[GTO]

Which is the single area of a car that *most* influences your purchase decision? The *one* thing that a car MUST have....you will not compromise on this factor for anything in the world.

Note : Let's not get into price, brand & after-sales. I am talking only about the actual product (i.e. the car) here.

For me, it's the engine. If a car has a great engine, I will overlook all of its other flaws. This was amply demonstrated by the '03 Honda City Vtec in my garage. Except for that sweet, revv-happy engine, the ol' City really had nothing going for it. The Civic also has a wonderful engine, especially in its current state of tune which has led to much improved driveability. Very revv-happy, sounds like a million bucks and a heck of a lot of fun on the open road. She can revv at 7,000 rpm all day long.

Of course, it's not only power that defines a good engine for me. Rather, the engine should suit the vehicle's purpose. As an example, my Jeep. That torquey engine does a phenomenal job when off-roading; so good that it can make a newbie offroader look more skilled than he actually is. On the open road, the engine sucks, yet I still consider the vehicle + engine combination strong, as the torque + gearing play an important role in making my Jeep the off-roader that it is.

Another example of a great engine is the one under the hood of my C220. Phenomenal driveability, expressway performance, refinement, longevity (the only durable part of the car ) and fuel efficient too.

Simply put, the Engine is my most important deal maker. If a car doesn't have a great engine, I'll walk away. Some flawed cars that I'd still buy for the engine alone : Alto K10 (cheap & fun), Laura 1.8 TSI (the best petrol engine <20 lakh rupees, but headache associated with Skoda), Accord 3.5 V6 (a boat powered by a rocket) and the Getz CRDi (can't turn, but has mega torque). Not to forget, the i10 Kappa2 which has the segment-best petrol powerplant. Cars that I wouldn't buy are the Polo diesel (too much lag + 1 cylinder less), petrol Fiats (except for the wonderful T-Jet, the rest are slow and thirsty) and new Fiesta petrol (where did that wicked 1.6 mill go??)

What's yours? Build quality? Ride? Handling? Equipment? Looks? Anything else? Adding a poll too. This should make for an insightful discussion.

P.S. A happy Diwali to all

[Renjith Rajan]

I bought my punto for it looks. It is my first car, even though I spent days and months in team-bhp reading the reviews, the ultimate decision was based on the looks.

But now I love it's handling during my frequent trips between bangalore and ernakulam (despite it's below average acceleration, the handling enables me to maintain very good speeds)

So my next car would be a car with awesome handling

[DCEite]

For me, its the Engine.
More precisely, the low end torque of the engine. Since i drive primarily in city traffic, this is one aspect of the car i cannot make a compromise on. A car having good low end torque not only makes city driving a breeze, but also helps in reducing driving fatigue. Thats where engines like Hyundai 1.1 eRLX, Suzuki F10 D etc. excelled. Unfortunately most of the small cars being launched today do not have such good low end drivieablity, except for the diesels. Read more here:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...mall-cars.html

The second in the list for me is Ergonomics. More precisely, tall seating and ease of ingress and egress. Being tall and having long legs, i cannot imagine myself doing long distances on low slung cars. Fortunately most cars being launched today are not as low slung as the previous generation cars like OHC/Esteem/Zen etc.

@GTO, how about adding "Ergonomics" as a poll option?

[sachinayak]

Voted for "Ride Quality". Given my next car will be primarily for my wife for her office commute (and kid who is in a daycare facility in the same office), it has to be Ride Quality. The pathetic state of BLR roads implies i can sacrifice any other parameter for this. A very close second is "space". Needless to say it would be driver-driven.

And can you believe i sold of my beautiful Ford Fusion (that would bring a smile on my face every time i drove to work) for this :(

[tj123]

I think its handling for me, a proper handling car is a joy to ride even without much power, engine performance will be a close choice # two.

I always had a view that if a car has a great engine but if does not handle well then it’s a definite no for me.

[gops2009]

For me it is an unsual choice in India, it is safety, fortunately in most cases where this is taken care of the power plant , the transmission and reliability is usually a given.

I transport my most precious cargo- my family and for a given budget that would be the first check point for me, and if that is not adequate, I shall move on. I'm particular to check the crash test ratings that talks about fundamental design safety and also the safety equipment on board.

[Aroy]

For me it is high revving engine coupled with low vehicle weight. That is what I liked about the MPFI Esteem, the Baleno and now the Alto K10.

I do not care much about handling as long as the brakes bite, as I seldom drive fast. Space is of lower priority as I enjoy driving the car alone, at the most with one passenger.

In an SUV I like less electronics with mechanically engaged transfer box, no fancy electric shift or fancy electronics - hill descent, EBD, traction control etc. I like to take my own decisions, and not let some computer decide.

[Raosaheb Desai]

Yes, it's Engine.
Swift had that fabulous 1.3 ddis and now my X Trail with Reno 2.0 DCi.
For Swift, I overlook other flaws like interior and rattling just for engine.
In case of X Trail, I love the way this 2.0 DCI works beautifully in combo with fantastic gearbox.

[S5157]

For me it's reliability. I drive alone for long distances and i don't want to get stuck on middle of nowhere.

[Warwithwheels]

Voted for reliability. Wish i could vote for more than one criteria No offences, But whats the point in having a superb engine while the car as a whole spends most of the time off the road.

Please don't get my statement wrong. IMO a fantastic engine alone cannot be a deciding factor for me. It makes no sense if it can't take you from point A to point B without making a fuss.

[AbhiJ]

Engine...

The engine has to excite me, first and foremost.

[sumeethaldankar]

I voted for Engine but i want a reliable engine which both my car's ,the 800 and the Civic, have.

[Minardi]

I think deal-breakers can be *ONE*, but deal-makers can't be one. Perhaps we can rephrase and ask which parameter would one give the highest weightage to? For me it's the 'handing. When at the wheels, the interiors, the exteriors, the leg room at the back and fuel efficiency doesn't matter

[Abes]

I voted for space!
But it would be a combination of Space, Reliability, Safety & Ground Clearance that would matter to me.

Happy Diwali!!

[BlackPearl]

What I love most is long distance touring, so one thing that is most important for me is reliability.