Highway Hatchback?

amoghchaphalkar · 16th April 2010, 12:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by sbkumar

I guess you are talking about 1.4 Emotion. I think that would be a good option if I my average usage is less (relatively). Punto 1.4 has probably the worst FE (based on ARAI numbers) among the hatches if I am not wrong.

I don't know about ARAI figures - have not bothered to check and won't.

But the REAL FE reported by users of the 1.4 varies between 13 - 16 kmpl (highway + city mix). I drove one in city for about 50 kms and managed a FE of 14.2 kmpl

Of course you will also find some reviews where the FE is between 9 to 11 kmpl. All depends on the driving style.

I suggest you start a different thread for your decision making process.

MihirC · 16th April 2010, 13:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amartya

That's the way to do it, test-drive each one and then decide.
My vote for the highway cars:

a. Grande Punto
b. Figo TDCi

Ruling the Polo out, although it has pretty good ride and handling, but GTO's review mentioned an unergonomic clutch, that's bound to be an issue on the highway, and the weezy 3-cylinder engines.

When you test drive the i20, drive to about 80-90kmph and try to get a feel from the steering, I wouldn't say anything about it, you should just try it out.

I know where you coming from mate....

, good one

Lets just say Mac Air is more heavier.

If you as me Tushar, I can recommend only one car for you and thats The Grande Punto. For highway driving, the only cars which will give you agood ride quality, good handling and a chassis for keeping up with the high speed are Europeans.There are always options, My 15 year old zen does 120km/hr on highways, does that mean , the body, the chassis the brakes areable to keep up with the high speed,My answer is no, they are not.

As far as im concerned Japanese and koreans are good for city cars, for highways I suggest to stick to the Europeans. A punto can comfortably cruise at 140 km/hr and it will be as stable as if its cruising at 80. I would rule out the Fabia and Polo only because the3 pot engine would run out of steam on the highway

Im not even starting with the steering feed back here. It doesent really matter what top speed is mentioned on the speedo, what matters is howmuch of the speeds mentioned on the speedo can be achievedby the car without losing its composure. All the best.

Soccerfan · 16th April 2010, 13:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by sbkumar

I guess you are talking about 1.4 Emotion. I think that would be a good option if I my average usage is less (relatively). Punto 1.4 has probably the worst FE (based on ARAI numbers) among the hatches if I am not wrong.

I was talking about diesel only. In kerala Punto MJD emotion costs around 6.4 onroad and Fifo Titanium TDCI costs 6.1 . Punto has offers of of around 25K. so its almost the same as Figo TDCI

sbkumar · 16th April 2010, 18:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by amoghchaphalkar

I don't know about ARAI figures - have not bothered to check and won't.

But the REAL FE reported by users of the 1.4 varies between 13 - 16 kmpl (highway + city mix). I drove one in city for about 50 kms and managed a FE of 14.2 kmpl

Of course you will also find some reviews where the FE is between 9 to 11 kmpl. All depends on the driving style.

That is exactly the reason I went with ARAI numbers. Since FE depends a lot on driving style, I thought a benchmark like ARAI is useful in assessing what could be the best case scenario.

Quote:

Originally Posted by amoghchaphalkar

I suggest you start a different thread for your decision making process.

Yeah, I guess I should. I have pretty much narrowed down my choices to Punto and Figo. Since this thread had related posts I thought I can get a quick answer !

Quote:

Originally Posted by Soccerfan

I was talking about diesel only. In kerala Punto MJD emotion costs around 6.4 onroad and Fifo Titanium TDCI costs 6.1 . Punto has offers of of around 25K. so its almost the same as Figo TDCI

I can only say you guys are lucky. Here the difference is considerable ( at least to me ) - 6.4 for 1.4 Titanium and 6.87 (after discounts of ~25k) for 1.3 Emotion.

mkh · 16th April 2010, 18:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by sbkumar

This is one of the questions I have in mind for a long time. May be it is a good time to get some views from experts here. In my budget, I can either get a punto 1.3 active or a Figo 1.4 Titanium. When it comes to safety, should I go for a car with a sturdy build, excellent highspeed stability (punto) or the one with a not so sturdy build but with ABS and airbags. If I can afford, I probably would go for 1.3 MJD emotion Pk but since this is the max I can go what would be a better choice? I will go on the highways but I never exceed 100-110 as I get a little worried about someone/something coming into my lane. I am a defensive driver !

How much do you really go on the highways? IF its a lot, then something that is better on highways should be your choice, TD both and see. As for safety, you need airbags and ABS, those are the key for safety. Its a most rare situation and highly undesired one that a person needs to know how safe really his car is,. ABS is used more frequently hence that should be a must. None is an expert dude, most people will suggest based on their experience or analysis, how do you really know an expert is replying

. The experts are only those who have years of experience and have practical knowledge having driven many cars over the years, read GTO's posts, those can give you an idea. Also read up other forums and TD's, choose wisely

spindoc · 16th April 2010, 21:41

@sbkumar, i am no expert but my take is that one should certainly choose a vehicle that has ABS + Airbags. Of course, nobody needs all these safety features unless they encounter a situation necessitating them. But the fact is we aren't in control of if / when / where these situations can/will happen.

I am sure that even within the city, there are roads where people generally drive fast, and some of them even recklessly (say Outer Ring Road at nights) and there isn't much of a difference between the conditions here and on the highways.

I guess the only case for overlooking these aspects is if one is looking for a car exclusively for neighbourhood jaunts.

Sorry if this is OT!

Soccerfan · 17th April 2010, 08:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by sbkumar

I can only say you guys are lucky. Here the difference is considerable ( at least to me ) - 6.4 for 1.4 Titanium and 6.87 (after discounts of ~25k) for 1.3 Emotion.

Bangalore is the worst place to buy a car in India due to the taxation

Parm · 17th April 2010, 11:54

VW Polo 1.6, look no further for highway hatch.

all 1.2s are underpowered for highway duty!

sbkumar · 17th April 2010, 15:59

Thanks spindoc and mkh. It really helps to get opinion from such a group. Sorry Tushar for taking it OT.

TusharPrabhu · 18th April 2010, 12:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by Soccerfan

Bangalore is the worst place to buy a car in India due to the taxation

That's true...it's the worst place for buying anything actually being one of the most taxed places in India. I am not sure if it is or not...sure feels it.

TusharPrabhu · 18th April 2010, 12:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by sbkumar

Sorry Tushar for taking it OT.

No sweat. Just repay by posting ownership experiences ;-)

All the best with your purchase.

srikanthpotluri · 19th April 2010, 12:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by TusharPrabhu

No sweat. Just repay by posting ownership experiences ;-)

All the best with your purchase.

I agree. I hope you came to a conclusion Kumar. Punto it is

sbkumar · 19th April 2010, 23:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by TusharPrabhu

No sweat. Just repay by posting ownership experiences ;-)

All the best with your purchase.

Sure Tushar, its a promise!

Quote:

Originally Posted by srikanthpotluri

I agree. I hope you came to a conclusion Kumar. Punto it is

I am still not decided

. It seems like I am not able to let go of the Italian beauty though the last TD on it didn't go well. Planning to another TD this week and see if I can take that plunge. After all, it is not every day I buy a car. It is a real battle between mind and heart !

uneet · 20th April 2010, 11:29

Hello,

I have not gone through the complete thread but I feel that you are strongly missing one car in this list and that is Skoda Fabia.

It is a very safe highway car. In diesel it gives a milaege of around 21 km/l in highways.

I have been driving this for nearly 2 years and have no compalints with it.
To be honest I enjoy this car more as compared to my Civic especially on the highways.

TusharPrabhu · 20th April 2010, 13:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by uneet

Hello,

I have not gone through the complete thread but I feel that you are strongly missing one car in this list and that is Skoda Fabia.

It is a very safe highway car. In diesel it gives a milaege of around 21 km/l in highways.

I have been driving this for nearly 2 years and have no compalints with it.
To be honest I enjoy this car more as compared to my Civic especially on the highways.

No, it is one of the cars I will be test driving and is very much in the reckoning, although it hasn't been talked about much in this thread. However, the top end Diesel variant takes it beyond my budget of 7 lakhs, which is a stretch in itself. So, the price point may push it out. But any decision will be taken after lots of test drives

16th April 2010, 21:41	#141
spindoc BHPian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Madras Posts: 356 Thanked: 293 Times	@sbkumar, i am no expert but my take is that one should certainly choose a vehicle that has ABS + Airbags. Of course, nobody needs all these safety features unless they encounter a situation necessitating them. But the fact is we aren't in control of if / when / where these situations can/will happen. I am sure that even within the city, there are roads where people generally drive fast, and some of them even recklessly (say Outer Ring Road at nights) and there isn't much of a difference between the conditions here and on the highways. I guess the only case for overlooking these aspects is if one is looking for a car exclusively for neighbourhood jaunts. Sorry if this is OT!
	() Thanks

17th April 2010, 11:54	#143
Parm Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: in a Toyota! Posts: 2,753 Thanked: 890 Times	VW Polo 1.6, look no further for highway hatch. all 1.2s are underpowered for highway duty!
	() Thanks

17th April 2010, 15:59	#144
sbkumar BHPian Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Bangalore Posts: 406 Thanked: 162 Times	Thanks spindoc and mkh. It really helps to get opinion from such a group. Sorry Tushar for taking it OT.
	() Thanks

20th April 2010, 11:29	#149
uneet BHPian Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Delhi Posts: 101 Thanked: 28 Times	Hello, I have not gone through the complete thread but I feel that you are strongly missing one car in this list and that is Skoda Fabia. It is a very safe highway car. In diesel it gives a milaege of around 21 km/l in highways. I have been driving this for nearly 2 years and have no compalints with it. To be honest I enjoy this car more as compared to my Civic especially on the highways.
	() Thanks