[Omkar]

Renault Kwid


What you'll like:

• 1.0L engine makes the Kwid a true all-rounder. Priced merely 22k more than Kwid 800 RXT
• More power, more torque, better highway performance
• Distinctive styling! Looks swell for an A-segment hatchback
• Well-packaged cabin with good space, comfy seats & lots of storage
• Huge 300 liter boot. 2nd biggest among all hatchbacks!
• Suspension offers a comfortable ride with neutral handling. 180 mm of GC too
• Equipment in a budget car (driver's airbag, digital meter cluster, touchscreen ICE, navigation, full MID & more)

What you won't:

• No choice of variants. Available only in RXT with an optional airbag
• Unlike Alto K10, no design changes to differentiate the 1.0 (except loud sticker job)
• Tyres & brakes should have been beefed up for the 1.0L variant
• Some essential features missing (internally adjustable ORVMs, retractable rear seatbelts etc.)
• 28 litre fuel tank is the smallest in the segment and its 5 meter turning radius the biggest
• Renault's dealer & after-sales network is far weaker than that of Maruti & Hyundai

Review Link

Maruti Alto K10


What you'll like:

• A much improved Alto K10 at the same price point
• The cheapest automatic car available in India. VXI AMT starts at merely Rs. 3.80 lakhs
• Power-to-weight ratio of 91 BHP/ton makes this one peppy li'l hatchback
• More fuel-efficient than before. AMT variant is also an easy sipper @ 24.07 km/l
• Compliant low speed ride quality. Soft suspension is absorbent
• Convenient city car: Light, agile & easy to drive (especially the AMT variant)
• Driver-side airbag & factory fitted CNG kit available
• Maruti's excellent after-sales service & fuss free ownership experience

What you won't:

• Cramped rear bench. Also, the seatback is very short
• Sensitive steering & nervous handling at speed. Best driven <100 kph
• AMT lacks the refinement & shift-speed of conventional ATs
• VXI (O) trim & airbag unavailable with the AMT. No ABS on any variant
• Questionable structural strength. The car which it's based on (Alto 800) fared poorly in crash tests
• Skinny 155 mm tyres beg for an upgrade
• Flimsy build & economy grade quality. Poor NVH levels as well
• More accomplished WagonR & Celerio are priced not too far away

Review Link

Hyundai Eon


What you’ll like:

• Great looking, makes other budget cars look outdated
• Best-in-class interior quality, fit & finish. Excellent air-conditioner too
• Many segment first features (tilt steering, gear indicator etc.)
• Frugal 3 cylinder petrol engines deliver high fuel efficiency
• Big 215 liter boot has a practical layout
• Hyundai's excellent after-sales service

What you won’t:

• Pricing is too close to other 4 cylinder hatchbacks (including the Santro).
• Steering is too light & sensitive at highway speeds
• Hyundai's service costs are usually higher than that of the competition

[Aditya]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Hatchbacks Section. Thanks for sharing!

[Eddy]

One thing is for sure, among the three - Alto would be my last pic.

And the Kwid would have been the obvious first choice but for the notorious safety standards.

I think I'll play safe and pick the Eon, even though there is nothing special about it.

[Sebring]

The new Kwid on the block is a stunner but when it comes to interiors I'd rather be in an Eon. It feels premium and several segments higher. Alto isnt in the reckoning here on any parameter except for the Maruti badge and the service/resale value associated with it. This is purely my opinion.

[RSR]

I believe the following point should be removed from the "What you won't like" section for the Eon:

• Ordinary commuter engine that doesn't really impress in any particular area

It's from the Eon 0.8 review and hence should not be applicable to the Eon 1.0 which has a far, far better and much more sophisticated engine. It may be a three-cylinder unit, but the 1.0 Kappa has twin-cams operating 12 valves, and is also the only engine among the three to offer variable valve timing or Dual VTVT (on both the inlet & exhaust sides). It also boasts the most power and torque among the three motors (by a small margin), though the car it powers is also the heaviest of the three. Hyundai actually offered this motor as an option on the Grand i10, available only on the LPG-petrol dual fuel variant (this is no longer sold now, though).

Instead of the above, a negative point can be added that the Eon 1.0 is available only in one trim level (with driver airbag available as an option).

--------------

Having said the above, I'm voting for Renault's fabulous little K(w)id [Duster] 1.0 twin-cam SCe.

Seriously, Renault have sounded the wake up alarm for both Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai in the A-segment. This segment was stagnating for all practical purposes, until the arrival of the new K(w)id on the block!

It's upto the country's two largest carmakers to respond to the challenge posed by the baby Duster now. Both of them need upgrades / facelifts with the addition of features. For instance neither the Alto k10 nor the Eon 1.0 offer Bluetooth connectivity, while the Kwid has a touchscreen SAT-NAV system!

[Swarit19]

Reason for voting Alto K10 :

The moment I hear small city car, first thing that crosses my mind is an automatic fuss free car that you take from point a to b. Alto wins hands down for me here, even if it needs upgrades to make you feel better just overall till kwid launches an AMT variant I can't even give it a look living in delhi.

And overall generally even if you screw up and something happens you have maruti dealerships at walking distance here everywhere.

Would rather pick the Celerio given the option for a small city car with the AMT ABS + 2 Airbags considering the price difference is minimal, but among these three for me, it would have to be the Alto as of now.

[GTO]

If it was going to be the only car in the house, I'd get the Kwid 1.0.

However, I have other cars, hence if I were to buy one of these today, it would be as a city runabout. My vote goes to the Alto K10. Its engine feels better than the Kwid 1.0's and the car is just super chuckable. The Alto K10 will also be niggle-free, unlike Renault which still has loose ends to tie up in that department.

Alto K10 + slightly fatter tyres + sports exhaust = fun city car.

Originally Posted by Eddy

I think I'll play safe and pick the Eon, even though there is nothing special about it.

No car in this segment is 'safe'. Even Eon got zero stars in the NCAP. If you want safety under 4 lakhs, you have to go pre-owned.

[NPV]

While I conservatively voted for the Alto K10 (proven vehicle, Maruti service is mostly easily available and trustworthy), the Kwid in its 1.0 avatar would be a very close contender for me, especially for the overall package on offer.

Coming to the safety part, I think all 3 are quite comparable and it's Even Stevens for me (structural strength/rigidity of these are not proven to be great, so just having those airbags does not guarantee safety!).

[.anshuman]

None of the above, just because of the question mark on the safety.

Not voting for Alto K10 because of the handling flaw, Kwid because of poor crash test rating and Eon does not appeal to me at all and safety record is no good.

All of these cars are compromises, do yourself a favour, stretch the budget and buy a car from the segment above- something like Tiago atleast.

[autorahul]

Originally Posted by .anshuman

All of these cars are compromises, do yourself a favour, stretch the budget and buy a car from the segment above- something like Tiago atleast.

Originally Posted by GTO

No car in this segment is 'safe'. Even Eon got zero stars in the NCAP. If you want safety under 4 lakhs, you have to go pre-owned.

Considering the budget of around 4 lakhs, I agree with the above quotes. None of these cars cut it out as a safe car. I would go for a Celerio VXI(O). Priced at 4.5 lakhs, with discounts in tune of 30-35k, which brings the price closer to 4 lakhs. Add in the benefits of extra space, all safety features, and a slightly better structure as per NCAP, along with the 1.0 K series engine and Maruti's reliability I would gladly go with it.

Maybe I lose a bit on features like integrated stereo, but nothing that can't be added after market.

Even if strictly amongst these 3, I would wait for the expected launch of Eon facelift before making a decision.

@MODS
Many are posting options to upgrade or none of the above. Can we have "NOTA" here too?

[Dr.Naren]

Originally Posted by .anshuman

None of the above, just because of the question mark on the safety.

Not voting for Alto K10 because of the handling flaw, Kwid because of poor crash test rating and Eon does not appeal to me at all and safety record is no good.

All of these cars are compromises, do yourself a favour, stretch the budget and buy a car from the segment above- something like Tiago atleast.

My cousin was looking out for an entry level petrol hatch. Kwid was the top contender. Ultimately he booked Tiago Petrol top model and I think it costs a lakh more than Kwid 1.0 top end. Tiago is well built and has dual airbags + ABS. Engine is also more refined.

I voted for Kwid 1.0 because it is a better overall package compared to K10 and Eon. K10 has better engine and Eon has better interior plastic quality. But Kwid wins in all other departments.

[Sutripta]

Can someone comment on the effectiveness of the ACs of these three vehicles.

Some other points which are important to me :-
Ease of parking. Can I see the four corners of the car? How much space is required so that a person can partly open the front door and sgueeze in/ out?

Regards
Sutripta

[centaur]

Would go with the Kwid because of the fresh looks and ofcourse the higher PWR & TWR. Unfortunately alto isnt what it used to be before and cost cutting is very evident. Probably if it was a new product launched with these standards I wouldnt have complained, but having seen a more better alto, this one just feels repulsive.

Eon looks pretty old compared to the kwid but if its not the kwid then has to be the eon

[GTO]

Hyundai managers must be scratching their heads. The Eon is the most well-built of the lot, has the best quality and offers the best interiors. In the last 4 months, it's sold less than 4k units. On this poll, it's the last and by quite a margin.

Originally Posted by .anshuman

All of these cars are compromises, do yourself a favour, stretch the budget and buy a car from the segment above- something like Tiago atleast.

Even the Tiago hasn't been crash tested. Until it is, we cannot assume it's any safer or dangerous than these cars (although I will agree that it is more solidly built, but still...).

[Eddy]

Originally Posted by GTO

No car in this segment is 'safe'. Even Eon got zero stars in the NCAP. If you want safety under 4 lakhs, you have to go pre-owned.

I still think that the build quality (and therefore relative safety) of the Eon is superior to Alto & Kwid.

If I were shopping among these three cars only, I'd buy the Eon. But that is only a hypothetical situation. Practically, I will save and up my budget to a WagonR / i10 level.