Quote:
Originally Posted by lamborghini Know a few friends who stay on Pedder Road, and nearby - driving nice cars, without any parking complaints!
Alternately, he could always look at leasing out a spot nearby. |
Already lease one spot and no more available. Street parking is the only option, I am afraid. There are several nice cars on the street in his lane (including a Panamera) but those usually have chauffers hanging around to help with the parking. And while his chauffer can park from time to time, he wants something small that he can park on his own. Anyway, we digress.
So this weekend, I drove the following:
1. Honda City V AT
2. VW Vento 1.6 Highline (AT)
3. Hyundai Verna VTVT SX 1.6 (O) AT
4. Toyota Corolla Altis 1.8G Automatic
5. Ford Fiesta 1.5P Titanium A\T
6. Skoda Laura Ambition 2.0 TDI AT
Here are my observations: Honda City V AT: Solid engine and good gearbox. Above average quality. The safest bet in the sub 12L category. Body tends to bottom out on speed bumps and has very utilitarian interiors. Slightly low seating position and only one with no climate control.
On road price post discounts:10.68L VW Vento 1.6 Highline (AT): Solidly built car. Great pricing on the 2011 models and can get an optional touch screen navigation \ reverse camera to spruce up the spartan interiors. However, it has a cramped rear seat plus the worst mileage of the bunch. Also will be a 2011 model so would have been the stockyard for a few months (Basically an inventory clearence) -
On road price post discounts: 9.61L Hyundai Verna VTVT SX 1.6 (O) AT: This was my favorite as it is fully loaded and has a responsive mill. Great equipment levels and the best quality in the sub 12 Lakh bracket. However, it had a sluggish gearbox and nervous handling at high speeds with body roll and a disconnected steering. Cramped headroom amd slightly lower seating make for a slightly dissapointing cabin experience.
On road price sans any discounts: 11.41L Toyota Corolla Altis 1.8G Automatic: Toyota Quality is impeccable. Most comfortable to get in and out off and to sit in. Decent equipment levels too. But honestly, I think it is way overpriced for what it offers over the other options. Can't recommend this one as it is ~50% more than the City!
On road price post discounts: 15.65L Ford Fiesta 1.5P Titanium A\T: Best Gear Box amongst the petrol options. Lovely European build but unfortunatley let down by cramped interiors and odd styling. The engine feels a bit sluggish as well.
On road price post discounts: 11.27L Skoda Laura Ambition 2.0 TDI CR AT: Superb gearbox and stonker of a diesel engine. Considerable savings in fuel over petrol and has the largest boot space. BUT Skoda after sales and service is not the best. If anything goes wrong, very expensive to repair when out of warranty. Very Expensive too and his running does not warrnt a diesel.
On road price post discounts: 16.82L
So at the end of all of this, I was confused as ever and decided to create a small excel model, where I compared quantitative and qualitative specifications and ranked the cars across the following parameters using these weighting:
1. Exterior Dimensions (How important is it that the car is small on the outside and easy to drive and park in traffic?) - 15.0%
2. Interior Space (How important is it that the car is large on the inside?) - 15.0%
3. Engine and Gearbox (How important is power and smoothness of gear changes to you?) - 5.0%
4. Ground Clearance (How important is ride height to you?) - 5.0%
5. Fuel Economy (How important is reasonable mileage?) - 5.0%
6. Resale Potential (How important is it to get a good price while selling the car?) - 5.0%
7. Cost of the Car (How important is the initial capital outlay?) 30.0%
8. Qualitative Feedback (How did the car feel overall?) 20.0%
The top 3 choices after the calculation in order of ranking:
1. Honda City V AT
2. VW Vento 1.6 Highline (AT)
3. Hyundai Verna VTVT SX 1.6 (O) AT
While I know that some of you may frown upon using mathematics and logic in arriving at a conclusion, since the passion componenet is taken out of the decision making process (Having owned a Palio 1.6 GTX, I should curse myself for looking at this so calculatingly!), I am afraid that this will be an appliance and I want to make the best recommendation possible.
So, I am getting the 3 cars for him and letting him select the one he feels most comfortable in. That is unless anyone can pursuade me otherwise
Will let you folks know how it turns out.
Cheers,
V