[nim_peter]

I would prefer a low seating position for a comfortable highway drive, I feel more secure too. Tried swift/Getz 1.3 and the seating is a little on the higher side, but both are good cars to drive. Getz 1.3 is a good highway car, lots of space, very smooth car and braking is good.

I now have a Palio GTX and it's just too good a car. Can easily touch high speed with 5 adults on board and it stays planted on road. I'm sure the Punto also has the same feel, but doubt whether it will cross 170. I like the F1 like driving posture. Another difference is the Power Steering. FIAT gives you hydraulic steering which gives better feedback on high speed runs.

In case you need more power, you can go for a pete's box on Punto which can easily take you past 170.

[imp!]

Originally Posted by TusharPrabhu

7 lakh is a stretched budget that cannot stretch further. That apart, the vehicle will be used at least half the time within the city and an SUV can be a pain within the city, with parking hassles and vehicles darting in and out of lanes. I would prefer a hatch for my first car and will decide after test driving just about anything that fits the budget. The purchase itself may be in the third or last quarter of 2010, and I am trying to gain from the experiences of fellow team-bhpians here.

Okay, I still feel that a used Innova will be your best bet. I have a Qualis with over 2 lac KM's, it has been driven on a regular basis by at-least 10 different people.
My Innova has about 85,000 km in 3.5 years, and it is the car we take the most when we want to drive around the city. Don't have any problems with parking/driving.
If it has to be a hatch, then I'd lean towards Polo/Punto/Figo, in that order (mostly for build quality and safety than anything else)

[TusharPrabhu]

Originally Posted by imp!

Okay, I still feel that a used Innova will be your best bet. I have a Qualis with over 2 lac KM's, it has been driven on a regular basis by at-least 10 different people.
My Innova has about 85,000 km in 3.5 years, and it is the car we take the most when we want to drive around the city. Don't have any problems with parking/driving.
If it has to be a hatch, then I'd lean towards Polo/Punto/Figo, in that order (mostly for build quality and safety than anything else)

Well yes, it does have to be a hatch for more than just financial reasons. They certainly are good cars, but an Innova or Qualis are not what I am looking at. Thanks all the same.

[Buffetfan]

Pls test drive the VW Polo as well..solid build and pretty stoic poise on highways. I would wait for the 1.6L 104 bhp version though.
See http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...review-45.html

[khoj]

Originally Posted by TusharPrabhu

Good points Amogh. You beat me to raising these questions.

A bigger vehicle does have advantages of space, boot and the like, but I don't think a hatchback is a bad highway car just because it is a hatchback. Have driven enough of them myself to see many bigger cars, buses, trucks panting as they zip past.

I am not a rash driver for whom speed is everything. However, when open stretches and traffic-free roads present the opportunity, I am not shy of stepping on the pedal.

Ride quality, handling, joy of driving and a responsible machine under 7 lakh are my criteria for selection. While I intend to do a lot of test drives, you can only judge so much on a TD. Learning from the experience of owners who have already put their cars through the paces is what I want to do. This isn't an academic discussion to me that will end in one car being voted the best hatch on the highway. This is a purchase decision and am evaluating as much as I can before I take the plunge later this year.

@Tushar Prabhu

The more I read the above post the more stronger the image of 1 car becomes in my mind and that car is the Ford IKON with the 1.4 Dura Torq diesel engine. I believe the price starts at 5.5. L.

As a first car it is a much much better vehicle to own than any of the hatches that are available in the market today. I know it is a very old model but that does not take away from the excellent handling of the car, responsiveness of the engine and amazingly great suspension. I have never owned this car but I have driven it extensively on highways and in cities both as a self driven hired car and also in the back seat as a taxi with a driver. The ride on both the front seat as well as the rear is excellent and the boot helps on those long trips. The car is planted at cruising speeds and does not get flapped by strong gusts of wind on the highways as most of the hatches do. Also it has a very strong body structure and though I have seen a few banged up Ikons but never one with a distorted passenger cabin. I feel that the IKON fits the criteria as posted by you above(in bold) perfectly.

The only negative is that the car does not offer ABS or air bags but apart from that I cannot find fault with it. Many will say that it is only 68 hp @4000rpm + 160 nm@ 2000rpm but that is on paper and I hope that you would definitely test drive the car and see for yourself as to how those numbers are transferred on to the tarmac before your final decision.

The one other thing I would like to say is that kind of speeds that are being flashed on this threads such as 150 ~170 kmph are highly impractical. I currently own and self drive both kinds i.e a hatchback(1.3L petrol) and a sedan(1.6L petrol) and in nearly 20 years of driving around the country have not come across a stretch on the domestic road network where these kinds of speeds can be sustained for more than a few minutes. So do not make this a deciding factor. I will close this post by giving you a link to a travelogue posted by a fellow member on his highway trysts in his IKON.
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...runelveli.html

[ms001]

your high speed concerns answered here

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/1795179-post47.html

[darksoul]

To test drive the i20 at 80-90 kmph, head to Trident Hyundai (100 Feet Road, Indiranagar) and ask for a test drive, on a * Sunday afternoon *.

You can zip down the inner ring road (a few breakers before embassy golf links, but you'll still manage to hit 100 kmph on the middle stretch at least)

I test drove the i20 CRDI and the 1.2 Petrol on a Sunday (early afternoon), so traffic wasn't a problem and because it's more relaxed, you can spend more time with the car and talk to the sales chap for longer.

To test drive the Punto at high speeds, head to Prerana Motors on the Outer Ring Road, again on a Sunday ( morning ) and ask the chap to let you take it for a longer spin. I heard there's a flyover being constructed in the area now, however, so you might have to take the car either towards the electronic city expressway or towards marathahalli to hit higher speeds.

Have fun!

[TusharPrabhu]

Originally Posted by darksoul

To test drive the i20 at 80-90 kmph, head to Trident Hyundai (100 Feet Road, Indiranagar) and ask for a test drive, on a * Sunday afternoon *.

You can zip down the inner ring road (a few breakers before embassy golf links, but you'll still manage to hit 100 kmph on the middle stretch at least)

I test drove the i20 CRDI and the 1.2 Petrol on a Sunday (early afternoon), so traffic wasn't a problem and because it's more relaxed, you can spend more time with the car and talk to the sales chap for longer.

To test drive the Punto at high speeds, head to Prerana Motors on the Outer Ring Road, again on a Sunday ( morning ) and ask the chap to let you take it for a longer spin. I heard there's a flyover being constructed in the area now, however, so you might have to take the car either towards the electronic city expressway or towards marathahalli to hit higher speeds.

Have fun!

Thank you very much. Will surely contact the dealers requesting highway drives.

[ph03n!x]

Read that a fellow BHPian loved the Figo Diesel's power delivery characteristics, and chose it above the Swift / Ritz counterpart. What is your choice?

The Thread: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/hatchb...-diesel-3.html

[TusharPrabhu]

Originally Posted by ph03n!x

Read that a fellow BHPian loved the Figo Diesel's power delivery characteristics, and chose it above the Swift / Ritz counterpart. What is your choice?

The Thread: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/hatchb...-diesel-3.html

It's too early for me to make a choice yet, though I must confess that I am inclined in favor of GP right now, as much for it's drop dead gorgeous looks as what i have read about its performance here. An academic opinion is one thing based on what one reads, but any decision on choice will be meaningful only after test drives and I will be doing those in a month or two. Will post my impressions of the test drives on here when I do them.

[headers]

Originally Posted by TusharPrabhu

The engine noise is something I have read about elsewhere on the forum too. Am curious to know how 'noisy' the noise is. While a purring or even growling powerful engine is something i can live with, having a noisy companion on long high-speed drives may not be the most comfortable.

HI, THe Fiat GP Emotion Pack is the best of the lot on highways. There is a little growl from the engine at 3000 rpm above 130 kph only and that is enjoyable if you like to hear the car.

It has a really good steering, suspension and handling and is very good VFM. You dont feel like doing 140 until you look at the meter and diesel FE is 18...

[ph03n!x]

Originally Posted by headers

HI, THe Fiat GP Emotion Pack is the best of the lot on highways. There is a little growl from the engine at 3000 rpm above 130 kph only and that is enjoyable if you like to hear the car.

It has a really good steering, suspension and handling and is very good VFM. You dont feel like doing 140 until you look at the meter and diesel FE is 18...

Promoting our new buy, are we?

But yes, it is definitely a gem of a car in terms of handling. My only grouse would be the engine - the 1.3 VGT mill from the Linea would have made this the perfect choice!

[headers]

Originally Posted by ph03n!x

My only grouse would be the engine - the 1.3 VGT mill from the Linea would have made this the perfect choice!

The Engine is good enough to take on a GETZ CRDi, why do you need more power Jayant?

[TusharPrabhu]

Originally Posted by headers

The Engine is good enough to take on a GETZ CRDi, why do you need more power Jayant?

As for the looks of a GP...isn't she a looker? Of course, looks aren't everything in selecting a car...but *sigh* the GP is a stunning looking car, the best looker in its segment...don't beat me up , it's just my opinion.

[ph03n!x]

Originally Posted by headers

The Engine is good enough to take on a GETZ CRDi, why do you need more power Jayant?

Ah ha!! Dragging me into the track, are we?!! You never know, the Getz might just come in to show what 110 horses can do to the puny 75 horses, and what 240 nm of turning power can do to 200