[nbr]

ROCK18- u have stated that the poor fe of 800 is the reason for u to sell the car.

If u look at the XETA, it again delivers avg fe , and so is the case with SWIFT. SANTRO in this case is the winner with reasonable mileage. But, again ,SANTRO is a small hatchback, and the ride is bumpy .Moreover, it is quite old now ,and the resale value is also not great.

So, a car which delivers all the parameters mentioned by you is the WAGON-R ,which has become a hit after its recent plastic surgery. DO TAKE A TEST DRIVE OF WAGON-R.

[Surprise]

Originally Posted by ravibhat

Satro for driving pleasure Swift for image/look/comfort.

Swift not for driving pleasure? I dont agree with it. I never enjoy driving with Santro as I does with Swift

[subbarp]

I think you should buy Santro as it is cheaper than Swift, better car than Xeta in terms of various attributes and is an absolute no-nonsense car. Buy it and you will not regret it. If you want features and better this and better that, you can go on and on looking not just at Swift etc. but cars beyond. Santro will not disappoint you financially or otherwise. buy it.

[princesri1981]

Originally Posted by rock18

Hey Thanks for the replu Dude..But that is the best price for Santro XL. i.e the model with AC,PS and 2FR Power windows. Actual price is 3.89 Lacs..They are giving free insurance (around 10k) and then corprate discount of 3.5k so it comes around 3.75L..

And i forgot to tell you abt the other details
Mostly within City and on weekends and occasional long drives
Usage will be around 500kms per month.
It is self drven. and my dad also will drive it sometimes.

Can u please provide me the mileage figures of Santro,Indica 1.2 and Swift in city and highway.
Long term report swift owners say it gives10-11 in city and 15 in Highways.
And also how comfortable is Santro in seating 3ppl at the rear and tackling bad roads.

I have a Santro, I am using it for 1 year now. Its always without AC, before the first service I used to get 17 KMPL in city and 22 KMPL on highway.

Now after completing 15 K odd kilometers. I am consistently getting 15 KMPL whether SPEED , POWER, UNLEADED, OR EXTRA PREMIUM. Only in case of EXTRA PREMIUM I feel the car more responsive and smooth, but the problem is that there are not many EXTRA PREMIUM Pumps in the area I live in.

For city SANTRO is a very good car. You drive from a commanding position compared to other small cars (thats what I feel). I never feels underpowered in the city, never. Gear changes are pretty good.

I case of SWIFT its the best car that u can get in 4 Lac. very good on features. Only problem which I agree with you that the scratches on comparitively bigger looking car than the santro. I saw some swifts with dents and scratches which look very ugly. This car should always be kept without scratches.

If u want to be on the safer side go for the santro. If u want more excitement go for Swift. Indicas have a long way to go before they can be compared to these 2.

[rock18]

Nope i did not sell that car bcoz of poor FE.I sold it bcoz the car is more than 10 yrs old and it was giving us a hell lot of problems.Reliability is zero. Nowadays my Dad takes a call taxi for going out instead of our unreliable 800 bcoz of the various breakdowns that happened during the course of the last 1 year.Quite an embarrassing thing really.
It looks like True value gave us a very badly abused/maitained car.
Never mind i sold it to the same dealer.
And regarding WagonR, That is the only car i did not like among the various cars i tested.Not sure why.Did not feel like driving a car at all.
I liked Xeta,Swift. Yet to test drive Santro.

[ravibhat]

In city driving conditions Santro gives peppy drive, it has amazing intial pick up even at low RPM. Santro is Much Much better than Swift for city driving.

In highway Santro scores well although Swift is slightly better than Santro on highways, because of its wider tyres and its design make you feel safe on highway.

But coming to chassy/body structure quality Santro is better anyday.

Indian Swift is not crash tested although MUL website shows some fugures but its all from international swift, it just make car buyer think as if its selling international swift but contact MUL by email or have a discussion with them they will agree indian Swift is far different than international Swift! (or at least this is what MUL guy told me)

Indian Santro is crash tested it has 3star rating (as per my knowledge). I have seen few accidents involving Santro and Swift. Santro even in high speeds without ABS without air bags saved life of every occupant in the car when crashed also damage to the car was not much.

I am not telling Swift killed the occupants but by looking status of the car (mainl body) and front of the car... Santro has best rigid body compared with Swift. Swift's body is like fiber Santro body is like metal structure. I don't have photo although...

To repair accident hit car Santro is much cheaper than Swift because damage in similar crash always more for swift than Santro.

Coming to brakes Santro has sharp brakes feels you very much safer than Swift.

Take at interior quality Santro has better interiors than Swift. There are cases in Swift gear knob coming out and many non functional stuffs after using it for few weeks.

Swift is great looker/gives good comfort bigger than Santro.

According to me Santro for quality/safety! Swift for look/comfort/size.

This is again my personal feedback after discussions with thousands of guys I know

Regards,

Ravi.

[ballkey]

Hmm. According to Mr.Ravibhat, crumple zones are a waste

A car deformed in an accident == a few thousand rupees/insurance claims.
A car that's not deformed == driver absorbs the maximum impact == a very damaged if not dead driver.
Hope that clarifies things a bit.

Coming back on topic - the two cars(Santro/Swift) are pretty much a moot comparison in most people's books, except for a Hyundai rep.
Swift is bigger,faster, safer(atleast in Zxi spec). It's also more costlier to maintain, less fuel efficient but guess what, you just bought a car from a higher segment; so obviously there's a bit more expenditure. If you have the moolah, Swift is the one to buy. Although I'd recommend to atleast get the Vxi.

[s0uljah]

Originally Posted by ravibhat

I have seen few accidents involving Santro and Swift. Santro even in high speeds without ABS without air bags saved life of every occupant in the car when crashed also damage to the car was not much.

I am not telling Swift killed the occupants but by looking status of the car (mainl body) and front of the car... Santro has best rigid body compared with Swift. Swift's body is like fiber Santro body is like metal structure. I don't have photo although...

To repair accident hit car Santro is much cheaper than Swift because damage in similar crash always more for swift than Santro.

ABS - Mostly comes into play only on the highway... accidents at highspeeds with abs will ensure atleast no "spinouts" of the vehicle.

Regarding the external damage of vehicles, look into something called "crumple zones". Say if a a car with a good build quality (eg : skoda) was to ram into a stationary vehicle of inferior build quality (eg : alto, santro) you will be surprised to see the condition of the parked cars and the Skoda. The crumple zones dictates the external damage to the car since all pressure is absorbed by the crumple zones, leaving the cabin damage, minimised.

Oh and to clear things up - my family has owned a Santro for the last 5 years! Started out as hate, but today I cannot deny its one of the most sensible city cars to own.

[Ajay_J]

@ Ravi bhat, I dont think santro come anywhere close to swift or getz. I've driven santro and was thoroughly disappointed by its performance.
Driving pleasure in santro??? Steering, clucth , brakes, gear box, nothing is a match to swift.
By the way have you ever cut the corners in a santro at higher speed ? please do so you will come to which chasis is better. So high in body roll that toll boy santro is. Lets not compare swift "atleast with santro".
Dont de-grade that good vehicle to this extent.

Peace.

[ravibhat]

I know one can't compare Santro and Swift but this thread has choosing between between xeta/santro/swift.

What I suggested is based on feedback I saw and my personal experience with Santro and Swift since I owned and travelled around 11,000KM each in both the cars.

According to me If one compares Santro and Swift my suggestion: If you look for a car which is easy to drive/safe/economic to run go for Santro.

If you need bigger space than santro/comfort/image/look go for Swift.

I have mentioned in my earlier post Swift scores better in highway than Santro because of its stability aspects.

But Swift has its own issues while Santro has no issues except for bumpy ride in bad roads.

Body roll depends on how you drive how you control the car. There are guys who control even omini very well even at high speeds (80 to 100km.)

But I do respect for safety aspect of Swift ZXI but who will pay 5.7 lacs for cramped car?

Guys I am not here to argue just posted feedback based on my experience and other known source.

My pick for this thread 1.Swift VXI, 2.Santro, 3.Xeta.

Regards,

Ravi.

[nbr]

RAVIBHAT : u have stated that Indian SANTRO is more safer than Indian SWIFT. Could you justify your statement by giving instances where SWIFT occupants were killed. But, i have seen quite a mishaps wherein santros front portion getting ripped and ocupants are also killed.
IMO, SWIFT is a safer car, because it has taut chasis which gives the driver "a big car feel " ,which inspires confidence on the road .

[theEnd]

Perhaps somebody had a particularly bad experience with a Swift (bought a lemon, so to speak) and is on a sublte crusade against the car?

[rock18]

Looks like there is no clear cut winner here.It all adds to the same confusion.
Since i am on budget constraint, Is it good if i opt for Indica Xeta with AC and PS for 3.2 Lacs(after discount)?. As per ACI Mileage figures are decent enough for this car.

Tata discount + corprate discount makes its price quite mouth watering.
I can put in 2 FR power windows for 8k+wheel cups+good stereo system+Sun film.so everything will come under 3.5lacs.

Buying a LXI swift and adding all these features will stretch my budget to 4.4lacs

Santro XL will stretch my budget to 3.94lacs.

Do you all think its a good deal?

[carCrazy25]

Considering Budget constraints.
I would go for the Santro for the following reasons.
Peace Of Mind (Excellent A.S.S)
Mileage around 14 to 15 in city (Got this from MS reviews, and word of mouth)
Santro has proven to be reliable with low cost of manitenance/ownership.

[Equus]

I have a Santro (1 litre 2001 model) for the past almost 6 yrs. Its no doubt a fantastic city car but thats that. Maintenance issues - not that much, overall you should be fine. The fuel efficiency isnt bad at all I recently got 13.x in the city with AC on most of the time. With this eRLX (or whatever it is) on the 1.1 litre engine should get you atleast the above figures if not better..

However, it doesnt have the power when you will need it.. Swift would certainly be a much better option.. I recently went to Ooty from Bangalore and this car was really crawling. I know its not fair but it did way below my expectations.