[rbp]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

A regular service is generally 3k-5k for our Civic. The Jazz is cheaper than that.

It's not exactly the same as the Santro's every time. But it's around that figure. It's astonishing how Hyundai manages to slap big bills on Santro owners' foreheads. Bills that are bigger than those that you get with much larger cars. And that's the point I was trying to make.

Sorry for going a little OT.

My bro is on the lookout for a car, I have forced him to have a look at the Jazz and he loves it. The only problem so far is the 5K kms service intervals suggested by the sales guy for the Jazz. Bro says when the service interval for Brio and Santro [his previsous car] is 10 K kms, how come jazz has a 5k kms service interval. Funny thing is brio has the same engine as the one found in the jazz.

[joslicx]

@thilak29
You should also seriously look at the vista. Petrol model will be in ur budget as ur running is not high and it satisfies all ur requirements to the T.

[Cayman360]

Originally Posted by Thilak29

• Its for a family of 4 adults (as of now!).I do see cases where all 4 of us would be travelling together often. - spacious
• I do not foresee the monthly run to exceed 250 km. - usage
• When I'm out of town my dad would be using it (He has learnt driving very recently) - ease of driving
• Boot space is a factor to consider, as there would be cases where we would be using it to carry some farm products back home for our usage.
• last but not least, Budget - 5 Lakh

.

I have these cars in mind -

A 250km monthly run doesnt warrant a diesel car at all! In fact get the petrol car that suits you best without worrying about fuel efficiency at all! If the Brio boot size is okay for your needs, that should be your best bet - Honda will last the best.

However, since you need both interior and boot space, I could suggest the petrol Figo - although quality doesnt compare at all with the likes of the i10, Brio - low end torque is excellent, the car has the max space both at the back and in the boot. For 5 lacs you cud get the top end one with Abs/airbags - good deal! You'll just have to live with dated interiors.

I would only suggest that you go with a car with the max space, for your needs.

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by Thilak29

[*]I do not foresee the monthly run to exceed 250 km. - usage [*]Boot space is a factor to consider, as there would be cases where we would be using it to carry some farm products back home for our usage.[*]last but not least, Budget - 5 Lakh

Now comes the tricky part, to land in front of my house I need drive up hill an intimidating driveway (shown below). It requires some amount of skill to drive all the way up as it is a steep climb up and there is a small bend plus short climb (not shown in pic) just outside the gate from the main road. I have noticed not all cars make it to the top with load.

Now the obvious question - Which one should I go for ?
Appreciate your help and time.

I don't think you would be happy with the Brio.

It does have space for 4 adults and it's surprisingly accommodating. But the boot is woefully short on space. Apart from a tote-bag or two, there is little you can stuff into the boot.

For 5 lakhs, there are three options for you, as I see it.

Since the car will be restricted to a meager 250 km a month, I will definitely not recommend a diesel as your usage doesn't warrant a diesel car at all.

The Indica Vista is very spacious. Although build-quality isn't up-to the mark and the Tata isn't known for its after-sales-service, it's still worth considering as it's a very spacious car with a reasonably large boot. The petrol engine isn't great either.

The Ford Figo petrol is also a car worth considering. The interiors are quite spacious and it has one of the biggest boots in the segment.

I wouldn't short-list a Ford or a Tata for their petrol engines. It isn't frugal and running costs could be a bit much.

You could also consider a Jazz. If you stretch your budget, you could get the largest hatch available in the market. It's very spacious and has a boot that could rival some sedans. The frugal petrol engine should give you great mileage too.

And don't forget the Toyota Etios Liva. Another competent hatch which is reliable, spacious and reasonably frugal.

If you want top-of-the-line stuff, I'd recommend the Alto K10.

Originally Posted by rbp

Sorry for going a little OT.

My bro is on the lookout for a car, I have forced him to have a look at the Jazz and he loves it. The only problem so far is the 5K kms service intervals suggested by the sales guy for the Jazz. Bro says when the service interval for Brio and Santro [his previsous car] is 10 K kms, how come jazz has a 5k kms service interval. Funny thing is brio has the same engine as the one found in the jazz.

Yeah it's something that has perplexed me as well. that said, if you insist on a service-interval that's more suited to your needs, I'm sure it can be done. Hondas can do without services for long periods of time (wouldn't recommend it though) so a longer service-interval period shouldn't be a problem.

[Thilak29]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

I don't think you would be happy with the Brio.

Was there a reason you did not mention about i20 while mentioning Jazz..

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by Thilak29

Was there a reason you did not mention about i20 while mentioning Jazz..

You could consider the i20 too. But the service-costs are rather exorbitant, especially for a hatchback. It's the sort of prices you'd pay for a mid-sized car. If you don't mind living with that and the fact that it isn't very driver-oriented, it isn't a bad prospect at all.

But if you're buying a petrol car, the Jazz is better than the i20 hands down. Maybe not in terms of features and equipment, but in terms of outright interior-space, versatility, frugality, refinement, etc.

[RadiantKarma]

Originally Posted by Thilak29

Here are the pre-conditions -

This is how I understand your requirements...

• spacious for 04
• will be driven mostly in a small town with not much traffic and decent roads
• monthly run to exceed 250 km
• ease of driving
• Boot space
• Budget - 5 Lakh

Diesel is ruled out for 250 km run. Among the petrols, my views:

Brio: Spacious enough for 04 but has a small boot
i10: If you find its space adequate, it ticks all your requirements with good city/town driveability
A-star: rightly ruled out by you - a cramped car!
Ritz: A competent hatch - ticks all yr requirements
Beat: small boot, never driven it though
i20: You don't seem to like it and I won't recommend it for your needs

Make sure to check out Etios Liva. Vista and Figo petrols, though spacious, do not offer great driveability.

My recommendations: Ritz or Liva. Followed by i10 if space isn't a constraint.

[sgiitk]

@Thilak29; You are looking at 3000km pa so a Diesel is out. It should be a petrol. Of the lot you have listed I will go blindly for the Brio. Then it will have to be one of the Hyundais - Maruti's develop more rattles with age that Hyundai's. Also, the part seem to last longer. I will avoid the Beat since GM spares used to cost the moon (it was the Opel era, so things may have improved). Also, there is no free service, it is just included in the up front price.

In your case once out of warranty got for the annual service, not caring about the dealer pestering.

[gpa]

This thread helped me immensely in finalizing between the Brio and i10. After a lot of consideration, I closed on the deal for a Brio S (o) MT.

[ankur_fox]

Originally Posted by gpa

This thread helped me immensely in finalizing between the Brio and i10. After a lot of consideration, I closed on the deal for a Brio S (o) MT.

well done, and congrats. Looking forward to hear about your exerience, did they offer any discounts?

[gpa]

Originally Posted by ankur_fox

Looking forward to hear about your exerience, did they offer any discounts?

Thanks, ankur_fox. I have had a pleasant experience with the dealer till date. And yes, they did offer me a corporate discount with another special discount since I was trading in my very well maintained Hyundai Santro.

[ankur_fox]

Originally Posted by Thilak29

I have these cars in mind -

Petrol
Brio - I just fell in love with this car for its looks,engine and what it offers as a package and I would standout in "crowd", at least as of now.
i10 - Reliable , tested , proven product.
A-star Automatic - ease of driving,no other factor impressed me.
Swift - Same reason as i10 and idea of being part of a herd.
Ritz - Falls within budget and heard/read few good things about it.
Beat - VFM package.
i20 - Very spacious and good looking car with some cool features. that's it.

Now comes the tricky part, to land in front of my house I need drive up hill an intimidating driveway (shown below). It requires some amount of skill to drive all the way up as it is a steep climb up and there is a small bend plus short climb (not shown in pic) just outside the gate from the main road. I have noticed not all cars make it to the top with load.

That does look like a formidable slope. The fact that you need to drive up-hill (and from the pictures this looks like a 1st gear job) should narrow down your options.

With load conditions also in mind, I would remove A-star, Brio and beat as options. The i20, if within your budget, could be a good option due to space and greater power along with the swift. The i10 could lag a little with 4 ppl load but I've driven similar slopes with ease so I guess its just down to driving skill in the end.

From the list, the i10 suspensions could be the surprise they work wonderfully (if this is a consideration at all). The last I inquired (April 2012), the on-road pricing for the i10 Sportz was ~5.5L (Mumbai).

[ankur_fox]

Originally Posted by gpa

Thanks, ankur_fox. I have had a pleasant experience with the dealer till date. And yes, they did offer me a corporate discount with another special discount since I was trading in my very well maintained Hyundai Santro.

I do hope you have a pleasent A.S.S. experience too. From this thread that factor seems to be the real doozy.

[sgiitk]

Originally Posted by ankur_fox

With load conditions also in mind, I would remove A-star, Brio and beat as options. The i20, if within your budget, could be a good option due to space and greater power along with the swift. The i10 could lag a little with 4 ppl load but I've driven similar slopes with ease so I guess its just down to driving skill in the end.

The i10 and 20 have the same 1.2 Kappa engine. So logically the i10 should be preferred being lighter. Also, the Brio 1.2 has 90 horses, the same as the 120 1.4 (Gamma) AT and more than the 1.2Kappa!

[ankur_fox]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

The i10 and 20 have the same 1.2 Kappa engine. So logically the i10 should be preferred being lighter. Also, the Brio 1.2 has 90 horses, the same as the 120 1.4 (Gamma) AT and more than the 1.2Kappa!

That is quiet true, however if you have a compare the performance stats for all 3 ... the i20 would be first, Brio second and i10 third.

I have not obviously done any comparison, but even with same horses there seems to be a visible performance difference between the three. I cannot put it straight technically but I've had a i10/i20 stand-off ... and I lost, to my surprise!

During a recent test-drive the Brio felt like it had more punch than the i10. Could not get the 2 companies to drive them together side-by-side no matter how hard I tried