When smaller, cheaper cars are more fun-to-drive than bigger & expensive ones

Kosfactor · 11th May 2020, 16:42

Zen MH410 , 4 cylinders, short gearing, sharp human power assisted steering. During its time and for the roads existed during its time, it felt silly , fast and dangerous. Its rather difficult to replicate such an experience as every car that came afterwards felt heavier, safer, taller and more mature.

nuew · 11th May 2020, 20:18

This is has been one of those truths that has been unveiled to me over the years. When I was a teenager, I would always look up to the bigger cars than ours and that were the kind of cars that I wanted to own some day. But after learning to drive and gained experience of cars from the little Nano to the Mercs, I have to say that the smaller and cheaper cars are more fun to drive at least in the Indian context.

My first car was a 1st Swift Petrol and it was quite a fun car to drive around with good handling. I used to drive my friend's Swift diesel which was a different experience altogether with that punchy Diesel mill. Then came my Uncle's Cruze which was a missile for it's price. But more than the straight line dashes in the Cruze, I enjoyed the Swift's cornering prowess better. Driving a Mercedes E350 was a revelation in both good and bad ways. It was way more sophisticated than the cars I drove till then. The performance was just astounding. But after a long drive, I realized it wasn't a car for fun for considering how much it would cost to repair in case of even a minor dent. And the sophistication was killing a bit of raw driving pleasure in some way due to the disconnect it created from the environment.

Then we welcomed another car to our family, the Nano in it's GenX avatar, which was a car we never thought of owning one. The little car was another revelation. For any drives to the town, this was the car all of us took as it made driving so much less of a hassle. On occasional trips through winding roads, this car taught me to take better lines though the corners (to contain the body-roll and to keep the momentum), smoother braking and timely gearshifts (for keeping it on the boil because of the comparatively narrow power band). When the same lessons were applied to other cars, I just realized what all we ignore when the cars gets more powerful and sophisticated.

Another avenue where I have experienced the same is superbikes. I too wanted to get a Hayabusa or an R1 some day as many in those times and one of my friends ended up owning both. Both of then are definitely exciting. But soon I realized they are more of a hassle than fun on our roads. The expensive ownership experience kills most of the fun anyway. A 400-600cc machine could be ridden near it's limit much more than the liter class bikes. Being lighter, they do much better on the twistiest too.

One of the most fun car I ever driven was the Abarth Punto. The Hydraulic steering, the punchy 1.4L Turbo Petrol and the great braking and suspension setup urged to be pushed to the limits. Like some say, a car is the most fun on the edges of it's limits. At least on our roads, we are quite unlikely to reach those limits in more powerful and expensive big cars and renders them not as fun as they might be elsewhere.

Reesnat · 29th May 2020, 09:51

Happy to have played some part in inspiring this thread

I believe that there is a lot more to 'driving pleasure' than just straight-line speed. Case in point, I got to drive a GTi vs my VRS on a track back to back and the GTi was loads more fun even though my Stage 1 VRS is quicker vs the GTi in a straight line. This doesn't necessarily mean that all bigger cars are worse to drive than smaller cars simply because of the size (though generally true).

For enthusiasts buying cars, we need to start asking more questions than what the power figures suggest. Think about the following factors - chassis, suspension setup, power delivery, how the gearbox is tuned etc and then conclude if its a 'fun' car to drive and enjoy.

Yes, power is the backbone of the driving experience, but just that without the other factors means you are going to get bored pretty quickly with the car. Those are my 2cents.

Another fact - tuners are always quick to talk about 0-100 or 100-200 and say my car which costs 20 lakhs eats cars that cost 60 lakhs for breakfast, purely by a straight line drag. If that's your jam, sure, but its certainly not my complete breakfast, or lunch or dinner. I want more from my meal, a starter, main course and then the desert

I wish they encouraged customers to look at a holistic approach to imroving the performance of the car, but then again, its not their fault as all customers know is how fast is my car, everything else be dammed.

So its us who have to change our demands and ask for more...

megazoid · 17th May 2021, 11:36

The GTI was great fun to drive and after I sold it, there is nothing much in the market that one can hope to buy without paying lots of money. I wanted to also shift from more conveniences to a more engaging mode of driving and have a manual petrol car. The driver was becoming less important in the scheme of things and I spend a lot of time in the car doing nothing other than fingering the paddles and going fast. The joy of driving a manual is far more enticing.

The Toyota 1.5 Liva petrol or the Honda Brio is the kind of car that would have been nice. Not considering the 1.0 manual polo TSI as I have been with one polo or the other since 2014. The only thing that comes to mind is an Ignis MT petrol or the current Honda City with a suspension fix. Seems to have a slick gearbox and is sufficiently contemporary.

car_guy1998 · 17th May 2021, 12:58

For me, it's none other than VW Polo! Seriously, I had fun driving this car, be it 1.0 MPI MT, 1.0 TSI MT/AT! But, I prefer 1.0 TSI over 1.0 MPI any day though 1.0 MPI is not bad to drive, and had revved this 1.0 MPI till 4k RPM and felt decent to drive in city limits!

BTW, I had fun driving the 1.0 TSI MT and this one can touch 80 Kmph in 2nd gear easily without any fuss and loved the driving dynamics as well! If I were to choose between TSI MT or AT, I would choose MT for fun though AT is also fun to drive, and while driving the 1.0 TSI AT, one can shift the gear to S mode from D mode in order to have some fun and you are all set!

And, drove the Vento with the same TSI MT combo as well! Though I enjoyed driving it, still Polo felt better to drive than Vento IMO due to well-sorted dynamics in Polo!

And, after I drove the VAG's with this 1.0 TSI engine, I feel like selling off our Honda City Diesel and get this one as the replacement in order to have fun while driving it! I wanted to own a Polo TSI MT for myself but had to drop the plans as I'm thinking to move abroad this year for higher studies! For me, the Polo is the car, which I wish to own and get it modded and keep this one forever till it dies!

Small Bot · 16th May 2022, 14:44

Late to this thread, and I'm sure this has been mentioned somewhere before - but I'll add this. The one car in the Hyundai / Kia stable which seems to wring the nuts out of the TGDi motor is the i10 Nios Turbo. It's not very sporty looking, misses a lot of features and is mostly indistinguishable from the regular i10 Nios.
But inside the city and on some free State highways, the car is an absolute hoot to drive. The tall gearing, chuckable nature and light weight just makes it madder and that much more fun to drive than any other Hyundai/Kia car with that motor. Out on the National highway, I absolutely would not trust this car though.

M_Poweredd_ · 19th September 2023, 01:00

Hey guys! Are there any cars that are cheap yet fun to drive and low maintainance in 2023? If you wanted something under 5-7L what would you pick?

DivyanshuDiv · 19th September 2023, 02:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by M_Poweredd_

Hey guys! Are there any cars that are cheap yet fun to drive and low maintainance in 2023? If you wanted something under 5-7L what would you pick?

For me the only option that could be low on maintenance, fun and easy to drive and super reliable, is a Suzuki Ignis.

shancz · 19th September 2023, 07:58

Like mentioned earlier, Maruti's K10(1.0) powertrain will put a smile on your face but if possible, get the K12(1.2), that will leave you surprised. Which cars, that is something you have to figure out in a test drive, options are Alto, S-Presso, wagonR, Ignis, Swift in the 5-7 lakh range.

Outside of Maruti you have the i10 Nios and the Tiago start around the 7 lakh mark but the Tiago but if talking about powertrains the Marutis lead the front.

On the topic in general, for motorcycles, the following video by FortNine describes the situation perfectly and why I think a 400cc 4 cylinder the optimal sports bike for our roads :

Credits to Providers :

YouTube : FortNine

Nilesh5417 · 19th September 2023, 21:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by shancz

Like mentioned earlier, Maruti's K10(1.0) powertrain will put a smile on your face but if possible, get the K12(1.2), that will leave you surprised. Which cars, that is something you have to figure out in a test drive, options are Alto, S-Presso, wagonR, Ignis, Swift in the 5-7 lakh range.

I find the swift an absolute delight! That engine and the short throw gearbox are match made in heaven. Atleast used to be 3years ago or so when i last drove a swift.

The only other small car that probably matches it or is probably even slightly ahead is the Brio! Sadly you cant buy it new but god that car is crazy fun to drive.

11th May 2020, 16:42	#76
Kosfactor Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2018 Location: COK\BLR\MYS Posts: 3,603 Thanked: 10,195 Times	Re: When smaller, cheaper cars are more fun-to-drive than bigger & expensive ones Zen MH410 , 4 cylinders, short gearing, sharp human power assisted steering. During its time and for the roads existed during its time, it felt silly , fast and dangerous. Its rather difficult to replicate such an experience as every car that came afterwards felt heavier, safer, taller and more mature.
	(3) Thanks

11th May 2020, 20:18	#77
nuew BHPian Join Date: Dec 2015 Location: Wayanad Posts: 39 Thanked: 61 Times	Re: When smaller, cheaper cars are more fun-to-drive than bigger & expensive ones This is has been one of those truths that has been unveiled to me over the years. When I was a teenager, I would always look up to the bigger cars than ours and that were the kind of cars that I wanted to own some day. But after learning to drive and gained experience of cars from the little Nano to the Mercs, I have to say that the smaller and cheaper cars are more fun to drive at least in the Indian context. My first car was a 1st Swift Petrol and it was quite a fun car to drive around with good handling. I used to drive my friend's Swift diesel which was a different experience altogether with that punchy Diesel mill. Then came my Uncle's Cruze which was a missile for it's price. But more than the straight line dashes in the Cruze, I enjoyed the Swift's cornering prowess better. Driving a Mercedes E350 was a revelation in both good and bad ways. It was way more sophisticated than the cars I drove till then. The performance was just astounding. But after a long drive, I realized it wasn't a car for fun for considering how much it would cost to repair in case of even a minor dent. And the sophistication was killing a bit of raw driving pleasure in some way due to the disconnect it created from the environment. Then we welcomed another car to our family, the Nano in it's GenX avatar, which was a car we never thought of owning one. The little car was another revelation. For any drives to the town, this was the car all of us took as it made driving so much less of a hassle. On occasional trips through winding roads, this car taught me to take better lines though the corners (to contain the body-roll and to keep the momentum), smoother braking and timely gearshifts (for keeping it on the boil because of the comparatively narrow power band). When the same lessons were applied to other cars, I just realized what all we ignore when the cars gets more powerful and sophisticated. Another avenue where I have experienced the same is superbikes. I too wanted to get a Hayabusa or an R1 some day as many in those times and one of my friends ended up owning both. Both of then are definitely exciting. But soon I realized they are more of a hassle than fun on our roads. The expensive ownership experience kills most of the fun anyway. A 400-600cc machine could be ridden near it's limit much more than the liter class bikes. Being lighter, they do much better on the twistiest too. One of the most fun car I ever driven was the Abarth Punto. The Hydraulic steering, the punchy 1.4L Turbo Petrol and the great braking and suspension setup urged to be pushed to the limits. Like some say, a car is the most fun on the edges of it's limits. At least on our roads, we are quite unlikely to reach those limits in more powerful and expensive big cars and renders them not as fun as they might be elsewhere.
	(6) Thanks

29th May 2020, 09:51	#78
Reesnat BHPian Join Date: Jul 2018 Location: Chennai Posts: 161 Thanked: 2,801 Times	Re: When smaller, cheaper cars are more fun-to-drive than bigger & expensive ones Happy to have played some part in inspiring this thread I believe that there is a lot more to 'driving pleasure' than just straight-line speed. Case in point, I got to drive a GTi vs my VRS on a track back to back and the GTi was loads more fun even though my Stage 1 VRS is quicker vs the GTi in a straight line. This doesn't necessarily mean that all bigger cars are worse to drive than smaller cars simply because of the size (though generally true). For enthusiasts buying cars, we need to start asking more questions than what the power figures suggest. Think about the following factors - chassis, suspension setup, power delivery, how the gearbox is tuned etc and then conclude if its a 'fun' car to drive and enjoy. Yes, power is the backbone of the driving experience, but just that without the other factors means you are going to get bored pretty quickly with the car. Those are my 2cents. Another fact - tuners are always quick to talk about 0-100 or 100-200 and say my car which costs 20 lakhs eats cars that cost 60 lakhs for breakfast, purely by a straight line drag. If that's your jam, sure, but its certainly not my complete breakfast, or lunch or dinner. I want more from my meal, a starter, main course and then the desert I wish they encouraged customers to look at a holistic approach to imroving the performance of the car, but then again, its not their fault as all customers know is how fast is my car, everything else be dammed. So its us who have to change our demands and ask for more...
	(7) Thanks

17th May 2021, 11:36	#79
megazoid BHPian Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Bangalore Posts: 502 Thanked: 3,371 Times View My Garage	Re: When smaller, cheaper cars are more fun-to-drive than bigger & expensive ones The GTI was great fun to drive and after I sold it, there is nothing much in the market that one can hope to buy without paying lots of money. I wanted to also shift from more conveniences to a more engaging mode of driving and have a manual petrol car. The driver was becoming less important in the scheme of things and I spend a lot of time in the car doing nothing other than fingering the paddles and going fast. The joy of driving a manual is far more enticing. The Toyota 1.5 Liva petrol or the Honda Brio is the kind of car that would have been nice. Not considering the 1.0 manual polo TSI as I have been with one polo or the other since 2014. The only thing that comes to mind is an Ignis MT petrol or the current Honda City with a suspension fix. Seems to have a slick gearbox and is sufficiently contemporary.
	() Thanks

17th May 2021, 12:58	#80
car_guy1998 BHPian Join Date: Sep 2020 Location: HYD/BA/SEA Posts: 643 Thanked: 1,228 Times View My Garage	Re: When smaller, cheaper cars are more fun-to-drive than bigger & expensive ones For me, it's none other than VW Polo! Seriously, I had fun driving this car, be it 1.0 MPI MT, 1.0 TSI MT/AT! But, I prefer 1.0 TSI over 1.0 MPI any day though 1.0 MPI is not bad to drive, and had revved this 1.0 MPI till 4k RPM and felt decent to drive in city limits! BTW, I had fun driving the 1.0 TSI MT and this one can touch 80 Kmph in 2nd gear easily without any fuss and loved the driving dynamics as well! If I were to choose between TSI MT or AT, I would choose MT for fun though AT is also fun to drive, and while driving the 1.0 TSI AT, one can shift the gear to S mode from D mode in order to have some fun and you are all set! And, drove the Vento with the same TSI MT combo as well! Though I enjoyed driving it, still Polo felt better to drive than Vento IMO due to well-sorted dynamics in Polo! And, after I drove the VAG's with this 1.0 TSI engine, I feel like selling off our Honda City Diesel and get this one as the replacement in order to have fun while driving it! I wanted to own a Polo TSI MT for myself but had to drop the plans as I'm thinking to move abroad this year for higher studies! For me, the Polo is the car, which I wish to own and get it modded and keep this one forever till it dies! Last edited by car_guy1998 : 17th May 2021 at 13:01.
	(1) Thanks

16th May 2022, 14:44	#81
Small Bot BHPian Join Date: Mar 2021 Location: Madras Posts: 420 Thanked: 1,866 Times View My Garage	Re: When smaller, cheaper cars are more fun-to-drive than bigger & expensive ones Late to this thread, and I'm sure this has been mentioned somewhere before - but I'll add this. The one car in the Hyundai / Kia stable which seems to wring the nuts out of the TGDi motor is the i10 Nios Turbo. It's not very sporty looking, misses a lot of features and is mostly indistinguishable from the regular i10 Nios. But inside the city and on some free State highways, the car is an absolute hoot to drive. The tall gearing, chuckable nature and light weight just makes it madder and that much more fun to drive than any other Hyundai/Kia car with that motor. Out on the National highway, I absolutely would not trust this car though.
	(1) Thanks

19th September 2023, 01:00	#82
M_Poweredd_ BHPian Join Date: Oct 2022 Location: Nashik Posts: 55 Thanked: 136 Times	Re: When smaller, cheaper cars are more fun-to-drive than bigger & expensive ones Hey guys! Are there any cars that are cheap yet fun to drive and low maintainance in 2023? If you wanted something under 5-7L what would you pick?
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