[Oxy]

This is going to be my first car. Monthly running is going to be in the range of 700 kms. Would be primarily driven by me and occasionally by my wife.

With the petrol prices climbing almost every month, and Bangalore having the most expensive fuel throughout India, I am forced to think of alternate fuel options. A decent diesel (read the Vista QJD, Ritz, Figo) is still almost a lakh more expensive than the below mentioned petrol cum LPG cars, so have zeroed down to these three LPG cars.

1. The New Maruti Wagon R Duo

A very tempting and a practical option. Easy to get in and out, cheap maintenance and spares and the Maruti reliability. The only fear I have is that the 3 pot engine when running on LPG, would struggle to move on an incline or when the car is fully loaded. OTR Price in Bangalore is 4.64 lakhs after all discounts this month.

2. The Hyundai i10 LPG

This is very recently launched, but the i10 is a proven product. But I have been hearing from various sources that maintaining a Hyundai has now become a very expensive affair. OTR Price in Bangalore is 4.74 lakhs after all discounts this month.

3. The Chevy Spark LS LPG

This is the most economical option. OTR Price in Bangalore is 4.03 lakhs after all discounts this month (with central locking and sunfilms thrown in for free by the dealer). The only issue is, recently I heard Sundaram Motors have shut down their Chevy dealerships in Bangalore, so that leaves only Kropex and Trident. Servicing the car may now be a bit of a hassle. Plus, being the smallest of the lot, the boot space will be almost non existent due to the presence of the LPG tank.

Please pour in your suggestions. My wife is pregnant and I am going to have a new member in my family in another five months. I have recently learnt driving but am not too confident on the road.

With rumours of further price increase next month onwards, I am planning to seal the deal sometime this month.

[mayankjha1806]

Wagon R Duo, i am not sure how the Chevy or the Hyundai are in when it comes to LPG. A very good friend of mine used Wagon R Duo and it served him well for over 100,000 Kms. The car just runs and runs.

So if you are looking at long term peace of mind ownership Wagon R Duo would stand out (Not to say other's don't but i don't have any experience with them)

[Aroy]

Desist from LPG cars. I do not think they come factory fitted, and the LPG tanks are generally not as robust as factory fitted CNG tanks. LPG may also not be legal, and commercial LPG costs much more than CNG.

A factory fitted CNG kit is the way to go. No problems, no blame game between the kit installer and the car manufacturer. Wagon R is one of the best CNG cars going in Delhi. Most of the owners I know of do at least 100km/day and have crossed 1.5L km in their CNG Wagon R.

In case you want a VFM deal, go for Zen Estilo CNG, they are being offered at rock bottom price. Though the price on site is upwards of 3.5L, they were offering it at 2.95, at least in Delhi, so the CNG should be 3.5 OTR, just check with the dealer

[Oxy]

Originally Posted by mayankjha1806

Wagon R Duo, i am not sure how the Chevy or the Hyundai are in when it comes to LPG. A very good friend of mine used Wagon R Duo and it served him well for over 100,000 Kms. The car just runs and runs.

So if you are looking at long term peace of mind ownership Wagon R Duo would stand out (Not to say other's don't but i don't have any experience with them)

Mayank, appreciate your suggestion. Thanks.

But the previous gen Wagon R was a four cylender, and the current gen is a 3 pot. That is my only worry regarding the current gen. Do you think it would have enough pulling power when running on LPG?

Originally Posted by Aroy

Desist from LPG cars. I do not think they come factory fitted, and the LPG tanks are generally not as robust as factory fitted CNG tanks. LPG may also not be legal, and commercial LPG costs much more than CNG.

A factory fitted CNG kit is the way to go. No problems, no blame game between the kit installer and the car manufacturer. Wagon R is one of the best CNG cars going in Delhi. Most of the owners I know of do at least 100km/day and have crossed 1.5L km in their CNG Wagon R.

Aroy, there is no CNG available at present in Bangalore. And all the cars I mentioned come with factory fitted LPG kits in Bangalore.

Note from the Team-BHP Support Team: Please use the "edit" button if posting within 30 minutes of the first post, instead of creating another back-to-back post.

Also use "Multi Quote" option for quoting Multiple posts.

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by Oxy

Aroy, there is no CNG available at present in Bangalore. And all the cars I mentioned come with factory fitted LPG kits in Bangalore.

Found out that the i10 LPG comes with the older 1.1 engine, so will have FE problems.

The WagonR is 18km/l in petrol and 14km/l LPG, i10 1.1 engine will give even lower FE. As LPG may be decontrolled, it will become at least 3 times as expensive as the current domestic LPG (no idea of what rate the commercial LPG is sold in Bangalore), please do your math thoroughly before committing your purchase. Once CNG becomes common, LPG will take a back seat.

As you commented Chevrolet is better left alone, unless you can go for a diesel Beat, which is an excellent buy today.

[ajay_satpute]

First of all, don't get the LPG variant, if you ask me. For your kind of running, its really not required. LPG sucks the horses out of your engine and you feel like you are crawling. Also, the LPG kit will occupy some part of the already-narrow boot of your WagonR.

Secondly, haven't you heard about WagonR Diesel? MSIL is planning to launch the diesel version of WagonR this year (may be during the Auto Expo). That will solve all your queries in one shot. Here's a link to the news: Maruti Suzuki To Launch WagonR Diesel | MotorBeam - Indian Car Bike News & Reviews

Edit: BOOM! There goes my statement out of the roof. After reading Nandu sir's post, I had to edit my post a bit.

[nanduchitnis]

I have been driving a Wagon R Duo (LPG) the last 3 years without any issues. It is factory fitted and and Maruti has done a very neat job.

I get around 12.1 kms per kg of LPG in the City. LPG costs Rs 40/- per ltr whereas petrol is around Rs 70/-. Very economical.

[Oxy]

Originally Posted by ajay_satpute

Secondly, haven't you heard about WagonR Diesel? MSIL is planning to launch the diesel version of WagonR this year (may be during the Auto Expo). That will solve all your queries in one shot. Here's a link to the news: Maruti Suzuki To Launch WagonR Diesel | MotorBeam - Indian Car Bike News & Reviews

Ajay, thanks for sharing the info on Wagon R diesel. Man, that is surely going to kill the competition whenever it arrives!

Originally Posted by Aroy

As you commented Chevrolet is better left alone, unless you can go for a diesel Beat, which is an excellent buy today.

Aroy, a part of my mind is screaming "Beat Diesel", even "Tata Vista TDI" (I know it's BS3 and I would have to source it from Mysore, but will cost me the same as a Beat diesel). What do you think? I am very sure that once my baby arrives, my monthly running is going to increase for sure.

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by Oxy

Aroy, a part of my mind is screaming "Beat Diesel", even "Tata Vista TDI" (I know it's BS3 and I would have to source it from Mysore, but will cost me the same as a Beat diesel). What do you think? I am very sure that once my baby arrives, my monthly running is going to increase for sure.

Unless CNG/LPG is available freely every where, a diesel vehicle is your best bet for long term mobility. Gas is excellent fuel for bulk users, but restricts the vehicle to city limits. Diesel will not only reduce the fuel bill (compared to petrol), but also give you freedom of going any where and every where.

My suggestion will be to get a diesel vehicle if you can afford it, and enjoy for the next five years or more. I have never compared Beat with Tata Indica, but the Indica is an extremely spacious vehicle. TASS not with standing, it is the mainstay of most taxi operators, so should be robust, easily repaired and bad road friendly. The only problem (as with most Tata Vehicles) is that there may be niggles initially, but TASS does get rid of them fast. If you can up the budget the Quadrajet is a better buy (same basic engine used by MUL, Fiat and Tata).

[Latheesh]

Chevy Spark is a wonderful car but Chevy A.S.S in Bangalore is worst. You do not have many options in the city.

If you can afford go for Vista TDI

[GTO]

From the given options, I would choose the i10 LPG. However, considering the limited availability of LPG on highways, I'd also highly recommend a Beat diesel to you. Do check our official review of the car.

Originally Posted by Aroy

I do not think they come factory fitted

The i10 has a factory fitted kit.

Originally Posted by Aroy

Found out that the i10 LPG comes with the older 1.1 engine, so will have FE problems.

What problems? The 1.1, with its superior low rpm torque, is actually better suited to LPG. The engine has far better driveability than the 1.2

[90BHP]

Originally Posted by Aroy

Desist from LPG cars. I do not think they come factory fitted, and the LPG tanks are generally not as robust as factory fitted CNG tanks. LPG may also not be legal, and commercial LPG costs much more than CNG.

The days of illegal LPG are really of the past. All the models in question here have factory fitted LPG. I have personally used a Wagon R Duo in the past for 4 years, and I confirm that there are absolutely no concerns apart from higher running costs than CNG. LPG is a better fuel than CNG however, there is no regulation on their prices as it a domestic fuel. So expect price hikes here.

Originally Posted by Oxy

This is going to be my first car. Monthly running is going to be in the range of 700 kms. Would be primarily driven by me and occasionally by my wife.

1. The New Maruti Wagon R Duo

A very tempting and a practical option. Easy to get in and out, cheap maintenance and spares and the Maruti reliability. The only fear I have is that the 3 pot engine when running on LPG, would struggle to move on an incline or when the car is fully loaded. OTR Price in Bangalore is 4.64 lakhs after all discounts this month.

2. The Hyundai i10 LPG

This is very recently launched, but the i10 is a proven product. But I have been hearing from various sources that maintaining a Hyundai has now become a very expensive affair. OTR Price in Bangalore is 4.74 lakhs after all discounts this month.

3. The Chevy Spark LS LPG
With rumours of further price increase next month onwards, I am planning to seal the deal sometime this month.

Oxy, suggest you look at the Wagon R here however, from what I know I don't think it comes with LPG anymore, it comes with CNG.
CNG is much more cost effective when compared to LPG as the prices of it are regulated - CNG - Rs. 33 per Kg & LPG - Rs. 44 per Liter
Both give you an average of around 11-12 Kmpl not more. The main drawbacks of CNG are that it usually comes with a smaller tank in capacity & can accomodate only upto 14-15 Kg at the same time a LPG tank would take upto 21-22 Liters of gas however, the size of the tank is much larger than taht of a LPG which is typically the size of a spare wheel & sits in tha place.
The running distance of a LPG would higher however, the running cost of a CNG would be lower. About Rs. 2.5/- per Km against Rs. 4/- per Km for LPG.

Both CNG/LPG do not have any major maintenance costs as long as they are factory fitted so go ahead & buy them.
I recommend the Wagon R CNG.

[h14]

Hi Oxy, I was using the Spark LPG for over a year before I passed it on to my sister. During that period, all I can say was that the car exceeded my expectations. Remember, the Spark LPG has a sequential injection LPG kit and you cannot find any difference in driving between LPG and Petrol. I'm not sure on the i10 LPG, but the Wagon R does not have a sequential injection kit.

If you go for LPG please make sure that the car has a sequential injection kit. Also, the spark comes with the 3 yrs free maintaince package. My Spark LPG has now clocked 22k on the odo and there have been zero issues. You can find my detailed ownership review in here http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-t...er-review.html

But my personal suggestion would be to look at Beat Diesel if you can stretch your budget.

Hope this will be of some help.

[vinair]

Stretch your budget and go for an automatic Hyundai i10. I don't think what you have heard is true buddy. Any car, when it starts to age, does need maintenance and expenses are bound to go up. I own a Hyundai product (for almost 5 years now) and have not run into any serious pocket drilling exercise till now.

Wagon R and Spark are decent cars too, but loose out to i10 pretty easily when it comes to design and overall packaging.

Note - Wagon R and i10 are 5 seater hatchbacks (not a very comfortable though) and Spark is a four seater...

[deehunk]

From my experience of having owned Spark in last 2 years and also having driven a WagonR Duo, I recommend new WagonR Duo over the Spark. Old Wagon R's used a closed loop system and hence would pale in front of Spark LPG in comparison. The new Wagon R uses BRC sequential injection system, so there should be no worries over performance. I currently use an Accent with retro fitted sequential injection system, the performance is great and good FE also. The Hyundai i10 uses a closed loop system which is probably a take over from Santro so it is not a worth car to buy compared to Wagon R or Spark so dont try it. The advantages of new Wagon R Duo over Spark i can list is

1. The fuel tank lid has both LPG and Petrol filling point
2. The advantage of tall boy design
3. The interior space
4. More efficient and wide service network comapred to GM in Bangalore
5. Higher FE and power over Spark LPG (nothing has changed since 2009)