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Old 15th April 2010, 16:20   #31
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Even I went through a similar dilemma when I decided to get a hatch. Based on your criteria I would shortlist 3 hatches,

1) I20 :
LIKES:Nice and handsome car, good service network, even though its said that engine is punny for such car, surprisingly it is the quickest of the 3 cars. It is high on features.

DISLIKES: Coffee brown color of dash didnt go well with my taste, so does the centre console. Ride quality and handling was not upto the mark compared to other 2 cars in list. When I checked out the car couple of months back, even Asta came with 14 inch alloys, I prefer 15s.

2) Polo :
LIKES: Exterior looks are very upmarket, refreshing and chiseled. Interiors are pleasantly warm, practical and inviting, no funk factor involved. With chrome highlights in HL it blends aesthetically. Ride quality and handling was top class, no second thoughts about it, felt very balanced and heavy.

DISLIKES: Electrically controlled ORVMs missed, doors can be locked only from driver-side, ICE in HL does not support AUX/USB, spare wheel does not come with alloys, HL seems to be a bit overpriced

3) Punto :
LIKES: Exterior looks, Maserati look-like grills are just awesome. Ride quality is good and car feels very sturdy. Got some really nice feature list like Blue and me, steering mounted controls.

DISLIKES: Interiors, after sales service, fuel efficiency (petrol), niggles like breaking plastic parts, rusting and such other small failures, even though covered under warranty peace of mind cannot be guaranteed.

Punto was my first choice, one of the biggest fears was, what if Fiat runs away AGAIN? They have been notorious in past, I hope it changes soon and my next car could be Fiat.

No car is perfect, but a Polo comes really close to your choice, a TL or CL is really plain vanilla flavors, only a HL does some justice to this car.
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Old 15th April 2010, 19:48   #32
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Hello Gopinath,

You should look at i20, polo or punto if you need a slightly big car feeling, ofcourse a sedan is always best when it comes to elegance and impressing people. Figo is a small car, length wise it will be smaller. But at the same time its the a great VFM at that price. Ideal space utilisation has been done by jazz within that 4000mm. The engine bay is nice and compact so one gets more space for seats and the boot. But its a jazz at that price.

i20 or polo or punto is the dilema. But before that choose your fuel type, because no matter which branded car you choose you have to make sure how much you will be driving it.

Lets look at diesel,
i20 CRDI would be great but its very expensive. Beyond your budget.
Polo 1.2 diesel, this wont be cheap either.
Punto 1.3 MJD would be a great VFM.
and EVFM would be a figo 1.4 definitely, and you may get the alloys outside but you will miss rear power windows.

Lets look at petrol,
Polo 1.2 Petrol its very elegant, many have reported its quite peppy. Its priced same as i20/punto. It is well built and very solid and has good interiors too. Ride and handling is quite good.

i20 1.2 kappa, be informed that thou it has the nice interiors this underperforms on slopes and with full load and doesn't have a good effective AC. Well same engine on the i10 makes it very expensive compared to an i10's pricing. 1.4 A/T would be ideal here but its even more expensive.

Punto 1.2 or 1.4, 1.2 may return a slightly better mileage compared to 1.4, but if you want airbags/alloys you have to choose 1.4 e pack. Style looks wise many have already commented, ride and handling do a long TD and you will know. Yes plastic fit and finish is not very elegant but 2010 Puntos seems to be better so you can check it out.

Now the A.S.S part,
Yes Hyundai's presence makes it the most preffered, but again ultimately what you own,drive and enjoy is the car not the A.S.S part of it. As long as you can get a decent service from anyone then it shouldn't be a worry. Many have said VW service will be bad like Skoda. But its here in india to make an impact, so why would they screw their service since its such an essential part of their strategy. Same with Fiat too, look at their RSA, extended warranty its definitely improving. There are many who would bash a VW/Fiat A.S.S without actually owning their cars. So its better to make an informed decision.
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Old 18th April 2010, 14:01   #33
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I would suggest,

Diesel:

If budget is not a problem then Polo - Diesel - Highline.
If on budget Figo - Diesel - Titanium OR Polo - Diesel TL

Reason: You will get a (almost) completely loaded car in Figo as a bargain.
Any thing in between IMHO is a waste.

Petrol:

Choice can be between Polo - TL and Polo HL depending on the budget.

As a complete car Polo is much ahead. You will like the ownership experience.

Reason: With petrol you do not have to look around Polo IMHO. Can not really complain about any thing in Polo.
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Old 25th April 2010, 07:43   #34
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Dear sir, from what all I can make out , a petrol WV Polo TL actually suits you the best.The build quality of the car i fantastic. the interiors are superb. IMO the "FEEL" of the car (not the engine) is on par with premium mid size sedans. Since you are a novice you will not really miss the refinement or the power delivery from the engine.

If not polo then ill advise a swift zxi and then an i20 era.

Again just as said above , dont let the unavailability of alloys spoil the purchase of Polo for you. Also if im not wrong the stock alloys of both swift and i20 are not cheap. hence we can assume that polo's alloys will also not come any cheap. with that type of money incase you are denied alloys for your polo, you can always buy some really good aftermarket alloys. At that budget you dont need to buy flashy Chinese alloys.
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Old 25th April 2010, 17:32   #35
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Gopinath,

Right now I am going through the same dilemma. I have booked a Figo Titanium and cancelled the booking as I was not that happy with the rear look of the same.

As I see that you are waiting from last 5 years and comparing many cars, I would suggest you to wait for couple of months more and have a look at Nissan Micra. Then decide which would be your first car.

May be Nissan is the company which is manufacturing your car.

I am planning to do the same.

Regards,

Vikram

Last edited by vikram.vns : 25th April 2010 at 17:35.
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Old 26th April 2010, 18:06   #36
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mohandas View Post
if I were you, I would keep the following 3 in my choice list:
1. Polo
2. Polo
3. Polo
Man, with the VW badge, you can have the best executive feeling.

VW badge may be premium here in India however in Europe VW brand is considered as an ordinary brand -no premium feeling about it.
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Old 26th April 2010, 18:52   #37
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@tj123:
I agree with you but this guy is in hyderabad and wants to buy car here in India. So, my point is also valid.
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Old 27th April 2010, 05:55   #38
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You have a budget of upto 10L , get the Fabia. Put the rest of the money in an investment account for the spares. Its a brilliant car - no one argues that fact. Since you are unable to compromise on any one factor (which is the case with all the other hatchbacks) , get the Fabia whose only downside is the moolah factor involved.
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Old 27th April 2010, 21:23   #39
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Has anyone got the spare parts details and Service charge details for i20.

How much it would cost for Engine Oil, Oil Filter, etc

Also how much it would cost for replacing the airbags.
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Old 27th April 2010, 23:13   #40
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@Takumi-San, As you can see my opinion in previous posts, in the present form, Skoda as a company has serious issues to sort out. Though their cars are very good, attitude of the company is really pathetic. A visit to the showroom is enough to know this. Sorry.

@tj123, Sorry, I do not agree with this. I have traveled in many European countries and VW is not ordinary. Ordinary is Hyundai, Suzuki, Ford etc who sell low end small cars. The fact is that you see so many Polo, Golf cars in Europe that it might seem ordinary.

@vikram, Sorry brother, Micra is definitely not for me. The round theme of the car seems too comic and feminine for me.

@Zero cool, Alloy wheels of Polo are 15 inch and TL, CL variants have 14 inch wheels. So up-sizing my result in speedo error. VW seems to have given clear directions to all dealers to inform customers that OEM alloys will not be available for TL and CL variants.

Experts, please let us know the pros and cons and ways of installing those cool 15 inch alloys on to TL and CL variants. The fact is that all those after market alloys look very very cheap and too flashy. Alloy wheels should give an element of elegance and serious look for the car. Have you observed the new Innova V series OEM alloys? they look awesome for me.

Stock alloys of Swift ZXI are available in after market and they cost 12000 for a set of 4 wheels. (Source: Ashoka Wheels in Minister road, Hyderabad). i20 wheels cost about 40K for a set of 4 wheels. Interestingly, Ford has launched an excellent Alloys as an optional accessory for Figo and they cost about 18500 for a set of 4. I have seen them and they really look good. That is also one of the reason for my shortlisting of Figo EXi diesel.

I am not getting time to take Punto and Polo TL out for a test drive as I am travelling a lot these days. But the Polo waiting periods are scaring me a lot. Let me see them this weekend. i20 Era is not yet available at Hyderabad showrooms for display. Fingers crossed.

Finally it is getting clear for me that whichever car i buy, I have to compromise on something. There is no car in India that can be described as "complete car". So the million dollar or say 6 lakh question is, what is the best compromise...
Attached Thumbnails
Executive Hatch- Polo petrol 1.2 Trendline * i20 1.2 Era * Swift Lxi * Figo TDCi EXI-untitled.jpg  

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Old 30th April 2010, 10:30   #41
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"Normally people go for Value For Money kind of attitude in every vehicle. But I go for Extreme Value for Money"

Well the answer lies in your Quote itself.As you want a EVFM car.

Swift being very common(No point going for the Petrol atleast).
I20 being slightly expensive to get the features (Otherwise in Era all you get is plain jane.!! ),Moreover found I20 1.2 Petrol is slightly sluggish (Arguable!! )

Figo Diesel(Go for the Models below Titanium,which are lot cheaper and has essential features ,as you anyways dont need Airbags/ABS).Has got a big boot,most spacious in its class,good diesel engine with best in class mileage,Chiller AC,Decent Music system to have.
Talking about A.S.S of Figo,Ford seems geared up for a better show this time around.

Polo & Fabia are good cars but might turn out to be slightly on the expensive side talking about Cost of Ownership.(Also dont get good features at lower models)

So EVFM would be Figo TDCI Lower models accordingly to me.

Rgds,
Sachin.
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Old 30th April 2010, 20:48   #42
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gkoneti View Post
@

@Zero cool, Alloy wheels of Polo are 15 inch and TL, CL variants have 14 inch wheels. So up-sizing my result in speedo error. VW seems to have given clear directions to all dealers to inform customers that OEM alloys will not be available for TL and CL variants.
somehow circumstances have forced us to look at a 3rd family car. even we want a premium hatchback. I found polo TL to be really good value for money. in comparison i20 has a poor ac and is not as spirited. since i have a SX4 i didnt look at swift or ritz even tho i believe that the K series is a really good engine. Punto maybe closest to build and sturdiness of Polo but plain interiors with big panel gaps didnt really impress me. also i got a feel that punto petrol will not fetch me a good resale in future. fabia as mentioned by many is really heavy on the pocket.

I went for a test drive of polo and the cars build quality is really good. better than my new SX4's.the doors are heavy and reek of quality. handling is good and apart from the first 30 seconds after start the car is quiet. i found the clutch to be a tad heavy. the ac is good and plastics are top notch.better than even honda city if i may say. as far as alloys go, the dealer told me that they are available for the TL version as well but cost 70K+ for a set of 4. also the dealer told me that VW has a strict no aftermarket policy and hence no music system or speakers or keyless entry system from outside will void the warranty. luckily i dont really "pimp" my car and will do with a simple kenwood system they are offering. id suggest that if you by chance zero down on Polo and are adamant on getting alloys the go for the Highline variant.

The booking period tho is 90 to 120 days
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Old 2nd May 2010, 16:03   #43
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Just casually checked with the VW Secunderabad dealership about the delivery issues. They have at the moment 450 bookings and waiting period is 90 days. However, for the low end TL variant, waiting period is less at 45 days.

Few days back I went to Concorde motors to check out 2010 version of Punto. Sadly they didn't have any car. I did something interesting. I went to the service floor to see the condition of Punto that came for servicing. There were four cars in the service bay at various stages of service. Since the workers went for lunch break I could check out the cars at leisure. My observations.

1. Most striking feature was the out side plastics have worn out pretty quickly. Black plastic parts below the front wind shield, mirror domes, handles have developed a "white" coating on them. It seems like when a car is continuously kept outside in sun, plastics deteriorate and get a white patch on them. If you have observed the black bumpers of any old car, you can understand what I am talking about. Felt little chep for such a car. All the four cars had similar white patch.

2. Doors felt heavy but when I closed the doors they didnt close with a satisfying "thud". Felt like something is loosely connected somewhere. But I found this in two cars and remaining two cars doors were OK.

3. Panel gaps below the tail lights. In one of the car there was a quite a big panel gap between the tail light assembly and the boot door. I could put my index finger easily in the gap. The un-evenness of the panel sheet and tail lights was visible strikingly even from a distance.

I did not have a camera, else I would have clicked the pictures.

Today I might try one more time to check the 2010 version of Punto. Summer is prohibitively hot in Hyderabad.
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Old 6th May 2010, 06:45   #44
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Can Fabia 1.2 Classic be a choice

Hi

Went yesterday to Mahavir Auto in Somajiguda, Hyderabad, the only Skoda dealer to check out Fabia. The game got little complex. Fabia Classic with features like Airbags, music system, All powered windows, rear AC comes at 6.48 lakhs minus 50K discount. On-road price is 5.98 lakhs and you will get Teflon coating and Full tank petrol (45 Litres X Rs.53 = Rs. 2385) as additional benefits.

Coming to the build quality, it seems it is better built than Polo. The doors have a solid thud than Polo. Am I wrong or is it true.

Similarly went to Concorde motors to checkout Punto. Sadly the display vehicle was still a 2009 model. Disappointment. It is available with 50K discounts which includes insurance, road side assistance, extended warranty, exchange bonus & corporate discount.
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Old 6th May 2010, 07:33   #45
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gkoneti View Post
Hi

Went yesterday to Mahavir Auto in Somajiguda, Hyderabad, the only Skoda dealer to check out Fabia. The game got little complex. Fabia Classic with features like Airbags, music system, All powered windows, rear AC comes at 6.48 lakhs minus 50K discount. On-road price is 5.98 lakhs and you will get Teflon coating and Full tank petrol (45 Litres X Rs.53 = Rs. 2385) as additional benefits.

Coming to the build quality, it seems it is better built than Polo. The doors have a solid thud than Polo. Am I wrong or is it true.

Similarly went to Concorde motors to checkout Punto. Sadly the display vehicle was still a 2009 model. Disappointment. It is available with 50K discounts which includes insurance, road side assistance, extended warranty, exchange bonus & corporate discount.
I am also in the same dilemma between Skoda Fabia 1.2 Classic Petrol and Fiat Punto 1.2 Emotion Petrol.

Skoda Fabia 1.2 Classic:

Positive side of it, I just love the safety features:
  • Safety: Dual Airbags,Front & Rear Impact beams, Rear wiper & Defogger, Engine Immobilizer, Pre tension seat belts, Collapsible steering, child lock, side beams, Shear bolt, crumple zone
  • Others: Fog lamps, Rough road package, Tilt & Telescopic steering, Rear AC Cooling, central locking
  • Also comes with 60 Tyre ratio
  • Mileage 12/13 in city & 14/15 in highway
  • 15K service intervals.
Negative side: Spares & service are overpriced, one thing because of its high quality and the other because of its import duty.

Fiat Punto 1.2 Emotion:

Positive side:
  • Safety: Engine Immobilizer, Fire Prevention system, side beams, Crumple zone, only.
  • Others: Fog lamps, 60:40 seats, only tilt steering, central locking, Remote key less entry, Defogger,
  • Mileage 13/14 in City & 15/16 in highway
  • 15K service interval
Negative side: Poor quality of plastic and interiors, Tata Service a big question since Sales experience is only not that great.

This weekend will be doing TD of both cars.

Ford Figo petrol: Lot of features, but dropped after TD, I feel its underpowered when 5 of them are on board.

VW Polo: Dropped due to long waiting period.
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