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Originally Posted by ToyotaFan The best car for your needs will be the Honda Jazz which will be launched in India by the second half of 2015. |
If the Jazz is something like the Honda City, I may consider it, but you'd notice I am considering cars with excellent ride quality and good Ground Clearance. My Palio has a GC of 170 and a short-ish wheelbase coupled with a stiff suspension at low speeds and I am not looking for anything worse than that, definitely.
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Originally Posted by lamborghini In addition to the Punto, I would highly recommend the Fiesta.
For most part, Ford dealers are quite good, and the car is simply superb to drive! A perfect change from the multi-jet! Ride and handling is a notch above the Linea, as are ergonomics. Build quality is as good as well. |
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Originally Posted by IshaanIan Fiesta fits the bill perfectly; the best handling, solid ride, supportive seats, basic safety kit on all variants, tractable motor though not powerful, solid build.  |
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Originally Posted by zenren I too recommended Fiesta and the OP has replied that he is not confident with the spares availability and other possible problems associated with models that sold very less a few years later. Considering he might be keeping it for a longer than usual time frame, there is a chance he might face spares issues after 5-6 years or so, similar to what he is facing now with his Palio. |
I have driven the Fiesta in the Ford Safe Drive programme two years ago and that point of time I liked it so much I had it in my mind. But I am not investing a million rupees on a non-seller. I will be getting peanuts for my Palio and I would like to avoid the same situation again.
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Originally Posted by zenren The new YRA hatch from Maruti might be another 90PS MJD to look at, in case it is almost ready to be launched by then. Based on the images so far, it seems reasonably spacious. |
I will definitely look at the YRA, but I hope its not too similar to the Ciaz. It will definitely be more expensive than the Punto / Polo else it will eat into Swift sales (and I don't see Maruti discontinuing Swift for the YRA!)
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Originally Posted by phamilyman That aside, why not consider the wave of the new vehicles that may have the AMT? (basically anyone else besides a Tata) You're a busy self-employed professional on a limited budget- you may not want a driver. |
My sister is readying herself for an AMT Celerio as an Alto replacement. The only AMT which suits my purpose is the Zest, which is a great package but I am not fully confident of a Tata purchase.
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Originally Posted by extreme_torque I mean yes the Swift will accelerate nice and hard but the feeling from behind the wheel is so appalingly tinny that it will put you off. Personally I would recommend the new Avventura(saw one yesterday and boy it has got presence), Ecosport or the new Fiesta. Ford dealers aren't that bad and their cars for most part are fairly trouble free. |
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Originally Posted by shankar.balan Have you considered an Avventura?
I absolutely love it and I think you will too! |
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Originally Posted by Mr.Boss Hatch : Punto 90HP
Pseudo SUV (???) : Ecosport / Avventura
Sedan : Linea
I don't see any other car could satisfy you after driving Fiat Palio extensively. Since you already have Fiat A.S.S experience, Fiat or Ford in future shouldn't be an issue. |
Like I said earlier, the Linea MJD, Punto 90HP and the Avventura are my fall back options. The dealer is willing to take my existing car too and I have the advantage of good treatment from the ASC. These are the options I will take if anything else does not excite me.
The only problem is that my car might outlast the ASC or the company in India (think 7-10 years and 1.5-2.0 lakh km). Which is why I am thinking seriously about whether with sales of 100-200 units a month, it makes sense to buy the Linea. The Punto still sells 600 odd units a month, so that can be considered.
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Originally Posted by PM - B The 90HP Punto is identical to the 75HP in terms of performance up to the 3rd gear and then the difference starts. |
I am willing to pay that extra Rs 50,000 for that little bit of extra grunt in 4th gear and 5th gear on the highways. I know both cars are the same in city traffic, though with the different tuning on the Avventura, the engine actually pulls much smoother and even beats the Ecosport upto 80 km/hr as per some data on the forum.
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Originally Posted by ramzsys There might be a slight disappointment with the top end when driving the 8v motor of the diesel fiesta.
However it is all smiles in the urban conditions where <2000 rpm throttle response(too) matters. |
Most small capacity turbo-diesels either have a decent bottom-end or a good mid-range. The TDCI has the former, the MJD has the latter. The MJD is not meant for gunning in the city, but its highway performance helps. I have driven the old Ford Fiesta Classic, the Liva etc and I keep waiting for a mid-range rush that never comes! The new Fiesta is better, though. It is a choice I have to make.
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Originally Posted by .anshuman Duster is a good upgrade from Palio. You will get wonderfully absorbent ride, long lasting robust mechanicals, ability to take abuse, good ground clearance, decent enough handling, good performance, still getting you good FE and option of the capable AWD variant that can take you places, but only if you willing to overlook Ergonomic Disasters, Poor seating comfort(for a vehicle of this price), cattle class interiors(even the new Alto K10 has better plastics) and some more. |
The Duster has been on my radar always, but it is just out of reach. I am not interested in the 85 HP option. The whole point of spending extra money on the Duster is to use its highway capabilities, not to show-off, therefore I won't buy the 85 HP.
The Duster 110 also has another thing about it, which is that it is right in the Scorpio S8 / XUV 500 W4 territory. If I increase my budget so much, the comparisons also change.
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Originally Posted by .anshuman Ecosport is another good option, though not as bad road abuse friendly as the Duster. Interiors feel premium, handling is fun, Engine refined, features list is fat, ground clearance is good enough, is cheaper to buy compared to Duster but lacks AWD variant, engine though refined and based on the tried and tested 1.4 TDCI that been around since decade offers just about decent performance(nothing like 110ps Duster), Ride is nowhere as good as Duster and space is at premium. |
I would prefer a mechanically durable and safe vehicle, rather than a stylish but delicate one. At some point, I realised that by paying nearly 3 lakhs over the Punto 90 HP (8.7L OTR vs 11.xxL OTR), I am only getting 15 mm more GC, a little more rear seat space and two more air-bags. I really need a detailed TD to be convinced.
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Originally Posted by D4D Why not the 100 bhp honda Amaze? It's powerful, torquey, efficient and noisy too.
I hear that lag is a problem in the 90 bhp ertiga too. (Thoughh fiat might have changed the tuning)
The i20 is one of the best highway cruiser thanks to it's 6 speed MT and loads of torque. Talking about offroad ability, Ertiga(GC: 185mm can handle most rough roads)
The i20 has low seating and a bad ingress. But it gives you tonnes of space for a hatch. Why not the ertiga in this case?
Most cars get ABS and D+P airbags in top variants.
2WD(85 bhp) is worth the stretch. But you really will feel over charged once you the interior. Why not check Dzire too? (75 bhp though). |
Duster 85 HP: If I am spending extra to buy a Duster, I would take the 110 HP for its higwhay performance.
Ertiga: I need 5 seats so I won't pay for seven (read my signature for my attitude towards life). Which is why I am not particularly interested in Scorpio or XUV500 besides poor FE.
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Originally Posted by D4D For a family car, forget the Polo. But a terrific machine. |
That rear seat and that attitude of the company, both put me off. Everything else is fine, though a nicer steering and tighter handling might have helped.
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Originally Posted by Mr.Boss Both were ruled out already.
i20, I'm not sure if he could live with it's handling performance after driving Palio. |
I like the i20 as a package, but it doesn't excite me.
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Originally Posted by zenren Maruti (especially with proper tyres) is equally good as the Europeans when it comes to handling. I'm speaking from my experience with Zen/Swift/Esteem/Baleno. |
No complaints with the Swift's handling. I am not likely to throw a mini-bus like the Ertiga around corners (just joking about the seven seats!).
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Originally Posted by speedsatya You have said you aren't looking at the compact sedans , but my suggestion would be to TD the new Dzire and the Amaze.
About the Dzire , you will again find 100K topics on why it has been the leader consistently |
I don't need a sedan per se, I just need better rear seat space and I don't have image issues (I wear torn jeans to my site and Tintin T-shirts to office on Monday, so I am not hankering for a boot to bolster my image). The Dzire and the Amaze are cars which are better VFM without the boot. (Of course, the Amaze doesn't have a 'boot-less' diesel version).
I have driven the Amaze and the new Swift (for friends and for
www.cartoq.com, again!). The Amaze comes across as bad as a Brio when you put it over some rough stretches which is a common occurence in Noida / Ghaziabad / Gurgaon roads, forget about the state highways of UP.
The only interesting compact sedan is the Zest. But then, if the Bolt is equally well-loaded, I would take the Bolt hatchback instead. If.
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Originally Posted by .anshuman Pick your set of compromises! |
That, sadly is the crux of the matter. Every car is full of compromises, even though I am not asking for things like tons of features, power-folding mirrors or bluetooth thingummyjigs. I want a car that drives well and is safe, efficient, robust, capable of Indian roads and comfortable and I am willing to spend a million bucks, too.