[shashi63]

Originally Posted by drritwik

Dear forum members, I am on the look out for my first car and am contemplating a purchase during January or February 2015. Before coming to the main topic I would like to clarify that this will be my first OWN car i.e. I already have two cars in my house and I am driving for around 14 years as of date so I am not a newbie to driving or cars.
I am also extremely passionate about cars and have a good understanding of cars.
But as it stands, I am utterly confused as to what car I should buy
My choices are (not in any order):
Maruti Suzuki Swift
Volkswagen Polo
Hyundai grand i10.

I am looking for a petrol car as my monthly running though variable, does not warrant a diesel mill.

I had waited for the 1.5 Polo diesel all this time but unfortunately it is priced way out of my budget. I can stretch for the trendline Polo 1.5 but would be missing out on some essential features and also very important safety features. So keeping Polo 1.5 out of the contention.

Also to bear in mind that the two cars I drive are from hyundai, both petrol, the i10 sportz and the 1.3 getz. So am aware of HASS

I understand that the swift has the best petrol engine of the lot though this idea is from this forum itself as I personally have never driven a swift. Grand i10 is peppy
Polo 1.2 again I have no idea

So I would like me fellow members to add their views regarding the above. I am a sedate driver in the city but out on the highway I like to keep up some good speeds (no, I don't overspeed) and like an engine which aids in overtaking.


I am not a huge fan of the grand i10 but it scores on practicality as in it has a well shaped boot, nice rear leg room and windows which doesn't give you that claustrophobic feeling like in the swift and surely gizmo's galore which aid us in our day to day driving. The interior with it's beige combination gives a roomy feel to the cabin.

Swift is still good to look at in the market but it has an utterly useless boot and that claustrophobic feel in the rear. Mind you that I will never be in the rear, albeit rarely, but my better half has a taken a small degree of disliking to the rear seats of the swift.Also that I like the all black interiors of the swift.

The polo, a design drool worthy and which will age gracefully. One of the largest boots which can used well. Personally I did not feel a huge lack of rear legroom like has been said in the forum ( I am 5'6'' and no body in my family is very tall). Comfortline variant has all black interiors which both me and my better half like. Most importantly I will be getting ABS and airbags in comfortline variant of Polo. But again, on paper, Polo puts out the least amount of horses amongst the three, only 74 bhp. So does that effect driveability because torque output of all the three cars are at par.

I would sincerely want fellow members who OWN Polo 1.2 petrol to please give me their views regarding the drive, ASS and reliability of the Polo and also what kind of mileage they are being able to extract from the Polo.

Polo is one of my first choices but the costliest of the three. As also i would be going in for the purchase sometime in January I hope I should be able to extract a good enough discount from volkswagen so that cost of polo comes down to swift territory.

Grand i10 with all it's discount will be the cheapest of the three but it also gives the mildest of pulls to the heart.

So at the end as it seems to me it is a toss between polo and swift petrol versions.

I would love my fellow members to kindly guide me through this keeping in mind that I basically love to drive. Small differences does not matter much to me but what matters is in the long run. Also to keep in mind that resale value is not at all important to me because I would be keeping the car with me for 5 years plus after which nearly all cars have a nearly similar resale value.

I would think you should wait for the Bolt from Tata! It might surprise you but if it's between the car's you have stated then my choice would be the Polo!

[drritwik]

Mod note: Back to back posts, please wait for mod approval and Edit the original post instead. Thanks

Originally Posted by shashi63

I would think you should wait for the Bolt from Tata! It might surprise you but if it's between the car's you have stated then my choice would be the Polo!

Well Shashi thanks but I do not want to go in for a Tata product. No particular reason but just like that. Also, I don't think that the bolt will launch by January. Also I follow a rule of not buying a car fresh in the market. It must be given a time of one year at least so that the on road niggles are ironed out by then.

Also I cannot wait for the jazz to launch for the simple reason that my time frame is Feb at the most

A sincere request to all petrol polo owners on this forum. Please advice me regarding your experiences with your rides, their mileage, ASS, reliability and anything else that would matter. I would love to hear about the polo from the horses mouth per se.....

[Autolock123]

That was exactly what my confusion is. i had zerod down on these three cars. i would just put my opinion and research findings, may be it would help you.

Polo- Desirable. unmatched built quality. good ride & handling and German engineering.No doubt. but a 3 cylinder engine, concerns about after sales service and expensive to maintain and not to mention initial investment is highest compared to other two options. but heart still draws towards it.
Another factor i observed in polo was pretty big hump in the middle making the rear bench suitable for two passenger only

Swift - As everyone says, peppy engine but again rear boot and rear seats not good.Same old design and too many on roads. i also found the driver position not so comfortable for me - height little over 6 ft. this was ruled out.

Grand i10 - Value for money. loads of equipment, peers cannot match it. touch and feel good. rear bench good for 3 people and usable boot. May be may not match the peppiness of swift and grand i10 lacks the built quality of Polo.

when mind takes over heart choice its Grand i10
but heart says Polo...Polo...Polo

i am still undecided weather to go with mind or listen to heart
my buying plan is in March

would be keen to hear from member more on this

[drritwik]

Originally Posted by D C

I would suggest a Polo considering your interest and requirement. However, it would be a bit more expensive to run and maintain compared to the other two. I would choose a Polo out of the list as I don't like the rattling noises of Swift which is certain, Polo is more stable than Swift and has more premium interiors.

Are you sure you do not want to consider other options like Liva, Chevy Spark, Wagon R, Brio or Figo?

Thanks DC.

Beat and wagon r both a segment lower than the cars I have shortlisted. Wagon r for that matter DOES NOT excite to drive at all and I am specifically wary of tall boy designs as they do not instill confidence on highway drives and neither during cornering.

Liva....nice product from Toyota but absolutely hopeless interiors. For a car I intend to keep for more than five years it would be torture for me in liva's interior. I would still think of it IF I could buy the 1.5 lt petrol engine but alas it is again out of my budget.

Brio is not to my liking though it is a fun to drive car.

Figo looks way to aged with which again I cannot spend five years of my life

[asit.kulkarni93]

Looking at all your requirements, the only car that comes to my mind is the Ritz Zxi.
It offers you the same engine as the swift with better boot space. It is extremely comfortable and inspite of being a tall boy, the dynamics are acceptable.

Asit

[rpunwani]

The Polo 1.2 TSI is the car to go for.

We have a 2012 Polo 1.2 Petrol Highline and we are very happy with the car. The AC, ride, handling is so much better than the Swift / i20. One has to be a bit careful with starting the car on an upward incline as the 1.2 is a three cylinder engine. Apart from this the engine is rev happy. We have not had any issues with the car.

Since then VW has added a few more features in the car, which makes it even more desirable.

The only other car that comes very close to the Polo is the Punto Evo.

[malgudi]

Drritwik,
Of your list I would go with the polo. A close friend drives one from last 2 years and is pretty satisfied with the response of the 1.2 mill in polo. Would suggest you to take a test drive of it to see if you like the engine.

However why not consider a used honda city ( 2008 - 2013). It matches your requirements of quality, a good engine, a useable boot ( which you would definitely need with the new member), is a segment above your current hatches and would fit your budget of approx 6L. There are plenty of sparsely used examples in the market for 5.5 to 6L and as a bonus you get to choose a auto gearbox if you like.

[rajneeesh]

If you are willing to wait till February 2015, you might want to have a look at the Tata Bolt. It is expected be launced in the fist quarter of the new year. If the Zest is any thing to go by the Bolt should be a very competive player in the segment with good space, interiors and class leading Ice.

[promit]

Hi

As far as the Swift goes. I was a very very big Swift fan. I imagined myself owning one. I felt terribly put off by the plastics, the build and was off the perception that Swift's age really fast. This is kind of true, my friend's 2012 Swift Vdi drives quite badly, than what you would expect for a 2.5 year old 40k km run car. It rattles and squeaks so much! That being said, it's a great car to drive and has a comfortable drivers seat. But as an overall package I felt it lacks a bit. Boot, rear space, build etc

I went in for a Grand i10 in April this year. It was the safe choice. It's a good car, value for money. Is peppy,decently specced, got a decent bit of room inside. My earlier car was a Santro Xing with 135k clicks on the odo, and my experience with HASS and Hyundai was flawless. This tilted me a little bit, in favor of the Koreans. Check out my onwership review of the Gi10 - http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...ack-hatch.html
Feel free to reach out to me via pm if you have any questions and queries relating to the Grand i10.

My pick would be between the Grand i10 and the Polo. Spend some time with both the cars. In my eyes, the Polo is a half segment higher than the Gi10 and feels more premium. As far as the 3 pot motor goes, it sounds a bit rough from the outside, otherwise its pretty zippy.

[D C]

Originally Posted by drritwik

Thanks DC.

Beat and wagon r both a segment lower than the cars I have shortlisted. Wagon r for that matter DOES NOT excite to drive at all and I am specifically wary of tall boy designs as they do not instill confidence on highway drives and neither during cornering.

Liva....nice product from Toyota but absolutely hopeless interiors. For a car I intend to keep for more than five years it would be torture for me in liva's interior. I would still think of it IF I could buy the 1.5 lt petrol engine but alas it is again out of my budget.

Brio is not to my liking though it is a fun to drive car.

Figo looks way to aged with which again I cannot spend five years of my life

I have a hunch that you will finalize the Polo, looks like you fell in love with it already Go get it man, after all, we need to drive what we love!

[allien936]

Originally Posted by drritwik

Dear forum members, I am on the look out for my first car and am contemplating a purchase during January or February 2015. Before coming to the main topic I would like to clarify that this will be my first OWN car i.e. I already have two cars in my house and I am driving for around 14 years as of date so I am not a newbie to driving or cars.
I am also extremely passionate about cars and have a good understanding of cars.
I am looking for a petrol car as my monthly running though variable, does not warrant a diesel mill.

Considering all your requirements, i think a Swift will be a better option. Zxi variant will give you all the goodies you want, and at a reasonable price. Grand i10 will be the second option. 1.2 Tsi Polo will be the third option.
If you ask me, then i think the order of the options given by me can be reversed. Polo being the first option. This is on the basis of built quality, interior quality, extras included with the top variant and the resale value, in that order.
But why bother about the price after 5 years, and compromise now. Its okay if you get a few bucks less in return, but i think depending on that you should not choose now. Go for what is best out there in the market now. And i think Polo will be the best option.
Regards
Keep Revvin'

[drritwik]

Originally Posted by promit

Hi

As far as the Swift goes. I was a very very big Swift fan. I imagined myself owning one. I felt terribly put off by the plastics, the build and was off the perception that Swift's age really fast. This is kind of true, my friend's 2012 Swift Vdi drives quite badly, than what you would expect for a 2.5 year old 40k km run car. It rattles and squeaks so much! That being said, it's a great car to drive and has a comfortable drivers seat. But as an overall package I felt it lacks a bit. Boot, rear space, build etc

I went in for a Grand i10 in April this year. It was the safe choice. It's a good car, value for money. Is peppy,decently specced, got a decent bit of room inside. My earlier car was a Santro Xing with 135k clicks on the odo, and my experience with HASS and Hyundai was flawless. This tilted me a little bit, in favor of the Koreans. Check out my onwership review of the Gi10 - http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...ack-hatch.html
Feel free to reach out to me via pm if you have any questions and queries relating to the Grand i10.

My pick would be between the Grand i10 and the Polo. Spend some time with both the cars. In my eyes, the Polo is a half segment higher than the Gi10 and feels more premium. As far as the 3 pot motor goes, it sounds a bit rough from the outside, otherwise its pretty zippy.

Thanks a lot promit for providing such valuable insight. I agree with you that HASS spoils us in certain ways and ups our expectations from others. I currently drive an i10 and a getz and in my opinion Hyundai ages far far better than maruti.

As of the polo, yes it is half a segment higher than both swift and gi10. It is a far better car build wise and better than gi10 atleast in terms of ride and handling.

But my concern is that after extended warranty is over for the polo will it cost me a bomb? From what I have heard that per se major parts of VW are way more costlier than others. This point is also important as i plan to keep the car for more than five years.

[asit.kulkarni93]

The polo is undoubtedly a car which makes you fall in love with it, but the 1.2 Fabia/ polo both diesel/ petrol have been troublesome. I barely know of any happy 1.2 owner.
The car feels terrible to drive and on top of that neither is it very fuel efficient. When competition can easily manage 15+ kmpl, the polo literally struggles to those figures.

This wasn't the case with the 1.6 polo, it was a fun to drive car. Why don't you look for a used polo 1.6?It will satisfy all your needs.

Asit

[SIMKIM]

Originally Posted by asit.kulkarni93

Looking at all your requirements, the only car that comes to my mind is the Ritz Zxi.
It offers you the same engine as the swift with better boot space. It is extremely comfortable and inspite of being a tall boy, the dynamics are acceptable.

Asit

Even my vote also goes for Ritz Zxi : Roomy , spacious, easy to maintain, big windows front and back and frugal . Also it is about 5.7L on road for ZXi which is about 1.1-1.2 L cheaper than the new swift. The boot is also good enough and it has almost everything which others offer or 90% of it. If your budget is less than 6L then no car is such VFM and has such a 1.2L petrol.

I just traded my WagonR and bought Ritz Zxi for about 4.5L on road.

[zwift1819]

All three cars you have mentioned have the same 1.2L petrol engines. As other bhpians have mentioned that you already own the Hyundai brand you would be very familiar with the Hyundai service and costs. But the i10 Grand does not come into the segment of the Swift and Polo. These cars are different from the Grand i10. VW polo is a very refined car to drive and after the recent crash tests the polo is a much safer car to drive as even the basic versions also come with the airbag as standard. Now coming to the Swift as you are aware its one of the highest selling cars in this segment with a very refined and revving engine. Overall its a very stable car and backed by the Maruti badging. I feel you would be happy with a Swift as it will serve you well in the years to come.