[balashome]

Hello mates,

I have been looking for a car between 4 and 5.5 lakhs (maximum 6 lakhs on road) for the past couple of months. In keeping with my intended lifestyle, an estate would probably suit best. The options that i started out with were the following:

- Fiat Adventure Sport
- Tata Indigo Marina (Diesel or Petrol)
- Maruti Suzuki Swift
- Opel Corsa Sail (1.6)

Fiat Adventure, though being the most coveted among the lot, went out of the equation first because of the lack of knowledgeable service technicians (in Chennai and based on my experience, of course) as well as the price point. As far as the Swift is
concerned, i am not ready to sit and wait for the car's delivery for
the next 7 months. That drops me between the Indigo Marina and the Opel Corsa Sail.

I am a spirited driver who values performance in a car and would be
willing to extract the maximum out of it. Is the Marina Diesel too
sluggish in comparison to the other options? In my mind i thought it
would not be too bad when i compare this to a 72 bhp engine for a 2500 kg Bolero or a 68 bhp engine for a 2000 kg Tata Sumo. I will be living in Chennai and would be driving a minimum of 40+ kms to and from work. Additionally i plan on taking the family out for a long trip (about 500+kms) once a month (hopefully). Which one out of the following options would suit my needs?

- Tata Indigo Marina GLX (Petrol)
- Tata Indigo Marina LX (Diesel BS III)
- Opel Corsa Sail (1.6)
- Maruti Baleno Vxi

Value for money and performance (read as 'fun to drive') are the major factors for me though i am not rich enough to discard the fuel
efficiency aspect altogether. I have not looked at booted sedans at
all as the Estate option somehow appeals to me. Further, we may have a dog in our family in the future - considering which an estate is probably better. You are also welcome to suggest any other cars in this price bracket if you think they would suit my needs.

The last option - Maruti Baleno is added on almost as an afterthought. I know i said i want estates and not sedans. But i just thought i would let the forum know that i will be able to get a Baleno Vxi at 5.3 lakhs onroad.

The other aspect that did come out of my dad's research (he did all the hench work because i am stuck here!) is that the BS III version of the Marina is not too strapped for power - 70 PS @4500 rpm and 13.5 kgm of torque @2500 rpm - and this is augmented by an intercooler as well, which the BS II version lacked.

So, based on this information, what car do you think has the best chance of a happy life with me?

Cheers!

[devarshi84]

go for the adventure sport unless the new baleno looks better.

[sivadas]

If you are looking at a true/good Estate, you should go for Opel swing(not sail). Swing price also has come down quite a bit I believe (Not sure whether you will get it under 6 lacs).

[v_s_natarajan]

Originally Posted by balashome

Hello mates,

I
Fiat Adventure, though being the most coveted among the lot, went out of the equation first because of the lack of knowledgeable service technicians (in Chennai and based on my experience, of course) as well as the price point.

Cheers!

Lack of knowledgable technicians

The TVS Service team in Chennai has some of the best in Fiat servicing
Speaking from a personal experience.
if you need i can help you out the ASS head.

[Abhay]

If you like estates and need a performance vehicle as well, why not take a look at the Baleno Altura ? (or is it not in production now?) ...I saw one on the road just 2 days back...
it surely will be quicker of the lot mentioned above and also an estate

If its not available Marina BSIII (with TDi) sounds good, dont think the ptrol one is really a performance oriented car...Adventure looks nice too but if you dont want to go for a Fiat and looking at your requirments I would suggest the Altura (if its still sold)

[Stratos]

Go for the Marina LX Tdi. They are fuel effieicent and fast too. The new intercooled engine is nicely responsive and its the best and most of a car you can have for that money.

[Steeroid]

Go for the Marina TDi. Like your dad's research showed, its not short of power though its not a road ripper either. If you're comparing power-to-weight with the likes of the Bolero and Sumo yes it has better p2w and will handle a lot better while giving you more space than the Bolero.

[tsk1979]

You drive 40+ kms a day, so diesel makes lot of sense to you.
As for the corsa option, there are nots of discounts because it is being discontinued.
That leaves you with Fiat Adventure sport and Tata Indigo Marina.
Adventure is definately more powerful and fun to drive, but even if we leave aside the service issues, it will be expensive to run at about 4-5rs a km, compared to marinas 2-2.5rs a km.

So marina fits the bill best though it is not really fun to drive. but power is adequate for highway sprints.(BS II 62bhp indigo does 150+ on speedo, this should do better)

[islero]

Yeah, Marina Tdi seems to be the logical choice. All the best!!!

[BUSA]

I would say an Adventure(looks superb) or a Baleno!

[hasopi]

[quote=balashome]Hello mates,

Fiat Adventure, though being the most coveted among the lot, went out of the equation first because of the lack of knowledgeable service technicians (in Chennai and based on my experience, of course) as well as the price point. /QUOTE]


TVS Sundaram at Chennai dont know how to service FIAT's...thats quite surprising...for me its the otherway

[Catamaran]

Go for the marina tdi.. will be cheaper to maintain and will not be too bad on performance either...can check out the Ford Fusion also, heard they are giving some good discounts which will make it within your budget...estate sorta car with good ground clearance + 100bhp engine..
meanwhile you are getting a baleno vxi @ 5.3 onroad??/ sounds pretty good...great value for money... or is it a baleno lxi

[typeOnegative]

If it is a Diesel, stick to the Marina.

If it is a Petrol, go for the Fiat, if you are able to chnage your mind about Fiat. Otherwise the Opel is a decent enough car for you.

[shuvc]

You mentioned VFM, Performance and decent FE as your main drivers. I assume space would also be a factor.

Prioritise these factors .. try to quantify them as much as possible (viz. , what sort of performance figures are acceptable to you, how much is a comfortable monthly fuel budget, etc) .. then when you return to India, test drive each of the cars you have considered and see which fits best with your criteria.

[drifter]

Clearly the Marina TDi fits the bill here...like mentioned before the new BSIII model is not strapped for power, but dont expect it to burn the roads either. Its got great FE, excellent space. Fit and finish could do with a little improvement...but acceptable i guess. And at highway speeds its incredibly quite.

Maximum bang for the buck in my opinion.

Drifter