[HarshitShinde]

Hi!

I am in a huge dilemma as to buying a hatchback. Swift seems to be a no-brainer but I really want to consider a car other than swift which fits my requirements. It is my kind request to the experts out here to give their advice and views to resolve this dilemma. Also I have some questions that if answered could clear my way to buying a car.

• Budget: 6.5-7.5 lakhs
• Running: 1000-1200 km/month. 500 km on highway (Pune Expressway) 500-700 in City
• Must have features: Dual Airbags, ABS, Music System
• Good handling and drivability
• Planning to keep the car for a long term of 8-10 years
• Should have a satisfactory resale value just in case I change my mind at the end of 5 years . (I do not know if polo, jazz, figo have a good resale value at end of 5 years)
• Spare parts cost should not be really expensive. (I do not know how expensive will it get if I buy a Polo or Jazz)

Options Considered:
Swift ZXI
+ve

• Fits the above requirements just fine.

-ve

• A really common car. I get bored looking at it. The whole motive of the post is to find a car other than swift which fits the bill.
• Smallest boot
• A very light/soft clutch. I have a Figo diesel and it has a heavier/stiffer clutch just the perfect amount.

Questions:

• I have my doubts about drivability in traffic as I found it uncomfortable driving with a softer clutch as compared to Figo Diesel which is so comfortable to drive in traffic conditions.

Elite 120 Asta
+ve

• Better looking than swift
• Better in space and interiors

-ve

• Very Expensive. I might have to extend the budget quite a bit.

Questions:

• I haven't TD'ed it yet. But I have heard its not really that fun to drive as compared to Swift
• Performance and Handling wise swift claims to be better.

Polo 1.2 Petrol Highline
+ve

• Its Polo. I just love the way the car is. Classy. I find it better than elite i20.
• Good nice stiff clutch.
• Might get good discounts

-ve

• A lot of doubts about reliability, highway drivability and spare parts cost.

Questions

• 1.2 Petrol Highline is a 3 cylinder engine. It seemed fine on city roads but I have heavy doubts about it's performance and drivability on highways and also in overtaking maneuvers.
• How bad is it compared to a swift engine and how is its performance and handling as compared to swift. Everyone is speaking about GT TDI, GT TSI and TDI 1.5. No one is talking about 1.2 Petrol. Is it a bad engine to go with? Can anyone share their insights on this engine.
• Questions about reliability of the car 5 years down the line.
• Questions about how expensive will the spare parts be if I have to change
• Is it a car that could be kept for 10 years or will it be expensive to maintain it
• How good is the resale value of the car 5-6 years down the line? If bad, is it possible that it would improve in the future.

Grand i10
+ve
Fits the above requirement
Cheapest option
-ve
Not that great looking
Feels smaller

Honda Jazz V
+ve
Spacious
-ve
Expensive

Questions:

• Questions about resale value 5-6 years down the line
• Questions about spare parts cost
• Can the car be kept for 10 years with a low maintenance
• How is the car's drivability, handling and performance as compared to Polo, i20 and Swift. Have to TD.

Options rejected:
Micra, Pulse
Doubts about Nissan and Renault in Indian markets. Didnt find it worth taking the risk. Found Swift better in every aspect.
Liva
Didnt like the car. Bad interiors. Swift gives a better package.
Punto 1.4
Rejected as the petrol top variant had bad fuel efficiency and was very expensive. Correct me if I am wrong.
Figo
Already have one. And besides I think Figo Petrol doesnt have great reviews.

Appreciate the help.

Thanks & Regards,
HarshitShinde

[drsingh]

For resale, its either Maruti or Hyundai.

For long term reliability/low ownership cost, Toyota Liva.

Ford Figo hatch could be a good fit

Zest/Bolt are the jokers in the pack with a 90 hp proven multijet engine and 1.2 Turbo charged petrol respectively.

For more than 8 years use, resale is hardly a concern.

I'd wait for the Suzuki Baleno and Figo hatchback.

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by HarshitShinde

Hi!

I am in a huge dilemma as to buying a hatchback. Swift seems to be a no-brainer but I really want to consider a car other than swift which fits my requirements. It is my kind request to the experts out here to give their advice and views to resolve this dilemma. Also I have some questions that if answered could clear my way to buying a car.

[list][*]Budget: 6.5-7.5 lakhs[*]Running: 1000-1200 km/month. 500 km on highway (Pune Expressway) 500-700 in City[*]Must have features: Dual Airbags, ABS, Music System[*]Good handling and drivability[*]Planning to keep the car for a long term of 8-10 years[*]Should have a satisfactory resale value just in case I change my mind at the end of 5 years . (I do not know if polo, jazz, figo have a good resale value at end of 5 years)[*]Spare parts cost should not be really expensive. (I do not know how expensive will it get if I buy a Polo or Jazz)

Appreciate the help.

Thanks & Regards,
HarshitShinde

No specific answers, but a few inputs

• 5 years and above you should not be too worried about resale value. It would be very difficult to predict the market and manufacturer status after 5-6 years.
• Too many swifts around. Would suggest other options.
• Since you seem ok to stretch budget a bit, I would suggest Polo, i20 and jazz.
• All of them are powered by 1.2 NA engines and are not scorching performers. The 1.2 VTEC from Honda is probably the better one among the three. But will it translate into a significant difference? i don't think so.
• Polo may end up being the most expensive to maintain. VW After Sales are a hit or miss and spare parts can be expensive compared to the others. But again, if you really like the car, this should not be a road block.
• Difficult to call out the maintenance, spare parts and resale of Jazz. It is a ew car. traditionally Honda is associated with reliability and fuss free ownership experience. Would be a goo choice if you want to keep for 10 years.
• There is an i20 vs Jazz thread. That has tons of comparisons and info.
• If you plan to keep for 8-10 years, one more suggestion is to expand your search to the compact sedans- Aspire, Zest, Xcent Amaze.

Hope this helps

[AveekKumar]

How can we ignore the fact that in a few years all state governments could put the ban on diesel cars above 10 years. What sort of resale will we get if we sell diesel cars after using then for 6-8 years? The premium hatchbacks have more powerful diesel options which are far more fun to drive compared to the puny 1.2L options. In this case, we are left with just petrol hatchbacks?

[Grand Drive]

Originally Posted by HarshitShinde

I am in a huge dilemma as to buying a hatchback.

I suggest you to go with Grandi10 Asta (o) or Swift Zxi for your requirements.

You can also try to test drive the Ford Aspire Titanium petrol and Tata Zest XMS petrol variants if compact sedan is okay for your requirements.

[HarshitShinde]

Thank you for the inputs! Appreciate the help!

I am getting a test drive on Aspire, Jazz and i20 in sometime...
How is the Polo 1.2 highline petrol in comparison to swift zxi mainly?
And also how are Aspire, Jazz and i20 petrol engines in comparison to swift zxi.

I had a TD of swift zxi. Apparently the clutch problem I was talking about earlier was an issue with a specific car. The one I TD was good and it was fun to drive swift zxi. I enjoyed driving swift and it seemed like a driver's car.

Would the other cars be better than swift zxi in terms of engine reliability and driving dynamics?

[ampere]

Originally Posted by HarshitShinde

I am getting a test drive on Aspire, Jazz and i20 in sometime...
How is the Polo 1.2 highline petrol in comparison to swift zxi mainly?
And also how are Aspire, Jazz and i20 petrol engines in comparison to swift zxi.

My take from the hatches as of today:

- Petrol should suit you
- Both i20 and Jazz petrols are good to drive. If you need space, Jazz else i20 should be good.
- Other than the Swift, no need to look beyond the two in my opinion.

[Singh09]

Finally I managed to take out some time and took TD of Swift, Elite i20 and the Polo, here are my observations:
1. Polo
Positives: It was the best car of all when it comes to driving one. Really loved that grunt and the suspension. They way it goes through pot holes and the stability is very good.
Negatives:
I some how felt that the space management is really poor in this car. Front seats and the leg room is fine but second row is too cramped and boot is humongous. They should have given more space for the second row rather than giving a huge boot.

Swift:
Positive: Fun to drive hatch with really nice pickup. Front seats are very comfortable and wide. rear seats are OK and the legroom is just ok unlike polo.
Negative: Feels too light and the boot space is very less. And somehow the interior feels like a decent amount of cost cutting is done to reflect the price of the car.

Elite i20:
Positives: Well the looks are stunning and the interior is just awesome and very well laid out. Also the great part is the 6 speed gearbox plus the overall space is very well organized which results in decent space in the first and second row with good amount of boot space as well. Drive-ability of this car is really good with superb handling. The steering feels more alive as compared to the previous gen i20.
Negatives:
Suspension is on the softer side compared to counterparts but definitely not a deal breaker. Also there is a significant amount of turbo lag in the lower gears.

Also can I get a reality check from the swift and Elite i20 (Diesel) owners as to what is the actual FE they are getting in the city and on the highways?
And what are the service costs they are paying on their respective cars.

[pareshraheja]

Originally Posted by Singh09

Finally I managed to take out some time and took TD of Swift, Elite i20 and the Polo, here are my observations:

I presume all the above 3 were Diesel's. If so, any reason for not including the Punto Evo in the above list

[Singh09]

Originally Posted by pareshraheja

I presume all the above 3 were Diesel's. If so, any reason for not including the Punto Evo in the above list

Yes buddy all these are diesel's since my requirement is for a diesel hatch as my running is high.
The reason I didn't include Punto is because of couple of reasons like Looks, ASS, Low resale value and one of my cousin has recently bought one in red color and somehow it didn't gave me that wow factor.

[veyron-w16]

One question, little off topic. Is this the right time to buy a new car or shall wait till diwali time. I am not sure if offers will be better during festive time ? comments please

[AveekKumar]

Originally Posted by veyron-w16

One question, little off topic. Is this the right time to buy a new car or shall wait till diwali time. I am not sure if offers will be better during festive time ? comments please

Diwali offers are usually about insurance and the likes & will be max upto 60K. Also, i don't think any new models will carry any goodies. You can expect discounts on cars like Amaze, Figo, Zest etc. which have been in the market for a while and newer variants have been released as well.

[Singh09]

Guys finally my search came to an end and I booked Elite i20 SPortz (Diesel) in white color with Dee Emm Hyundai (Gurgaon) on Monday and will be getting the delivery coming Monday.
The total damage on my pocket is Rs 8,46,000/- (OTR price).
I managed to get some discounts and quick delivery because of my cousin who took delivery of 2 Creta's from them. One was SX (Diesel) and another one was SX AT (Diesel). So I got the benefit because of my cousin.
I didn't opt for third year warranty as of now because the car comes with 2 years and unlimited kms warranty and if you opt for third year then the warranty becomes for 3 years but your kms get restricted to 60,000. So i'll get the third and fourth year warranty just before my 2 years are about to complete. You can even get fifth year warranty, Warranty Schedule is as follows:
3 year - 60000 kms - Rs 9331/-
4 year - 80000 kms - Rs 17500/-
5 year - 100000 kms - N/A (Even the SA wasn't sure, so he will get back to me).

[sunsetorange]

Originally Posted by Singh09

Guys finally my search came to an end and I booked Elite i20 SPortz (Diesel) in white color with Dee Emm Hyundai (Gurgaon) on Monday and will be getting the delivery coming Monday.
The total damage on my pocket is Rs 8,46,000/- (OTR price).
I managed to get some discounts and quick delivery because of my cousin who took delivery of 2 Creta's from them. One was SX (Diesel) and another one was SX AT (Diesel). So I got the benefit because of my cousin.
I didn't opt for third year warranty as of now because the car comes with 2 years and unlimited kms warranty and if you opt for third year then the warranty becomes for 3 years but your kms get restricted to 60,000. So i'll get the third and fourth year warranty just before my 2 years are about to complete. You can even get fifth year warranty, Warranty Schedule is as follows:
3 year - 60000 kms - Rs 9331/-
4 year - 80000 kms - Rs 17500/-
5 year - 100000 kms - N/A (Even the SA wasn't sure, so he will get back to me).

I don't mean to be a damper but couldn't you get the asta for a few more thousands and get another air bag?

[Singh09]

Originally Posted by sunsetorange

I don't mean to be a damper but couldn't you get the asta for a few more thousands and get another air bag?

The difference between sportz and Asta is almost 65-70K buddy. If the difference was about 15-20K I would have definitely gone for Asta.