also around 6K per set. A set of Iridium plugs (due at 30K or 2 years) is around 3.5K. Clutch can set you back by another 10-12K. A well maintained T-jet will allow you to enjoy the car the way it's meant to be enjoyed and will never let you down on the road.

In Delhi, 2014 manufactured new Punto MJD Active variants (pre-EVO generation) are selling for less than 5.5 lacs on-road. The extremely high Bangalore taxes might take it closer to 6. If you are game for another Punto, this might be a good time to own another one.

Thanks a lot for your inputs. I cannot afford a Tjet atleast now . As far as the old punto, yes i considered those, but again a diesel and its maintenance. I want a petrol for a change !

[chaudh2s]

Originally Posted by Rubbertramps

Hello All,

Priorities

1. Good hatchback with good road manners and better mileage. Not very keen on good mileage.
2. Some exciting factor in terms of engine in it.
3. Should be capable of doing highway runs sometimes.
4. Maruti and Hyundai preferable.

With all these options in mind i am keen on looking at the following

1. Fiesta classic petrol 1.6
2. Honda Brio iVTEC
3. Hyundai Grand i 10 petrol.

Not going by the rest of your post and focussing solely on your priority list, here is my assessment :
Point no-1: Since you've been driving a punto for the last some years, Gi10 and Brio would leave you severly disappointed in the road manners or ride department. This i can tell from experience. Advantage- Classic

Point no-2: Though the brio engine too is very nice but no match to 1.6L ford unit. Again advantage Classic.

Point no-3: Any car can do highway runs, nano can, so can a two wheeler, depends upon what you want from your car during highway runs. If it's engine performance, it's covered in point no -2. If it's handling brio and fiesta are v good. If it's comfort, then Gi10 ride becomes severly bouncy on highways with full load, though it remains fairly acceptable with less load. Brio ride is again not it's hallmark. Advantage- classic.

Point no-4: Though it's your personal choice, i found the ford service to be quite good actually. Better than honda! Advantage :Gi10

I would reccommend a ford fiesta any day over and above the other two. A punto evo would be the best choice in my opinion.

[IshaanIan]

First off, to anyone buying a new car, I recommend not compromising on safety so either look at top-end options:
1. Might have to look at shelling out a little more
2. Buy a ZXi Swift before the launch of its facelift so you get the benefits of huge discounts
3. Not sure, but I think the Brio should fit your budget

OR if rumors are to be believed, wait for the new laws to kick in in the new year and buy a car with standard safety offerings

[Arkin evoisrevo]

Originally Posted by Rubbertramps

Priorities

1. Good hatchback with good road manners and better mileage. Not very keen on good mileage.
2. Some exciting factor in terms of engine in it.
3. Should be capable of doing highway runs sometimes.

The base versions of the Fiesta 1.6 and Evo 1.3 will cost you Rupees. 6 lakh and 6.5 lakh respectively.

The Fiesta has been around for the past 9 years, and with several prowling the streets, parts should not be a problem over the next few year, I hope?

I think you should at least TD the Evo, before doing away with it as an option just because you own the previous gen.

I think you would be comfortable with either, coming from a Punto.

4. Maruti and Hyundai preferable.

If keen on a Maruti/Hyundai, how does the idea of getting a nearly new Swift ZDi, or even an i20 CRDi for that matter, sound?

[Rubbertramps]

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

First off, to anyone buying a new car, I recommend not compromising on safety so either look at top-end options:
1. Might have to look at shelling out a little more
2. Buy a ZXi Swift before the launch of its facelift so you get the benefits of huge discounts
3. Not sure, but I think the Brio should fit your budget

OR if rumors are to be believed, wait for the new laws to kick in in the new year and buy a car with standard safety offerings

I agree on the safety features. My budget is 6L. Swift Zxi is more than 7 lacs OTR. Thats too high ! This budget i might get a fully loaded Eon, or i can squeeze in a Ritz.

Originally Posted by Arkin evoisrevo

The base versions of the Fiesta 1.6 and Evo 1.3 will cost you Rupees. 6 lakh and 6.5 lakh respectively.

The Fiesta has been around for the past 9 years, and with several prowling the streets, parts should not be a problem over the next few year, I hope?

I think you should at least TD the Evo, before doing away with it as an option just because you own the previous gen.

I think you would be comfortable with either, coming from a Punto.



If keen on a Maruti/Hyundai, how does the idea of getting a nearly new Swift ZDi, or even an i20 CRDi for that matter, sound?

Updating on my TD in my next post ! But ZDI and CRDI are not even in my list. Way too high and no Diesel !

Update on my Test Drives

1. Maruti - Pratham Motors HSR Layout

I was greeted very well and the showroom was buzzing with activity at 5 30 pm. I took test drives of Alto K 10 and Swift ZXI. I asked for Ritz and Celerio Manual as well. But they were not available.

Alto K 10: Good pickup and nice response from engine. But my better half didn't like it and i can drive it as my city car, but highways not very inviting. The interiors are more than a decade old. Not a good feeling to shell out 4 lacs for the same.

Swift ZXI: Since the TD was after the TD of alto, it was a sea of change. Like the response of the engine, although i felt it was a bit lethargic in the second. As in i was expecting a good response reading all the reviews. The car was 15000 on the ODO. Liked the interiors although it was dull and i felt the punto was a little airy and bright inside. But can definitely live with it.

The SA gave me all prices and Swift VXI comes a little above 6lacs. On the other hand Ritz VXI is 5.5 lacs and odd. A whooping 50k lesser. So yet to decide.

Hyundai - Trident Hyundai - Kudlu - Hosur road.

1. Pretty dull for a showroom. I meant the arrangements were all fine, but no one came up to us. The showroom was empty at 6 15 pm. The receptionist came up and i asked for a TD of Gi10. Only diesel was available and she asked me to come tomorrow for a petrol. No discounts, not even corportate, Gi10 Magna comes to 570000.

Gi10 - Nice paint work, Nice interiors and good space, better than my punto. Not sure about the length of the rear seats and the thickness of the front. Yet to TD.

FIAT - Vecto Motors - Singasandra

Good response, better than Hyundai. At 7 pm , a sales guy managed to brief me on all features and compared it with my current model wrt to features. Good knowledge. Gave me the price list. However i a 1.2 is not available for test drive. Will come only next week. He informed me that he will bring to my residence for a TD. No discounts on the EVO.

I wanted the bank interest rates. A senior guy managed to give me all details wrt EMI's and bank document details. Good show.

Active 1.2 comes to 5.68.
Prev gen Punto Dynamic comes to 6.9 lacs with 65 k discount including FIAT loyalty bonus.

Havent taken up Ford and Honda yet.

[Lobogris]

Originally Posted by Rubbertramps

I agree on the safety features. My budget is 6L. Swift Zxi is more than 7 lacs OTR. Thats too high ! This budget i might get a fully loaded Eon, or i can squeeze in a Ritz.




Updating on my TD in my next post ! But ZDI and CRDI are not even in my list. Way too high and no Diesel !

Grand i10 and Zest top models should be just above 6.5 lakhs. Safety should be given a higher priority than other features. Plus if you get a Zest, you don't have to change for a sedan in a couple of years!

[s_pphilip]

Originally Posted by sidhu_hs

Considering everything, I am surprised at how good Swift is as a package even three years after launch.

Aaah, Its a heart v/s money decision here, the Swift of course is a much better car but according to you is priced a lakh dearer, if you pick it through EMI's and the difference ain't much, you'd might as well pick the Swift ZDi or wait until slightly more discounts are announced.
Seating height wise Swift should be more or less same, the front seats are quite comfortable.

But that shouldn't take due credit away from the Ritz, you'll only find it lacking in rear ride and cornering capabilities, the latter shouldn't bother much if your dad ain't driving fast.
On the plus side it is roomier and has a bigger boot, rest it shares all the Maruti traits with its sibling, including spares availability, there are countless Zens and Esteems on the roads as testimony.

Now the question, since you already have a Swift in house, is it necessary to pick a twin, why not consider another that meets your reliability and ASS criteria or try an Auto, I am sure this thought must have crossed your mind. Also if your dad is inclined towards Swift, you may swap this with your dad and pick another.

[sidhu_hs]

Update: So the Maruti SA retracted from his promised discount on Ritz and we were back to square one! Felt no need to haggle with him. We felt it was over the top to begin with!

Inspired by GTO's philosophy, I too went around the second hand market looking for 2 to 4 year old, under 20-30k B2 segment diesel hatches. Despite being said here umpteen times, I will again add that second hand market will test your patience and good deals are few and far between. Even though metros have a burgeoning second hand car market, finding good deals in the countryside is still a task. The ones that looked to fit the bill at first, turned out to be either accidental, under clocked or simply too beat up. Numerous 1 year old B segment hatchbacks with 50k on the odo, 2 year old with 90k on the odo were available. Only good deal I could find locally after doing thorough research was a pristine condition Oct '12 12.5k Silver XUV500 W8 @10.8L(New one is OTR 15L here). I almost fell for it till I was reminded by Dad,"This is NOT what our requirement is!"

We did another round of Test Drives of all cars I had driven earlier, with my Dad in the driver's seat this time. He was quite impressed with Elite i20. Only fly in the ointment is ingress/egress. This time I reminded my Dad, "This is not a compromise we set out to make while deciding!"

Originally Posted by s_pphilip

Now the question, since you already have a Swift in house, is it necessary to pick a twin, why not consider another that meets your reliability and ASS criteria or try an Auto, I am sure this thought must have crossed your mind. Also if your dad is inclined towards Swift, you may swap this with your dad and pick another.

I understand from the Indian Car Scene at present that ideal car would have been Honda Jazz but waiting till March '15 is not possible. Second best seems i20 in the absence of Jazz. Also I was keen on Polo if they launched GT TDI with DSG, but VW seem to have other ideas! Inspite of saving excise with 1.5 litre engine they are launching GT TDI at the same price. No value added!

So after a lot discussions, we decided on Asta Diesel since my dad is going to use the car primarily for his visit to our native place on weekends which is 250 km to and fro NH10 exercise. In case of any issues with i20, I'll swap my Swift with i20. So booked a White i20 Asta Diesel on 29th August. It will come to about 8.5 OTR here with RTO charges, zero dep insurance and 2 year extended warranty. Expecting delivery during fag end of this month.

[searacer932]

All,

I am looking at a petrol hatchback for pure city driving. The car might take the highways once in a while. The ratio of city driving to highway driving will be 90:10. The car will be primarily driven by my better half. I am looking at a car with the following parameters

1. ABS and Air-bags
2. Good driving for city purpose. Shouldn't need frequent usage of clutch and gear-shifts as 90% of the driving is going to be in the city.
3. Should be fuel efficient
4. Servicing cost should be nominal and pocket-friendly

I have short-listed the following cars.

Brio VX MT

+ Nimble car, easy to drive in the city, is quite decent for that occasional 10% highway driving as well, iVtec supposed to be much more fuel efficient compared to K12 and also compared with Kappa2
- interiors not so great, seating is low and I am not sure how comfortable the low seating would be in the long run

Swift ZXi

+ Interiors much better than Brio, gets 15 inch wheels, rear wiper and ACC for the additional 50. May be the car will be superior to Brio on the highways for that 10% of driving
- Am not sure about the build quality of the Swift and the supposedly rattles. Also, don't think the K12 engine will be as fuel efficient as iVtec. Also have read in the reviews that the K12 engine on the Ritz is much suitable for city driving rather than in the Swift

Ritz ZXi

+ The K12 engine on the Ritz is supposed to be much better for city driving than in the Swift. High seating position should help the ladies.
- Quirky design. My wife does not like the car and the only reason that I have asked her to consider Ritz is because of the ease of driving and high seating position.

I have not considered i10 and Grand i10 primarily because of the F.E factor and the supposedly expensive ASS compared to Honda and MASS.

Please provide your views.

[gsurya]

Considering the ridiculous traffic sense in Chennai & the kind of lanes there, I would say Brio is best, Ritz next. Shorter & nimbler the car the better.

You can also consider the Grand i10 before the Swift.

[drritwik]

Hyundai ASS is not exactly very expensive in my opinion. We own two Hyundai's and I would say that you need to be very careful of what they are trying to shove down your throat in the name of service. If one is careful of that then Hyundai ASS is at par with Maruti ASS. So I would suggest to keep gi10 in consideration. Bit yes, I do agree that F.E. for any Hyundai car is very sensitive to pedal input

[Kanboy]

Being a Brio owner first things to be addressed are 1. The ivtec kicks in after 3500rpm same like a turbo. 2. The milage i have been getting in brio is within city with ac on is around 11.5 to 13 to the tops, without ac 12.5 to 14.. highway 15 is the maximum. 3. The low end torque of the car is acceptable, but the real fun starts after crossing the 3500 mark all the way till 6500 where the car shoots out like a bullet. I have given cars like Verna and Duster a hard time till 100kmph but after that it climbs slowly till it looses breath at 150kmph. This is our city car taken on highways too at times, but i must say nothing better than a Brio to drive around in a city as its extremely manuverable, with an awesome turning radius. The ac is good, but very effective when the vehicle is in motion. The only problem i felt in the car till now is when the ac is on it takes quite a bit stress to move around...btw i have driven my car around 21000kms in the span of 2.6 yrs..if you have any other questions do let me know
Regards

[TB16]

IMO although the swift is a much better allround package but since this car will be driven primarily by your wife, I would suggest the BRIO. Its a very nimble car (for city driving) along with that execellent & fuel efficient ivtec engine.

[IshaanIan]

If an easy to drive city hatch is your primary purpose, might I bring to light the inherent flaws in all the cars that you have shortlisted;
The Brio's V-Tec, needs to be revved which means a lot of gear changes. Though its footprint screams city hatch, I'd leave this one for us enthusiasts and certainly not push it on your wife, what with its awful interiors too.
The Swift also suffers from the same issue with its K12 unit. The motor needs to be in higher rpms to get any grunt at all.
The Ritz might be a bit better than the Swift, but it's terribly dated.

The perfect city hatch which you and your wife must go see, is the Nissan Micra. My friend owned one and her car was hands down the easiest car I have ever driven in the city. By which I mean driving position, gearbox, engine, everything came together to make the obvious choice for a city car. It has imprinted itself in my head and while someone like you or me might prefer the Brio or Swift, when normal people who aren't petrol heads ask me which car to buy, I have only one answer.

[searacer932]

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

If an easy to drive city hatch is your primary purpose, might I bring to light the inherent flaws in all the cars that you have shortlisted;
The Brio's V-Tec, needs to be revved which means a lot of gear changes. Though its footprint screams city hatch, I'd leave this one for us enthusiasts and certainly not push it on your wife, what with its awful interiors too.
The Swift also suffers from the same issue with its K12 unit. The motor needs to be in higher rpms to get any grunt at all.
The Ritz might be a bit better than the Swift, but it's terribly dated.

The perfect city hatch which you and your wife must go see, is the Nissan Micra. My friend owned one and her car was hands down the easiest car I have ever driven in the city. By which I mean driving position, gearbox, engine, everything came together to make the obvious choice for a city car. It has imprinted itself in my head and while someone like you or me might prefer the Brio or Swift, when normal people who aren't petrol heads ask me which car to buy, I have only one answer.

Agreed that the Ritz is outdated. I went for a TD of Brio about a month back and didn't face any issues in managing around the traffic. May be we will go for an extensive test drive again. Micra is ruled out as I am not convinced about Nissan's ASS in Chennai and the service center is quite far away from my home.