Team-BHP > What Car? > Hatchbacks


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Old 19th July 2009, 01:33   #16
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Your best bet would be the Ritz or Swift Diesel. They are low on maintainance, very easy to get service for the same and reliable enough to be used by the fairer sex.

You can trust on Maruti for service available at every nook and corner of the city or highway including spare parts.
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Old 19th July 2009, 02:21   #17
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You may want to keep in mind that the Ritz does not have an internal boot release lever.

I thought of mentioning this, since it's a major irritant when cars are checked by security personnel at offices/malls etc.

a) one has to switch off the engine and hand over the key to the guard - can be frustrating in summers.
b) guards tend to slam the boot shut with more force than necessary leading to the lock mechanism getting damaged (I'm not speculating here - there have been multiple complaints registered at our office on this issue - not related to Ritz - but other cars)

I would never buy a car that does not have this, IMO, basic feature.
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Old 19th July 2009, 08:38   #18
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@Shuvc: Would the Swift boot lever not be capable of being retrofitted?

@Chernish ji: This thread completely beats me. WHY DIESEL?

Don't get me wrong - I'll complete almost 21.7k in my nine months of ownership. However, please realise that excepting getz diesel and the costlier i20, none of the cars will have the refinement and FUN of a clean petrol car. You want a city car for the wife basically (and kanpur isnt huge like delhi/mumbai)

and we at team-bhp just love inflating budgets or preaching diesels. nonsense.

Honestly, I'd say do two things - take an i10 1.2 into the city as well as Swift.
See the pain while crawling, as well as the sheer fun of stepping on the gas when required. the turbo lag etc in MJD diesels can be a pain!
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Old 19th July 2009, 09:52   #19
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is driving a diesel hatchback heavier than petrol by a good margin-say if i get her an i10 or diesel ritz-will the difference be much?actually if it would be diesel the car gets used much more freely and everybody will use it.if petrol -people think of cost and the end result is that the car is stationary.
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Old 19th July 2009, 10:00   #20
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Even though the new-gen diesels are silent enough.
They are still a pain to drive compared to petrols:
1. Turb lag (can be unsettling)
2. heavy clutch
3. lot more vibration/engine growl than petrols

Also consider how much the car will be used to justify extra money for diesel carpurchase.
Ex: If the usage is 1000km per month, you will need atleast 5 years to break-even with the extra money for diesel car.

That being said Ritz is probably easier to drive & see around because of its small turning radius and tall-boy design.

Quote:
Originally Posted by drchernish View Post
is driving a diesel hatchback heavier than petrol by a good margin-say if i get her an i10 or diesel ritz-will the difference be much?actually if it would be diesel the car gets used much more freely and everybody will use it.if petrol -people think of cost and the end result is that the car is stationary.
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Old 19th July 2009, 10:18   #21
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I would say FIAT Punto. Fresh looks. Nice VFM. Lots of goodies. Comfortable ride. Only drawback is large turning radius.

Please do not think of women as teeny weeny types who are only fit to drive M800s and Santros.
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Old 19th July 2009, 10:21   #22
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my vote for the vista - you really dont have to spend more , but tata ownership is not a bed of roses - bouncer got a vista for his wife, and they seem to be quite happy!

I'm not a big fan of the maruti DDIS twins - both of them have bad rear visiblity - one can get used to it I suppose.

and then the palio - same issues as faced by the vista + all those three point turns
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Old 19th July 2009, 10:48   #23
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Seeler_Rebeiro View Post
I would say FIAT Punto. Fresh looks. Nice VFM. Lots of goodies. Comfortable ride.
Quote:
Originally Posted by greenhorn View Post
my vote for the vista - you really dont have to spend more , but tata ownership is not a bed of roses - bouncer got a vista for his wife, and they seem to be quite happy!
My +1 to these two. Both are good looking cars with nice features. You don't have to spend on better footwear (something that is always recomended on this forum). At least TATA & Fiat are giving the customers decent footwear. The Punto is a good handler and quite comfortable whereas the Vista is very comfortable and has OK handling.

Quote:
Originally Posted by greenhorn View Post
I'm not a big fan of the maruti DDIS twins - both of them have bad rear visiblity
Quote:
Originally Posted by shuvc View Post
You may want to keep in mind that the Ritz does not have an internal boot release lever.
I thought of mentioning this, since it's a major irritant when cars are checked by security personnel at offices/malls etc.
I would never buy a car that does not have this, IMO, basic feature.
Add to that some more basic features like day/night RVM, parcel tray missing. Then you have to remember to turn off the headlamps when you park and remember not to crank the engine when it's already running. You will also have to live with the rattles.

Quote:
Originally Posted by amit View Post
None of the variants? Not even Petrol top end? That reminds me, does the Ritz Vdi have rear wash wipe and defogger? I believe the Swift Vdi doesn't have these. This is a major irritant and, personally, a potential deal breaker for me. These are areas where the manufacturer should not resort to any cost cutting.
You're right. They don't have these features. Only the ZXi has them. Plus the missing items mentioned above.

Last edited by Furious55 : 19th July 2009 at 10:51.
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Old 19th July 2009, 10:48   #24
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Quote:
Originally Posted by shuvc View Post
You may want to keep in mind that the Ritz does not have an internal boot release lever.
None of the variants? Not even Petrol top end?

That reminds me, does the Ritz Vdi have rear wash wipe and defogger? I believe the Swift Vdi doesn't have these. This is a major irritant and, personally, a potential deal breaker for me. These are areas where the manufacturer should not resort to any cost cutting because these are safety features not just luxury or cosmetic.

Last edited by amit : 19th July 2009 at 10:50.
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Old 19th July 2009, 11:28   #25
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Quote:
Originally Posted by drchernish View Post
is driving a diesel hatchback heavier than petrol by a good margin-say if i get her an i10 or diesel ritz-will the difference be much?actually if it would be diesel the car gets used much more freely and everybody will use it.if petrol -people think of cost and the end result is that the car is stationary.
Hence the reason I suggested Ikon Diesel. It's a gem of tech innovation. Turbo lag is minimal and is the best diesel for city use. The car is overall dated but the engine at that price makes it a steal.

Also the NVH (I td'd the Fusion and FIesta. I honestly havent driven Ikon diesel.) is the least.

I would suggest you just test drive the car once.
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Old 19th July 2009, 11:31   #26
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Quote:
Originally Posted by amit View Post
None of the variants? Not even Petrol top end?
That's right. Strange omission from Maruti.
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Old 19th July 2009, 11:42   #27
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@drchernish
My honest suggestion. Don't buy a diesel for your wife. Trust me, am driving a diesel for more than 6 years now. The clutch is very heavy for a man, forget a woman. The left leg (specially the ankle) sure does pain after a while. Plus the turbo lag will not be appreciated much by your wife as mentioned by neo. I would suggest you go for a Petrol. Simply the best thing is this:

1. Shortlist Cars
2. Schedule a Long Test drive (Be specific with the dealers, in advance)
3. Let your wife drive each and every car, weigh all Pro's and Con's, tell her everything you know & let her decide. After all she will mostly drive it.

For saving a few thousands a month, you don't want to lose out on the driving pleasure, do you? And i presume that your city won't have horrendous start stop traffic like the metro cities, so you don't have to bother much about fuel efficiency. You do have the Verna Diesel which is the perfect companion for your outstation trips.

My Two Cents.

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Old 19th July 2009, 12:53   #28
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just came back after test driving punto diesel.WOW.it doesnt feel like a diesel car.the clutch was soo light and good driving manners.but its kindof big for wifey i think.tommorow will be test driving ritz n taking decisions.regarding driving refinement punto gave me n to top it al its diesel so you dont worry about petrol prices n just enjoy the drive.also you will probably be thinking about an excuse to go somewhere in the car if there is driving pleasure ,refinement plus economy of diesel.....
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Old 19th July 2009, 12:58   #29
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as long as you're there at the tata showroom, do try the vista as well
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Old 19th July 2009, 12:59   #30
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Quote:
Originally Posted by drchernish View Post
just came back after test driving punto diesel.WOW.it doesnt feel like a diesel car.the clutch was soo light and good driving manners.but its kindof big for wifey i think.tommorow will be test driving ritz n taking decisions.regarding driving refinement punto gave me n to top it al its diesel so you dont worry about petrol prices n just enjoy the drive.also you will probably be thinking about an excuse to go somewhere in the car if there is driving pleasure ,refinement plus economy of diesel.....
In that case don't think twice. Just go for the Punto. I love the Punto too. Too bad I could not afford anything more than an Alto when I bought my car.
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