[chiefpk]

Ford's are built very heavily but that was with the first gen Ford's in India. The build have taken a hit from what it was in the first gen figo and what it is now. But is is still way better than the competition.

It has been said many times on this forum, that adding more airbags doesn't add up to more safety. There are many other aspects which are taken for consideration.
Let alone, the Figo which was tested in GNCAP and LNCAP, scored 3 stars and 4 stars respectively but what it lacks is Altroz's 5 star rating with a stable body structure. Tata is tested and proven in terms of its safety with even two airbags, just check on youtube on Tiago's build quality, there are almost 50 videos which display the amazing build of even an entry level hatchback. Altroz is a notch higher than that even.

While the first gen Figo had a stable structure without airbags. So you can sense quite a lot of cost cutting here. The current Freestyle in your budget doesn't come with AA or ACP. If I was to today pick between the Figo/Freestyle and the Altroz, I would definitely be picking the Altroz, no two ways about it. If you are prioritising the engine department though, Ford has no competition in that regards.

My 2 cents!
Cheers!

[Shreyans_Jain]

Go with the Altroz. Nothing beats a certified 5 star rating. The Figo, despite the 6 airbags, is based on the Aspire. The Aspire managed 3 stars with an UNSTABLE for the chassis to the best of my recollection. Tata’s ride and handling package is also superior.

Tomorrow, if Maruti starts offering 6 airbags on our desi Swift, will we automatically start considering it a safe car? We won’t. You can’t get around the limitations of the chassis.

[self_driven]

Originally Posted by Fravia

Given these facts, what is a safer car in the two?

We are no one to comment on the real-world safety aspect of the two cars but, at least on paper, Altroz trumps the Freestyle. It also feels like a more upmarket product as compared to the utilitarian Freestyle.

There's no denying the advantage of curtain airbags in a side collision. However, smaller Fords are no longer what they used to be. I've been in a 2014 and 2018 Ecosport back to back. The older car felt more solid.

[IshaanIan]

Very simple:

If you really know your stuff and can drive the pants off of these small cars, then go for the Altroz

If you aren't the most skilled driver out there and you feel that a buffalo in the middle of the highway poses a risk in terms of being able to rev-match down to the right gear so as not to upset the balance and steer out of the situation, then you require ESP and so I would suggest you go for the Figo

[Fravia]

Originally Posted by PetrolheadRup

I do not have a definitive answer to your query but here are my 2 cents on this topic...

Some really thoughtful points there, thank you for sharing.

Originally Posted by longhorn

Build quality should be accorded a higher value over more than 2 airbags. No amount of airbags is going to save you if the build quality sucks. When I say build quality, I am referring to the structure, not the seat of pants feel of the thickness of the doors. Stability of the passenger compartment is what matters most, followed by a minimum of two airbags. On this count, I would rate Tata and the new gen Mahindras a notch over Ford.

I should've been a bit clearer. I'm not really concerned about the 2 vs 6 airbags honestly but more on active safety features like the ESC. In fact in one of the pieces I read even went on to say that the research on the side airbags is even inconclusive and may even be counterproductive.

Originally Posted by chiefpk

Ford's are built very heavily but that was with the first gen Ford's in India. The build have taken a hit from what it was in the first gen figo and what it is now. But is is still way better than the competition.

It has been said many times on this forum, that adding more airbags doesn't add up to more safety. There are many other aspects which are taken for consideration.
Let alone, the Figo which was tested in GNCAP and LNCAP, scored 3 stars and 4 stars respectively but what it lacks is Altroz's 5 star rating with a stable body structure. Tata is tested and proven in terms of its safety with even two airbags, just check on Youtube on Tiago's build quality, there are almost 50 videos which display the amazing build of even an entry level hatchback. Altroz is a notch higher than that even.

While the first gen Figo had a stable structure without airbags. So you can sense quite a lot of cost cutting here. The current Freestyle in your budget doesn't come with AA or ACP. If I was to today pick between the Figo/Freestyle and the Altroz, I would definitely be picking the Altroz, no two ways about it. If you are prioritising the engine department though, Ford has no competition in that regards.

My 2 cents!
Cheers!

Thank you for your inputs. Again, I seem to have made a newbie mistake. The budget specified was for the ex-showroom. The Altroz XZ as well as the Titanium plus is within my reach. And yeah, left out the engine purposely because I understand there is no competition there.

Originally Posted by Shreyans_Jain

Go with the Altroz. Nothing beats a certified 5 star rating. The Figo, despite the 6 airbags, is based on the Aspire. The Aspire managed 3 stars with an UNSTABLE for the chassis to the best of my recollection. Tata’s ride and handling package is also superior.

Tomorrow, if Maruti starts offering 6 airbags on our desi Swift, will we automatically start considering it a safe car? We won’t. You can’t get around the limitations of the chassis.

Sorry, the question is more on how much weightage should one give to the the active safety feature like the ESC, ARP that Altroz misses out on. If it were just the structural safety, there is no question for sure. Or if the Freestyle were to also come with 5 star rating and along with these safety features then there would again be no question at all. Not really concerned about the 6 airbags too much. And I think from what I've read the Freestyle's build is still considered much better than the Swift so I think the question of whether we will buy a Swift with 6 airbags is a bit unfair.

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

Very simple:

If you really know your stuff and can drive the pants off of these small cars, then go for the Altroz

If you aren't the most skilled driver out there and you feel that a buffalo in the middle of the highway poses a risk in terms of being able to rev-match down to the right gear so as not to upset the balance and steer out of the situation, then you require ESP and so I would suggest you go for the Figo

Such a commanding answer. Can't argue with that. Can definitely not drive the pants off, I've ridden more on bicycles than driven cars and this is why it bothers me a bit. Also the safety of the passengers I'd be responsible for weighs on the mind a lot.

[Agarwal_Aayush]

I guess most of the people have already covered what I have to say..
I will like add one more point to the above discussion that having additional safety features will always come in handy specially in India where people while driving don't give a crap about others, its as if they are competing to break a record or something.

Also while driving we don't know what circumstances may come in your way, these additional safety features may help you wade through these tricky situations if not help you out completely.

[IshaanIan]

Originally Posted by Fravia

Such a commanding answer. Can't argue with that. Can definitely not drive the pants off, I've ridden more on bicycles than driven cars and this is why it bothers me a bit. Also the safety of the passengers I'd be responsible for weighs on the mind a lot.

ESP definitely works. It takes into account the direction that the car is travelling in relation to the steering input and if there is any discrepancy (which would be cause due to high momentum, low traction etc.), then it kicks in to apply brakes on individual wheels to ensure the car rotates in the intended direction. Definitely one of the biggest safety features added to cars after the invention of the seat-belt and airbags. The Altroz may have better structural composure during a crash however the Figo might help you evade the crash altogether with its ESP system.

That said, I remember Tata having something called CSC cornering stability control. It sounds an awful lot like their version of ESP so do please do some research and find out exactly what CSC is and whether it actually is their version of ESP. If so, the Altroz may just be the safer option overall.

[offtopic]

I am in the same boat here: looking to buy my first car and the Altroz and Freestyle both come within my budget.

The Freestyle is more compact so should be easier to drive and comes with ESP, which from what I understood from research works constantly to prevent the car from becoming unstable or oversteering. I've heard it checks the stability of the car 25 times in a second.

The Altroz is larger so should be more futureproof (I plan to keep the car for at least 8 years) and comes with CSC, which kicks in when the brake is applied and steering is turned to prevent oversteering.

Somebody please give me an easy answer. The back-and-forth between these two is agonising.

[offtopic]

An adendum: Like I said, its my first car. I plan on using it for all purposes: local city roundabouts, long trips, night drives, and, pandemic-permitting, office commutes. I'm a first-timer, and my wife, who will also be driving it, will also be a first-timer. So expect some rough usage.

[fiat_tarun]

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

...

That said, I remember Tata having something called CSC cornering stability control. It sounds an awful lot like their version of ESP so do please do some research and find out exactly what CSC is and whether it actually is their version of ESP. If so, the Altroz may just be the safer option overall.

CSC is nothing but a subset of ABS and hence is not really comparable to ESP. Considering Tata is offering ESP as standard on the Nexon, I'd expect this to trickle down to their other offerings as well in the future. Maybe the Altroz facelift 2-3 years later will get ESP.

[IshaanIan]

Originally Posted by fiat_tarun

CSC is nothing but a subset of ABS and hence is not really comparable to ESP.

Makes sense I suppose. Wasn't sure what it was. Could you explain exactly what it does; as a subset of ABS? I remember taking the Tiago twins (at and mt petrol non jtp) for a TD and asking the salesman but he couldn't explain exactly what it was either he told me to think of it as ESP which made me quite impressed but skeptical as well.

[fiat_tarun]

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

Makes sense I suppose. Wasn't sure what it was. Could you explain exactly what it does; as a subset of ABS? ...

This is basically something like an EBD that comes into effect when the vehicle is taking a turn. CSC will reduce the brake pressure at the inner wheels during partial braking to avoid an over-steer situation.

[Car Architect]

Originally Posted by offtopic

I am in the same boat here: looking to buy my first car and the Altroz and Freestyle both come within my budget.

The Freestyle is more compact so should be easier to drive and comes with ESP, which from what I understood from research works constantly to prevent the car from becoming unstable or oversteering. I've heard it checks the stability of the car 25 times in a second.

The Altroz is larger so should be more futureproof (I plan to keep the car for at least 8 years) and comes with CSC, which kicks in when the brake is applied and steering is turned to prevent oversteering.

Somebody please give me an easy answer. The back-and-forth between these two is agonising.

Originally Posted by offtopic

An adendum: Like I said, its my first car. I plan on using it for all purposes: local city roundabouts, long trips, night drives, and, pandemic-permitting, office commutes. I'm a first-timer, and my wife, who will also be driving it, will also be a first-timer. So expect some rough usage.

I believe the Altroz will serve you better in the longer run as it is a more contemporary product with better overall build and quality.

Yes, ESP will help you with the possibility of preventing a crash in the first place, but we need to remember that there are lot of other probabilities with respect to crashes. Hence it's better to go for a car with strong structural integrity as it will keep the occupant safe in most of the scenarios.

[buntee90]

A close friend of mine is in the market for a new Hatchback. He was earlier stuck at 7.5L but after the launch of the New i20 we argued a lot and finally settled at 9L OTR Delhi. He is not interested in pre-owned route at all.

We were almost final on the new i20 1.2P but then we got a chance to sample Altroz Petrol.

We recently traveled to Renuka Ji, Himachal Pradesh which is around 320 Kms from Delhi in Altroz Petrol. The route is a mixed bag with city roads, highway and hills. I got to drive the car for 300 odd KMs. We were four well built people on board and found the car to be a competent package. It offered good driveability in the city at low rpms and the performance on highways was satisfactory with 100 coming at 2700 Rpm. What impressed us was the the ride quality of the Altroz on bad roads in the hills (It was the XT variant without alloys) and high speed manners on the highway; small potholes and uneven surfaces on NH1 were dealt with aplomb, the car was planted and solid and never felt unsettled up to speeds of 120.(Didn't go beyond 120). The Altroz returned an efficiency of 16.5 KMPL with mixed driving (one out of three drivers drives with a lead foot ).

Now I and my friend got a chance to drive the new i20 1.2P MT Sportz in the city for 5 Km and found that it has almost same driving feel that of earlier Elite i20, Viz Engine and Transmission. The suspension was firmer though. Interior of the new i20 was better, space was almost similar though seats were better in Altroz. We have driven the older Elite i20 P extensively and found that Altroz has better driveability in the city and almost same performance on the highway. The 1.2 Kappa in the i20 is way more refined but other than that I didn't find too much in favour of the i20.

My friend is leaning towards the i20 Sportz but after the recent crash tests of i10 Nios and Seltos, he is in a dilemma. Further i20 Sportz variant misses out on important features like rear wash-wipe,cruise control also.

Swift and Baleno were not considered due to their less than stellar build although their engine is the best of the lot.


Esteemed Bhpians! please help us out, especially those who have driven both Altroz P and New i20 1.2P

[CEF_Beasts]

I20 is worth considering if you are interested in the turbo petrol otherwise I find the Altroz has the necessary features, decent engine (both 1.2L NA petrols of Tata and Hyundai have adequate power if not more) and best in class safety without the bling of the i20.

My personal pick today would be the Altroz hands down!