[AshokSawhney]

I am an Armed Forces officer living in Noida who currently has a Maruti Omni,1984 model,in excellent condition. The other cars I have owned and driven are the VW Beetle (Nigeria), Fiat & Ambassador (India) and Mazda Protege (USA). I now want to purchase my final car in the next few weeks, before retiring from the Navy in a couple of years. Because of the average running of about 1000 kms a month, incl both city driving in Noida/Delhi and on the highway, I have decided upon a Petrol car. Considering my other reqirements of fuel efficiency, min maintenance, driving comfort(it would be self driven) etc, I have shortlisted the cars listed below, within my budget of Rs.7 lakhs. Would be grateful for advice to help in decision making.
(a) Hyundai Verna xi
(b) Maruti Sx-4 VXI
(c) Aveo 1.4 LS

[Laxminarayan]

Hey Ashok,

I think Sx4 should be a good choice, considering service and it's a VFM car.

[narayan]

officer - if u have frozen on these 3 and deciding fromthem, clearly SX4 is the best option....

else u may also want to try fusion 1.6 - spacious , good driving position and driving comfort

[ravibhat]

Hi Ashok,

From the cars you have short listed Aveo is best bet. Its cheap Sedan in its class. It has good ride/comfort, space.

If you want to buy SX4 choose ZXI because this is loaded with lot of safety. I prefer Aveo or Verna over SX4 VXI.

I know you didn't short list NHC but I feel for you NHC is best sedan considerring you will keep it for long time. You will be happy with its class leading FE, good space, refinement, decent handling etc. Its worth it. Only drawback I saw in NHC is ride is not good in bad roads like Santro.

Another good car is Logan Diesel or Petrol You can buy Logan D itself for 7 lac I feel.

My preferance order: NHC -> Aveo -> Logan -> SX4.

Regards,

Ravi.

[gemithomas]

Originally Posted by AshokSawhney

Considering my other reqirements of fuel efficiency, min maintenance, driving comfort(it would be self driven) etc, I have shortlisted the cars listed below, within my budget of Rs.7 lakhs. Would be grateful for advice to help in decision making.
(a) Hyundai Verna xi
(b) Maruti Sx-4 VXI
(c) Aveo 1.4 LS

Well seeing your requirements this is what i would say.

Hyundai Verna - This one would give you the advantage of the larger number of service centres across the country. The interiors are a little too 'plasticky' and depends on personal choice whether you like this or not. I've heard the rear seat ride is a bit too bumpy but since you said that you would be driving, i think this is not a big issue. I personally dont like the looks.

Maruti SX4 - Here you would get the customer care of maruti coupled with some handy features that you might enjoy using. The driving posture is really good in this car and the ground clearance is an advantage. However you should be comfortable with F.E figures of 11-15km/l (which i dont think is that bad for the powerful engine). You should also feel comfortable with the interior fit/finish and quality of materials used. This one has a good sporty look.

Aveo - The 1.4 would give you good F.E figures and a real good ride comfort. The seats are comfortable and the interiors give you a good feel. Though the number of service centres are low, the 3 yr -1L km warranty would be an advantage at the price. I dont think you would experience much oof niggling quality issues with this car. I feel this one gives you a very professional and well composed look. But the negative here is that this is not really a drivers car. I mean the power delivery is not very instant. And if you like zipping around, this one mght not be for you.

I would suggest the Aveo as the first choice. Followed by the SX4.

Just in case you want to save some money and only if the ford service centre at your place is good, give a try to the Fusion 1.6. Its got lots of space and its handling is superb. The only negative here is he tight suspension that affects the ride quality.

[benbsb29]

Ashok, from the choices which you have listed down, i would recommend the Aveo 1.4. The sales for this car are picking up these days after people have started appreciating the car for what it provides.

I would have suggested the SX4 if you were looking at the ZXi, which you arent. Other options worth a look at include the Fiesta 1.4.

Good luck with your decision.

[Karandeep81]

Ashok Sir .. of the 3 Aveo LS is a better vehicle than the 2 in terms of build, features and price. It would also give you a decent FE. Yes the A.S.S isnt as vast as the others, but then you being in Delhi/NCR this shouldn't be a problem.

But if you want the comfort of Maruti vast ***, then kindly raise your bueget for the SX4 Zxi. Lovely car but not worth in the VXi variant.

Verna isn't a bad car but IMO its a bit overpriced.

[snaronikar]

Hi Ashok,

I think you will be buying this car for your family purposes. If this is the case, better go for NHC or Logan or Aveo. SX4 cannot accomodate 5 people comfortably. And you re really considering SX4 then go for ZXi which has most of the safety features which others does not have. My preference would be first NHC , Logan (DLX) has good space. One more car worth mentioning is Ford Fiesta provided the service back up is god in and around Delhi.

[AshokSawhney]

At the outset, many thanks, guys, for your prompt responses which have been very useful indeed. However, the opinion seems to be divided between the Aveo 1.4 LS and the SX-4. And of course the suggestion about adding the NHC to my short-list. I dont intend increase my budget for the SX-4 ZXI.

I think that all of these are basically GOOD cars, with each having pluses and minuses in some areas/features. I intend carrying out more intensive test driving and then deciding based on the feel that I like the most ! What do you say ?!!

Regards,
Ashok Sawhney

[lancer_maniac]

Have to say that aveo's Ac is not the best in its Class..

[iTNerd]

Mr. Ashok, as you been a commissioned officer, you might want to enquire about the CSD purchase scheme.. If I am not wrong, it has got sales tax rebate as well as other benefits.. which should considerably lower the on-road price .. and who knows you might get a ZXI within a 7 lacs string..

[Optimus Prime]

try going for the honda city, it has great mileage and great for city driving. the sx4 is quite big (for a midsize car) but surprisingly, the interior space isn't as much as it looks from the outside

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by AshokSawhney

At the outset, many thanks, guys, for your prompt responses which have been very useful indeed. However, the opinion seems to be divided between the Aveo 1.4 LS and the SX-4. And of course the suggestion about adding the NHC to my short-list. I dont intend increase my budget for the SX-4 ZXI.

If you can add base end NHC to the list, you could also accommodate SX4 ZXi. Thats Maruti pricing!

TDing all the cars is the way to go. My choice would also be SX4> Aveo 1.6>Verna

[speedzak]

SX4 ZXI. Period.

Lengthening the sentence to complete the post.

[benbsb29]

Zak, seems he doesnt intend on increasing his budget towards accomodating the SX4 ZXi.