[suhaas307]

Then my friend, the obvious choice would be the Polo 1.6. Yes, it doesn't feel as fast as the 100 bhp figure suggests, but it is much faster than the Jazz and the Swift. Some minor modifications should give it some more grunt.

The Polo's dynamics are brilliant too, and the brakes will anchor it effectively as well. And if you've got 10 lakhs to spare, make sure you upgrade the tyres to wider ones for better grip. The stock tyres don't do the car's dynamic-ability any justice.

If you can wait, VW might introduce a more powerful diesel engine in the Polo sometime soon, I reckon.

However, it is a VW. And it will be relatively more expensive to run and maintain when compared to the Japanese cars. If you're prepared to deal with that, then the Polo 1.6 it has to be!

[ajay_satpute]

Originally Posted by ashish22

So folks its a quest to find a hatchback which offers superlative performance, sedan like stability and dynamics and off course safety equipments under 10 lakhs.

If you can wait a little longer, then Fiesta Hatchback will tick most boxes for you IMO. Its one heck of a hatch and very very successful all over. Keep an eye on that. Besides that, VW is coming up with 'UP', but not sure when. Fiesta is surely on cards and sources say that it might be launched by 2nd Q of 2012.

[selfdrive]

Originally Posted by ajay_satpute

Fiesta is surely on cards and sources say that it might be launched by 2nd Q of 2012.

Thats news to me. I thought they were working on the Ecosport. Sorry to be selfish, but I hope they come out with the Ecosport before the Fiesta hatchback!

For the original question on hand, perhaps this has been asked before but why not consider a Punto?

[indian21r]

Originally Posted by ashish22

3. Micra XV Premium Diesel (~6.5 lakhs OTR, Gurgaon) (After dealer discounts)

Hi ashish, You have mentioned dealer discounts for Micra. I am taking a new Micra XV in Hyderabad this month which is 6.87 OTR. Can you confirm what offer did you have. Were there any from Nissan or only through dealer.

Man Cars are looking really expensive in Hyderabad now. I am paying way more for a lower end car.

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by ajay_satpute

If you can wait a little longer, then Fiesta Hatchback will tick most boxes for you IMO. Its one heck of a hatch and very very successful all over. Keep an eye on that. Besides that, VW is coming up with 'UP', but not sure when. Fiesta is surely on cards and sources say that it might be launched by 2nd Q of 2012.

I don't think the Fiesta hatch will make it to India. At least, not anytime soon. It might take a few years, if Ford ever plan on bringing it here. At the moment, Ford is looking to launch the EcoSport and that's top-priority for them. It would be great if the Fiesta hatch makes it though.

The VW Up! on the other hand, is expected to hit Indian shores very soon. But it's going to be VW's entry level car. It will be positioned against the likes of he Hyundai i10, Nissan Micra, Maruti's hatch-family and of course, the Honda Brio. The Up! is a whole segment lower and will not compete against the likes of the Swift, i20, etc IMO. It will be powered by the same engine that currently powers the Polo (the 1.2) and the Polo 1.2 will be discontinued and a new, more powerful and refined mill should take its place.

[ashish22]

@indian21r: This is the dealer discount which i had mentioned. Atleast in gurgaon they are offering generous discounts because of very less demand for micra. Also the hyderabad OTR prices are higher in comparison to Delhi/NCR. If i remember correctly dealer was offering me straight discount of 10K + 50% discount on insurance + logistics and landing cost waived off and accessories worth 5K.

@suhaas: I've seen many sites spotting and uploading pictures of fiesta hatch being tested on our roads. Autocar also claims its launch in 2012. I'm quite hopeful.

As an enthusiast i dearly miss a proper performance hatchback on our roads. Polos and Fabias in their 1.6 variant are decent but they lack road presence. To my eyes they look slightly smaller and subdued. Fiesta hatchback on the contrary looks like a proper if i may put it correctly "luxury sports hatchback". Jazz to some extent also has decent physical road presence.

Wish we had something like VW Scirocco on our roads :-(

[misquitas]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

The 1.2 mill in the Jazz may be super-smooth and very refined, but it does lack bottom-end grunt. That said, it's way better than the 1.2 Kappa in the i10, by a long shot. I've driven both, the Jazz more extensively, and I can vouch for it! Yes, it does lack grunt, but once the power builds up, the Jazz is quite a fast car. And dynamically, it's pretty good too. It's definitely not a hot-hatch, but in city-limits, you don't really need a car that's dynamically as good as, say, a Fiesta.

The Honda is dynamically sorted. It's no sports-car or hot-hatch, but it's more than enough for city-drives. Our Jazz held the road pretty well on highways too, and in the Ghat-sections, it felt quite composed around the bends.

Unless you really push it very very hard, the Jazz will not disappoint you, dynamically. I'm sure your wife will not drive the nuts off it! So I don't really see why the dynamics of the Jazz is the deal-breaker here.

The Honda will give you the sedan-like feel that you want. It's very spacious, and can even gobble-up all the luggage you throw into it. And it will be as stable as an entry-level sedan on the highways. Heck, during our Goa drive, we felt that it isn't far off from our Civic, dynamically.

Oh, and as an added bonus, I assure you that the Jazz will deliver better fuel efficiency than the Kappa-powered i10.

EDIT: Honda has no plans of introducing the 1.5 mill in the Jazz. I know, it's disappointing. But they would like to keep it a notch lower than the City at all times.

Your analysis and arguments in favour of the Jazz makes me want the car even more. I can still visualize all that luggage you managed to fit into your Jazz, when you did that Bangalore-Goa trip.

As a complete package (excellent cabin/boot space, decent engine, great FE), the Jazz is my dream hatch. It's really sad though that the Jazz has been struggling with sales, with and without the price cut.

[DevilsCry]

There is an update on Nissan Micra. I saw in today's TOI ads that its price has been greatly reduced to make base model cost around 3.6 lac ex showroom Delhi. Perhaps, you should contact Nissan dealers again and get informed about latest price for its top model?

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by ashish22

@suhaas: I've seen many sites spotting and uploading pictures of fiesta hatch being tested on our roads. Autocar also claims its launch in 2012. I'm quite hopeful.

As an enthusiast i dearly miss a proper performance hatchback on our roads. Polos and Fabias in their 1.6 variant are decent but they lack road presence. To my eyes they look slightly smaller and subdued. Fiesta hatchback on the contrary looks like a proper if i may put it correctly "luxury sports hatchback". Jazz to some extent also has decent physical road presence.

Wish we had something like VW Scirocco on our roads :-(

You've analysed the market well, Ashish! The need of the hour, for us enthusiasts, is a proper hot-hatch. While the Polo 1.6 manages to fit the bill, it still isn't the perfect and ideal hot-hatch. The Jazz with the City's 1.5 mill would have been ideal, but Honda thinks otherwise, which is really sad.

The VW Scirocco is one of the most gorgeous cars VW has introduced. That said, it is hardly considered a hatchback. It's pitted against the likes of the Alfa Romeo Brera, which again is perceived to be a hatch, but it isn't. They are merely entry-level sports-coupes.

The Scirocco, if launched in India, would be closer to 30 lakhs, I reckon. At the moment, there is no market for such a car. As some of us might know, Indians prefer small sedans to large hatchbacks. In Europe, it's a different story. people prefer large hatchbacks and Estates/Station-Wagons.

The Fiesta hatch is news to me. I took Mustangman's word for it, when he mentioned that the hatch wouldn't make it here. And it sort of made sense to me, especially after the price-tag for the Fiesta sedan was revealed not too long ago. If the sedan costs 13 lakhs, I wonder how much the hatch would cost.

That said, I hope Ford look to correct the price-tag of the Fiesta Sedan, and that will indirectly affect the price-tag of the hatch too.

Originally Posted by misquitas

Your analysis and arguments in favour of the Jazz makes me want the car even more. I can still visualize all that luggage you managed to fit into your Jazz, when you did that Bangalore-Goa trip.

As a complete package (excellent cabin/boot space, decent engine, great FE), the Jazz is my dream hatch. It's really sad though that the Jazz has been struggling with sales, with and without the price cut.

Thank you Misquitas!

But as it has been mentioned before, the Jazz, sadly, does have a few drawbacks that works in the favour of the other hatchbacks in the same segment. The lack of a diesel engine, being the biggest draw-back IMO. Of course, the lackluster sales despite the price-cut also makes one think twice when they look to buy it.

What did it for the Jazz was the initial impression that it garnered. And that initial impression seems to have stuck to several people looking to buy a premium hatch. I know several people who still think that it isn't VFM, especially without a diesel option.