[gkoneti]

1. Well, a new dimension to the situation. Please read the news clip below. Fuel prices are going to be deregulated very shortly, which means both petrol (immediately) and diesel (in phases) would be increased by Rs. 6/lt to lift the subsidies which they are enjoying now. So running an automobile is going to be much more expensive and more immediately for a petrol car.

2. I did a small research on the petrol and diesel long term efficiencies and it came out that Diesel engines are made for long term usage and have more efficient burning systems than petrol.

these two facts made me to think about the fuel in the car that I would be eventually using. Will it be petrol or diesel. Wow, so much to this car buying decision. Luckily, all the short listed cars Polo, i20, Figo and Swift have diesel versions, but at very varying budgets. I have to substantially increase my budgets more than 1.5 lakhs to move to Diesel car. Only Figo Diesel was origanally shortlisted by me and rest of them were petrol cars.

Dear Experts, please comeout and let me know what to do. Eitherway I am enjoying this confusion. Because as Indians we always like to postpone our decisions which dent our pockets.

[kadri007]

My car hunt is over at last, I took the Skoda Fabia 1.2 Petrol atlast. I just started my ownership thread.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-drives-initial-ownership-reports/81802-my-car-hunt-ended-skoda-fabia.html

[lamborghini]

@gkoneti: This is a no-brainier.
Go through GTO's review of the Figo. According to him, it is the best diesel hatch in its segment, and given my prior experiences with Ford, I would rightly agree with him.
The FE may not be much in the city, but is significantly better on the highways.
I would wholeheartedly recommend the Figo 1.4 TDCi to you. It fits your needs to a T, and is within your budget as well.

[Zero Cool]

Ill advise you to reconsider the situation again. if both petrol and diesel are gonna increase by six bux whats there to choose from. your fuel expenses gonna rise in both cases unless you wanna stick to a monthly budget. anyways if its a diesel then look at swift.good mileage and easy on the pocket to run.

[androdev]

@gkoneti
I spent the last one week hunting for a car, and I exactly do what you said in the first post - not so romantically though :-) :

"The way front seats envelop you, the way doors cose, the way your fingers can feel the plastics on the interiors, the way steering wheel is wrapped in your plam, the way the gear lever shifts, the comfort your neck portion gets when you sit in the back seat etc... All these things can be tried with out driving the car."

I also had handling and ride-comfort as a key criteria (to be evaluated by test drive only, not by internet surfing)

There are only two cars that fit this bill right now. Polo and Fabia. Others might scream and yell and all that.

Here is a quote from a fellow reviewer:

since last year i have been driving mostly my dad's BMW 320d so the standards for comparision have gone very very high in my mind cause the handling of the BMW is uncomparable. even after driving the beemer i liked the fabia's stability and handling and that's a great compliment to fabia very very great. Ride is very impressive the car feels very solid on any road.

See any how the bottomline is EVEN AFTER driving my BMW if I drive my fabia i feel comfortable and not out of place. That sums the fabia for me.

NOTE: No car that i have driven comes close to handling and acceleration of the BMW in small cars fabia gets the closest but still nowhere near.

More here: Skoda Fabia Ambiente 1.2 MPI User Review : best small car - A Review on Skoda Fabia Ambiente 1.2 MPI by Siddharth Pandey - CarWale.com

My daily driver is a Skoda Laura. Not in the league of BMW, but I can related to what this BMW person is saying and that is exactly how my family and I felt when we test drove Fabia and booked one immediately. No hesitation at all.

Polo was my first choice, but its poor rear space was a deal-breaker for me. Also it has a long waiting period, etc.

I know there is a lot of scary stuff about Skoda/VW cost of ownership, etc. which is not far from truth, so if you are strict on budget - try the Figo TDCI as the next best thing.

Test drive as soon as possible, or you will be spending too much time surfing.

[handsofsteel]

Originally Posted by HammerHead

You need to first decide on what exactly you can compromise on!!

1.Punto 1.4 E-Pk @ Rs. 610018/-
Compromise: Interior fit and finish, questionable A.S.S (depends), Resale value.

2. Polo 1.2L (P) HL @ Rs. 582500/-
Compromise: Questionable ownership cost, A.S.S (untested), Lacks few options like ACC and Electronic RV mirrors.

3. Fabia
Compromise: A.S.S, Ownership cost.

4. i20 Asta @ Rs. 583512/-
Compromise: None really, only if I step into your shoes!!
For me personally, it leaves lot to be desired. (Lets not talk about that here).

Now here is the ultimate one, considering you can afford to pay 10L
5. Jazz Select Edition @ Rs. 749700/-
Compromise: Pay premium.

I would suggest you to check out Jazz, I'm damn sure Honda has already manufactured a car for you.

+1 to that.
my dad has a punto 1.3mjd E+ (bought on my recommendation after going through team-bhp extensively. however living with the car has reinforced my initial suspicions (on the whole, there is a fiat bias in team-bhp) sorry if it sounds sacrilegious but this is the common perception amongst many members (and non-members too!). i have nothing against the car, its really good - but by no means what its made out to be. yes the polo is good , very good, but again, by no means exceptional.
i guess we all give in to our in-born bias of "my daddy strongest" and maybe, just maybe the fiat owners are more vocal about it than the others.
now consider this, how often are you going to buy a car? if you are of the buy-it-once-and-forget-about-it variety, then pardon me, you shouldn't be bothering about the price if it is not too much of a stretch. in which case,hammerhead has just given you the best advice. read smartcats hatchback shootout on the forum and you will get what i mean.

[sharma25]

Hi All,

It all began with me getting into my new job and decision to buy a car. I started with reading a lot about the options on team-bhp and was quite impressed by GTOs thread on 2nd hand cars. So, I decided that it was going to be a pre owned NHC costing 3.5-4L. And for where to buy decision finally rounded down to Honda Auto Terrace as the only car I or dad have really driven is our faithful M800. And because of this any of today's car seems refined and comfortable

But after trying to get a good fit for over a month decided that might as well go for a hatch, will at least give peace of mind and hassle free ownership for next 4-5 years.

So it was onto deciding which hatch to buy. Following are my needs and criteria:
1. My job requires travelling out of city (flights not driving) so my monthly usage can vary between 300Kms to 1500Kms per month. So there can be stretches of 3-4 months when i will do 200-300 and months where i will do 1400-1500. Looking at this i figured that petrol car would suit the bill
2. The car will be with me for 2-3 years and then I will go for a sedan and parents will use this car.
3. I would like the car to be more towards a drivers car (good handling and road behaviour). For example, I keep within speed limits but love to accelerate upto the limits and handle curves and round-abouts at good speeds.
4. Mom always wanted a sedan and I and dad are kind of forcing her into a hatch at this stage (original plan for NHC was coz of mom and her desire for sedan ) so the car should at least be spacious and comfortable even if it is not a sedan.
5. Fuel efficiency will be good to have but this is one thing I can compromise on (say 1-2 kmpl less) but if i do compromise on this would love to at least get an engine that is powerful and offers fun driving.
6. I am not a very gadgets person (so the power windows, electric this and that doesnt charm me much, in fact i feel the manual stuff is much safer when it gets to emergency, i can always roll down the windows, but with electric stuff if power is off, you are stuck... like lot of people were in mumbai when the floods came)
7. I usually like to go for value for money deals. I can spend more money, that is never a constraint but i should get requisite value for it.
8. I am not very fussy about looks, they generally grow over you. Truly, ANHC and Civic are the only cars that I truly like design wise, but then they arent even an option right now :P

With above in mind, I started the research, read a lot on net, carwale, team bhp, and saw lot of videos on youtube, some of the cars got shot down pretty soon (all cars i have considered are Petrol variants):

Fabia - Not so good engine, poor after sales service, looks over priced for what it offers
Punto - Again poor after sales service, high cost spares, not so good engine and price is a tad bit high looking at what it offers
Polo - Loved the styling, absolutely the kind of design i love, was hell over heels in love with the car, but they put the tweaked Fabia motor in it, price combined with engine and waiting period made me walk away

So it came down to these 4: Swift, Figo, Beat, i20

I havent test driven any of these apart from Swift but from whatever I have read this is the sense i get

Swift for the power, fuel efficiency, driving pleasure and reliability. Bad side is that it looks a bit dated coz so many of them are floating around, plus interiors are average and rear bench space and headroom are bad. Price : 4L (ex showroom delhi base model)

Figo for value for money, great ride and handling, spacious and pretty good looking interiors. Bad side is that it does not have a very spirited engine, nor does it have great fuel efficiency figures to talk about. Ford has been shouting its throat dry that cost of ownership and after sales service will be best for Figo in its class but still that is a risk one will take if buying Figo. Price 3.53L (ex showroom base)

i20 looks over priced for its not so great engine, average ride and handling. But thumbs up for good looking interiors and loads of space and gadgets all around. Price: 4.51L (ex showroom base)

Beat: The car is a good package, but rear is very claustrophobic, and as this would become my parents car i am not sure how well its design would suit an elderly couple

Any thoughts and advice will be greatly appreciated.
Also, I will be taking a test drive of these cars tomorrow. Moving from M800 I am sure all will feel great. But what should i do during the drive and what all should i try and focus on to decide. For example put in third gear and try to take from 20-60kmph...

I have read numerous threads on forum and really wanted to start a new one, but then decided that there might be some advice that would suit my requirements and I might be missing out on... so decided to take a shot and ask for some suggestions

Thanks a lot to all in anticipation of advice

[AvonA7]

@sharma25 : Congratulations on your new job. Welcome to Team-BHP and the confusion (or Hunt!) for new car!

Based on your requirement - not so much running, spacious, drivers car, you are not too inclined towards features and your shortlisted cars - Swift, Figo, Beat, i20, would suggest go for i20.

It is very difficult to get everything out of a single car, but based on priorities/preference need to choose the perfect one.

If you feel Beat`s rear space is less then it goes same for Swift also, rear space not so great with small rear windows.

Figo and i20 are left - Figo is nice new car, space is not a constraint, you will get features but not sure if the petrol version is a drivers car.

i20 - Compared to Figo, you`ll get less features at same price, but interiors are luxurious, comfortable, with >= milegae than Figo (Petrol). Excellent car, this is the closest you can get in Hatch in your shortlisted cars compared to NHC.
*With Petrol prices being deregulated, would you mind considering a diesel car. Hope it doesnt add to your confusion.

[joshguy]

Hi Sharma

My choices are

1 Wait for the Nissan MICRA - Looks like a good car
2 Figo - All rounder except for service ,but i guess they are better now.DRIVERS CAR superb handling
3 Swift - Nothing new ,its been there for a long time and now with K series

[sharma25]

@Avon.. thanks a lot. Figo and i20 have 1 lac price difference. Maybe buying a diesel Figo instead of petrol i20 would make sense. But with my 10k per year driving it would take 3-5 years to recover the cost :( It seems hard to believe that for a car that Ford is banking on so much, they have put in a petrol motor that is not great on power and is also not great on fuel efficiency :O At least one should have been there and my decision would have been made. And with great ride and handling, why did they not put in a spirited motor :( For A** i am not that concerned, my feeling is that Ford will pull off well on this one ENHANCED AFTER SALES SUPPORT AND OWNERSHIP EXPERIENCE KEY FOR NEW FIGO | Ford Motor Company Newsroom Have been reading on ownership threads that Figo is giving only 10-11kmpl compared to 14kmpl that Swift/i20 give @joshguy.. thanks for your views, any idea when will Micra be on road and any test drive reports on net? i could only find first look reports...

[AvonA7]

Check out this link : This thread will give you lots of information about micra. Sid posted very good snaps too.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...h-july-24.html

You can see the e-brochure, launch is on 14th July`10, but car is available in Pune, Delhi so it would be the same at your place too, just check with the dealer. Note already, 1000 confirmed bookings and only 11 dealership across India, so wait might be long.

[download2live]

Originally Posted by sharma25

Hi All,

Punto - Again poor after sales service, high cost spares, not so good engine and price is a tad bit high looking at what it offers

I beg to disagree on the engine part. FIAT cars have one of the best engines in the market.
Also the spare parts cost have drastically come down. And believe me, given the amount of gadgets they have put in, its very value for money.

Keep us informed how your search progresses and the final choice.

[sree70]

Congrats Sharma25 for your new Job. Nice & lucky guys you have plans to buy a 4wheeler as soon as you get a new job (may be 1st job).
I had to wait for hard 12 years after my 1st job to put my hands on a 4wheeler.
Regarding the selection, so many new hatchbacks released in last 6months and has added tons of confusion.
I own I20 asta & is 15months old (15K reading) and is an excellent car.
As of now no problems with *** & maintainence.
My vote is for I20.
You test drive each of the car to extreme conditions in your selection basket and let the TD be for a min of 20Mins/20KMS and come to a conclusion.
regards
sree

[suhaas307]

Maruti is looking to introduce the new Swift and by the end of this year, one should hope to see it on the streets. It's quite a good looking car even though it has the traditional Swift undertones (which isn't a bad thing - just that it's too common)

Do consider the Nissan Micra as well. It comes with good features and is worth the money. However, after sales service would be a problem as Nissan, let's face it, isn't like Maruti or Hyundai.

Do reconsider the Punto. It's a fantastic car that looks fabulous and drives very well. The only downside to it is the after sales - service which one can live with IMO.

But right now, looks like the Figo is your best bet. It's reasonably priced, comes with a good amount of features and looks decent. Ford's spare parts might be a little expensive, but it shouldn't shun you away from it.

I personally don't like the i20 although it's a great car. Go for a Test-Drive in one and decide for yourself!

[autoenthusiast]

Originally Posted by sharma25

( For A** i am not that concerned, my feeling is that Ford will pull off well on this one ENHANCED AFTER SALES SUPPORT AND OWNERSHIP EXPERIENCE KEY FOR NEW FIGO | Ford Motor Company Newsroom

Believe me my friend, I too had the same opinion that Ford A.S.S won't be as bad and that no problem is too big to get solved. I picked a Ford 1.6S, and I have had hell with the Ford A.S.S. The guys are technically incompetent to solve issues if they ever come up with your car. Ford cars are excellent vehicles (I love my 1.6S), but totally let down by an incompetent A.S.S network. Given a choice again, I'd not go for a Ford. I intend to post a full post with all scans of my service receipts to show how very incompetent Ford engineers and A.S.S are when you have issues in your car. There are times they are just unable to solve a problem and it keeps getting postponed from one service to another.