[CrAzY dRiVeR]

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?

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?

Excellent question.

Let me just start with my case. I have an Xcent SX(o) AT in the family. It's the one I put my money on.

However, three things changed since the purchase.
1. Hyundai Grand i10 failed the crash tests, but as I explained few posts above, right now we can only hope other options are safer.
2. AT was discounted from the top end variant of the Xcent.
3. Ford however offers a much better loaded AT variant, in both features and safety features.

Hence my changed preference from Xcent to Figo Aspire DCT, while I stick to the Hyundai for the manual variant. No votes for the poll, as there is no clear winner in this highly contested segment.

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Petrol - Hyundai Xcent SX(o)
Petrol Automatic - Figo 1.5 DCT

Diesel - Figo 1.5 TDCi
Diesel Automatic - TATA Zest AMT. (Till Ameo diesel DSG gets launched)

No one car excels in all departments. Hence the various choices, and no single winner from me. And no vote.

[AYP]

Originally Posted by McLaren Rulez

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.

Steering mounted controls, reverse sensors etc. are the other basics which VW needs to cover. This holds especially true for someone who has a Vento Comfortline. Compare the Comfortline to the City SV, Ciaz VXi+ and you realise that quite a lot of essentials are missing in the Vento.

The same goes for the Ameo relative to the competition. The mid-variant(s) of the competition offer you features like ACC, steering mounted controls and even alloys, all of which are missing in the Ameo. I stand by my opinion and I will never go for the mid variant of a VW unless it is a Jetta.

Special mention of the pre-2014 Jettas(especially the TL and the CL variants) and the horribly basic Passat Trendline.

[arnabchak]

I stick with the leader.
It has the most negatives but for me, the complete peace of mind and superlative mileage and service even at Leh gets my vote.

Agreed that the Dzire has the smallest boot, its quirky to look at, has poor brakes in the L and V variants and the dual airbags only features in the Z variant.Yet, for all the reasons mentioned in the first few lines of my post, I would go with the Dzire.
BTW, the 1.3 MJD is extremely frugal and decent to drive. Similarly, the 1.2 MPI is peppy and can give any good car a run for its money.

[SPARKled]

Voted for the Amaze though the Aspire ran it close. The Ford 1.5 TDCi is nice to drive but drive it a bit aggressively and its fuel efficiency takes a big hit. Not so with the Honda and the MJDs and this is from practical experience.

The Amaze also has a well tuned suspension and decent handling with lots of space. With the new dash and seats that provide very good comfort, the interior is a nice place to be. I currently own 2 hatches and unless one drives only in the city without packed suitcases, a boot albeit a small one, is a very practical thing to have. So I for one prefer a small sedan overt a hatch if I am going to own just 1 car.

[Asish_VK]

Like most of the time, Team-bhp votes and sales numbers have gone in opposite directions!

Maximum votes for Aspire followed by Zest . But people go and buy a Dzire

By the way, I too voted for Aspire

Mod Note : There are several grammatical errors in your posts. This negatively affects the forum experience for other readers.

Kindly ensure that you proof-read your posts prior to submission.

[baz_303]

Being in a similar ballpark, pricing wise, I think Etios makes the most sense of one needs to buy a petrol sedan. It is a very accomplished car. I understand that it is not a ' Compact Sedan' hence not covered amongst the options.

Diesel - Aspire is the hands down winner.

Auto - No competition to the Zest as of now.

[jetsetgo08]

Thanks to the moderators for approving my membership. I am elated to be on Team-bhp.

Voted for Ford Aspire, primarily for the powerful diesel engine. I had been in an Aspire Ola cab, the front seats were a tad narrow yet firm and comfortable. It is sad to see more of them in taxi avatar.

On the contrary, the demand for Dzire never seems to subside.

[hareesh3395]

Voted for Ford Figo aspire as it is the complete all-round package in this segment. It has good safety features, powerful and refined diesel, a good commuter petrol and a DCT automatic. Only let down is that it has an inferior build compared to the previous ford Figo and the classic. Hope 200cr marketing campaign brings good numbers for ford in the upcoming months.

[avdhesh15]

I would go for a diesel auto and hence voted for the DZire.

Having said that and as a lot of folks have pointed out, would surely go for a hatchback over the compact sedan segment if I were in the market with ~8 lacs today.

[Jakku]

Even if I am not in the market for a CS now, but, like fellow member Smartcat said, if I had to chose one from the given list, I will chose Zest. Just yesterday I did TD a Zest, not because I wanted, but the dealer was not having the Tiago TD vehicle with them when I was there. Hence, to keep me entertained, he offered me a TD of Zest and told me "Sir, it is more or less the same car, only dimensions differ and one cylinder is less for the engine, nothing more"!!!!! I told, "WOW, Fantastic!!!! Let me check it out". (Why I chose to go ahead with a TD was that, I had never driven one yet, so thought let me check it).

Now, with my memories of TD (which was pretty long for about 20 km along all kind of roads) afresh, I liked the car quite nicely. Having owned a Xeta and driven a Vista & Indica DLS for quite long distances, I can really connect with the observations in the official review. From the cars in the given list, I have only driven Dzire and Xcent (Dzire for good amount of distance and Xcent was just a short TD) and comparing Zest is far ahead of both.

[TheARUN]

I voted for the Ameo. Reason being, the VW badge has now become more affordable. VW should be commended for recognizing what they stand for, the People's Automobile and giving us the Ameo. Its got most of the features that one would want in their 'only' car

[karan85]

Petrol - Amaze
Petrol Auto - Aspire
Diesel - Aspire (Ameo Diesel once VW launches it)
Diesel Auto - Zest AMT

I am not a big fan of compact sedans but if I had to buy one, I'd pick up the Aspire in 2 out of the possible 4 cases hence I have voted for it. I really like the Honda petrol for a manual version and would love to try the diesel once VW launches the Ameo with it, but till then would prefer the Ford diesel.

[VaibhaoT]

Mod Note : There are several spelling & grammatical errors in your posts. This negatively affects the forum experience for other readers.

Kindly ensure that you proof-read your posts prior to submission. Also, it would be a good idea to use a spell-checker.

[Lazy Driver]

Aspire (deservedly) is winning the poll at Team BHP.

While Dzire is the largest selling car in this segment. Sigh!

[GTO]

Originally Posted by smartcat

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?

Simply because the choice of informed car enthusiasts (who cares about the actual product) will always differ from the regular joe (who buys on brand + FE + price).

If every Indian was a BHPian:

- Safe cars would rule the roost. All cars on sale would be 5 star NCAP performers.

- The vintage Bolero certainly wouldn't have touched 9,000 - 10,000 sales in any month.

- Maruti wouldn't have dared to launch a 2-cylinder Celerio diesel.

- Competent sedans like the Aspire & Zest would be selling a lot more.

- Abarth Puntos would be flying off shelves.

- The S-Cross 1.6 would outsell the 1.3, as would the Duster AWD (over the FWD).

- Tata's Nano would be doing at least 7,500 a month.

- The Jetta would be king of the D1 segment.

- Luxury Germans would only have 6-cylinders under the hood.

I could go on with more examples, but you get the gist .