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Old 19th July 2010, 18:32   #1
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i10, Micra, Ritz or the Beat?

Hi all,
The time has come for me to buy a new hatchback car. I have been away from India for almost 2 years
now and am coming back next week. I need a car at the earliest. I am buying this car as a stop gap
arrangement until I buy a luxury sedan in the next few months. This small car would then be used by my
parents. I need a small car which is loaded to the brim. Size and easy to drive are my major priorities.
So the other criteria that are important for me are as follows.

1. Safety First - Airbags and ABS is a must have, will not compromise on this one, so only top end
variants considered
2. Comfort of occupants is important, atleast for the ones in the front seat
3. Should be easy to drive, park etc. even for an elderly man
4. Decent interior space and decent boot space, should accommodate 4 pax easily
5. Should be easy to maintain and service, a hassle free ownership is expected
6. Reliability of the equipment and overall car is expected, rattles and small niggles are better avoided
7. Quality of equipment and build is important, as the car will not be sold in the next 10 years or so
8. Decent performance and decent Fuel Efficiency, does not need to be a drivers car, but should not be
too sluggish too
9. Creature comforts like ACC, Decent audio system etc are not so important, but good to have.
10. Car will not run many kilometers, so Diesel is ruled out, only petrol considered
11. Should be able to close the deal in less than a month, the sooner the better, but do not mind waiting
for a few weeks for a better car
12. Budget is not really a constraint, am willing to spend a little more for a better product, would like to
keep it sount side of 6 lakhs though.

The cars I have in mind are the following. I will not be considering any other cars than the ones
mentioned here, unless there are some very compelling reson.

I am leaving out the Figo as its feature list and the thirsty pertol engine does not entice me. I am also leaving the Punto aside, as the 1.2 petrol lacks some features and the 1.4 is not really needed for me.

1. Nissan Micra XV : INR 581,000. Delivery in around a months time, some very nice, unique features on
this one. 3 pot engine, decent interiors, very new car, Nissan has a showroom in my city, still the
service quality and costs are still unknown.
2. Maruti Suzuki Ritz Zxi : INR 542,242. Delivery in a week or two. proven car, awesome engine,
amazing service, feature list comparable
3. Hyundai i10 Asta : INR 547,000. Delivery in around 20 days, again proven car, nice interiors,
comparable service and maintainability, good feature list
4. Cheverolet Beat LT OP : INR 503,000. Delivery in around 20 days. most fuel efficient of the lot, superb
looks, some features missing, service and maintainability is debatable, even with the Chevy promise
option.

I want the valuable suggestions from TBhp before I decide on the car. The Micra has blown me away
with the features it has, but still have doubts about the service and maintenance costs. The Ritz ZXi
seems the best buy, with i10 having comparable everything.

Note: I have not test driven any of these vehicles. I have scheduled test drives with all 4 manufacturers for next week. Will decide some time next week after the test drives and suggestions from TBhp.

Last edited by basilmabraham : 19th July 2010 at 18:40.
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Old 19th July 2010, 18:39   #2
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I would choose between the Beat and the Micra. But if its a Maruti that I want to buy, give me Swift over the Ritz anyday.
Since ease of driving is also important, Micra with its good all around visibility will be a very good option. Refer to GTO's test drive for the same.
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Old 19th July 2010, 18:50   #3
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@extreme_torque

Thanks for the quick response. I am more inclined to the Micra than the Beat. To me atleast in paper, the Beat looks built to a cost, where are the Micra is not. I think GTO has also mentioned this in his review, where he praises the qualtiy of each and every component.

My mind is inclined to the Micra. Parents are die hard fans of Maruti, I hope I can convince them against the Ritz, to look at other better options. But, my decision is still unmade until I test drive these cars.
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Old 19th July 2010, 18:54   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by basilmabraham View Post
@extreme_torque

Thanks for the quick response. I am more inclined to the Micra than the Beat. To me atleast in paper, the Beat looks built to a cost, where are the Micra is not. I think GTO has also mentioned this in his review, where he praises the qualtiy of each and every component.
The reason why its the cheapest as well but I think for the cost it got pretty good quality feel overall.
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Old 19th July 2010, 18:56   #5
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Out of the list, i would immediately strike out Beat and Micra from the list. Beat because of visibility issues and poor backseat. Micra, well simply because its not a proven brand in India, and after sales will be a big question mark. That leaves us with i10 and Ritz. Again, both are comepetetive cars, but the ride quality of i10 is bouncy. Your parents will not appreciate that at all. So Ritz it is, with awesome engine, Maruti's peace of mind network and practicality - it fits your requirements to the T.

P.S. Regarding Swift v/s Ritz, since your parents would be using it, Ritz it should be, because of ease of ingress and egress and better visibility compared to Swift.
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Old 19th July 2010, 18:58   #6
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I agree with you. But when one is not really constrained on the budget, one would want more, ofcourse for more a little more money. Also, the BEAT would be a problem for my parents to drive, as I think the rear visibility is not too good and the overall visibility is also restricted. So ease of driving may suffer.

Any idea how, the 3 pot of the Micra performs in normal driving conditions. I am expecting it to do a decent job, may be not an outstanding job. Any Micra owners here in TBhp yet?

@DCEite. Thanks for the comments. You made it pretty simple for me. The Beat was more or less out any way. Micra not being a proven car in India and Nissan not being a new entrant atleast when it comes to small cars, would be two strong arguments my parents would have against it. I am impressed with some of the unique features, so will try it out anyway before ruling it out.

Also, the way Nissan responded to my enquiry gives me a feeling that they are all set to make a wave. I have all details about the car in my Inbox after about 10 minutes of calling them. A test drive is also booked for next Monday. So far Nissan has scored high on my books.

Last edited by basilmabraham : 19th July 2010 at 19:04.
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Old 19th July 2010, 19:00   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DCEite View Post
Out of the list, i would immediately strike out Beat and Micra from the list. Beat because of visibility issues and poor backseat. Micra, well simply because its not a proven brand in India, and after sales will be a big question mark.
Nissan Micra is a world car and has been around for ages now. Besides Nissan is known for making well engineered cars, more so than Suzuki which is still an infant in comparison so reliability and longevity is not a problem. As far after sales is concerned, he already has a service center in his town and I expect a company like Nissan to take care of its initial customer pretty well.
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Old 19th July 2010, 19:01   #8
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Before you decide on Nissan, You would like to have a look at sales and service of Nissan. Maruti, GM and Hyundai have better network country wide while Nissan is not.
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Old 19th July 2010, 19:14   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by basilmabraham View Post
I agree with you. But when one is not really constrained on the budget, one would want more, ofcourse for more a little more money. Also, the BEAT would be a problem for my parents to drive, as I think the rear visibility is not too good and the overall visibility is also restricted. So ease of driving may suffer.

Any idea how, the 3 pot of the Micra performs in normal driving conditions. I am expecting it to do a decent job, may be not an outstanding job. Any Micra owners here in TBhp yet?

@DCEite. Thanks for the comments. You made it pretty simple for me. The Beat was more or less out any way. Micra not being a proven car in India and Nissan not being a new entrant atleast when it comes to small cars, would be two strong arguments my parents would have against it. I am impressed with some of the unique features, so will try it out anyway before ruling it out.

Also, the way Nissan responded to my enquiry gives me a feeling that they are all set to make a wave. I have all details about the car in my Inbox after about 10 minutes of calling them. A test drive is also booked for next Monday. So far Nissan has scored high on my books.
I am one of the very few in this forum to have booked a Micra, after considering all cars in the segment for the last 2 months. Please refer to the Micra test drive thread for more details
Micra is a clear choice for you among the four because it offers the best build quality, best interior space, best interior quality, best features, best front seats, best ride quality ( I am talking relative to the 4 cars mentioned here and not any other car) and also good enough performance and very good fuel efficiency!
Yes, it priced higher than the other 3 but its a better product no doubt. Since budget is not your main constraint, go for it!
And the 3-pot engine in Micra is smooth and refined (much better than the Polo) and you won't hear much noise inside the cabin.
And the performance is better than many. Some numbers fom Autocar -
Beat - 0 to 100 kmph = 14.8 sec
Micra- 0 to 100 kmph = 14.2 sec
Ritz - 0 to 100 kmph = 13.3 sec
Polo - 0 to 100 kmph = 16.8 sec
Figo - 0 to 100 kmph = 16.4 sec
I10 - 0 to 100 kmph = 13.1 sec
I20 - 0 to 100 kmph = 15.21 sec

And till date whatever I have seen, Nissan dealership here has been very responsive and I can hope for good *** and support from them. They had a complete accessories list with prices one day after the launch while VW does not have the same for the Polo even after 6 months.
Hope it helps and let us know your final decision.
If you do not go out of the city very often, then I do not see issues with *** and servicing.
Also, Nissan is offering a 24*7 roadside assistance package (they have tied up with TVS or somebody) along with the Micra at a cost of some 2000 odd, in case you are interested

Last edited by adimicra : 19th July 2010 at 19:20.
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Old 19th July 2010, 19:18   #10
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If you seriously want trouble free A.S.S. and a reliable/proven car! it should be either i10 or Ritz. I had recently bought an i10 Sportz model. I decided i10 against Ritz. Both are proven cars with wonderful engine.

Test drive both cars, I am sure you wouldnt look any further.
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Old 19th July 2010, 19:23   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MutantX View Post
If you seriously want trouble free A.S.S. and a reliable/proven car! it should be either i10 or Ritz. I had recently bought an i10 Sportz model. I decided i10 against Ritz. Both are proven cars with wonderful engine.

Test drive both cars, I am sure you wouldnt look any further.
I completely agree. Even I had tested both before finalizing i10.
Both are great cars. and provide good after sales and service.
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Old 19th July 2010, 19:23   #12
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I tend to go with @DCEite. Micra is not proven and Beat has visibility issues.
But out of the Maruti products, I would prefer Ritz over Swift. Due to a tall boy design, getting in and out for your parents would easier compared to Swift.

Another Question: Is your father planning to drive himself? If yes, what's his height? Thats because, for shorter folks, Ritz, may pose some visibility issues.

From that point of Swift is perfect. If you are looking for chauffeur driven, go for the Ritz.
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Old 19th July 2010, 19:43   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ampere View Post
Another Question: Is your father planning to drive himself? If yes, what's his height? Thats because, for shorter folks, Ritz, may pose some visibility issues.

From that point of Swift is perfect. If you are looking for chauffeur driven, go for the Ritz.
My father would drive the car himself. He is 5'8 i think, so may be Ritz is a problem for him. He will accompany me when we go for the test drives and will drive each car before we decide.
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Old 19th July 2010, 20:27   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by basilmabraham View Post
My father would drive the car himself. He is 5'8 i think, so may be Ritz is a problem for him. He will accompany me when we go for the test drives and will drive each car before we decide.
5'8 is OK I guess. My dad has problems driving the Ritz (he is 5'4). But since most of the times there is a driver, we preferred a Ritz.
Check the ingress and egress of Ritz versus Swift. As per most reviews Swift back-seat is a bit cramped.
(Though I never sat in it, only heard in reviews).

Last edited by ampere : 19th July 2010 at 20:31.
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Old 19th July 2010, 20:34   #15
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Micra seems to be a good choice for you. However, do consider the i20 Asta too, with it's familiar A.S.S, decent FE engine, safety and features, would be a fantastic car for your requirements, although it would come at a slightly higher price than Micra.
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