[selfdrive]

Congrats gkoneti, the Polo is a very sturdy car and is certainly a head turner. the red is really flaming hot. Please put some pics and your initial ownership opinion too

Originally Posted by agm

Initially Fabia was not on my list due to well known bad A*S and ground clearance which is just 146mm, but tommorow till surely take a test drive .
thanks

agm sir, have you considered the Figo? it is also very robust and driveable.

[theoriginal9321]

Hi everyone,

Firstly, thanks to Team-bhp for approving my membership!
This is my first post, so mods please correct me if I go wrong.

I am 17, will be 18 in feb 2011, and have recently shifted from the UK.

My mom had a MS Alto in India, and she loved it.
However, we recently met with an accident on our way back from Gorakhpur to Lucknow, the driver was driving and I was sitting beside him and ended up with fragments for the wind shield all over my face! (so our next car MUST have airbags!!)

Its been about 3-4 months and we are looking for a new car.
My father is still in England, so this car is primarily for my Mom but also my first as I will be 18 by the time we get it. (assuming the waiting periods)

Now, we have considered almost every car available in the hatch segments in India, we already have a ford fusion tdci (my uncles), new honda city(my other uncles), wagonr and a nano (grandfathers).

The petrol cars we have 'narrowed' down to are -
(havnt considered diesel as we dont drive much, way less than 1k kms per month which seems the min req for diesel, also the maintenance costs)

Ford Figo Titanium,
VW POLO both 1.2 and 1.6,
Next gen i10,
i20,
Swift (both present and upcoming)
Ritz
Beat

Our budget was initially around 5 lacs but can be extended to 6-7 lacs if really required.


Figo-

My mom absolutely loves it (she prefers 'big' cars than small, even thou Im trying to convince her to go for small as theres only, me, her and my 7 year old brother), even I like it to a certain extent but everyone we've spoke to has told us to STAY AWAY from FORD for different reasons!

I also dont think that we need a car that big as we drive mostly in city and visit gorakhur (our only long distance journey by car) only twice a year. Ive heard that its petrol variant is terribly underpowered and services are not up to the mark, also , no rear power windows!!(not a big issue according to mom!)

We sat in the car (didnt td it thou), and it was pretty good from the insides as well.

VW Polo -

nNow, this is a little simple, if I was choosing a car just for me, it would the VW POLO, simply because I love the looks and the interiors and the whole german "feel", my mom also likes VW a lot as we used to have a passat estate in London (her favorite out of all other cars we have owned) ages ago.

BUT, I just dont feel its worth that much for mom, as it has very few features as compared to the competition and the Integrated Music system is really bad.

Next gen i10 asta-

This is a car that came into considerating quite recently after we test drove the i20.
We both don't particularly like the looks, its also very common and is very small compared to Figo, which is a big downside according to mom.

But, it is loaded with all sorts of features and the engine's not too bad as well, however I cant find much info about this car in this forum as compared to other cars, so new i10 owners, please shed some light.

also, are there any practical downsides of this car?

I20 asta and asta o/w sunroof-

I like it, looks decent, interiors are good, and has more features compared to polo in the same price range. But when we test drove it (this is gonna sound stupid), for some reason my mom found it a little "cramped", especially at the back, even thou she previously owned an alto!!

Now my mom is not even considering it even thou I think we can give it another chance.

Swift -

This is the first car that came to our mind after the accident, it is from maruti, it is tried and tested BUT is too common and old.

I had decided to wait for the facelift of this car since the maruti SR told us that bookings will start jan end, but apparently according to news articles, the maruti executive director or something said that it will launch in 2011 END , heres the link
New Maruti Swift in 2011, product lines to be reoriented - The Economic Times

This is BAD news!!

But if anyone as any other info please share, we are ready to wait till feb-march but not more!

Ritz-

this is the name which came immediately after swift in our heads, however after tding it, we didnt like it that much. It looks terrible from the back (according to mom) but I don't mind it, it actually looks good to me, but just doesnt "jell in" with the front.

Also, tiny window at the rear which can cause problems for mom

Beat

again, its the I10 situation all over again, too small and cramped even thou we havnt td 'd it yet.

I also personally hate the fact that they remove most features while bringing a car to India, it should be available at least as an option!
I found out on this forum that the display actually has certain icons for features of foreign models but they removed it for India!

But I do personally like the overall "feel" and looks of the car



So, this is it, we are REALLY CONFUSED,
however we are inclining a bit towards the i10, figo and swift.

Please help guys.

And Sorry for this unbearably long post.

Thanks

Would appreciate on some suggestions to improve my future posts.

[superboy44]

welcome to the forum, hope you have a great time here.

as for choosing a car for you, i am pretty sure you have safety as your top priority.

for that i would suggest the i20 asta petrol.
it comes within your budget and is loaded with some very useful features like auto folding mirrors, climate control that other hatchbacks fail to provide.

also the 1.2 engine is adequate enough for day to day drive. it has a good 5 star safety rating, though that was for the asta(o) model equipped with six airbags but i feel the asta model with 2 airbags is fairly safe as well.
also i feel it is pretty spacious in comparison to most of the other hatchbacks you have listed.

have a look once again, i am pretty sure it will suit your requirements the best.

another option would be the jazz, has the safety kit you require and on the space front it is massive on the inside, has oodles of space.
has a gem of an engine and has a premium feel to it.
with good amounts of discount available to the tune of 70k i feel if you stretch your budget then it makes a very good buy.

also in that range you can get yourself the polo 1.6 which is a hoot to drive. cant say much about it though as i have never driven one.
for that you can always search the ownership forums.
hope this helps.

and hey, the smileys are restricted to two per post

[ampere]

Who is going to drive? A Driver? If yes, you need one with back seat comfort. From that point of view I20 Asta. If you are going to drive it, Swift would be good. Low running cost and an amazing engine.


You need a bit of both? Figo Titanium.

Sheer Plush value? Again I20 with all the gadgets. Cant say where Polo stands from that point of view. I tilt towards I20 more from a Hyundai service point of view.

[theoriginal9321]

thanks everyone
@superboy, liking the name, one thing about hyundai.
Their sales guys didn't know the cars well, one told me that Hyundai now doesn't produce 6 airbags even on top model now, on further pushing, the other told that it is only made to order, also they had no clue what the steering mounted controls did!! I was not impressed!
I'm also considering polo 1.6.

I also considered the jazz buts its just too expensive, even after discounts you say, but will recheck as I havnt really visited the honda showroom yet.

@ampere, no drivers, we actually "love"driving!, its only that people advised mom not to drive the whole way alone from gkp to lucknow that we booked a driver.

One more thing, I spoke to several people and relatives, they told me that the problems and complaints about diesel are mostly a myth nowadays. So if I consider diesel, I would go for figo diesel no second thoughts, but just need some advice on wether I should opt for it or not.

Our monthly commute is very low, lower than 500 a month!
Should I still opt for diesel?

thanks, and sorry for the smileys, I just couldnt resist, will try to control it from now!!

[superboy44]

your kind of monthly usage does not justify a diesel, petrol car would be very much apt for you.
don't really bother about what the sales guy tells you,
go through the ownership threads on the forum and i am pretty sure you will find every feature discussed in detail
and yes the asta(o) model is mostly made available on order as the demand for it is pretty low. most people prefer the asta variant.

if you are considering the polo 1.6 then i would also strongly suggest that you have a good look at the Honda jazz as both are in the same price bracket.

i myself was in a similar dilemma a year back and had finalized the i20 asta(o) but one drive in the jazz and i drove the jazz home.
also being a honda it has the added advantage of being supremely reliable and fuel efficient.
if you find me pushing the jazz too much its cause i got one and it has been a real good buy

have a good test drive in all of them and then decide.

[theoriginal9321]

Originally Posted by superboy44

if you are considering the polo 1.6 then i would also strongly suggest that you have a good look at the Honda jazz as both are in the same price bracket.

Thanks, now I am starting to consider the jazz as well.

But I heard of a coming jazz facelift/honda fit somewhere on this forum.
Does anyone have any info about that?

Will go to the honda showroom soon to get info about discounts, etc. BTW, we both absolutely love the jazz, and having a honda city at home, we really appreciate the quality honda gives us compared to maruti.

[gkoneti]

Thank you Selfdrive. Polo indeed has superb built and finesse that I need in an executive car. Except the occasional feeling of underpowered (I also have GTX ) there is nothing really that bothers me.

Well, I should have put up my ownership thread by now, but for the laziness and horrible travel that I have in my job, hopping airports. Let me see if I can do this soon.

[vignesh_ny]

The Figo suits as it has a blend of everything but if you really want some Oomph ( Premium Hatchback) , Figo does not make the cut and Polo 1.6 it is.

[theoriginal9321]

Can anyone compare the figo 1.2 to polo's 1.2 please?
BTW mom found the polo's 1.2 to be a bit noisy, and there was no 1.6 for TD. :(

[rki2007]

Originally Posted by theoriginal9321

Can anyone compare the figo 1.2 to polo's 1.2 please?
BTW mom found the polo's 1.2 to be a bit noisy, and there was no 1.6 for TD. :(

Yes, 1.2 Polo is much nosier than the figo. Figo 1.2 petrol is underpowered and only the diesel engine seems to be a performer. But 1.2 Figo petrol is a much more practicable car. If you are looking for the most peppiest car then i10/Ritz is the option.

As about the resale value i think i 10 has the hold and haven't seen many Ritz in the resale market and its too early to guage.

[camchennai]

Why have you left out Fabia?? any specific reasons behind it?? When it comes to safety Skoda are known for their strong build.

Beat is also a wonderful car which comes with a amazing package of 3 years maintenance free offered by GM.

Since you have narrowed down to Petrol, I would suggest to stick with Hyundai or MS, Check out some other dealer for Hyundai in your city and see whether he is able to explain you better. Ford are better with diesel.

[theoriginal9321]

Originally Posted by rki2007

Yes, 1.2 Polo is much nosier than the figo. Figo 1.2 petrol is underpowered and only the diesel engine seems to be a performer. But 1.2 Figo petrol is a much more practicable car. If you are looking for the most peppiest car then i10/Ritz is the option.

As about the resale value i think i 10 has the hold and haven't seen many Ritz in the resale market and its too early to guage.

thanks, I think I might just go for the new i10 now, seems like a safe bet.

@camchennai - we did go to the skoda showroom, waited 20 minutes for the guy to finish talking on phone, then he just opened the boot and went away, so we had to check the car out ourselves. seeing the attitude of the guys in the showroom, i couldnt imagine what the a.s.s would be like.

I also read several horror stories on this forum which is taking me away from fabia.

Also, with the new brio coming diwali next year, do you think they might phase out the jazz completely, like someone on this forum somewhere said "the fusion to figo story"?

Thanks

[ampere]

The only reason I did not suggest Polo was back seat comfort. While I20 was much better. Even Figo had good space and boot. Comparing 1.2 Figo and Polo, I would say Polo.

The only hitch on I20 is that they may have the new 1.2 engine variant very soon (The one that does duty in the new I10).

[theoriginal9321]

^^ thanks, but why polo?
I mean figo has more features and a better integrated music system (i havnt personally heard them thou)
AFAIK, polo only has better build quality of both exteriors and interiors and the german badge, but on all other counts figo seemed better (more VFM), but I am still very confused!!
however, backseat comfort isnt much of an issue we usually drive ourselves, and i bet my 7 year old brother would not even notice the difference in comfort on the backseat!

And I called up fortune honda to get a quote on jazz, they asked me for my name and no. and said will call back in 5 mins, still waiting..

BTW, i know the best thing is to test drive but how bad is the figo 1.2 engine, is it really noticeable in city? and what about highways?

Thanks