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-   -   Small Car Buyer Guide - A Ready Reckoner (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian-car-scene/80649-small-car-buyer-guide-ready-reckoner-2.html)

Ranking of the 36 cars in our list with the best compromise between power/performance, driveability and running costs. Basically, if a buyer were to assign equal weightage to the above three parameters, this is how the cars would be ranked. This ranking table basically gives a good idea about how good the engine powering these cars are.

Performance, Driveability & Running Costs Small Car Rankings:

Maruti Swift 1.3 Diesel ------------- 99 pts
Maruti Ritz 1.3 Diesel --------------- 97 pts
Hyundai i20 1.4 Diesel -------------- 89 pts
Skoda Fabia 1.4 Diesel -------------- 85 pts
Fiat Palio 1.3 Diesel ----------------- 82 pts
Ford Figo `1.4 Diesel ---------------- 81 pts
Tata Vista 1.3 Diesel ---------------- 81 pts
Honda Jazz 1.2 Petrol --------------- 80 pts
Maruti A-Star 1.0 Petrol ------------- 73 pts
Hyundai Santro 1.1 Petrol ----------- 73 pts
Maruti Swift 1.2 Petrol --------------- 72 pts
Fiat Punto 1.3 Diesel ----------------- 72 pts
Fiat Palio 1.6 Petrol ------------------ 69 pts
Maruti Ritz 1.2 Petrol ---------------- 66 pts
Hyundai i10 1.1 Petrol --------------- 63 pts
Chevrolet Spark 1.0 Petrol ------------ 59 pts
Hyundai i10 1.2 Petrol ---------------- 57 pts
Maruti Estilo 1.0 Petrol ---------------- 56 pts
Hyundai Getz 1.3 Petrol --------------- 53 pts
Chevrolet Beat 1.2 Petrol -------------- 52 pts
Hyundai i20 1.2 Petrol ----------------- 48 pts
Skoda Fabia 1.2 Petrol ---------------- 47 pts
Fiat Punto 1.4 Petrol ------------------ 44 pts
Maruti WagonR 1.1 Petrol ------------- 44 pts
Maruti Alto 0.8 Petrol ----------------- 42 pts
Chevrolet U-VA 1.2 Petrol ------------- 37 pts
Tata Indica 1.4 Diesel ----------------- 37 pts
Maruti 800 0.8 Petrol ------------------ 36 pts
VW Polo 1.2 Petrol --------------------- 35 pts
Ford Figo 1.2 Petrol ------------------- 34 pts
Tata Indica 1.2 Petrol ----------------- 30 pts
Tata Nano 0.6 Petrol ------------------ 29 pts
Fiat Punto 1.2 Petrol ------------------ 28 pts
Tata Vista 1.2 Petrol ------------------ 22 pts
Hyundai Getz 1.1 Petrol ---------------- 20 pts
Fiat Palio 1.1 Petrol -------------------- 13 pts

Analysis:

- This is what everybody means when they say "Diesel engines have come of age in recent times". Not only are they low on running costs, but they also scorch tarmac when needed.

- The above table pretty much tells us why everybody wants to plonk the Fiat's 1.3 litre diesel engine into their cars.

- Now we know why Skoda picked the old noisy 1.4 TDI engine for the Fabia - it scores quite well on all the three important engine parameters of power, driveability & fuel efficiency.


But when you pay Rs. X lacs for a car, you don't buy just an engine - there are other important measurable parameters like price, space & features.

@ KRRaj/Kalinga
Expect your Getz 1.1 petrol to move up the ladder from here ;)

Coming up next, the important factor of PRICE. This is where the diesel engine powered cars lose some of their sheen.

Nice, rather "smart" work smartcat; hope you are not an IT professional doing service into Data Mining domain :)

Anyways, really good work. Let's wait and see where would Polo Diesel fit in once it is launched this month.

Hey smartcat, this thread you created just brought a HUGE SMILE TO MY FACE buddy!!clap:

I own a Santro now for over 3 years and I always believe it was way peppier than pervieved by many. Many of us, the Santro Owners, feel its the best Fastest City hatch which is VFM, Stylish, basically a beauty in every aspect. :D

Waiting for your final analysis report eagerly.

Smart post SmartCat, your Data mining is giving a good picture to the prospective buyers on what they should look for. It's certainly a good move. This thread needs a five star rating.
:OT
Have you tried starting a business on data mining :D, you look pretty experienced in this field.

Smart cat, excellent job!!

Quite a bit of work you done here.

OT: Happy to see Swift D at 99 points:D

Excellent thread. You seem to have a lot of interest in statistics.
And I see a distinguished BHPian in the making!
Thank you for the effort.

Maybe watching the stock ticker on CNBC everyday has something to do with it. But yes, I do like numbers - they do not lie!

You know, when the car price comes into the equation, your smile might just get a bit wider. That will take the Santro to the top of the list among petrol cars (of course, we are taking only the car engine parameters here, not features, space, safety etc). My dad owns a 2003 version Santro Xing that has a different engine I think - but that is quite peppy in the city & the highway too.

aha! But Swift DDIS is not an obvious winner of the diesel contest. When we get to the "safety" aspect, I intend to be quite brutal by awarding zero points to car manufacturers who don't equip their cars with airbags.

Cat one more point I realized is the following:

Have you collected the pricelist of spares? Kadri was compiling a list before his next purchase. That made me think, if your list has a matrix to compare spare part pricing, it would be great.

People would immediately get to know, how much overhead or premium they are paying for their ownership, in terms of spare part pricing.

rated 5 stars! waiting for the rest of the report before, i appreciate the hard work done by you to create this list!

wonderful work smartcat!

@smartcat
O.T Are you a bridge player ? Match Point scoring !

I hope you'll take into account the inside space also while making the final analysis.
Nice work keep it up
cheers

I am not sure if all these models do advertise their "Turning Radius" as well. I feel in city driving this is one of the important features one should consider as well when picking a car. It just makes one's life a lot easier given the condition of most of our cities.

Smartcat... you are really good with numbers!.. keep on the good work

Smartcat - must commend your excellent work on this thread.
thanks for providing such an easy to read/ understand format.
cheers

You are just sooo Right Smartcat and I cudn't agree more with you. I would be the first one to admit that Santro is probably not the fastest, the most fuel efficient, the safest or the hottest in the list but the numbers speak for themselves, its one of THE MOST CONSISTANT PERFORMER in all respects!! clap:

Personally I believe that Hyundai make Cars that have little bit of all these qualities (if not all) !! Its not like the Best, but defenitely far from the worst!! :)

Thank you all for thap thapaaying my peet. :D

Cost of ownership (spare parts prices) and depreciation are two things which most people don't consider before buying a car - but they do matter a lot. Where can I get the spare price basket (accident parts & wear'n tear parts) for each car?

What on earth is that? I know how to play Rummy and Donkey though.

Absolutely. Expect the tatas (including the Nano) to do well in this department. I will be considering only the rear seating space and boot space though. I'm six feet plus and I can sit comfortably in front seats of almost all the small cars - so no point in comparing front seat space.

Although I do have the turning radius data for all the cars, I personally don't think it is a very important data point. But yes, it would be nice to own a car with a small turning radius.

I actually prefer going around a block rather than make an U-turn in my car ;)

Jack of all trades, master of none!

But having a car that is not best in any of the parameters, and coming out top on technicality is like some one winning a boxing match on points rather than KO. Not very satisfying :)

<OffTopic>I felt the same about Accent. Good car but got boring. Unlike my Fiat Adventure. Still getting head turns. And the ride. Ooooh. Every time I take it out, though there are niggles and the fear in the back of my mind that if some part goes bad, a long wait in the ASC, the ride (glide actually) is awesome to say the least. This is appreciated even more after riding in another car</OffTopic>