[TheSandman]

Im looking for a decently priced (about 4.5L ex showroom) hatchback for within the city commute; hence a three pot might be preferable.
Daily run will be a minimum of about 26kms – I currently clock approximately 700-1000 kms a month.

Before the petrol heads grumble about another penny pincher who is only looking for fuel efficiency; this will be my second car which will be used only within the city and hence must be cheap to run. For highway runs I will be using the Esteem, but some amount of highway capability from the new hatch wouldn’t be something I’d frown upon.

The Main contenders:


1) Maruti Wagon R – CNG:
For:
Better A-S-S
Cheap spares
Against:
Availability of CNG/waiting in the line
Non availability of CNG outside the city (To what extent is this true? None on the NH8/NH4?)
No boot space/Place to fit a woofer

2) Chevrolet Beat Diesel
For:
Easier and faster to fill diesel
Cost cutting is more discreet than in the Wagon R – more modern feeling cockpit
Some amount of boot space, enough for a haversack and a woofer atleast
Against:
The design seems more suited to a teenager, not someone like.. err.. me?
Claustrophobic rear seat

The Wagon R will undoubtedly be cheaper to run since it is on CNG, albeit not by much; but the Beat won’t require me to spend hours at the CNG station as I will only be able to fill about 6kgs at a time. Maruti has the upper hand with a stellar A-S-S, and cheap spares, but the Beat might work out to be expensive to maintain/repair?



Mods, can you please add in a poll?

Please add to another thread if it already exists, couldn't find a specific comparison between these two cars, hence created this thread.

[neofromcapone]

@sandman, I was in the same dilemma, wanted the Wagon R for the space and fuel savings. Beat for the hassle free ownership due to the 3 year Chevy Plan.

Now please do incl atleast 200 kms worth of driving on Petrol, in your 1k kms.
And then calc your costs and savings, the Beat gives the best average, and the running per km will better than Wagon R.

Beat has alot of positives, except for the space part,which is not that bad too.

Trust me, Janjat Free will be the Beat experience due to ease of driving the car and fueling and maintaining it (atleast for 3 years )

I would say Beat.

Best Always

[mayankjha1806]

If its purely for city commute and there is another car in the garage to be taken on highway, then nothing beats the Wagon R, if you can live with boxy looks. Its one of the most practical cars on the road especially in the city, with very light steering, and CNG makes it much cheaper too.

I have never owned a Chevvy, neither seen one up close, and hence cannot comment on the Beat vis-a-vis Wagon R, which we have ~3 in the close family.

[phamilyman]

Pardon my saying so but you gotto be kidding me - there's no way one should consider a CNG vehicle for 1000km commute - our family has had about 2.2L km across 3 CNG cars and I can tell you that without a driver, the waits to fill CNG are NOT WORTH it.

Of course my data point is Delhi but I don't think CNG has little queues in Mumbai either.

So to sum up, when should u consider CNG over a comparably priced diesel?
- You have a driver (they can steal diesel not CNG )
- You drive well over 3000km a month
- You have a less busy CNG station (such stations don't exist in Delhi!) very close to your house and you don't mind going to the CNG station for filling up at odd hours when its not busy

If you still buy the Waggie, let us know how much time you spend in queues filling up

[T Y A G I]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

Pardon my saying so but you gotto be kidding me - there's no way one should consider a CNG vehicle for 1000km commute - our family has had about 2.2L km across 3 CNG cars and I can tell you that without a driver, the waits to fill CNG are NOT WORTH it.

Of course my data point is Delhi but I don't think CNG has little queues in Mumbai either.

So to sum up, when should u consider CNG over a comparably priced diesel?
- You have a driver (they can steal diesel not CNG )
- You drive well over 3000km a month
- You have a less busy CNG station (such stations don't exist in Delhi!) very close to your house and you don't mind going to the CNG station for filling up at odd hours when its not busy

If you still buy the Waggie, let us know how much time you spend in queues filling up

Hi Team,

I recently converted my wagon R VXI to after market CNG kit. And to be very practical and true I live in GHAZIABAD and have never spent more than 15 min
For filling CNG. I have driven 1000 km in almost 9 days and have filled 4 times.
Sometimes I could fill 4 kg sometimes 5 kg sometimes 3 kg. But the savings which I am getting are like a chiller in hot desert feel.Also it depends on person to person, at least we can go GREEN For our future generations rather than thinking only about fuel efficiency and waiting periods.Also the engine wear will be less as compared to diesel and hence increasing the life of engine.

Last but not the least I will personally suggest you to go GREEN and feel the light heart that you did something good for mother nature and future generations.Believe me, you will smile whenever you will count on your monthly bills and over all running cost in due course of owning the vehicle.Its your money spend it wisely.

Regards,
Lalit

[ani_meher]

I would suggest Beat Diesel. There is the added convenience of fast refuelleing as compared to CNG, and additionally, Beat quality is very good. Many reviews say that new WagonR is more of a paper tiger (not my words) and uses very thin metal. The Beat has nice quality all over, and is not as uncomfortable on the rear is some say. The boot space and the window area is less, so the feeling is of bit darkness especially in rear. But inside especially on the front seats, you have better comfort than WagonR.

My vote to Beat.

EDIT: Please add a poll to the thread, this will show the consensus clearly.

[Sankar]

Originally Posted by TheSandman

Im looking for a decently priced (about 4.5L ex showroom) hatchback for within the city commute; hence a three pot might be preferable.
Daily run will be a minimum of about 26kms – I currently clock approximately 700-1000 kms a month.

Keve, long time no see. How're you doing buddy?
For 1000Km city driving go for a petrol Wagon R. CNG may not be worth the waiting, how long is an average fillup wait and how frequently do you have to visit the fuel station?

If you get the Beat Diesel i think you can even replace your Esteem for some highway mile munching.

[GTO]

If it's between these two cars, I'd suggest the Beat Diesel. Reasons:

- Better build than the flimsy WagonR

- Owning a diesel car is far more convenient than CNG. No lines at the pump, and free availability across the country (including highways)

- Superior ride quality

- I prefer the Beat's funky interiors to that of the WagonR

The Beat's also amazingly refined. On the other hand, the WagonR does have the typical advantages of Maruti; solid resale & great service network. As a product though, I think the Beat owns it.

[TheSandman]

Originally Posted by neofromcapone

Now please do incl atleast 200 kms worth of driving on Petrol, in your 1k kms.

Thanks @neofromcapone, hadn't thought of the petrol start-ups

Originally Posted by phamilyman

- You have a less busy CNG station (such stations don't exist in Delhi!) very close to your house and you don't mind going to the CNG station for filling up at odd hours when its not busy
If you still buy the Waggie, let us know how much time you spend in queues filling up

Thanks for your input @phamilyman, since I have never owned a CNG vehicle, I have NO idea about how long it takes for a fill-up. I have seen some empty-ish pumps on my way home from work (about 10pm) but I dont know if they have the MGV nozzle, another thing I have to check for!

Originally Posted by T Y A G I

Hi Team,
Sometimes I could fill 4 kg sometimes 5 kg sometimes 3 kg.
@TYAGI, how many KGs do you think you can cram in at a time? People say you can fill a max of 8, but I'm not sure

Originally Posted by Sankar

For 1000Km city driving go for a petrol Wagon R. CNG may not be worth the waiting, how long is an average fillup wait and how frequently do you have to visit the fuel station?

If you get the Beat Diesel i think you can even replace your Esteem for some highway mile munching.

Hey Sankar, doing good buddy, much like you I've added 2 more wheels to my rides of late Buzz me on gtalk next time your online, lets catch up.

The reason I am avoiding running on petrol is I simply cant afford it. My office route is one of the worst routes in Bombay when it comes to traffic. I get 6kmpl in the esteem, a colleague gets 10kmpl in an Alto K10, literally choco block traffic most of the way.

I haven't test driven the Beat yet, have you? Any input from someone who owns one will be great! Reading through some reports on the forum

[phamilyman]

Sandman,

Put your stable of bikes to good use in that case - I would do so to save MY time. There is absolutely no sense in driving a car on routes like that. Otherwise, a diesel. or share a cab with the colleague?

My folks are located near the BRT in delhi (google up about it). My mom's alto's clutch packs up roughly in 10k km - of course, she's not the best of drivers, the alto is quite underpowered on CNG - but the fact is that if one drives in terrible traffic, clutches pack up quicker on CNG -the power loss is felt most in the lower revs/crawling traffic.

[90BHP]

My vote also goes for the Beat Diesel as the car will be effortless to own owing to the service packages plus, it is more in line of shut it & forget it once you get the tank full. And what better to hear then, the fact that the tank will be full within Rs. 2000/- and you don't visit the pump again for a month.

[Tapish]

Originally Posted by T Y A G I

Also the engine wear will be less as compared to diesel and hence increasing the life of engine.

Lalit, Im not sure if I understand your point. I think its the other way round. The base fuel is always better than a substitute fuel.

My vote for the Beat diesel, purely for convenience (of a boot + fill up anywhere). As far as the difference in fuel costs, for a 1000 km per month run, it should be negligible.

Cheers,
Tapish

[bluevolt]

Diesel is much better than CNG. You will get the boot space and it will be safe also. Rear ending in a CNG car can be dangerous especially for a WagonR. You will spend less time at fuel stations and enjoy the torque too.

Though 1000KMs running don't need a diesel or CNG but anyways Go ahead with Beat diesel.

[comfortablynumb]

Originally Posted by TheSandman

The Main contenders:
1) Maruti Wagon R – CNG:

2) Chevrolet Beat Diesel

Since you stay in Mumbai, you may be a "100% AC" type of guy due to the heat, humidity and pollution. In that case, you should also think of how much power loss takes place in a CNG and Diesel vehicle when the AC is on. With a Diesel, it doesn't make much difference due to the substantial torgue on offer. I don't know how much power loss there might be in a CNG vehicle, but I can hazard a guess that it's definitely more than in a Diesel vehicle.

So, Beat.

Cheers,
Vikram

[TheSandman]

Originally Posted by GTO

As a product though, I think the Beat owns it.

Yep, seems better bang for the buck. Any info on how good/bad their service bills are? Or should I stretch my budget and get the Ritz for the added advantage of the M.A.S.S.? Will be a bit of a problem, but can be done if required, though I'd rather not.
This cars main intention is commute, for the pleasurable drives on weekends I have my existing car, hence how much I spend on it matters. Any light on how the servicing for the Chevy Beat Diesel will be very helpful, I've heard some horror stories about maintenance bills made out by American manufacturers (Ford particularly) and it's worrying me a bit.

Originally Posted by phamilyman

Sandman, Put your stable of bikes to good use in that case

Can't mate, accident = knee busted = doc insists on no bike = car

Originally Posted by 90BHP

My vote also goes for the Beat Diesel as the car will be effortless to own owing to the service packages plus, it is more in line of shut it & forget it once you get the tank full.

Do you have any first hand info (personal or from a friend) about how expensive their A.S.S. is?

Originally Posted by comfortablynumb

Since you stay in Mumbai, you may be a "100% AC" type of guy due to the heat, humidity and pollution.

Bang on! good point, noted!