[namanchaudhary]

Hi, is Figo out of question? It has a decent engine, solid built quality and just what you wanted, safety features and well within your budget.

Plus, Ford isn't really that expensive to maintain.

[cogWheel]

Originally Posted by ar@v1nd

Hi Bhpians,

Need your help to decide on a hatchback for my parents.
My dad is 65 and he is a good driver.

Key requirements:
...

Safe, petrol hatch at around 6 lakhs OTR? I would consider the Tiago XZ, Figo Ambiente ABS and the Etios Liva, in that order.
All these 1.2L engines would feel underpowered. The Tiago while not being peppy, is generally not jerky once you learn how to work it. Maybe worth taking another test drive in another car. Overall, it seems to be great package at that price point. Particularly good ride quality - something that you are looking for.
If you can stretch the budget, the Figo is a good option, though again the engine is wheezy.
The Liva is a safe car. A little dated maybe. Plain, inoffensive in most ways, nothing stand out either.

[AYP]

I'd suggest the Ignis Delta which satisfies most of your criterion barring the way it looks. Though it remains to be seen how safe even with standard safety features. The Figo Trend would be by next pick followed by the Ameo and the Polo Trendline.

[sleepyhead148]

Originally Posted by ar@v1nd

How is Baleno driving position compared to Dzire's ? I have driven Baleno but not the new Dzire. Also I'm thinking does it make sense waiting for the new Swift?

I had TDed the Baleno (both manual and CVT petrols), Tiago (petrol), Zest (AMT petrol), Figo (DCT diesel) and the Grand i10 (petrol manual) last year, before finally settling for i10. The Swift wasn't considered as my mother was totally against the rear bench ambience. The window line in Swift isn't comfortable for many passengers so we had to rule it out. The Baleno CVT in Delta variant has a middle seating position and doesn't get a seat height adjust. Dzire, in Z variants, gets seat height adjust. Almost all cars in higher variants get seat height adjust. But these cars (ones that I TDed) have all got a slightly lower position, with the exception of Baleno that has a slightly higher seating.

There is no clarity on the launch date for the new Swift. However, I'd suggest you keep automatics high on your priority. And if you stick to your budget of 6-7 lakhs, you will get a Tiago, Grand i10, Ignis and Figo manual within the range.

[autorahul]

Originally Posted by ar@v1nd

Hi Bhpians,

Need your help to decide on a hatchback for my parents.
My dad is 65 and he is a good driver.

Key requirements:

[1] Safety features - Even though this is not a requirement from my dad, I'm particular that the car should have ABS EBD and airbags.
[2] Budget - Dad doesnt believe in spending much on cars. His budget is 6 lakhs OTR, but I can try pushing it a bit.
[3] Size - Dad is saying that he needs a small car which is easy to drive around in the city. But he is a good driver and he drives my Honda City quite nicely, so I suspect this requirement is more to limit the budget rather than actually the size, but he wont admit it
...
[6] Ride Comfort - This is important. My parents have some (not severe) back problems, so ride comfort/soft suspension is important.
...
[9] Ingress/Egress - High seating preferred, but this has not come as a requirement from them. They are comfortable with my Honda City too which has relatively low seating.

Tall seating is something I have seen is something that a lot of senior citizens prefer. Gives a much better view of the chaos on the roads.

My top choice would be Ignis Delta. The rear bench is wide enough for 2, 3 would be a little tight, but would you really be having 5 people frequently. If possible get the AMT. He can be in touch with manual, by using the manual mode once in while

Second choice would be Ford Figo. With offers, the Titanium might be in your budget, the Trend variant should definitely be. The engine is its weak point, but not as much as Tiago.

I was also hearing some customers getting discounts in tune of 70000 on the Grand i10, so I would not rule its Asta variant out either.

The Swift launch should be around March/April next year after the Auto Expo, in the same vein as what happened with Brezza.

[sleepyhead148]

Originally Posted by autorahul

I was also hearing some customers getting discounts in tune of 70000 on the Grand i10, so I would not rule its Asta variant out either.

Exchange bonus greater than 30,000, free accessories, free insurance, corporate + cash discounts (a separate discount scheme for Govt./PSUs) and a host of other dealer level benefits. Nearly 1,00,000 in discounts on both petrol and diesel variants. And this is for the two top variants (Asta and Sportz). Base Era and Magna have 2013 ex-showroom prices (Bangalore South). Further, additional discounts if you book the car using their HyBuy portal (But, October offers only on the Xcent - so there might be offers on this car next month or on i20).

The only downside to this is that in the current-gen i10, automatic (triptronic) is available only in Sportz and Sportz(O) variants, which do not have ABS.

[mohandas]

Beside airbag and ABS/EBD, Structural rigidity is also an important factor to safety quotient. If I were you, I would consider only those hatchback models which are available only in developed countries - that means - i10 grand, Tata cars, Etios etc would be out of my list.

Originally Posted by ar@v1nd

Hi Bhpians,
Need your help to decide on a hatchback for my parents.
My dad is 65 and he is a good driver.

[Sheel]

Brio, i10 Grand are the only petrols which come to my mind as I would avoid others for their lack of refinement.

[TD_GHY]

If you can stretch your budget by atleast a couple of lakhs, you can consider the Honda Jazz SV too

Pros:
1. Dual Airbags, ABS. Build relatively better than <6L hatchbacks
2. Higher seating position
3. Good suspension
4. Can avail some discounts considering you're already a Honda customer
5. The relatively poor low end torque gets adjusted in a few days time after one gets accustomed to the ride.

[abhishek46]

Originally Posted by namanchaudhary

Hi, is Figo out of question? It has a decent engine, solid built quality and just what you wanted, safety features and well within your budget.

Plus, Ford isn't really that expensive to maintain.

It's not as solid as you describe. The old Figo was much better.

Several months back, GNCAP tests proved this point.
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...gets-zero.html

The bodyshell was rated as unstable and it was not capable of withstanding any further loadings.

The OP is interested in the Petrol option, which is the Figo, has always been a weak point.

[ar@v1nd]

Originally Posted by namanchaudhary

Hi, is Figo out of question? It has a decent engine, solid built quality and just what you wanted, safety features and well within your budget.

Plus, Ford isn't really that expensive to maintain.

Hi, Figo is a good option, but the weak petrol engine as what I read from reviews is putting me off, especially since my dad wants a peppy engine that pulls decently at low revs.

Originally Posted by cogWheel

Safe, petrol hatch at around 6 lakhs OTR? I would consider the Tiago XZ, Figo Ambiente ABS and the Etios Liva, in that order.
All these 1.2L engines would feel underpowered. The Tiago while not being peppy, is generally not jerky once you learn how to work it. Maybe worth taking another test drive in another car. Overall, it seems to be great package at that price point. Particularly good ride quality - something that you are looking for.
If you can stretch the budget, the Figo is a good option, though again the engine is wheezy.
The Liva is a safe car. A little dated maybe. Plain, inoffensive in most ways, nothing stand out either.

Yes indeed. On paper, the Tiago seemed like a perfect fit for my requirements. I dont know if it was a problem with the test drive car, but the engine felt really bad. Maybe I'll TD an AMT again and see if it's better. As you mentioned, almost all 1.2 L engines are a bit wheezy, while Maruti's 1.2 K series seems better which is why I have an inclination towards Marutis.

Originally Posted by AYP

I'd suggest the Ignis Delta which satisfies most of your criterion barring the way it looks. Though it remains to be seen how safe even with standard safety features. The Figo Trend would be by next pick followed by the Ameo and the Polo Trendline.

Yes. The Ignis sounds promising. Will surely check it out.

Originally Posted by sleepyhead148

I had TDed the Baleno (both manual and CVT petrols), Tiago (petrol), Zest (AMT petrol), Figo (DCT diesel) and the Grand i10 (petrol manual) last year, before finally settling for i10. The Swift wasn't considered as my mother was totally against the rear bench ambience. The window line in Swift isn't comfortable for many passengers so we had to rule it out. The Baleno CVT in Delta variant has a middle seating position and doesn't get a seat height adjust. Dzire, in Z variants, gets seat height adjust. Almost all cars in higher variants get seat height adjust. But these cars (ones that I TDed) have all got a slightly lower position, with the exception of Baleno that has a slightly higher seating.

There is no clarity on the launch date for the new Swift. However, I'd suggest you keep automatics high on your priority. And if you stick to your budget of 6-7 lakhs, you will get a Tiago, Grand i10, Ignis and Figo manual within the range.

Yeah. After the recent suggestions including yours and especially the point from auto_enthusiast on thinking 5+ years down the line (when my parents may no longer be comfortable with manual gearshift/lower seating even if they currently area), I'm a lot more inclined towards automatics and preference for high seating.

Originally Posted by autorahul

Tall seating is something I have seen is something that a lot of senior citizens prefer. Gives a much better view of the chaos on the roads.

My top choice would be Ignis Delta. The rear bench is wide enough for 2, 3 would be a little tight, but would you really be having 5 people frequently. If possible get the AMT. He can be in touch with manual, by using the manual mode once in while

Second choice would be Ford Figo. With offers, the Titanium might be in your budget, the Trend variant should definitely be. The engine is its weak point, but not as much as Tiago.

I was also hearing some customers getting discounts in tune of 70000 on the Grand i10, so I would not rule its Asta variant out either.

The Swift launch should be around March/April next year after the Auto Expo, in the same vein as what happened with Brezza.

No. 5 people wouldnt be very frequent. Small car (as my dad wants) + 3 people in the back dont go together anyways
Ignis Delta AMT sounds ideal though it would be over the budget.
And yeah, discounts of 70K on Grand i10 sounds really tempting. Will check it out.

Originally Posted by sleepyhead148

Exchange bonus greater than 30,000, free accessories, free insurance, corporate + cash discounts (a separate discount scheme for Govt./PSUs) and a host of other dealer level benefits. Nearly 1,00,000 in discounts on both petrol and diesel variants. And this is for the two top variants (Asta and Sportz). Base Era and Magna have 2013 ex-showroom prices (Bangalore South). Further, additional discounts if you book the car using their HyBuy portal (But, October offers only on the Xcent - so there might be offers on this car next month or on i20).

The only downside to this is that in the current-gen i10, automatic (triptronic) is available only in Sportz and Sportz(O) variants, which do not have ABS.

Thanks for the details. With all those discounts I hope it would fit in the budget. Will check it out, but it's really a bummer that they dont provide an option of ABS on automatic. Cant understand the logic.

Originally Posted by mohandas

Beside airbag and ABS/EBD, Structural rigidity is also an important factor to safety quotient. If I were you, I would consider only those hatchback models which are available only in developed countries - that means - i10 grand, Tata cars, Etios etc would be out of my list.

Hmm...will keep in mind, but it really limits the options then.

Originally Posted by Sheel

Brio, i10 Grand are the only petrols which come to my mind as I would avoid others for their lack of refinement.

A reasonable level of refinement with decent torque at low RPM is fine. There's no high revving and all involved. He's a sedate driver.

Originally Posted by TD_GHY

If you can stretch your budget by atleast a couple of lakhs, you can consider the Honda Jazz SV too

Pros:
1. Dual Airbags, ABS. Build relatively better than <6L hatchbacks
2. Higher seating position
3. Good suspension
4. Can avail some discounts considering you're already a Honda customer
5. The relatively poor low end torque gets adjusted in a few days time after one gets accustomed to the ride.

Thanks for the suggestion, but stretching the budget by 2 lakhs I really doubt.

[namanchaudhary]

Originally Posted by abhishek46

It's not as solid as you describe. The old Figo was much better.

Several months back, GNCAP tests proved this point.
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...gets-zero.html

The bodyshell was rated as unstable and it was not capable of withstanding any further loadings.

The OP is interested in the Petrol option, which is the Figo, has always been a weak point.

Sure it can't be compared to the likes of Polo. But I'm pretty sure its at par/better than other options available in the price range like i10 and ignis. We all know know Maruti and Hyundai aren't known for their body shell quality.

Also, the car is primarily going to be driven by elderly, so I don't think the lack of punch in petrol engine going to be a deal breaker.

PS- No offense to Maruti and Hyundai owners. I myself own a Xcent

[jetti]

Originally Posted by ar@v1nd

Hi, Figo is a good option, but the weak petrol engine as what I read from reviews is putting me off, especially since my dad wants a peppy engine that pulls decently at low revs.
...
A reasonable level of refinement with decent torque at low RPM is fine. There's no high revving and all involved. He's a sedate driver.
...

If he's a sedate driver, Ford might be worth checking out because the seating is quite comfortable and I felt higher than other cars. Titanium variant would give you height adjustment as well.
The other car that you shortlisted - the Ignis AMT would also be good, with higher seating and smaller footprint with high visibility.

[Sheel]

Then low end torque is important, very important. I would suggest let your father drive the shortlisted cars and then take a call.

[autorahul]

Originally Posted by ar@v1nd

Ignis Delta AMT sounds ideal though it would be over the budget.
And yeah, discounts of 70K on Grand i10 sounds really tempting. Will check it out.

Ignis Delta AMT should be around 6.7 lakhs on-road in Trivandrum. At this price you won't many cars as well rounded as this, satisfying nearly each requirement of yours. You could shave a few more by going with outside insurance, and hopefully some festive offers, could bring the price closer to 6. The extra amount is definitely worth the stretch, and 3-4 years down the line, I am sure you and your father will both appreciate the stretch.