The first part, started exactly 3 years back, served as a good guide for all shoppers and prospective buyers who were looking at a B2-hatch to fulfill their needs.
As the years have gone by, we have newer generations, facelifts and all-new cars vying for the same chunk of the pie - the buyer's attention and his cheque book.
So which offering by which company will suit your needs the most, and the best? Again, this thread will help as a guide for all present and future buyers who are looking for a good, all-round option in this segment to spend their hard-earned rupees on.
All prices listed are ex-showroom, Delhi, and have been updated on 15/04/2015*. Prices are subject to change at the discretion of the respective companies. Also,
prices of AT/Cross variants have been highlighted separately as underlined.
(*Volkswagen Polo's prices have been taken from Carwale)
Pictures/Specifications/Feature Lists are courtesy of the respective Official Brochures from the official company websites of the cars listed.
Also, several new hatchback launches loom in the horizon as well (Honda Jazz, Ford Figo/Ka, Maruti "YRA", etc.), so I will try my best to keep this first post updated with each successive launch in the near-future.
A
BIG thanks to GTO, .anshuman, Vid6639, Rehaan, mobike008, S2!!!, Aditya, moralfiber, noopster, suhaas307, Stratos, Eddy, ajmat, theMAG, parrys, nkrishnap and sidindica for their wonderful reviews, opinions and inputs of the cars listed below, and to many fellow Team-BHPians for their superb first-drive/launch/ownership reports, without which this thread would not have been possible.
MARUTI-SUZUKI SWIFT
[
Official Team-BHP Review]
(+) Driver's car,
(+) peppy and rev-happy engines,
(+) DDIS performance,
(+) front seat space,
(+) pseudo-tallboy design,
(+) high seating,
(+) superb mileage,
(+) riding comfort and road manners,
(+) contemporary features on offer,
(+) price vis-a-vis features,
(+) Maruti's unbeatable A.S.S,
(+) comparatively low-maintenance costs.
(-) Car styling not to everyone's tastes,
(-) Outrageous ZDI pricing,
(-) extremely limited boot space,
(-) limited headroom in rear seats,
(-) thin build + cheap plastics quality,
(-) bad cabin insulation,
(-) subjective looks (front/rear),
(-) safety features limited to top variant only,
(-) no AT on offer.
1.2L Petrol:
LXI: 4.58L,
LXI(O): 4.71L,
VXI: 5.32L,
ZXI: 6.17L.
1.3L Diesel:
LDI: 5.77L,
VDI: 6.22L,
ZDI: 7.21L.
Specifications & Features list, variant-wise:- (Click to
OPEN in a new window)
MARUTI-SUZUKI RITZ
[
Official Team-BHP Review]
[
Facelift Launch Report]
(+) Well-built, practical option,
(+) excellent tall-boy design,
(+) superb VVT/DDIS engines similar to the Swift,
(+) interior space and headroom,
(+) decent boot space,
(+) handling & road dynamics,
(+) MINI-ish central speedometer,
(+) separate RPM meter looks classy,
(+) Maruti's famed A.S.S.,
(+) low maintenance costs,
(+) excellent discounts on offer throughout the year.
(-) Quirky styling (love-hate) inside out,
(-) bland front face,
(-) low speed ride/handling not up to par,
(-) thin build + cheap interior plastics quality,
(-) odd rear door/window styling,
(-) legroom restricted for taller drivers,
(-) oddly-placed ABC pedals,
(-) equipment levels vis-a-vis price,
(-) apprehensions of an outgoing model.
1.2L Petrol variants:
LXI: 4.39L,
VXI: 4.79L,
VXI ABS: 5.03L,
ZXI: 5.39L,
AT: 6.03L.
1.3L Diesel variants:
LDI: 5.47L,
VDI: 5.79L,
VDI ABS: 5.98L,
ZDI: 6.38L.
Specifications & Features list, variant-wise:- (Click to
OPEN in a new window)
HYUNDAI ELITE I20 ( + ACTIVE)
[
Official Team-BHP Review]
[
Official Team-BHP First Look at the i20 Active]
(+)
Best-in-class premium quality & fit-and-finish,
(+) feel-good factor,
(+) segment-best features in Active (projectors, DRLs, etc.)
(+) class-leading features (auto headlamps, rear AC vents, etc.),
(+) spacious interiors,
(+) good riding comfort,
(+) excellent side profile & rear looks,
(+) good cabin insulation,
(+) good diesel performance,
(+) fantastic NVH levels,
(+) excellent in-city performer,
(+) Hyundai's A.S.S.
(-) Underpowered petrol engine (shared with lower-positioned Grand i10),
(-) soulless steering,
(-) questionable high-speed handling,
(-) limited headroom at rear,
(-) outrageously-priced diesel/top variants,
(-) Very pricey Active variants,
(-) Teeny-bopper interior styling in Active variants,
(-) No top petrol Active variant,
(-) low mileage numbers,
(-) Hyundai's comparatively high maintenance costs.
1.2L Petrol:
Era: 5.24L,
Magna: 5.78L,
Sportz: 6.28L,
Sportz(O): 6.64L,
Asta: 6.87L.
1.4L Diesel:
Era: 6.37L,
Magna: 6.91L,
Sportz: 7.45L,
Sportz(O): 7.77L,
Asta: 8.00L.
ACTIVE: 1.2L Petrol:
Base: 6.39L,
S: 7.10L.
1.4L Diesel:
Base: 7.64L,
S: 8.35L,
SX: 8.90L.
Specifications & Features list, variant-wise:- (Click to
OPEN in a new window)
ELITE i20:
i20 ACTIVE:
HYUNDAI GRAND I10
[
Official Team-BHP Review]
(+)
Best-in-class fit and finish,
(+) all-rounder in it's segment,
(+) premium interiors,
(+) features on offer (1 GB internal memory, rear AC vents, etc.),
(+) excellent petrol (Kappa) option,
(+) spacious front seats,
(+) good riding comfort,
(+) excellent NVH levels,
(+) perfect in-city commuter,
(+) European styling & looks,
(+) Hyundai's widespread A.S.S.
(-) Underperforming 3-cylinder diesel for highway runs,
(-) Vague steering feedback,
(-) questionable high-speed handling,
(-) limited rear seat headroom and width,
(-) integrated headrests on front seats feels cheap,
(-) safety features restricted to top Asta (O) variant only,
(-) Hyundai's comparatively high maintenance costs.
1.2L Petrol:
Era: 4.67L,
Magna: 4.86L,
Magna LPG: 5.29L,
Sportz: 5.26L,
Asta: 5.53L,
Asta(O): 5.85L,
Asta AT: 6.27L.
1.1L Diesel:
Era: 5.53L,
Magna: 5.73L,
Sportz: 6.12L,
Asta: 6.39L,
Asta(O): 6.71L.
Specifications & Features list, variant-wise:- (Click to
OPEN in a new window)
FORD FIGO
[
Official Team-BHP Review]
[
Facelift Launch Report]
(+)
Best-in-class AC performance,
(+) driver's car,
(+) decent build quality,
(+) spacious interiors,
(+) frugal and lag-free diesel option,
(+)
First-in-class Wi-Fi in car,
(+) good diesel performance,
(+) good road manners and handling,
(+) big boot space.
(-) Dated & bland design,
(-) underwhelming petrol option,
(-) terrible petrol mileage,
(-) terrible Ground Clearance,
(-) obnoxious rear styling,
(-) unique
steering-column mounted controls isn't user-friendly,
(-) plain exterior styling,
(-) Blue interiors look outlandish,
(-) rear headroom/legroom,
(-) lack of basic features,
(-) Ford's costly & mediocre A.S.S.,
(-) cheap plastics quality,
(-) no AT option.
(-) soon to be discontinued and replaced by the all-new Figo.
1.2L Petrol:
LXI: 4.14L,
EXI: 4.72L,
ZXI: 5.05L,
Titanium: 5.46L.
1.4L Diesel:
LXI: 5.06L,
EXI: 5.62L,
ZXI: 5.95L,
Titanium: 6.36L.
Specifications & Features list, variant-wise:- (Click to
OPEN in a new window)
FIAT PUNTO EVO (+ AVVENTURA)
[
Official Team-BHP Punto Review]
[
First Drive of the Punto Evo]
[
First Look at the Avventura]
(+)
Best-in-Class riding comfort and handling,
(+) driver's car,
(+) feel-good factor,
(+) excellent all-round looks specially the Avventura,
(+) superb pricing (especially the diesels),
(+) modern features on offer (Blue&Me, ambient lighting, rear AC vents),
(+) direct steering feedback,
(+) excellent 93PS diesel & Avventura variants,
(+) good interior space,
(+) superb suspension & build quality,
(+) comfortable rear seat,
(+) big boot.
(-) Sluggish & fuel-guzzling petrol,
(-) bad ergonomics for driver seating,
(-) odd gear-ratios,
(-) average all-round interior space,
(-) average cabin insulation,
(-) long clutch travel,
(-) exclusive features restricted to top variant only,
(-) high pricing for Avventura diesels,
(-) questionable Fiat A.S.S,
(-) not-so-easy availability of spares,
(-) no AT option.
1.2L/1.4L Petrol:
1.2Active: 4.94L,
1.2 Dynamic: 5.36L,
1.4 Emotion: 7.18L.
1.3L Diesel:
Active: 5.88L,
Dynamic: 6.51L,
Emotion: 7.15L,
Sport 93PS: 7.52L.
AVVENTURA: 1.4L Petrol:
Active: 6.44L,
Dynamic: 7.31L.
1.3L Diesel:
Active: 7.19L,
Dynamic: 7.95L,
Emotion: 8.49L.
Specifications & Features list, variant-wise:- (Click to
OPEN in a new window)
PUNTO EVO:
AVVENTURA:
TOYOTA ETIOS LIVA (+ SPORTIVO + CROSS)
[
Official Team-BHP Review]
[
Official Team-BHP Liva Diesel Review]
[
Official Team-BHP Liva TRD Sportivo Review]
[
Official Etios Cross Launch Report]
(+)
Best-in-class interior space,
(+)
Best-in-class safety features across all variants,
(+) excellent headroom/legroom,
(+) good city commuter,
(+) excellent diesel performance,
(+) excellent road manners,
(+) superb 1.5 Sportivo options,
(+) safety features in middle variants,
(+) Toyota's bullet-proof reliability,
(+) easy long-term maintenance.
(-) Ordinary all-round looks,
(-) mediocre pick-up at low RPMs,
(-) ordinary riding comfort,
(-) super-light steering,
(-) diesel not rev-friendly,
(-) flimsy build and sub-par plastics quality,
(-) disappointing interior styling,
(-) atrocious central console/dash,
(-) basic equipment list,
(-) unrefined NVH levels,
(-) no AT option.
1.2L/1.5L Petrol:
J PS: 5.00L,
G: 5.18L,
V: 5.68L,
VX: 6.19L,
1.5L Sportivo: 6.84L.
1.4L Diesel:
JD: 6.19L,
GD: 6.36L,
VD: 6.71L,
VXD: 7.22L,
Sportivo: 7.20L.
CROSS: Petrol:
G: 6.23L,
V: 7.63L.
Diesel:
GD: 7.42L,
VD: 7.72L.
Specifications & Features list, variant-wise:- (Click to
OPEN in a new window)
ETIOS LIVA: SPORTIVO: ETIOS CROSS:
(Continued...)