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-   -   Compact sedan? No thank you! (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian-car-scene/143528-compact-sedan-no-thank-you-11.html)

Aah tell me about that. When I was in the market to buy a new car a couple of months back, I had similar thoughts. It would have been a closed decision. However the Jazz was not there and I went ahead with the Punto.

I find it amusing when as per Indian psyche, Dzire is a Badi gaadi and Jazz is still a choti gaadi, despite having more space (interior and boot). Only thing it lacked was a diesel engine. I hope the new Jazz does well.

I think the feelings are based on the old DZire, which was pretty decent though not great. After the DZire became a CS, owing to the four metre tax policy, the boot became impractical for storage of large bags, but Maruti retained the DZire name, capitalizing on the brand built up with the older variant.

BTW, most vehicles in India can free up to an inch of legroom by simply replacing the seats with thinner ones - somebody ought to get the engineers to fly on Indigo Airlines flights for some inspiration!

I agree on the diesel point for the Jazz but the public does look at the external length rather than wheelbase and interior space. The longer the car the better is the status.

Recline the seats and make it a bit deeper to get a bit more space.

Indigo Airlines! lol:

Anurag.

The Tata Indigo CS taxis also attracts more fares than the Indica. The boot does it.

Guess its all a matter of personal preferences and needs. So many compact sedans are being sold, so I guess there is a real need that they are addressing. I can surely understand why someone would want to move from a hatch to a compact sedan, heck, there's quite a few times when I could have used the extra boot space on an airport trip.

Having driven and owned an I20, we wanted to replace it after a few years of use. after checking out all models, no compact sedan could match up to a premium hatch, and we put our money down on yet another I20(petrol) and a Polo(diesel). The space, design, features, comfort, quaility and safety on mid-top end models is way better than the equivalent compact sedans. They even have a premium feel, that's missing on CS'. A lot of friends questioned us as to why we overspent on a hatchback, when we could have had sedans like the Dzire for the price, but a few 50km trips (yep, 50) to college in the I20 changed everyone's opinions. They drive well, are extremely comfortable, refined and everything inside feels good to the touch. While I can understand people "upsizing" to a compact sedan, a little more research would convince most people that a premium hatch is indeed a far superior option.

Most of the important points have been pointed out already - (affordability, 'sedan' status, boot space for frequent travellers.) I'll add my opinions in any case coupled with a few personal experiences (Disclaimer: We have a Swift Dzire Zdi bought early 2008) Apologies for the long post.

Reasons for choosing the dzire in 2008: Zdi version unavailable in Swift back then ( Therefore no ABS+ Airbags which were requirement #1). The boot in dzire has come to serve my parents very well who take many outstation trips with their friends to visit various temples). No real premium hatchbacks other than Getz available back then.

2013: Looking for a new primary car while retaining the dzire. (Budget ~10 L). Our options include grand i10, i20, Amaze, Ecosport and maybe the Nissan Sunny. Requirements: ABS and airbags must, good FE and good backseat leg room. The Amaze is currently in the pole position and despite preferring premium hatchbacks myself I'll tell you why.

(i) Ecosport - All three of us liked this car but eliminated because of the long waiting period and the price rises which has decreased it's VFM.

(ii) i20 - Dad did not like the driving position of the i20 for some reason and mother hates the rear seat as she felt it was to claustrophobic despite the improvement in leg space plus a revision is on the cards anyway and not the right time to buy this car.

(iii) grand i10 - my ideal and personal choice but Dad feels that it will be a 'downgrade'. He also felt the dzire was better to drive and since he'll be primarily driving it we had to grant him the veto, despite my mother liking the car as well (she liked great leg room and the rear AC vents). Lack of a boot was also a concern for my mother.

Amaze - I didn't like the internals myself but dad and mom liked this car a lot. Good and powerful engine, good rear leg space, High FE , Honda badge and a decent boot (for my parents' trips). I also like the car's looks a lot.

We did consider the Sunny, Vento and Verna for a bit but they were just too expensive for my family and our budget has already been stretched to the max. There is an option of going for the Fiesta Classic, but we would rather have a Honda.

I am guessing ours is an average Indian family and the Amaze being the best fit for my family is why it doesn't surprise me that the compact sedans - Amaze and Dzire are selling so well. They are made by two of the most trusted companies with great ASS that contributes quite heavily to their popularity. A CS made by Fiat or Ford would not do well. It is easy to see that it is the younger generation that prefers premium hatchbacks as they offer greater practicality (in their usage scenario) but it shouldn't also be forgotten or ignored that the compact sedans offer advantages to the slightly older generation. Of course there is a certain element of a 'sedan is better' mentality but each of us have our own opinions and biases and it wouldn't be right to criticize only one particular section. Cars like the Jazz might shake things up next year but I'm guessing that the compact sedans will continue to be popular.