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Guys, need a lil help with my car purchase.

i've recently moved to chennai, and need a new small hatch to commute around town. My main criteria are

1)Fuel efficient
2)Compact
3)Cheap to maintain
4)Presentable looks
5) Ac, PS, and front power windows are a must. Anything more is a bonus.


My budget is 4 lakhs, +/- 20K.

The options I've arrived at are,

New Wagon R VXi

+ve's

New Model
Spacious
Fully loaded
FE( No idea about this tho)

-Ve's

3 cyl engine. (Will this be a prob or not??)
below average looks

Santro GLS

+ve's
Build quality
Price
more powerful engine

-ve's
Dated model
Lack of equipment
Bumpy ride.


Will the 3 cyl engine of the wagonr be a problem when fully loaded, also, which one would be better for the occasional highway run to Cochin/ Bangalore? Pondicherry?

The wagonR is priced at 4.22OTR, while the santro is 3.84. Again the wagonR is fully loaded, and the comparable LXi comes at around 3.96 OTR.

Which one should i go for?

follow sankar's lead and buy an A*?

I think Wagon R will be better in terms of value it offers and also its new model that will last for many years to come.
3 pot engine is doing duty in A star and is quite good and fuel efficient also.
New Wagon are is quite specious now even back sets are bigger than before.
You will also get better resale for new Wagon R than old looking Santro.

@JayD, i checked out the new WagonR right after it was launched but couldn't take it for a spin (it was yet to be registered). It was definitely more spacious than the Santro (due to the height and the longer wheelbase) and felt like a bigger car for the same kind of money. Also, since this has just been launched, I am sure this model will be around for quite a while.

The WagonR VXi also has more features that you may find useful:
Tilt adjustable steering
Split folding rear seats and slightly bigger boot (I think)
Keyless entry with immobilizer
Rear wiper / defogger
14" Wheels
Fog lamps

I am not sure about the actual driveability of the KB-Series engine, but it should be more fuel efficient than that of the Santro, going by reports from A-Star owners.

You could also have a look at the new Estilo. It is more or less similar to WagonR, but less boxy.

Santro is an aging model. I would suggest Santro only if you are interested in the LPG variant.

i10 1.1 ERA could also be considered, but it won't have features comparable to WagonR/Estilo Vxi. But a good city car nevertheless.

Chevy Spark also fits your budget and requirements. Could also consider Beat if you are OK with the futuristic looks. :D

Rohan

Also do consider these two

* i10 Era, comes with front PW, AC and PS. 3.79 lacs ex-sho Chennai.
* A Star VXi, comes with all three features, plus CL and rear PW. Rear space may not be enough for some and looks may not be liked by all, bit its a fun to drive hatch. 3.73 ex-sho Chennai.

KB engine is a good performer despite being a 3 cylinder motor, low end torque is a bit low compared to F10D in the previous Wagon R, but mid to top is much better.

What about GM cars?

Dont forget the Beat. GM's car's are good VFM as well.

Thanks for the replies guys. I considered most of the other cars mentioned here. I'll explain how i finalized these two models.

A star - i really cannot digest the way it looks, but more importantly, i did not feel too comfortable in it. The low seat and high dashboard are the culprits for this. It was nice and peppy to drive though. Actually i went to the showroom to check this out, but the wagonr seemed better value at the same price and more features.

Estilo- The new car is nice, but the image of this model has been ruined by its predecessor. Resale will be quite bad due to this i believe. I preferred the wagonr to this one.

@rohan,sankar, i checked out the i10, again, i somehow didn't feel comfortable in this one. Also, i've heard that the fe is not too great. This is a very important criteria for me.

Beat- the moment i sat in it, i decided that this was not the car for me. The seats were too low and the interiors on the lower spec variants were dark and depressing.
Moreover, the performance of the engine was nothing great. And i really don't think it will be too fuel efficient either.

Spark- after owning a matiz for 10 years, it didn't feel any different. Hence ruled out.

Figo- i really liked the diesel, but it is out of my budget. Lesser said about the petrol, the better. It was slow, and the fe is terrible (going by the reports on this forum)

I was initially considering the santro lpg, but the dealers themselves are advising me not to buy it claiming that fe is not too gr8!

@spindoc, the goodies in the vxi is another reason why i'm inclined towards the wagonr

If you are looking at practicality - look no further than the new WagonR. Its clearly a generation ahead and of the Santro and feels a more grown up car.
Do also check out the Hyundai i10 and Chevrolet Beat/Spark.

Happy city motoring!

i10 has ARAI certified mileage of 19.8 kmpl, which is best in class. Please don't go by hearsay.

Rohan

@JayD, you own a big line-up of cars. Instead of buying another hatch, why don't you get one of them (SS80 or i20) to Chennai and use it during your time here ? Infact, you could even have your NHC here - Chennai is not that bad with traffic, if you know how to avoid rush-hour.

Buy the new Wagon R... beautiful & so fresh sleek design. Super road presence with that blue eye. Estilo is also very very good car.

Isn't that mileage for the i10 Kappa BS4 ? I guess we are talking about i10 1.1 here?

Beautiful and sleek ? While its helluva practical car, i don't think anyone would dare to call a WR "beautiful" :-).

OT: Whats Maruti Racing inc CM mate? You participating in Raid de Himalaya or something ??

How is it more practical than competing car, more specifically the Beat or the Santro? Although I havent driven the new Wagon-R, I found the tinny overall build to be even worse than the older Wagon-R. Santro is much better build and my cousin's bruised and battered 90k's run Santro is still relatively rattle free.

@Jayd: If Beat is out of the question than I would suggest either the Santro or i10 simply because they are better build cars than Maruti's. I would also suggest you to have a test drive of the Beat again and see if you like it. Apart from the low seating position, overall its a much much better car than the competition around. Its new gen so would be safer as well. We still have no safety data for the Wagon-R and I am afraid we wont have it ever.

My bad, 19.81 kmpl is indeed the ARAI certified mileage for i10 1.2 kappa BS4. :thumbs up

I am not able to find the ARAI certified mileage for i10 1.1 irde BS4, but I'm sure it would be comparable to this. Could someone post the official figure please.

While the previous generation WagonR was a very practical car with its huge boot, the new WagonR has lost its USP.

Rohan