[hrmanju1]

@suhaas

I was in a similar dilemma and choices. But the only differentiator for me was Automatic. A/T was a must and this reduced lots of choices for me in the Hatch market. Other than i20, i did not have much options at all.

For you, i would say wait for VW Polo. HighEnd with 1.6 Petrol. This is something which i was waiting but with a A/T. But no A/T is offered right now. Hence dropped the idea. If you like the looks of Polo, i would wait. But 1.6 Petrol is going to be released sometime in June i heard. No clarity on that aspect. I feel VW wants to get it right the first time itself. Hence all this secrecy. I would wait for review by our mags and GTO.

[kartho]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

Excellent idea! The Beat is a great little car and is probably the perfect car we're looking for. I don't mind settling for the beat despite my first preference being the Punto.

The March/Micra would be out later right? We're looking to buy the car by April max! Would it be out by then? What about the VW Polo?

Thanks!

Almost all the hatches would fit in 170cm width as long as you have calculated sufficient vacant space to open the drivers door atleast without scratching the civic

Most sites are optimistic about Micra release in May '10, infact in 2010 Nissan plans to start exports of this super mini from India is the word. So, waiting a month or two more could give you a smaller car that would fit better without worries in your garage and a sure shot head turner when you are on the road, IMO the March is a scorcher and excellent on safety aspects as well. I read this on a popular autoblog site "In an independent test, the Micra was found to be more secure that certain BMW and Mercedes models."

I am also considering a hatch for my wife, was almost sold on the i10 auto, but then Micra is driving me nuts and its got better color options too. With all that I have read and seen about Micra, i am surely waiting for its launch, like in your case, the expected running of the car is quite low in our case too !

Somehow Polo never interested me, VW still is a synonym for expensive maintenance in my dictionary, i may be wrong, but thats my opinion !

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by sbraj

I have tried to do a quick comparison of width at carwale.com. Since the comparison is limited to 4 choices, I selected Punto/Beat/Jazz/i20. You could repeat the same for other options as well.

Thank you very much, Sir! Your guidance has helped me narrow down my choices! One thing though, does the width of these cars include the ORVMs?

I guess the i20 is out of contention as of now. It's a blue blooded Hyundai and also it'd be too much of a squeeze in my parking lot are the reasons why I'm ruling it out for now.

The Punto, the Jazz (Both are tight squeezes) and the Beat are on my list. The Chevy looks very promising even though it's also a Korean car, somewhat!

Originally Posted by hrmanju1

@suhaas

I was in a similar dilemma and choices. But the only differentiator for me was Automatic. A/T was a must and this reduced lots of choices for me in the Hatch market. Other than i20, i did not have much options at all.

For you, i would say wait for VW Polo. HighEnd with 1.6 Petrol. This is something which i was waiting but with a A/T. But no A/T is offered right now. Hence dropped the idea. If you like the looks of Polo, i would wait. But 1.6 Petrol is going to be released sometime in June i heard. No clarity on that aspect. I feel VW wants to get it right the first time itself. Hence all this secrecy. I would wait for review by our mags and GTO.

The 1.6 Polo would be incredible! We would close our eyes and settle for that. Nothing like German build quality and ergonomics. And it would be a bonus if it's powered by a 1.6 (Jetta?) motor. Mileage isn't an issue at so even if the car is powered by a gas guzzling motor, it would be okay!

Hope VW launch it sometime soon though. If I'm sure that the Polo would be out by May-June, we don't mind waiting!


EDIT: Kartho, I'd calculated rightly! 170cm would be the max. It would be quite a squeeze. When we park our Santro, we leave a few inches on the other side and say 5 inches the drivers side. And we manage that well! Oh and the Micra/March seems quite interesting as well! We will wait!

GTO Ji! Could you leave your opinion? I could use a moderator's note on this!

[rohan_iitr]

I would suggest Maruti Ritz.

- Perfect size car for city usage (neither too wide nor cramped)
- Refined and fuel efficient Maruti's revolutionary K-series engine
- Tall seating position
- Maruti's trusted A.S.S.
- Zxi comes fully loaded with safety features (ABS and air-bags)

Any particular reason you are not interested in Hyundai cars ? (I am just curious since you mentioned that you are satisfied with your Santro)

Rohan,
Bangalore

[jkdas]

If i20 wont fit JAzz wont too. And ride quality of Jazz was reported to be bad here at TBHP.

Check out the Beat; looks bloody hot.

[DCEite]

Top end Ritz ZXi suits your needs perfectly.

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by rohan_iitr

I would suggest Maruti Ritz.

- Perfect size car for city usage (neither too wide nor cramped)
- Refined and fuel efficient Maruti's revolutionary K-series engine
- Tall seating position
- Maruti's trusted A.S.S.
- Zxi comes fully loaded with safety features (ABS and air-bags)

Any particular reason you are not interested in Hyundai cars ? (I am just curious since you mentioned that you are satisfied with your Santro)

Rohan,
Bangalore

Originally Posted by DCEite

Top end Ritz ZXi suits your needs perfectly.

Thanks guys,

The Ritz seems to be a good buy. Will test drive it and see. There are several plus points of the Santro that one can see in the Ritz. The 'tall boy' and the size in particular!

Looks like we have a new entry on our list!

EDIT: Rohan, somehow I've never liked Korean cars. I know, the Santro is a great car for city driving and we're very happy with it. But somehow, I've never taken a liking to it. I appreciate it for it's ability and the fact that it's efficient, frugal and easy to drive. I respect it. But I don't love it. And that's why I'd prefer a car which can move me. No offense dude! I love Porsche's 911 to bits and there are people all over this forum who call it a prepped up Beetle with a wing on the back. But I couldn't care less.

Originally Posted by jkdas

If i20 wont fit JAzz wont too. And ride quality of Jazz was reported to be bad here at TBHP.

Check out the Beat; looks bloody hot.

If the i20 doesn't fit then I guess the Jazz wouldn't either. Since the budget isn't an issue, the Jazz is a tasty prospect.

The test drives will start in a weeks time! The Punto, the Ritz, the Fabia, the i20, the Beat and the Jazz will be test driven shortly.

[suhaas307]

Suhaas, I was just wondering. Why not the Swift ZXi/Ritz ZXi ?

The Ritz especially, with its awesome K-series engine makes a very good, fuel efficient city car.

IF not the Ritz ZXi, it would be the Jazz / i20 1.2 for me.

@ DRIV3R, Rohan and DCEite,

Thank you for the suggestion guys! DRIV3R, I'm sorry I don't know how I managed to skip your post. You were the first to suggest the Rtiz! I'm sorry!

Thanks for the suggestions guys. Much appreciated!

[Sujith1100]

My dad was about to book a FIAT PUNTO on 31st Dec'09. But I stopped him after seeing the quality issues with the car, such as the Rubber beedings of the door, Plastics on the C-pillar, popped-up Fuel lid, etc. I personally too have notice some minor defects in the car such as the misaligned glove-box cover on the dash.

But I have driven the car and happy with the performance etc. Do you people think that its okay to go about it. Or wait for another few months, as FIAT has promised to improve its quality standards.

[mkh]

Work by elimination , here is how i would choose knowing your factors
i-20 : out as korean
i-10: out again for above reason
Punto: Again probably out as your folks are not ok with FIAT and be assured you may have to live with some initial issues and probably some visits to the service center. Also parking space constraints..
Jazz: Is it worth the money? I do not think so,even if you have the cash to afford it so maybe OUT
Fabia: Could be- its worth it, if you can afford it is what i have known about it. Also will have a touch of class once you are inside, comparable to the feel you get in your Civic
Polo: Could be the best bet- but no idea on the car ride and quality till you take a TD.
Beat: Again close to what u want, space taken less and top end will have all what you need
Ritz: Very close- except not the greatest quality -except superb engine
If you are ok with the shape, its a great buy( in fact i recall GTO saying- prob the best if you want for a lady and mostly city drive)

Finally Ritz/Beat/Polo..and only Fabia maybe to choose from...
Hope you make the best choice

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by Sujith1100

My dad was about to book a FIAT PUNTO on 31st Dec'09. But I stopped him after seeing the quality issues with the car, such as the Rubber beedings of the door, Plastics on the C-pillar, popped-up Fuel lid, etc. I personally too have notice some minor defects in the car such as the misaligned glove-box cover on the dash.

But I have driven the car and happy with the performance etc. Do you people think that its okay to go about it. Or wait for another few months, as FIAT has promised to improve its quality standards.

Thank you Sujith, I shall keep this in mind!

Originally Posted by mkh

Work by elimination , here is how i would choose knowing your factors
i-20 : out as korean
i-10: out again for above reason
Punto: Again probably out as your folks are not ok with FIAT and be assured you may have to live with some initial issues and probably some visits to the service center. Also parking space constraints..
Jazz: Is it worth the money? I do not think so,even if you have the cash to afford it so maybe OUT
Fabia: Could be- its worth it, if you can afford it is what i have known about it. Also will have a touch of class once you are inside, comparable to the feel you get in your Civic
Polo: Could be the best bet- but no idea on the car ride and quality till you take a TD.
Beat: Again close to what u want, space taken less and top end will have all what you need
Ritz: Very close- except not the greatest quality -except superb engine
If you are ok with the shape, its a great buy( in fact i recall GTO saying- prob the best if you want for a lady and mostly city drive)

Finally Ritz/Beat/Polo..and only Fabia maybe to choose from...
Hope you make the best choice

You've given this some thought! Thank you! I shall consider the Polo, the Beat and the Ritz. You've helped me a great deal my friend!

[vigsom]

Suhaas,

Go for the Ritz

[Amartya]

Well Suhaas, I can understand the dilemna. To add to the deluge of suggestion, let me throw in my two cents:

I'll shortlist the following 3 cars:

a. Figo(You said you can wait for a couple of months)
b. Punto (1.4 Petrol Emotion Pack)
c. Beat (Top of the line version)

Now, none of us have driven the Figo, but I think this is going to be a great little car. Ford's are the most fun to drive cars in India (overstatement but you know what I mean). It should be roomy, comfortable and have the best ride and handling balance (pure speculation but I somehow trust Ford to provide these).

With that out of the way, the Punto 1.4 Emotion Pack is a lovely car. With a reasonably unstressed 1.4 Litre engine, full safety kit, cool features like the Blue and Me and recently improved quality interiors (Read Sid's experience on buying one, he hasn't really spilled the beans completely though) it's a wonderful car. I didn't even talk about the styling. What might be a problem though is the turning radius and the long clutch travel (for your Mom). On the other hand, my girlfriend drives Punto and she loves it. \

The best bit is that you can take the Punto on the Highway and revel in it's engineering finesse. I don't know a single hatchback that good on the highway. With the Civic's low ground clearance, you might surprise yourself by reaching for the Punto's key for the odd highway trip.


The Beat seems to be a good car, however, to me it looks like Chevrolet went over the top with the styling (personal opinion, the rear is identical to the first generation Santro, with bling-ed taillamps). As a replacement for your Santro, it really doesn't offer enough space (less in case of boot space).

[mkh]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

You've given this some thought! Thank you! I shall consider the Polo, the Beat and the Ritz. You've helped me a great deal my friend!

Originally Posted by Amartya

Well Suhaas, I can understand the dilemna. To add to the deluge of suggestion, let me throw in my two cents:

I'll shortlist the following 3 cars:

a. Figo(You said you can wait for a couple of months)
b. Punto (1.4 Petrol Emotion Pack)
c. Beat (Top of the line version)

Now, none of us have driven the Figo, but I think this is going to be a great little car. Ford's are the most fun to drive cars in India (overstatement but you know what I mean). It should be roomy, comfortable and have the best ride and handling balance (pure speculation but I somehow trust Ford to provide these).

You are welcome my friend- though i did miss out on the Figo. I think Amartya is right that it maybe a winner and really nice car to drive. You can wait for that too and see if that fits, however i am really certain that its width will most prob be the reason to eliminate it, no harms in waiting
Do keep us posted on your TD results

[oss]

1. Polo 1.6
2. Figo 1.6 (Not sure if this will be available from day-1 of launch)
3. Ritz
4. Beat
5. Jazz 1.5 iVtec (this might be sometime away, and won't recommend it unless Honda launches it at the current 1.2 iVtec's price point)