[a4anurag]

With the launch of the Baleno RS, a sporty avatar of the Baleno hatchback, I felt like putting up a mini comparison with the rest of the FAST hatches available in the country.

Cars in Comparison are:

1. Maruti Suzuki Baleno RS
   
2. Fiat Abarth Punto
   
3. Volkswagen Polo GT TSI
   
4. Ford Figo 1.5L P

Points that the comparison are made on:

• Specifications;
  
  
• Prices;
  
  
• Features.

NOTE: Click any picture to open a larger higher-resolution version in a new window / tab.

[a4anurag]

Specifications Comparison



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Pricing Comparison



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Features Comparison

[a4anurag]

Maruti Suzuki Baleno RS

What you'll like:

• 1.0L Boosterjet engine with more power & torque. Minimal turbo lag = good driveability
• Tastefully integrated bodykit gels well with the exterior styling
• All-round disc brakes. Confidence-inspiring braking ability
• User-friendly cabin with loads of space! Accommodating 339 liter boot too
• Comfortable ride quality matched with neutral on-road behaviour
• Kit includes dual airbags, ABS, projector headlamps + DRLs, reversing camera, Apple CarPlay, navigation and more
• Maruti's excellent after-sales service & fuss-free ownership experiences

What you won't:

• Simply overpriced! A whopping 1.5 lakh rupee premium over its 1.2L sibling
• Not really a ‘hot hatch’. Neither its engine nor the handling are sporty
• Inside out, it’s almost identical to the regular Baleno. Differentiation should’ve been more
• 3-cylinder motor – although acceptable - lacks the refinement of the 4-cylinder 1.2L
• Ordinary interior quality is Swift-like. Several budget grade parts in here
• Light build. Lacks the solidity of its rivals
• Rear seat headroom & under-thigh support are limited for tall passengers

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Fiat Abarth Punto

What you'll like:

• Finally, a hot hatch for which you don't need to break the bank!
• Explosive performance from the 145 horsepower turbo-petrol engine
• Outstanding dynamics & stability. Very satisfying to drive
• Perfectly calibrated & weighted hydraulic power steering
• A+ braking ability, thanks to the all-round disc brakes
• Gorgeous Italian design (minus the vinyls), now with sweet 16" Scorpion rims
• Solid build quality. Feels like a tijori on wheels

What you won't:

• Long throw, rubbery gearshift is a major turn-off. Long clutch too
• Awful cabin ergonomics. Driving position is weird!
• Limited rear bench space. Also, interior fit & finish are way behind the Germans & Koreans
• Garish body stickers & red highlights are an eyesore
• Merely 155 mm of ground clearance. We have our concerns
• Fiat's after-sales quality remains a gamble. Network has limited spread across India
• At 12 lakhs on-the-road, more equipment (ESP, TC, parking sensors, auto-dimming IRVM, electrically foldable ORVMs) is expected

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Volkswagen Polo GT TSI

What you'll like:

• Enthusiastic, high-revving 1.2L TSI engine. An excellent performer
• 7-speed DSG gearbox is a flawless match to the sporty motor
• A well-built European hatchback with clean, timeless styling
• Mature suspension offers a balanced ride & handling package
• Safety kit includes electronic stability program, hill-hold feature, dual airbags and ABS
• Accommodating 280 liter boot

What you won't:

• Long-term reliability concerns over the DQ200 DSG transmission
• Cutting-edge engine & gearbox tech make it a pricey hatchback
• Exterior is indistinguishable from the regular Polo. No sporty bodykit (à la Liva TRD & Polo SR)
• Ordinary rear bench legroom. Comparable to the likes of the Maruti Ritz
• VW's substandard dealership & service experiences. Maruti / Hyundai networks are more customer-centric

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Ford Figo 1.5L Petrol

What you'll like:

• Aston Martin-esque face looks very stylish!
• Value for money positioning. Priced lower than the Swift
• Compliant ride quality. Suspension is tuned for comfort
• Airbags across the range. Titanium (O) & Titanium+ variants get 6 airbags!
• Well-packaged cabin offers good legroom, lots of features and a chilling air-con
• Dual-clutch Automatic with a bigger 1.5L petrol, ESP, traction control & hill start assist

What you won't:

• Ordinary handling and lighter build quality are a departure from the usual Ford characteristics
• Cabin width makes the Figo suited to 4 adults, not 5
• 14" rims look too puny. Tyres could be wider.
• Rear headroom is limited. Headliner brushes the heads of taller passengers
• Automatic unavailable in the fully-loaded trim
• At highway speeds, downshifts aren't as immediate as you'd expect from a dual-clutch automatic

__________________________________________________ _

Links to Official Reviews:

1. Maruti Suzuki Baleno RS

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offici...al-review.html

2. Fiat Abarth Punto

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offici...al-review.html

3. Volkwagen Polo GT TSI

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offici...al-review.html

4. Ford Figo 1.5L P

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offici...al-review.html

[noopster]

Thread moved from Assembly Line to What Car? --> Hatchbacks section. Thanks for sharing!

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

As I mentioned to another post in the Baleno RS thread, a comparison with the Punto Abarth is not relevant anymore. We can safely assume that the Abarth Punto is out of production now, since the last remaining stock available even at the factory was produced back in 2015.

Even that remains unsold due to various known 'issues' discussed widely to death including the gearbox, fake Abarth tag and decals, ergonomics and features for an asking price of 9.9L. It was also sandwiched between the 'comfort of an auto transmission, but fast' Polo GT at the lower end and the rumoured 'truly international hot' 14L Polo GTi at the higher end, which eventually got launched at 27L! The only spike in interest levels these days is when such comparisons are done only to realize that a 9.9L sticker price was not so bad for a 145bhp hatchback, considering the 8.69L sticker price for the 3 cyclinder , 101bhp Baleno RS. Will miss it since it scored where it mattered for a fast hatchback with a good engine, excellent braking, hydraulic steering, sorted ride, handling and build. Anyways, that's a choice done and dusted I guess.

That leaves us with only two choices - Baleno RS if it's a manual and GT TSi if it's an automatic. Figo 1.5 DCT is just a paper warrior, and that combination has been proven to be a let down both on track and also here in Team Bhp member test drives. If it's the Figo, I'd rather pick the sub 10sec diesel option instead.

So yep - three choices for me.

1. Baleno RS
2. Polo GT TSi
3. Figo Diesel.

Easy to eliminate options 1 and 3 - poor build quality and suspected comprises on safety being the major concerns I have with these two choices.

That leaves me with only GT TSi as the voting option, because I like to vote for a car I would actually consider buying. Weird, because 5 years back I didn't buy this exact same car because it was barebones in terms of features, and had boring engine options. 5 years later, the exact same car, known safety ratings, exact same looks, a nice petrol engine, a brilliant (but scary) transmission and an updated feature list does make it look a lot more palatable than the 'new' options available. Good job VW!

Oh, but wait! GT TSi costs almost 11.5L in Bangalore now. That S-Cross 1.6 looks rather tempting from here.

[H_Dogg72]

The Polo gets the electric folding mirrors, please correct that.
And agree with the above post. Ask the people voting for Abarth if they own it ��

TSI is my pick and yes, I own one.

[Nav-i-gator]

This is easy

Polo GT TSi: Brilliant combination of a good engine and auto gearbox, still one of the best looking car out there, premium image, solid build quality, latest tech (DSG) available this side of a million rupees (though a bit of concern on long term reliability) and absolute magic to drive. Without a doubt, my pick would be the polo.

Figo is neither here nor there car - transmission is not ably supported by the engine option, and very unlike ford driving DNA

Baleno RS is a typical Maruti - the biggest selling point being - a maruti. Of the two variants, my pick would any day be the "regular" baleno petrol.

[vb-saan]

This thread kind of highlights the fact that how bad is the hot-hatchback scene in India – 3 commuter hatchbacks and a 1 (now said to be discontinued) hot hatchback to fight it out!

If the Fiat is no longer in production, my vote goes to the oldest of the three – the Polo TSI; for me that look to be the least compromised one and can provide reasonable thrills.

[amit_mechengg]

If we are discussing which cars are manufactured more or which are not manufactured now lets strike out the Abarth from the voting list. If Abarth is struck out, the Polo obviously is the choice. The Ford can really stay, but then Baleno should be struck out too, its really not a performance hatch in front of the other 3 cars mentioned.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by vb-san

If the Fiat is no longer in production

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...ml#post4164942

This post has the details. Although, nothing is officially confirmed, looks highly suspect that they will resume production again.

[bhphog]

Originally Posted by smartcat

This should help a bit. I have added Figo/ VW diesels and also Etios Liva (petrol). Choose between the following petrol manual, petrol diesel and petrol automatic options -

Attachment 1623854

I could be wrong but I think the top speed for the Baleno RS is incorrect.

This is for the Baleno with 110HP engine, the one which couldn't make it to India.

The top speed for the RS is ~170 km/hr.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by smartcat

Etios Liva (petrol).

Another fast hatchback option that has been discontinued.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offici...ml#post3820873

This engine option is only available on the cross and the sedan variants now.

[GTO]

Until the Abarth Punto is officially discontinued (and I sure hope it isn't), that's the car I'd put my money on from this list. It offers a fabulous steering & high speed behaviour never seen before in the mass market segment. The engine is ferocious on the open road, while the build & braking are both solid. Yes, it has lag at low rpm, the gearshift reminds me of Mahindra UVs & I still can't find a comfortable driving position in that damn car - still, when it comes to fast hatchbacks, the Abarth Punto is my choice. When I took the TD car for a spin, I was smiling / grinning / laughing continuously. Not too many affordable cars have the ability to do that.

I'd buy the Liva 1.5L over the Baleno RS & Polo GT TSI for its neutral road manners & peppy engine. Too bad the car is RIP. It was a lot of fun to drive.

No way I'd get a Baleno RS at the current price (give me the Baleno 1.2L over it anyday), and neither will I touch a Polo GT TSI with a barge pole (DSG gremlins & poor overall long-term reliability).

My second choice from the fast hatchbacks currently on sale would be the Polo GT TDI.

[SmartCat]

I have removed 'Top Speed' column, added Baleno in-gear acceleration figures and mentioned the fact that 1.5 engine is available only in Liva Cross variant.



Source: Autocar India



1) Look at Baleno Boosterjet's in-gear acceleration figures and compare it with others. Implies turbocharged engine has very little turbo-lag.

2) Kickdown acceleration numbers of automatics is a test of how quickly the transmission changes gears. 40 to 100 kmph performance of Ford Figo 1.5 DCT seems to be impressive when compared to VW Polo 1.2 GT TSi

[BigBrad]

I'd pick the Abarth over anything else in the list. The pros far outweigh it's cons. Sad to hear that it is no longer in production. Somehow Indians tend to prefer diluted "hot hatches" over proper ones.

My second choice would be the GT TDI for that explosive diesel, slick manual GB and the mod potential it offers. VW after sales will be a concern though.

Originally Posted by smartcat

This should help a bit. I have added Figo/ VW diesels and also Etios Liva (petrol). Choose between the following petrol manual, petrol diesel and petrol automatic options -

Small correction: The new Polo GT TDI produces 110PS.