[poised2drive]

I was wondering about the absence of Hyundai !! Surprising that none of them make it to the list !! Personally, I felt driving i20 was fun , more than the Verna Fluidic and I thought it would find a place !!
And I think Gypsy, with its cult status, can't be emulated in near future by any offroader!! It will live forever in the hearts of Indian Automotive Enthusiasts and the name - GYPSY seems enough to have goosebumps !!

But I am happy to see Swift retaining its spot [ as I own one ]

[Diesel_convert]

Hey guys am sure we are enthusiastic about a lot of things about our cars.

Maybe we can define what sort of enthusiast we are talking about to pare down the list!

It currently comes across as an everybody wins list that magazines come up with to sell cars.

Going by the traditional definition of a car good at egging you on on a twisty road.
I would never put my own car, a rapid on this list as its a bad handler in the ghats.

Its very quick yes, but does it bring a grin to my face in the hills? Not really!

[tilt]

diesel_Convert, look at my signature, I agree with you! A car that can take twisties =fast is what I could classify as an enthusiast's car.

Cheers

[tharian]

Looking at the list and the number of cars and the span of segments, there should be many more listed.

I agree that Brio/Alto K10 , haven't driven the Go, are pocket rockets. I drove a WagonR K10 recently and loved it for its engine.

Having said that, an enthusiast car should have everything a driver wants going for it. Namely- power, handling, high speed stability, good steering and that sort of elements.
I guess this thread is good in that it covers the cars that tick one of these ,but loose out on few others.

If it has to be 'BEST' , then I guess the list should be re-done.

I am all for the off-roaders, since they are good at their playground.

[JediKnight]

How come 4th Gen Honda city does not make it to the list.

1. Stonker of an iVtech engine. Revs upto 7K. I get sub 9 sec 0-100. Most magazines are around 9.5 sec. At the same time delivering spectacular mileage.

2. Balanced chassis and neutral handling.

3. Perfectly calibrated brakes.


I don't think the 1.2 swift is an enthusiast's vehicle any more. The care is SLOW. 14+ sec to 100 kmph. My 9 year old Santro is faster.

[jfxavier]

Some of the first S60 T6 (Volvo) examples sold should be coming into the second hand market with a price tag within the range considered for the list.
I think the T6 is a 'seriously' fun to drive car.

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by Tushar

[center]Toyota Liva 1.5L (TRD Sportivo)

Is this car still in production? Couldn't find it on Toyota India website.

-----

Probably the Ford Fiesta is a good addition to the list. Even though slightly low on power, it lightens up the enthusiasts with its excellent driving dynamics.

[rameshnanda]

Nice Compilation.

But I am confused that what parameters actually make an Enthusiast car? Is 'Fun to Drive' (or Power to Weight ratio) the only criteria used to declare the cars as Enthusiastic? I am sorry but I couldn't really accept some of the cars listed here as Enthusiastic. My personal view anyway.

[rejeen]

This thread is redefining my understanding of the word "enthusiastic". I thought, for a car to be termed enthusiastic it needs to handle well, cornering at high speeds is easy, steering that give good "feel" at any speeds, have good power and acceleration, have good gearbox & suspension, very good build quality and all these backed up by safety features.

Millions will be happy with the list of cars termed enthusiastic here. Didn't expect T-BHP would have a thread for enthusiastic cars having so many inclusions.

[Shanksta]

IMHO : To me a "fun to drive" car is one that can be pushed to limit more than say a car having 500hp, I find cars with skinny tyres fun to drive in urban confines and cars with good ride and handling fun to drive in the twisties and cars with more power than GOD fun to drive in a straight line i.e. on highways. Going by my parameters for FTD cars my list for 2014 would be (in no specific order):
1. Tata Nano( RWD+ skinny tyres-fun in the city)
2. MS Alto K10(Power to weight ratio)
3. Datsun Go(1.2l + light + manual steering= FUN)
4. MS Swift/Dzire DDiS (the surge at 1900 rpm)
5. Ford Fiesta 2014 duratorq(Pure Bliss albiet down on bhp)
6. Ford Classic duratec (1.6)
7. Toyota Liva TRD Sportivo (1.5l & 1.4l D4d)
8. Volkswagen Polo/Vento GT TSI ( DSG - Adrenaline pumping)
9. Skoda Octavia 1.8 TSI (178hp - Firepower overload)
10. Volkswagen Jetta 2.0 TDI MT
11. Fiat Lines T-Jet( Epic Engine in a well set-up car)
12. Fiat Punto-Evo 90hp ( Yes bad in the city but brilliant on the highways)

But from a proper "Driver's car" point of view I would say only 6 make the cut:
1.Fiat Lines Tjet
2.Ford Classic duratec
3.Volkswagen Jetta 2.0TDI
4. Skoda Octavia 1.8TSI
5. Volkswagen Polo GT TSI
6. MS Swift DDiS

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Welcome to the forum and the staff team Tushar.

Originally Posted by Tushar

Listed below, in no particular order, are the best enthusiast cars on sale today.

For me, the most important question is - 'From whose perspective?'

I would like to know the analysis conducted before coming up with such an official list. Is this thread supposed to voice the collective opinion of the forum, and data collected as such? Or was it finalized internally by the moderator and support teams? Or is it purely GTO and the staff team who came up with the list for this year?

Because as far as I can see, the list remains almost the same as last year, except for the realization that off-roaders can be fun to drive! Lot of names were thrown in thread last year as well, but none except the Ecosport (and a few off-roaders and MUVs!) made the cut.

Originally Posted by GTO

The new Cruze has tamer power delivery. It's nowhere as dynamically accomplished as the Europeans either.

I believe Cruze is the only other addition to the list this year (other than the SUVs), dropped to the above reason last year. I wonder what has changed this year for it to make it to the list!

Originally Posted by Tushar

What's hot: Snazzy styling, competent engine range, balanced ride and road manners, terrific fuel efficiency, effortless to drive in the city, Maruti’s excellent after-sales service, ample aftermarket support for modifications

What's not: No big horsepower variant (small 1.2 & 1.3 engines), tiny impractical boot, mediocre brakes (L & V variants), limited rear seat space, pricey Z trim levels

Isn't it time we stopped mentioning the Swift as having snazzy styling (and give an after-market modified car pic along with it!)? I think its too old on the roads to be snazzy anymore, unless modified.

Also, if the swift with its mediocre engines can be fun to drive, why doesn't cars like the Avventura make it to the list? It does a 0-100 in about 13.43 secs if Autocar is to be believed which puts it in the same ballpark as the Swift, has better ride and handling, has a better steering feel etc. And then comes the new Fiesta, which is another brilliant car to drive. Less power - yes. But it doesn't have much turbo lag and is pure fun to throw around corners! And if the Swift makes it to this list - why not the City iVTEC petrol?

On a related note, there was a thread on the Alto, Swift and Datson Go- how a few days of silence will save Maruti and the rest. And here we are backing them as enthusiasts cars. Ok, understood they have power under the belt - but all the recent discussions on safety doesn't even deserve a strong mention (with relevant links) on the negatives list so readers can judge appropriately?

Originally Posted by Diesel_convert

Maybe we can define what sort of enthusiast we are talking about to pare down the list!

It currently comes across as an everybody wins list that magazines come up with to sell cars.

Well said.

Team bhp has a very efficient way of selecting the 'Car of the year'. Similarly, I think the best way to come up with the final list is to conduct polls segment-wise and shortlist the winners for each segment.

Otherwise, mention whose opinion it is supposed to convey, whether it is collective opinion of the forum, or only the moderators / OP, etc.

But thought provoking since collectors are also enthusiasts for sure. So are the tech-geeks who buy a Hyundai, the corner carvers who would prefer a Fiesta over a Cruze, the SUV boys who would buy a Safari instead of a Rapid for the same fun which for them translates to a 'king of the road' feel. Infact, in a broader sense of the word - almost every guy who ends up here is an enthusiast!

PS -

The picture for the Linea Tjet seems to be taken from the member review http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...ve-review.html, but with the member watermark removed? Please place the original version since team-bhp gives copyright to respective owners for their uploads. Please ignore if permissions are already sought for this.

[civic-sense]

An enthusiast's car should be fast and handle well.

Linea T-jet and the Ford Classic 1.6 in the <10L range

AND

Octavia TSi in the >10L range.

That completes my list if enthusiast's cars.

Every other car is a compromise.

[rosh_aveo1.4]

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, how about a pre-owned manual 2.4 liter 3rd gen Honda CR-V. Pretty good grip thanks to the AWD and pretty comfy and spacious too. Narain actually was surprised with the car when he took it on track (he first thought it was a joke for a SUV to be in the list). So yes it may not set the track or roads on fire but I can't think of anything more practical that combines oodles of space, comfort, stellar reliability, ability to handle our pothole ridden roads and driving fun in a single package. Ofcourse, not forgetting the one single big time negative, the crazy down south fuel efficiency but hey, that's a common trait for others listed here as well.

[arnabchak]

Originally Posted by Reinhard

Depends on how you define an enthusiast. All of these 4 are enthusiastic to drive / take off road. The Alto (overall I hate it since its birth) is certainly a pocket rocket no doubt.

Dear Reinhard

Would have completely agreed with you had this been now defunct
Alto 1.1.
That would have been a pocket rocket, a true enthusiast mini launcher.

In its current Avatar, dont find Alto as an enthusiasts choice from any angle.
Just my Point of view.

[Aficionados]

Nice thread & compilation, but I have some basic questions here

Why don't we have Mahindra XUV 500 in this list? It has a capable Mhawk engine generating 140 BHP and ride quality is also better (per SUV standards), and isn't it priced below 20 lakhs!

Also, when we say that the car is for enthusiasts, to me, it should have

• Great ride quality (suspension setup)
• Great handling (steering feedback, cornering)
• Punchy acceleration
• Great Power

The question is, do we have all of these in a single car costing less than 20 lakhs? (which is the criteria considered here)
All cars considered here in the thread lacks at least one aspect of being a true enthusiast's car. This list actually lists 'Fairly Enthusiast Car' than 'Enthusiast Car'. Hope, I conveyed my thoughts correctly!