[landcruiser123]

I would pick the Baleno for MT, Jazz for AT.

I've never driven a Jazz MT, only the Jazz AT. The petrol engine feels good enough for urban commutes when mated to the CVT. It's decent on the highway too.

I haven't driven the Elite i20 petrol, but have heard not so good reviews on the highway performance. It should do point A-> point B city commutes without any fuss.

Baleno is the best NA petrol hatchback on sale I guess.

[nimit3105]

Originally Posted by landcruiser123

I would pick the Baleno for MT, Jazz for AT.
Baleno is the best NA petrol hatchback on sale I guess.

Baleno is my top choice as well( We've always had Maruti Suzuki cars). The reasons which are putting me against it are
1)The waiting period
2)Light Build quality
3) I've heard people complaning about its stiff suspension which causes discomfort to rear passengers.

Originally Posted by Midas

Since majority of your drive is within city, the issue with Jazz is something you shouldn't overlook.
Moreover, you don't seem like an aggressive driver as per your comment.
I would suggest you to consider Ford Figo automatic also another option, just to add more confusion

I'm not a very aggressive driver but I do enjoy driving(The S-Cross 1.6 I have provides more than enough punch that I need while driving ). The hatchback is going to be a secondary car and yes I will be test driving them soon.

Thanks

[landcruiser123]

The Jazz AT will be the perfect choice. I've heard an owner get 11 kmpl. (Not in dense traffic)

If you don't want AT, you'll be down shifting a lot from 2nd to 1st in peak hour traffic as the second gear is very tall. If you're fine with that, MT is fine.

[xtremeshock]

Guys I'm in the dilemma: Need a premium Hatchback with enough boot space to fit a Wheelchair. Also will be doing Chennai-Bangalore once in two months henc need a stable highway car.

i20 Active - loved the slick gear shift, steering feedback better than the older Hyundai's, boot space can fit a wheelchair. Only problem is that the top end model is for 11.66 On road, features are less than the current competition.

i20 Elite - Not test driven as yet, do any of you guys know whether the handling will be similar to the i20 Active?

Figo - My personal favorite for the engine, unfortunately lacks boot space and the fit and finish are not upto the mark.

Baleno - Just felt that it lacked punch, steering feedback is not great, bot space could not fit the wheelchair.

Completely open to any suggestions.

[blackbandit]

Originally Posted by xtremeshock

Guys I'm in the dilemma: Need a premium Hatchback with enough boot space to fit a Wheelchair. Also will be doing Chennai-Bangalore once in two months henc need a stable highway car.

i20 Active - loved the slick gear shift, steering feedback better than the older Hyundai's, boot space can fit a wheelchair. Only problem is that the top end model is for 11.66 On road, features are less than the current competition.

i20 Elite - Not test driven as yet, do any of you guys know whether the handling will be similar to the i20 Active?

Figo - My personal favorite for the engine, unfortunately lacks boot space and the fit and finish are not upto the mark.

Baleno - Just felt that it lacked punch, steering feedback is not great, bot space could not fit the wheelchair.

Completely open to any suggestions.

I would suggest you to go for the elite i20 (in its diesel avatar ofcourse) considering the practicality and you seem to be comfortable with it in all aspects. The handling package and the dynamics of both the elite i20 and the i20 active are no different, so you wont find a difference in the TD's

[Altocumulus]

I am torn between the i20 Asta Petrol and Jazz VMT Petrol. Both exactly same price. Not sure what to do.

I would keep the car for 3 years, so resale is also important other than highway drivability.

Not keen on a diesel.

[heydj]

In your choice both care are more or less not fun to drive so need to choose based on other parameters.

My pick Jazz as its more spacious and personally among these two feels more robust.

Though my pick in Hatchback segment would be Ford Figo or Punto Tjet in manual and Polo TSI in AT.

[autorahul]

Originally Posted by xtremeshock

Guys I'm in the dilemma: Need a premium Hatchback with enough boot space to fit a Wheelchair. Also will be doing Chennai-Bangalore once in two months henc need a stable highway car.

If you have not already bought a car, you can consider S-Cross Zeta. A very good highway car, should easily fit your wheelchair, good for both driving and riding comfortably.

[panesar7]

Unsure about what car to buy. I have a weiler-dane (great dane + rottweiler) and love to travel with her everywhere. Want to upgrade from my i10. Unsure about what car would provide that kind of headroom and space in the rear, good for both city and highway driving. Was contemplating between a jazz and a baleno. Don't fancy the mini SUVs and my budget is under 10.

[Durango Dude]

My feeling is Baleno is an overhyped car with a stiff suspension not suited to Indian road conditions, it crashes and thuds over even the smallest road irregularities. It's interior's are drab and dark: most 'car' people associate a stiff suspension and dark interiors to something European, I guess. Waiting period: 6 months!! I think MSIL is creating an artificial demand for this car! It's said Baleno RS has a ten percent stiffer suspension than the regular Baleno: be ready for a 'Jeep Drivers' bottom if you go in for this car.

I'd rate the i20 a wholesome package even above the Jazz!

I have TDed all three and believe me Baleno's ride is rather revealing for any one to live with it on a daily basis.

[CarguyNish]

Originally Posted by Durango Dude

My feeling is Baleno is an overhyped car with a stiff suspension not suited to Indian road conditions, it crashes and thuds over even the smallest road irregularities

While I do respect your opinion, there are some things I would like to justify.

Baleno Overhyped car ? Definitely No, why ? Next few para's will be the reason for that.

If you consider all Hatchbacks (Premium/Regular), they have some going for them. Some are good in particular areas, while some are good overall. This applies to Sedans also across the range.

Simply because of the weight factor, it is a light car & having soft setup would do more harm then good. Soft suspension Setup in a light car will lead to lack of stability at High speeds (>100 kmph). The suspension is there to handle the load, terrain unevenness, deviations etc and not just to give cushion to passengers.

Why Maruti stiffened the suspension is that to achieve good ride & balanced handling at speeds above 50 kmph. Yes, I will agree that in peak traffic conditions you won't be able to drive at 50 kmph. But once you gain momentum, the stiffer suspension will work it's way out to stabilize the light body. You might feel some bumps, thuds, but that's also due to tyre pressure & Tires. Also, considering the fact that Baleno has 16" rims, I do find some bumps filtering as absolutely normal.

Take another car with 16" rims (i20), while the old i20 had good ride, the new one lacks that. Just like Baleno, one can feel thuds, bumps. So, it has do with low profile tires.

Originally Posted by Durango Dude

It's interior's are drab and dark: most 'car' people associate a stiff suspension and dark interiors to something European, I guess.

Drab Ok, that a personal thing, but dark ? Many BHPians here like Black Interiors, they wish for that each & every time a new car launches (Provided it has Beige Interiors). So, I guess some like Black while others like Beige. (Your City looks nice in Beige compared to Black). But Baleno having black Interiors is not a bad thing.

Originally Posted by Durango Dude

Waiting period: 6 months!! I think MSIL is creating an artificial demand for this car! It's said Baleno RS has a ten percent stiffer suspension than the regular Baleno

Whether the Waiting period is 6 months or not, I don't know that, because I got mine in 15 days. But considering Maruti has so many high Selling models (Alto/WagonR/Dzire/Swift/Brezza/Baleno), it does look like Maruti is having production constraints to manufacture Baleno & hence they will be shifting that to Gujarat Plant.

We might get better idea once the new plant starts functioning.

Originally Posted by Durango Dude

I'd rate the i20 a wholesome package even above the Jazz!

I have TDed all three and believe me Baleno's ride is rather revealing for any one to live with it on a daily basis.

Some like Baleno, some like Jazz, i20. No harm in that, but if you were to simply rate these considering the product alone, it would be the 2 Japanese cars that would be 1 & 2 with the Korean being 3. Why ? That's because,

All three are good cars, but the Baleno does some things much better then i20. Here are some of them.

• More Spacious
• Bigger Boot
• Better Handling
• Better Petrol Engine
• More responsive Steering
• Better Driving Position
• More efficient
• Better Automatic Transmission
• Better Safety Features

The above points apply to Jazz as well.

What the i20 has is Better Interior Quality (Judging by textures & Fit & Finish), and bigger Diesel Heart w.r.t Baleno.

Apart from that, the i20 feels Inferior to Jazz & the Baleno.

Verdict - Taking all the advantages of Baleno over i20, and factoring the lower price point compared to other 2 (i20 & Jazz), there is certainly no doubt that the Baleno feels much superior & VFM compared to i20 & Jazz. Though, Had the Jazz been priced cheaper & if i20 was as competitive, the equation would have changed.

Cheers.

[peterasn]

Originally Posted by panesar7

Unsure about what car to buy. I have a weiler-dane (great dane + rottweiler) and love to travel with her everywhere. Want to upgrade from my i10. Unsure about what car would provide that kind of headroom and space in the rear, good for both city and highway driving. Was contemplating between a jazz and a baleno. Don't fancy the mini SUVs and my budget is under 10.

You haven’t mentioned anything about your monthly commute which is a determining factor for opting either Diesel or Petrol vehicle. If you travel less than 1500KM/month then there is no point going for Diesel car. Top end trim (MT) of Baleno and Jazz will cost you Rs 8.05 Lacs and Rs 8.65 Lacs respectively. Both cars are excellent in terms of Space, drivability, ownership experience. Jazz has bigger glass area hence it will give you big car feeling as compared to Baleno. The rear Seat comfort, Knee & Head room is also slightly better in Jazz. Jazz also has a marginally bigger Boot Space. Since space is a major criteria for you, go for Jazz.


In case your monthly commute is on the higher side and you need a diesel vehicle then NVH levels of Jazz IDTEC is a deal breaker. Baleno should be your choice should you decide to select a diesel car.

[panesar7]

Thank you for your insights. Monthly commute is usually between 1500 to 2500 a month. Are the nvh levels of jazz so bad that it becomes a deal breaker?

[peterasn]

It is way too much for my liking. I am surprised that you are not considering Elite I 20. It has a super silent diesel mill. With excellent quality of interiors, wide list of equipments and 6 airbags, it is a wonderful package. Take a TD to make a call between Elite I 20 CRDI Asta (O) and Baleno Alpha.

[abhishek46]

Originally Posted by CarguyNish

What the i20 has is Better Interior Quality (Judging by textures & Fit & Finish), and bigger Diesel Heart w.r.t Baleno.

Apart from that, the i20 feels Inferior to Jazz & the Baleno.


Cheers.

Some more points for the i20.
- The bigger engine offers much better refinement and and punch(thanks to the torque)
- Good 6 speed gearbox which I found to be slightly better than it's rivals in terms of feel and driveability.
- Lesser variants get high profile rubber, with very good ride quality.

Meanwhile, for the Baleno, it has a lot of strengths going for it, like the ride & handling, competent performance, efficiency, ASS, equipment etc.
However, what lets it down is the fit & finish, quality of the plastics used.

I was shocked to find numerous scratches on door and other panels on several of the rather new Balenos in our society.

My 5 year polo still has spotless interior panels in spite of all the kicking by my kid.