[Sam.k]

I am the third owner since Dec'08 of a 2003 Santro zip drive which has clocked 73500kms.It ha been a wonderful,trouble free experience so far,be it with the car or Hyundai A.S.S.However in the last service i was requested to change all the wheel bearings and the exhaust pipe as a whole.I am not very sure if i really want to change those at Rs14k considering the age the kms the Zippy has clocked.I also dont see myself retaining this car for more than a year from now max.And so the decision to go for a new car.The petrol prices are hitting the roof and that too of a skyscraper i would say.I for one certainly dont see the prices coming down again anytime sooner or later.My running calculations based on the last 24 months have been around 950-1000/month(60%city & 35% highways).

My wife would start driving soon and i have to keep her new driver skills in mind as well.She is 5ft in height and that is one reason why i am not considering the Chevy Beat or the Ford Figo.We are also planning for a family soon and hence ride quality would be of significant importance considering Chennai road conditions.We have test driven both the Ritz and the Vista qdj.Here are our views on the both

Ritz Vxi +'s
Big car feel
Tall boy design for easy ingress and egress
High and good driving position
Superb K-series engine and fuel economy
Decent ride quality
Maruti A.S.S.
Around 47k less than the Vista

Vista Aqua QDJ +'s
Space
Amazing ride quality
QDJ Diesel
Fuel economy(Can reduce my bike usage)
Vfm(Aqua)
Tilt steering(helps wifey!)

I have attached some calculations & finance options that i have done based on our current santro's running.Please feel free to advise me on any thing wrong(or right) that i might have done.
We are currently inclined towards the Vista QDJ purely cos of the diesel factor.
Thanking you all in advance.
Sam.k

[vignesh_ny]

You are just around the entry line for diesel. A general 1K kms + is the minimum running needed. With the addition of a new member it is bound to increase. Instead of the Aqua , I would advise Aura + with airbags and ABS , since you have an average of 35% highway driving.

[Sam.k]

Originally Posted by vignesh_ny

You are just around the entry line for diesel. A general 1K kms + is the minimum running needed. With the addition of a new member it is bound to increase. Instead of the Aqua , I would advise Aura + with airbags and ABS , since you have an average of 35% highway driving.

Thanks Vignesh-I am actually stretching my budget by 45k just to accommodate the diesel.Hence i dont think Aura is within my reach.Moreover my bike usage of 250-300kms/month will be transferred to the diesel car if we buy it.

[amitwlele]

Would suggest Vista QJD Aura because of the space (lots of it) and the fuel economy. A.S.S from TATA is sometime a negative and i believe does not match Maruti. That is the only point i think which goes against Vista.

You have mentioned that your wife also did the test drive for Vista. Was she comfortable driving it? My wife still does not drive our Vista as she feels the car is heavy and she is not able to get the entire front view clearly. You can once again check this point as well.

[Sam.k]

Originally Posted by amitwlele

Would suggest Vista QJD Aura because of the space (lots of it) and the fuel economy. A.S.S from TATA is sometime a negative and i believe does not match Maruti. That is the only point i think which goes against Vista.

You have mentioned that your wife also did the test drive for Vista. Was she comfortable driving it? My wife still does not drive our Vista as she feels the car is heavy and she is not able to get the entire front view clearly. You can once again check this point as well.

I think i she is ok with the view in Vista and that it has tilt steering.Cos when she sat in the Figo and Beat,she straight away rejected them.Wifey is yet to start driving.But i think she should be able to steer a vista bcos she is learning in a Santro which has hydraulic power steering similar to the vista!

[ajay0612]

Originally Posted by Sam.k

I think i she is ok with the view in Vista and that it has tilt steering.Cos when she sat in the Figo and Beat,she straight away rejected them.Wifey is yet to start driving.But i think she should be able to steer a vista bcos she is learning in a Santro which has hydraulic power steering similar to the vista!

Than what is holding you back? Vista is VFM and it being diesel one, you will be encouraged to use it more. A car is usually safer to drive than a bike.

[S_U_N]

Originally Posted by Sam.k

I think i she is ok with the view in Vista and that it has tilt steering.Cos when she sat in the Figo and Beat,she straight away rejected them.Wifey is yet to start driving.But i think she should be able to steer a vista bcos she is learning in a Santro which has hydraulic power steering similar to the vista!

Sam, my wife is around the same height. We have test driven Figo twice, Ritz twice and Beat once.
Out of the five test drives we both concluded that Figo (with driver seat height adjustment) was the best in terms of finding a good driving position and also from outside visibility perspective. It really inspired confidence while driving in both of us.
I am a bit surprised that your wife was unhappy with Figo from that perspective. Hope you tried a version which had driver seat height adjustment.
Yet to look at Vista, hence cannot comment.
But if your family is growing, then safety should be a priority (ABS + Airbags).

[longhorn]

I suggest you go in for the Vista QJD. I have driven both extensively and can vouch for the fact that you will be more comfortable with the Vista especially since your wife is new to driving. Ritz has got huge blind spots both in front (A pillar) and rear(reversing is going to be a chore). New drivers will find it tough to manage. Even with 16 years of driving experience behind me, it was with great difficulty that I managed to keep her scratch free in the 7 months I kept her in Chennai. The retards who drive on Chennai roads forced me to send her to Kerala and my 11 year old M800 5S is currently in the line of fire.
The QJD is sure to plaster a smile on your face once the turbo kicks in. The only -ves I would say is that Tata A.S.S. is nowhere near to Maruti's. Period. Also the resale value would be higher for the Maruti anyday. Else its the QJD all the way.

[DieselAddikt]

If I was in the situation, I'd have picked up the Ritz Zxi. It will still be way cheaper than Vista Aura + and will have all the safety features available in a hatch in our country. The fuel economy of the KSeries is not bad either. And 1000 kms of driving per month will not need diesel unless you are addicted to the turbo kick. Just my suggestion.

[Sam.k]

Originally Posted by ajay0612

Than what is holding you back? Vista is VFM and it being diesel one, you will be encouraged to use it more. A car is usually safer to drive than a bike.

Absolutely Ajay,thats on my main agenda.Considering the long summers in chennai and the risk of riding a 2 wheeler in chennai.

Originally Posted by S_U_N

Sam, my wife is around the same height. We have test driven Figo twice, Ritz twice and Beat once.
Out of the five test drives we both concluded that Figo (with driver seat height adjustment) was the best in terms of finding a good driving position and also from outside visibility perspective. It really inspired confidence while driving in both of us.
I am a bit surprised that your wife was unhappy with Figo from that perspective. Hope you tried a version which had driver seat height adjustment.
Yet to look at Vista, hence cannot comment.
But if your family is growing, then safety should be a priority (ABS + Airbags).

Im head over heels on the Figo,but not the ZXI which has seat adjustment which is much beyond my budget.Infact the only reson im even considering the vista qdj(which again is some 40k over my budget) is bcos of the ever rising petrol prices.I believe the petrol prices are bound to hit Rs80 by this year end

Originally Posted by longhorn

I suggest you go in for the Vista QJD. I have driven both extensively and can vouch for the fact that you will be more comfortable with the Vista especially since your wife is new to driving. Ritz has got huge blind spots both in front (A pillar) and rear(reversing is going to be a chore). New drivers will find it tough to manage. Even with 16 years of driving experience behind me, it was with great difficulty that I managed to keep her scratch free in the 7 months I kept her in Chennai. The retards who drive on Chennai roads forced me to send her to Kerala and my 11 year old M800 5S is currently in the line of fire.
The QJD is sure to plaster a smile on your face once the turbo kicks in. The only -ves I would say is that Tata A.S.S. is nowhere near to Maruti's. Period. Also the resale value would be higher for the Maruti anyday. Else its the QJD all the way.

Yes longhorn,the vista is really good vfm and My wife is also against the ritz cos of its odd butt and grey interiors(like our santro).But my initial option was the ritz vxi and im gettin a 2010 model with a 30000k discount and exchange bonus.(4.62L on-road)

Originally Posted by DieselAddikt

If I was in the situation, I'd have picked up the Ritz Zxi. It will still be way cheaper than Vista Aura + and will have all the safety features available in a hatch in our country. The fuel economy of the KSeries is not bad either. And 1000 kms of driving per month will not need diesel unless you are addicted to the turbo kick. Just my suggestion.

Addict,thanks for your views.As i have mentioned above my budget was only around 4.5L,since im gettin the vista qdj Aqua at 5.09L on road after discounts,im eying it.

I also have an option to go for the i10 next gen sportz2010 model with a 30k cash discount + exchange bonus(4.82L on road),but i dont fell that i am going up the ladder segment wise and also not sure about its mileage.If someone can throw some light on it.

Can someone enlighten me with the cost recovery part in the petrol diesel part as im a disaster in math.The diff between the Ritz and Vista works out to around 47k.
Thanks,
Sam.k

[racer_m]

Your wife rejected the Figo for bad Driving view! hard to digest. Its one of the very few cars where you can actually see the bonnet and more clearer frontal view.

Whats surprising is that both Ritz and Manza have a more prominent high dashboard and pretty unclear view of the Bonnet when sitting in drivers seat as compared to Figo. I guess the low seating + the low seat height setting might have caused that feeling. I test drove both the Manza and Ritz and other cars. Can certainly say that since they are taller it feels you have a better view(but its only a perception)

[romeomidhun]

I suggest you to go for Ritz VDi - you get the Ritz advantages along with the Diesel advantage. It's the same used in Vista Diesel.

[ghodlur]

If you are thinking of petrol, have you given a though to Vista petrol? what is putting you off from trying the petrol version. You could well get the top end with yout budget and with all the safety features which most of the users have pointed out in case of family expansion.

Why not i10 then? Good mileage and you could get a better deal in exchange for Santro.

The other option ( I dont know if its good enough) is to keep the Santro till your wife is well experienced of the Indian driving conditions and then down the year think of going for a new one by which time both of you will be able to take a prudent decision.

[SankalpDesai]

This is tough. Both the cars are good in their own respect. Vista comes out as a winner because of the following things -

Space
Features
Fuel Efficiency
Cost/availibility of spares


Just check on the maintenance part and take your call.

Happy motoring.

[longhorn]

Just saw your excel sheet calculations. From my experience, 12-13.5 kmpl with a/c and 13-15 without would be a more realistic expectation in Chennai city for the Ritz. I get 17 kmpl on the highway though. Bumper to bumper traffic ain't going to do any good to your FE. Not sure what the Vista would give under similar circumstances, but being a diesel should definitely be more than what the Ritz petrol would give.