[landcruiser123]

I'd rather buy the more than competent Baleno or the practical Jazz.

If this is the case:

Originally Posted by smartcat

If somebody puts a gun to your head and asks you to choose a compact sedan, which one would you pick?

My choices would be Amaze for the Petrol versions (MT or AT), Aspire diesel MT(seen Figo's fly ) and Zest diesel AMT.

Voted for the Amaze.

[d3mon]

Originally Posted by GTO

Petrol: Xcent. Smooth engine, superb quality, narrow width (all the better for a city car), neutral suspension, strong feature list and effortless to drive. The perfect city car.

Sorry, are you really recommending the Xcent, after the Grand i10 failed crash tests miserably? Or was there some other crash test which proved that the Xcent is better at crashing than the Grand i10?

In terms of safety, the ratings should be Aspire (with 6 airbags) > Ameo > Amaze > Zest >= Dzire = Xcent

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...rash-test.html

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by d3mon

In terms of safety, the ratings should be Aspire (with 6 airbags) > Ameo > Amaze > Zest >= Dzire = Xcent

Do you have the crash safety ratings for any of these cars mentioned above?

While I'm all for safety, fact is- right now it's all an assumption and hence we shouldn't be misleading people without facts. As of now, the only facts we know about safety in this particular segment is as below-

1. Figo Aspire - Previous generation Figo was tested and it qualified for a four star rating for the twin airbags variant. Body shell was stable.

Current generation has not been tested. It's an entirely new generation ground up, so we can only hope Ford carried forward the same goodwill for safety as it did with the previous generation. Assuming it did, Aspire then comes with the best safety features on offer (6 airbags).

2. Volkswagen Ameo - Polo has been crash tested and received four star rating for the variant with twin airbags. Ameo is based on Polo, but with trimmed front end to confirm to sub 4m rules. One can hope VW has not compromised on the build as compared to their premium hatch.

3. Amaze - International Brio crash tested. None of the Honda cars made for India have been crash tested yet. Period.

4. TATA Zest - Not tested. Period.

5. Maruti Suzuki DZire - Swift hatchback for the Indian market was tested and the structure was found unstable. DZire has not been tested, although highly unlikely that the build will be any different.

6. Hyundai Xcent - Grand i10 hatchback for the Indian market was tested and the structure was found unstable. Xcent has not been tested, although highly unlikely that the build will be any different.

Rest is up to individuals to place their hope on the brand they feel is the better out of all these profit houses.

[wilful]

I completely agree with some of the others when it comes to the 4 metre sedans. My pick would be a decent hatch with the features I desire.
However - when it comes to this poll, my pick would be Ford Aspire. Except for the Zest & Ameo (have gone around in a Polo tho'), I have driven the others.

[1.2TSI7DSG]

Request you to add one more options:

None of these
I would rather buy a hatchback
I would rather buy a full fledged sedan

For me- I would rather buy a hatch

[Thebat]

If it came to it , i would choose the Ameo anyday. Personally there is nothing else that can match the solid build , the classy styling ( The front atleast ), the rich interiors of the Ameo. To top it all off its based on a premium hatch , The Polo where all other are based on hatches a segment lower. Lastly the steering wheel, I can't stress this enough , its the primary point of control of a car and for me it has to be beautiful and feel great in the hand which only Ameo's and to an extant Aspire's offers.

[GKMahajan]

I have been through this dilemma about 9 months back.

I have put my money on Jazz V CVT - which is not in the list!!
The runner up had been Zest. So, if someone puts a gun to my head (as oft repeated above), I would choose the Zest XTA.
I found it smooth to drive. I found the FE interestingly nice. The features were all that one needs. Luckily, other than Cruise Control I did not miss any feature. But then I chose a Jazz which also does not have CC.

Disclaimer: not that any of the other cars are bad
Girish Mahajan

[VaibhaoT]

My vote is based on my experience as a passenger, as I have not driven all of them. I have experienced all of the above except Ameo.
My vote goes for Zest. I am black interior lover & complete interior just suits my taste. I feel Zest is fun to drive, at least in city.
Aspire would have been the winner for me, but the beige interior takes the cake for me. The way in which door shuts, I feel that something is terribly wrong with it. When I was checking the car, I tried to shut that door at least 10 times. Even SA thought I am some weirdo.
I must admit that I am impressed with the list of gizmos & introductory price of Ameo.

[Swapnil4585]

If petrol, I'd go for the Zest, eyes closed.

If diesel, I'd be confused among the Aspire, Amaze and Zest. The build quality of Aspire is light, unusually light. Hence the confusion. If it were solid, would have bought the Aspire only.

[McLaren Rulez]

Originally Posted by AYP

However, all this applies only for the top-end variant of the cars. If I have to decide between the mid level trims, I may not choose the Ameo at all. As in typical VW fashion, the lower variants are poorly equipped.

Although poorly equipped is a relative term, I find the Ameo better value in the lower variants. Sure, you don't get the fancy stuff like rain sensing wipers or cruise control or the touchscreen music system but the basics are taken care of quite well.

The Ameo is the only car that comes equipped with dual airbags and ABS as standard in the base variant and this variant has undercut the competition in terms of price too. Being based on the Polo, I'd be more confident with its crash structure than any of the others too. Add in the fact that it is based on a hatch from a segment above the others (you can sense this big-car-feel this in everything from the interior quality to the ride and handling) and the value proposition is starting to look quite mouthwatering.

The engine is a weakness but I can't see it being a deal breaker for the majority of customers.

[abhi413]

Wow, one of the most difficult polls ever! Racked my mind thoroughly, and ended up voting for the Aspire. Personally I'd rather go for the Honda Jazz Automatic with this money but then that is for another poll!

[SmartCat]

Gentlemen,

Why is there such a huge disconnect between what we all (collectively) think is the best compact sedan and what the market considers as the best?

Looking at the votes counted so far -

Ford Aspire - 51%
Tata Zest - 23%

These two are the lowest selling cars in the segment. Meanwhile, DZire is the second highest selling car across all segments in India, and that gets 7% vote? Amaze and XCent too sell an average of 3000 - 4000 units per month, but they get 5 - 7% of the votes. I don't think fuel economy & on-road price is no longer a major issue because pretty much everything is in a similar range.

A few theories about the disconnect:

General public gives a massive weightage to BRAND, and all that buying a particular brand entails (dealership network, service costs, repair costs, reliability). Unlike enthusiasts, general public is not ready to experiment with different brands.

OR


We, as a group, WANT the underdogs or under-appreciated products to do well sub-consciously. You know, supporting David against Goliath.

OR

We, as a group, might vote for Aspire, Zest Or Ameo (because voting does not "cost money"), but if serious about buying, many might actually go for DZire, Amaze or XCent?

[saket77]

Originally Posted by smartcat

Gentlemen,

Why is there such a huge disconnect between what we all (collectively) think is the best compact sedan and what the market considers as the best?

Echo your thoughts. This is what I had to say after the last COTY awards:

Originally Posted by saket77

On another note, barring the Ecosport, I don't really remember any other TBHP-COTY doing well in terms of sales. I think we should exercise the voting option like if we are out in the market and the contenders are the only options in front of us. And then choose/vote with this mindset. Just my thought.

Regards.

[Swapnil4585]

Originally Posted by smartcat

Gentlemen,

Why is there such a huge disconnect between what we all (collectively) think is the best compact sedan and what the market considers as the best?

I am afraid, I might invite moderator action for a one liner here, but a huge market does not mean a mature market

I have always felt that we have been offered better decorated cars than better built cars, since the times our market was primitive. Safety features, etc were neither mandatory by law and neither did the best selling brands did anything to inculcate safety as a car buying parameter in the heads and minds of the buyers. Similarly, most of the buyers are not habituated to maintain any log book or record book of the expenses incurred in maintaining their rides. Hence an opinion that a Brand A is cheaper to maintain than Brand B is passed on casually.

Coming onto this poll again, if I were going to buy a sub 4 metre sedan today, I'd buy a Zest petrol. If it were a diesel, would have bought an Aspire, no matter what their sales figures today are.

[autorahul]

As many have said, I would pick a premium hatch over the compact sedan any day. Don't see anything that these offer which are not offered by the likes of Jazz, Baleno and i20 all the while looking much proportional and generally maintaining a higher quality and equipment levels.

If I were looking in this segment, the only reason would be that I am in search of an affordable diesel Automatic. With that, the choices narrow down immediately. Dzire or Zest or wait for the Ameo.

Currently I would chose Dzire, for the peace of mind offered by Maruti, and confidence that I wouldn't be short of service options for the AMT, but I would have to compromise on space. Ameo, might change that, but high cost of ownership of VW, coupled with reliability concerns, make me sceptical. If only there was a Xcent 1.4 AT, it would be a rockstar option!

With the rest my choices will be as below.

Petrol Manual: Hyundai Xcent has the right mixture of what everyone looks for in this segment. Features, refined and well powered engine, good interiors and good after sales service.

Petrol AT: Not many choices, comes down to Amaze vs Aspire. I would pick Honda Amaze, for reliability of their CVT boxes, smooth engine. Improvement of the interiors recently gave it much needed boost.

Diesel: All the cars barring Xcent and not yet released Ameo have got good diesel engines. But Aspire is a cut above the rest offering refinement and performance not offered by the likes of Amaze, with good spacious interiors.