[acroback]

Engine.
I love my Ritz's K12 engine.
Same way I appreciate my Santro's 1.1L low torque beauty.
Would anyday get a 4 pot petrol engine over a 3 pot contraption.

[iashishi]

Reliability - My alto never let me down...not even when I drove it through flooded roads...

My new car is honda city which I hope will be as reliable as alto...

[oxyzen]

Although I voted for the engine it is actually engine + handling combo. While I am okey with decent handling, I am not sated with decent power. I would rather prefer the old Swift than the Figo. Swift's handling is not in the league of Figo but it is much more fun to drive than the commuter.
Talking of engine I want an engine with awesome midrange and a good low end torque. That sounds like a diesel or a turbo petrol.

[SwiftSD]

Voted for Reliability as for me it covers aspects like the engine, built quality, safety. Ride quality and handling would be the second most important thing in the priority list for me.

SD

[ssreeni]

Hi GTO,
You sure have missed out on the K12 RITZ engine which is the segment best petrol engine by a mile. The K12 is very rev happy engine with loads of smooth torque and doesn't loose its gusto even upto the redline in any gear. It's in my opinion the best petrol engine this side of the VTEC.

[RavenAvi]

Went with Reliability.

A fantastic engine cannot be the one and only deal maker. What if it comes with an unreliable suspension and a flimsily built body, prone to rusting and no safety?

Reliability basically covers all aspects of a car - a reliable engine combined with a reliable suspension and reliable body work will give superb ride quality and excellent handling, and reliable body work will keep the safety issues covered as well. A robust car won't need 6/8/10 airbags, for example.

Looks, space, equipment and interiors can always be subjective, depending on the car. It's good to have a car which is a good looker, has ample space inside, packs enough features and has decent interiors as well, but in the end it depends on how reliable it is. Ritz sells well despite it's very subjective looks, Alto isn't a bestseller because of it's interiors and space, and Verna despite being packed to the gills with all sorts of features, can't blow the competition away in it's segment.

Of course, no car is 100% perfect, but give me a car on which I can rely upon through the miles ahead and it gets my vote any day.

[SPIKE ARRESTOR]

Reliability any day, nothing on earth is a substitute for that word (also my area of specialization) when it comes to automobiles.

Spike

[Renjith Rajan]

Wow. From the initial results, it looks like an "Ideal" tbhpian would buy a car with an excellent engine, great reliability, decent handling, decent space and decent safety. He does not care about the looks and the equipment levels.

I know it's a stupid observation.

[Fortuner71]

For me :
1) reliability
2) engine
3) ride and handling
4) service

[Bottom Torque]

For me, its reliability. After suffering from my Nano with its niggling issues (accelerator cable broke within 3,900 kms + power windows switch didn't work within months of purchase and wheels locked due to rain seepage into the front wheel's disc) I have voted for reliability. An engine's average performance is ok for me, as long as its reliable. I will ignore the looks and other factors if the car is reliable....

[drmohitg]

For me its reliability. The car should not ask for any extra maintenance and should not throw out surprises. I am more into the Fill it, Shut it kind of cars. Ofcourse other things do matter but this will be surely the number one criterion.

[SmartCat]

Don't have a deal-maker as such but these are my priorities in descending order -

1) Looks: A car that has no bad angles, and one that will continue to look good even after 5 years. If the design is bland or too "modern" (sharp & edgy ones including those kinetic & fluidic designs), then such cars are automatically taken off my BUY list. An ageless timeless design is what I look for. After all, its what you see with your eyes everyday that gives the most feel good factor feedback to the brain.

2) Interiors, Music System sound quality & Equipment: You spend most of your time inside the car and so, the interiors should be a visual treat.

3) Steering & Handling: Again, these two characterisics give constant feedback to the brain and if these 2 are good, feel good factor automatically improves.

4) Ride quality: This is one characteristic of a car that gives feedback to my bum, rather than my brain. And I like to keep my bum happy too.

5) VFM Factor: Whether its a 5 lac rupee car or a 25 lac one, it has to be a value for money car.

[humyum]

Diesel Engine with a brilliant turbo kick and Handling. Can ignore everything else for this combo.

[Kimified]

Engine. The only thing that excites me in ANY car is the engine and power. I can actually overlook anything else.
Engine is like an heart and soul for any car. I don't care if a car handles like its on rails, if it doesn't have a good engine, it defeats the whole purpose of superior handing (The vise-versa can also be true, but personally, I haven't come across a car which has such bad handling that it can't handle all the power)
As long as the Engine revs smoothly and goes fast and the handling is good enough for the wheels not to come off, i am fine with it.

Safety would be 2nd on the list. Looks would be 3rd and the rest don't bother me much.

I actually wanted to get a Getz Crdi for the same reason but ended up compromising a bit and settling with the i20 Crdi. Just wasn't allowed to buy a used car at home! Cheers

[lamborghini]

Given that most cars in the same price bracket have similar specs in terms of features, the one key deal maker for me is handling.
A good handling car such as the Fiesta TDCi is quite a joy to drive even with a not so powerful engine. For me, good handling refers to minimal body roll, a well weighted steering, and fantastic stability at higher speeds.
In fact, this was the one issue that led to a lot of confusion during a new car purchase dilemma I recently underwent (though the final choice was not what I had wanted, it made the most sense).
Next up would be reliability and build quality at a tie, as I believe they should go hand in hand, followed by performance.