[shashank.nk]

Originally Posted by Aroy

If you need boot and are thinking of VW, why not the Vento TDI? Has a better engine than Polo and is a FTD car.

In case you are thinking of Ford Ecosport, TD the Duster. It is a no nonsense car with space and GC to take on bad roads.

I'm not looking at a Vento since we already have a sedan with a huge boot for all those long journeys and some airport trips. I need a hatch with an acceptable boot size not like the one in the Swift. The Vento in high line also overshoots my budget.

Eco sport was being considered only if the pricing was ok. Looks like the variant I'm interested in will go up to 12l OTR here in Bangalore. Besides I don't really drive on very bad roads in a regular basis so I think I'll rule these 2 out.

[khoj]

You could take a look at the Micra in it's new avatar with the CVT box. Definitely not a down grade, looks better now inside & out plus the autobox should make driving in the ever increasing traffic a whole lot less demanding.

Originally Posted by shashank.nk

So after a lot of delays and negotiations, my Polo has been sold,well atleast buyer has made a token advance I'm back in the market looking for a new hatchback/hatchback on stilts

My requirements/usage are:

• Car will be used 80%in bangalore traffic,20% on the rare weekend outings typically in and around bangalore
• Need a dynamically sorted car
• Should not feel like a downgrade from my Polo diesel. So no Ritz,Liva,Figo
• Preferebaly a European car, Ford or the brilliant Swift

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by shashank.nk

So after a lot of delays and negotiations, my Polo has been sold,well atleast buyer has made a token advance I'm back in the market looking for a new hatchback/hatchback on stilts

My requirements/usage are:

• Car will be used 80%in bangalore traffic,20% on the rare weekend outings typically in and around bangalore
• Need a dynamically sorted car
• Should not feel like a downgrade from my Polo diesel. So no Ritz,Liva,Figo
• Preferebaly a European car, Ford or the brilliant Swift

Suzuki Swift
Fiat Punto 90HP
Polo GT TDI
Ford Ecosport

Since you are looking at hatchback/crossover as an upgrade, I would suggest the Ford Ecosport Titanium (O). Polo GT TDI should be a good option, provided you have a definite schedule on its arrival

Alternate option: If you have flexibility in budget, probably its worth looking at the Skoda Yeti 4x2.

Originally Posted by khoj

You could take a look at the Micra in it's new avatar with the CVT box. Definitely not a down grade, looks better now inside & out plus the autobox should make driving in the ever increasing traffic a whole lot less demanding.

The Micra CVT is available only available with Petrol right? I feel moving from a 1.2 TDI Polo to a Micra 1.2 CVT petrol is more a lateral shift rather than an upgrade.

[KarthikK]

Originally Posted by shashank.nk

So after a lot of delays and negotiations, my Polo has been sold,well atleast buyer has made a token advance I'm back in the market looking for a new hatchback/hatchback on stilts

Wonderful news, so the hunt has finally begun! Ironically, exactly a year ago I was in the hot seat and you were in the advisory board when I was deciding on the Swift replacement (I was just going through the previous 5-6 pages and recollecting memories). Roles reversed this year, eh? .

My requirements/usage are:

• Car will be used 80%in bangalore traffic,20% on the rare weekend outings typically in and around bangalore
• Need a dynamically sorted car

Automatically rules out non-Europeans . Swift is an exception though.

I TD'd many cars now and here are my impressions of the top 3 contenders (hatchbacks):

Suzuki Swift
TD car had 25k on the odo

Likes:
The only car which can give me a niggle free ownership experience

I'm not too sure I agree on that, being a Swift owner for ~7 years. The car is not as niggle-free as the rosy image painted everywhere. I've had quite a few things failing every now and then - brake lights, tail lights, headlight bulbs, horn, power window switches, starting issues and things like that within the first 2-3 years of ownership. Maruti does a lot of penny pinching with its component suppliers, so the component quality has to show up somewhere later given the very low cost of spares. It is just that Maruti spares are cheaper, easily available and fixing the niggles with Maruti A.S.S network is much easier than fixing niggles on European cars and their non-existent/incompetent network. The Swift is no angel otherwise!

The cost-cutting and cheap finish do show their ugly faces sometimes in the form of rattles. The interiors start to rattle in no time (I had rattles from as low as 2k km on the odo with just regular city usage); the interior build quality (in addition to exterior build) is no match for Europeans in terms of durability. Do consider this point about the Swift if you are particular about quality.

Fiat Punto 90HP

I have a soft corner for this car despite what all the haters might say, but despite taking 2 TD's I was left very disappointed. Both were 2013 TD cars and had less than 1k on the odo, I know Fiats feel better with more on the odo but how much better really ? I'm not expecting a drastic transformation!

Generally they open up as you approach 5k kms on the odometer, both in terms of power delivery and engine refinement.

Dislikes

• Doesn't feel like its got 90 horses at all,especially in the first 2 gears. My Polo felt much better
• Horrible gear ratios and rubbery gearbox, for a 90HP car I was expecting the engine to be far more relaxed at high speeds. Nada! Its the same as in my Polo,2500 rpm at just 100 km/hr!

totally agree with these 2 observations, but with a slight difference of opinion on the first point. The second gear is ok, I don't find anything wrong with 2nd and upwards, but the first gear is way too short - this is what hampers the experience when starting off from low speeds everytime. They ought to have mended the ratios on this car, no 2 ways about that. No hope of any improvement in this regard until the Evo comes out next year.

Shashank, is there a definite date for the launch of the Polo GT TDI?? the speculations and scoops are still in the early stages. Might be a while before that comes out. If they make it 1.5L / 90PS, it may not be as much of a rocket as that 1.6L mill in the Vento. They should really get that same state of tune (105 PS) in the Polo. It will be a blast to drive.

I'm going to confuse the petrolhead in you some more now *winks* - You didn't mention about your preference of fuel. If you're okay with petrol, you could check out the 2 new turbo petrol cars on the block: Polo GT TSI for hatchback option (seems like the best option for you from my view) or Linea T-Jet if you want a manual box and can compromise on the extra long body.

P.S - Personally I would wait for the Ecosport to launch, just to take a look. It does sound like a promising product and will be something different from the current crop of cars.

[shashank.nk]

Originally Posted by khoj

You could take a look at the Micra in it's new avatar with the CVT box. Definitely not a down grade, looks better now inside & out plus the autobox should make driving in the ever increasing traffic a whole lot less demanding.

Thanks, but i'm looking only at diesels since my usage is on the higher side. So may have to look at other options.

Originally Posted by vb-san

Since you are looking at hatchback/crossover as an upgrade, I would suggest the Ford Ecosport Titanium (O). Polo GT TDI should be a good option, provided you have a definite schedule on its arrival

Alternate option: If you have flexibility in budget, probably its worth looking at the Skoda Yeti 4x2.

Thanks vb-san! Yes those are the real contenders as of now. The Polo will be a beast to drive and Ecosport look so much more logical to buy than a similar priced hatch, especially considering the state of our roads.

Originally Posted by KarthikK

Wonderful news, so the hunt has finally begun! Ironically, exactly a year ago I was in the hot seat and you were in the advisory board when I was deciding on the Swift replacement (I was just going through the previous 5-6 pages and recollecting memories). Roles reversed this year, eh? .

Haha! The tables have turned and fast

Automatically rules out non-Europeans . Swift is an exception though.
The cost-cutting and cheap finish do show their ugly faces sometimes in the form of rattles. The interiors start to rattle in no time (I had rattles from as low as 2k km on the odo with just regular city usage); the interior build quality (in addition to exterior build) is no match for Europeans in terms of durability. Do consider this point about the Swift if you are particular about quality.

True the build quality in the Swift is not befitting of a 8 lakh rupee hatch. It is ridiculously easy to dent! Get this, my 25 year old Maruti 800 has a much much stronger front fender than the latest new Swift! I was at Maruti workshop and was casually checking out the strength of the New Swift vis-a-vis our ancient 800,and the 800 won! The Service advisor was shocked when I showed it to him!

Generally they open up as you approach 5k kms on the odometer, both in terms of power delivery and engine refinement.

totally agree with these 2 observations, but with a slight difference of opinion on the first point. The second gear is ok, I don't find anything wrong with 2nd and upwards, but the first gear is way too short - this is what hampers the experience when starting off from low speeds everytime. They ought to have mended the ratios on this car, no 2 ways about that. No hope of any improvement in this regard until the Evo comes out next year.

True, I remember the 2011 Punto 90s clearly felt better but god knows why the 2013 Puntos feel this way.

Shashank, is there a definite date for the launch of the Polo GT TDI?? the speculations and scoops are still in the early stages. Might be a while before that comes out. If they make it 1.5L / 90PS, it may not be as much of a rocket as that 1.6L mill in the Vento. They should really get that same state of tune (105 PS) in the Polo. It will be a blast to drive.

I'm hoping it will launch in a month or two at most,many test mules being spotted as of now. It should come with the 105bhp diesel and will be a blast, no second thoughts on that. But something tells me, if the Ecosport is just a 50k or more expensive its a more practical buy.

I'm going to confuse the petrolhead in you some more now *winks* - You didn't mention about your preference of fuel. If you're okay with petrol, you could check out the 2 new turbo petrol cars on the block: Polo GT TSI for hatchback option (seems like the best option for you from my view) or Linea T-Jet if you want a manual box and can compromise on the extra long body.

I took a TD of the GT Tsi and was blown away, it truly is a rocket, but considering my running would love to get a diesel. T-jet should be similar to GT i guess ? Only prblem is a sedan is not what i'm looking for now.

P.S - Personally I would wait for the Ecosport to launch, just to take a look. It does sound like a promising product and will be something different from the current crop of cars.

This is what i'm leaning to towards too, I just had a look at the demo car and loved the looks of it. Not too big, not too small either, just the perfect size for me. Superbly laid out interiors with so many features for me to play around with if bored I just hope Ford prices it sensibly, upto 11l for the Diesel Titanium and i'm ready with my cheque book (more like dad is :P)
It offers a lot more than a regular hatch, the only disappointment was the rear seat was slightly cramped, but i'll reserve my final opinion till I do a proper TD. A lakh or 1.5 premium over the current crop of premium hatches and Ford will have a Swift in their portfolio!

[Sheel]

Shashank - One of my friend is in the same shoe as yours. I have asked him to wait for the Cross Polo. Believe it would be coming with a 4 cylinder 1.6 mill from the Vento. Would be a non brainer.

Only if they launch it in the next 2-3 months.

[shashank.nk]

Originally Posted by Sheel

Would be a non brainer.
Only if they launch it in the next 2-3 months.

One more thing i'd like to add is the pricing too. It looks like VW is going to skip the DSG,ESP,Hill hold etc on the Polo GT TDI and also on the Cross Polo so basically we are only paying for that engine as the car will have the exact same features as today's Polo "Highline". I'm ready to pay around 10 lakhs OTR for the GT TDI or even the Cross Polo, waiting to see how the Ecosport will be priced. It should make a worthy alternative to these cars