[suhaas307]

Hi guys,

It's funny when someone comes up to you and asks you for some advice on buying a new car. People like us generally have a list of cars ready in our heads! I have a lot of people approaching me for advice on a new car and I generally and usually have an answer for them always. But this time round, I'm going to ask you guys!

Anyway, coming back to the topic.. We're a family of four. My parents, my sister and me. We have two cars. A Honda Civic 1.8S that we had bought in the final quarter of '06 and a Hyundai Santro that we've had for about 6 years now. My dad drives the Civic during the weekends and so do I (very occasionally). The rest of the time, it's parked at home (We've realized that public transport is better during the torturous weekday traffic) and the Santro is driven by my mother and me again (more often than the Civic).

The Civic is a great car and has served us very well without any problems and the Santro too hasn't given us too many headaches. And that's exactly what we would like to see in the new car that we're considering. The new car that we're contemplating would replace the Santro.

The criteria for the new Hatch:

(1) It should be easy to drive around the city (My mother is slightly hot headed and it would be quite bad if she finds it hard to drive around)

(2) It should be quite nippy and peppy. I like to dart around and get to my destination quickly. By no means am I a rash driver! I'm spirited and safe!

(3) It should run only on petrol (We're not really interested in diesel cars. Besides, our Santro is quite a low mileage car. We've done only 27k in 6 years so a diesel wouldn't make sense)

(4) The car shouldn't be too wide. A car that's slightly wider than our Santro would be great. Our garage accommodates 2 cars and the Santro isn't left with much space. I will update this post with the exact measurements of the space so that you'll can help me. THIS IS REALLY VERY IMPORTANT!

(5) There is no fixed budget as such. We can go up to 9 lakhs (ex-showroom price) but I doubt if there is any hatch that's beyond that.

Some key notes:

- We have a lot of options on our hands at the moment. From the A-Star to the i10 to the Jazz, everything can make the cut for us!

- I personally love the Fiat Grande Punto. It has me completely sold! It looks great, seems to be good to drive and is an efficient performer. But my parents aren't very happy with the way Fiat has fared in the past. Although I've tried convincing them quite a lot that Fiat has resurrected themselves after the launch of the Linea and the Punto, they aren't very happy.

- We're quite happy with Honda's service and so on. The Jazz is a hot contender since money isn't an issue. But what does it have for the price you pay? Is it as well equipped as the other high-segment hatches?

- Somehow, I would like to stay away from Hyundais. I'm not a fan of Korean cars and would like to stay away from them. No offense to anyone here. They're great cars. The Santro has served us very well. But it's my personal opinion! Sorry!

- What about the VW Polo? We are prepared to wait for a few months. We've decided to book the car sometime in March-April and wouldn't wait beyond that!


So guys, what are my options? The Jazz? The i20? The Punto? The Polo? The Fabia? (Keeping in mind, the 4th point in the list)

I'd like everyone's opinions. It would help a lot!

Thanks in advance guys!

[ph03n!x]

For a city drive, nothing like an automatic- What do you say? If you decide on that, then the choices are pretty much simple. I would say i20 Auto.

[prateekm]

If I was buying, I would stick to the following order :

1-> Grande Punto (+ve : Great looking, loaded, 15k servicing -ve : Fiat A.S.S)
2-> i20 (Fully loaded top variant, Hyundai A.S.S -ve : Looks are not to everyone's tastes )
3-> Skoda Fabia (Again fully loaded but the A.S.S is worrisome)
4-> Honda Jazz (Highly overpriced but peace of mind. I would never pay that price for Jazz)

(5) There is no fixed budget as such. We can go up to 9 lakhs (ex-showroom price) but I doubt if there is any hatch that's beyond that.

Umm, to correct you, we do get Fiat 500 and VW Beetle for 15l and 20l+ respectively.

[jasher26]

you mean VW Beetle and not Polo!!

[Nikhilb2008]

Get a White Jazz. Bling it up with white Lenso D1R rims with a red lip and some 205/55 R15 rubber.

[Akshay1234]

1.4 i20 automatic. that will be just perfect. automatic transmission for the city, 100bhp for a little spirited driving and loads and loads of features.

[suhaas307]

Guys,

Sorry I forgot to mention. My mom and I don't like the idea of an automatic. We prefer manuals all the way! City driving or not, we love swapping 'em cogs!

Originally Posted by prateekm

4-> Honda Jazz (Highly overpriced but peace of mind. I would never pay that price for Jazz)

Umm, to correct you, we do get Fiat 500 and VW Beetle for 15l and 20l+ respectively.

As I said, there is no price bar for us! There is only one hatch above that price and we're not interested in it. I would've mentioned it otherwise! 9 lakhs max (ex-showroom)

About the Fiat 500, Fiat have sold their quota of 500s for India. It was sold in limited numbers. And about the Beetle, I should have mentioned it in my defense.

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

Get a White Jazz. Bling it up with white Lenso D1R rims with a red lip and some 205/55 R15 rubber.

That's a nice idea Nikhil. And I'd probably come to you anyway for the wheels and tires!

OT: 15" would be a tad small don't you think? Of course 17" would be overkill and only if you're not bothered about the condition of your rims after a few pot holes! I've seen 17" on the Jazz and they look incredible. I'm not able to recall the name of the brand but they look awfully similar to the ones on the Gallardo LP 560-4!

[khoj]

suhaas

Ford Focus though not a hatchback in the true sense could be a great buy especially since the existing model is being discontinued and available at a discount of 1L+.

[Anand123]

I vote for i20 asta. Anyways its your car and its your preference that matters. If you are not interested in buying a Hyundai, better wait for VW Polo.

[thangu]

Since price is not an issue, my suggestion would be as follows
1. Jazz
2. I20
3. GP

[sbraj]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

The Civic is a great car and has served us very well without any problems and the Santro too hasn't given us too many headaches. And that's exactly what we would like to see in the new car that we're considering. The new car that we're contemplating would replace the Santro.

This criteria, along with your parents' fear, somewhat rules out Skoda, Fiat I guess, as their A.S.S. part is not great. If you opt for these, luck may play a big role in your A.S.S. experience. Unless of course, you are mentally prepared to face it.

Criteria 4 somewhat rules out wider cars like i20, Punto, Jazz. I think it is a wise idea to get a measure of how much more centimeters the parking slot can take without causing much trouble to both the cars. This measure would avoid disappointments later on. You would need to rule out cars which would be difficult to park. Always better to make the decision based on data rather than guess work.

i10 would fit the bill for criteria 1-4 I guess.

Most of the criteria are sort of 'negative' in nature - in the sense that each of them would rule out some car or the other. Approach of eliminating cars based on the criteria could be adopted.

[kartho]

What about beat ? not sure if it will also get disqualified in any of the hurdles, but i think its surely got a peppy engine, solid build and good safety features, not too big in size, not korean (errr... i meant not fully korean :-) and clearly you are bugged with banglore city traffic, so, this could be a great choice though smaller and less spacious than i20/jazz, but how does it matter when you already have a Civic for longer journeys !

There are often murmurs of Nissan March/Micra every now and then, so, if that launches around April/May it could be a great option especially if they are considering to launch the twin-charger super turbo engine (around 140bhp i guess), either ways you would just love the looks of the car if you like vw beetle.. good luck

[DRIV3R]

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.

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by sbraj

This criteria, along with your parents' fear, somewhat rules out Skoda, Fiat I guess, as their A.S.S. part is not great. If you opt for these, luck may play a big role in your A.S.S. experience. Unless of course, you are mentally prepared to face it.

Criteria 4 somewhat rules out wider cars like i20, Punto, Jazz. I think it is a wise idea to get a measure of how much more centimeters the parking slot can take without causing much trouble to both the cars. This measure would avoid disappointments later on. You would need to rule out cars which would be difficult to park. Always better to make the decision based on data rather than guess work.

i10 would fit the bill for criteria 1-4 I guess.

Most of the criteria are sort of 'negative' in nature - in the sense that each of them would rule out some car or the other. Approach of eliminating cars based on the criteria could be adopted.

You have read my post quite well and have understood it very clearly! Thanks mate! You've got it spot on. My issue may not seem like something worth posting but we're actually in a dilemma!

Now, my parents aren't too keen on the Fabia or the Punto. But I'd do anything to get the Punto in our garage. It's a fantastic little car that's great in almost every way apart from the horrid Tata service!

After reading your post, I ran down with the measuring tape and found out that 170 cm is the max it can take. In fact that would be a squeeze!

Could someone out there help me with the measurements of all the hatches in the market? Only the width is important!

The Jazz is quite an interesting car and we don't mind acquiring it as long as it fits in our parking slot comfortably! I'm not for the i20 but if push comes to shove, I'll probably give in! But the Punto is the first choice for me!

Thank you for your advice, Sir! It helped a lot!

Originally Posted by kartho

What about beat ? not sure if it will also get disqualified in any of the hurdles, but i think its surely got a peppy engine, solid build and good safety features, not too big in size, not korean (errr... i meant not fully korean :-) and clearly you are bugged with banglore city traffic, so, this could be a great choice though smaller and less spacious than i20/jazz, but how does it matter when you already have a Civic for longer journeys !

There are often murmurs of Nissan March/Micra every now and then, so, if that launches around April/May it could be a great option especially if they are considering to launch the twin-charger super turbo engine (around 140bhp i guess), either ways you would just love the looks of the car if you like vw beetle.. good luck

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!

[sbraj]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

Could someone out there help me with the measurements of all the hatches in the market? Only the width is important!

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.