[abhi182]

Time for me to take a quick decision:

SX4:
Pros:
- High GC and x-over roots means I (possibly) get to buy a x-over (always wanted one but for the fact that there is not a single x-over available at a reasonable price in India) - Thus hopefully this one car gets to serve me well in the city as well as on my driving vacations

- Really well loaded for the price - The ACS, the 205 tyres, the alloys are definite +s over the ANHC

- Price - At approx 8.1OTR in Pune, it's a considerable 1.4L cheaper than the ANHC

- The car felt (I may be wrong) sturdier and safer than the relatively flimiser feeling ANHC


Concerns

- I hate rattling cars, and most Marutis (incl my earlier swift) are notoriously prone to this

ANHC

Pros:
- The engine felt peppier and smoother (though don't care too much about the latter) than the SX 4

- The steering definitely felt a lot more lively and provided real feedback compared to the video-gamish feel on the SX4 steering

- With the ANHC, I really doubt I'll end up regretting my decision later

Cons

- Having said that, would it be really worth losing out on the crossover aspect of the SX4 and an extra 1.4L for the ANHC?

- I hate to come to a near standstill while trying to negotiate potholes and bumps, the low GC on the ANHC seems like a cause for concern
Unfortunately, I couldn't spot a bad bump or pothole during the TD (where are they when you need 'em? ) so couldnt quite try for myself

With a average 15K run in a year, I don't care too much about the mileage as long as the difference between the two isn't more than 20%

Any suggestions/pointers welcome
I am looking to reach a decision by the weekend

[.anshuman]

You really know what to expect from both the cars and as you have driven and felt both of them you know both the cars fairly well.

Rattling in SX4 is quite a concern for me SO is the low GC in ANHC (ANHC cannot avoid touching its belly on a speedbreaker i sometime jump while in my Elantra). Both of these are very nice cars, i would pick ANHC if you ask my personal opinion.

[chevelle]

I am not sure if you are comfortable paying 1.4 lacs more for anhc. if its within your budget, go for ANHC. you won't be disappointed.

Please read other ownership review of ANHC here, many have come up with their style to go over high bumps in order to avoid scrapping the belly of car. if it still is an issue you can go for sx4.

in my honest opinion, i can't see myself spending ~8 lacs for a maruti. especially the car that shares most of its interior with swift, as that is where we spend most of the time. but that's me. if you are comfortable with that, you can go for sx4. you mentioned you have a dream to own a xover vehicle. sx4 would do just fine for that.

as you have mentioned you won't regret anhc, i too agree with that. its a no nonsense car. at the risk of sounding like a honda fanboy, i would say go for ANHC if you don't have a budget problem. else sx4 should do just fine.

[SkyWalker]

Been driving in Speedbreaker City (BLR) for last 9 months with ANHC - no big issues so far. You wont really have an issue of slowing down to a crawl and all unless the car is loaded with 4 passengers ( which is rare for me). I have also driven over some really bad roads in Munnar & Kodai with hardly any issues. But SX4 has a great GC no doubt.

SX4 with the VVT (or whatever the name is) engine is supposed to be a nice car. There's thread on SX4 rattling, only 34% think their cars dont rattle. Thats a pretty absymal number if you ask me.

Team-BHP - View Poll Results

I would choose the ANHC. Actually, i already did

[hrmanju1]

Go for ANHC. End of my suggestion. Do let us know what your decision is.

Saw some AD in BLR paper today on ANHC having discounts. So hurry!

[mjothi]

If you can afford ANHC with your budget, then go ahead with that. Honda & Toyota are the cars known for their refinement, engineering excellence etc.

SX4 is a good car fully loaded for that price, no doubt. But if you want to choose for long term peace, ANHC is my choice.

[muralisk]

I would go with ANHC. It is a great car and is quite reliable, efficient, good FE and does a great job. Quite easy to maintain as well.

[esteem_lover]

ANHC by a long country mile. Knowing that you would want to build a carputer in it sometime, this is the car to have.

[Car&me]

abhi182, you described the car characteristics. It would be nice to get to know a bit more on the your requirements, like your driving habits, elderly usage etc.

To me,
1. SX4 is rightly priced whereas ANHC is not.
2. Since you would hate to cautiously negotiate trivial bumps and potholes, ANHC may not handle it, SX4 will do it.
3. With Sx4 you get a better A** and customer friendly Services
4. SX4 will not match ANHC's mileage (I dont know about the new SX4's VVT mileage)
5. Rattling issues is the only concern for you in SX4, which can be taken care by some good damping and early attendance to rattling noises. I am not saying this will prevent it, but will be under control.
6. SX4 will take you to those vacations that you are talking about, where probably you dont have a city like or there is no NH.

Based on your post, I see that you are on the wall but looking more at SX4 side than the ANHC . All I am saying is your heart's selection is not a bad car. You choose what your heart says and you still will be happy irrespective of what others say. (including me)

[nurni76]

I think it is a tough decision. If you have the money and are keen to own a strong brand, then it is ANHC. However, SX4 is a great car. I have been using it for the last 2.5 years and touch wood it has behaved very well. Absolutely no or very minor rattles (more due to things in the glove box or door pockets). The drive is extremely comfortable.

The new SX4 VVT is much more refined and fuel efficient than the old one. No other car has the kind of road view you get in the SX4. The SX4 is a more practical choice. I would recommend the SX4.

[Soumya_Ramesh]

Few more points.
1. The ground cearence should not be a major one since most roads and highways are getting scientific. With low ground clearence, the ride becomes rather smooth.
2. The rear lips of the SX4 is pretty thick, and you have to lift your luggage quite a bit comapred to ANHC.
3. For the rear passenger to get inside, ANHC is more comfortable than SX4
4. Rattling, any day any time honda engines are more refined and SX4 is no match for it.
My judgemenet is with few extra bucks to spend, you could well go for ANHC

[vivprasad]

Originally Posted by Car&me

abhi182, you described the car characteristics. It would be nice to get to know a bit more on the your requirements, like your driving habits, elderly usage etc.

To me,
1. SX4 is rightly priced whereas ANHC is not.
2. Since you would hate to cautiously negotiate trivial bumps and potholes, ANHC may not handle it, SX4 will do it.
3. With Sx4 you get a better A** and customer friendly Services
4. SX4 will not match ANHC's mileage (I dont know about the new SX4's VVT mileage)
5. Rattling issues is the only concern for you in SX4, which can be taken care by some good damping and early attendance to rattling noises. I am not saying this will prevent it, but will be under control.
6. SX4 will take you to those vacations that you are talking about, where probably you dont have a city like or there is no NH.

Based on your post, I see that you are on the wall but looking more at SX4 side than the ANHC . All I am saying is your heart's selection is not a bad car. You choose what your heart says and you still will be happy irrespective of what others say. (including me)

Ditto.

If you check other threads on the SX4 you will see that rattling is not such a major issue.

A lot depends on the "feel" of a car and what you like. Some would prefer a silent engine, others like me would want a bit of a growl of a big car to be audible. Also, when you sit in it, you have a commanding view. Maruti after sales service is well known, and maintenance costs would be much less in the SX4 as compared to the ANHC. I have driven both the ANHC and the SX4 VVT, and unless you are affected by the brand name, go for the SX4 VVT.

For me, the SX4 VVT ZXi is a very good car to have. I booked a white one some time back, and the dealer expects that he would deliver my SX4 VVT ZXi by tomorrow afternoon. Maybe, maybe not, but certainly within the next few days.

Take your hearts call on this. Nuts and bolts and a lot of discussion doesn't always help. Also, in the end the mind begins to make a case for what the heart wants.

Good luck for your selection.

[SX4LOVER]

the maruti is the obvious choice. Ive owned a ZXi for 15000 km and one year and theres no rattling and other nigglig issues which used to be maruti's forte. the FE is also similar to ANHC ( i get 13.5 to 14 in city and 15 on highways) .

the ANHC however good a car, has low GC which means long drives will become really painful to plan and execute. the car is very low and a pain for tall and older people to enter/ get out. it doesnt have alloys, and parts are costly.

there you go. make your choice now.

[iTNerd]

being a previous owner of SX4, I would say the car for most part is reliable and rugged..never had any occassion where it scrapped or broke down.. and service cost was just like anyother small hatch... You also have enough GC that you can opt for a body kit without compromizing much... BUT the refinement, NVH, plastic quailities are a big let down for the segment that car is in..space management is not wisely implemented.. and as someone mentioned, paying 8+ lacs on a Maruti is something that mind wouldn't digest... my view - unless you need GC desparately and can't extend your budget, blindly opt for ANHC (I would have gone for it (not SX4) if ANHC was available that time in 2007)

[Car&me]

Originally Posted by iTNerd

and as someone mentioned, paying 8+ lacs on a Maruti is something that mind wouldn't digest... my view

Though its your view, I fail to understand the thinking behind these words. Whats wrong with Maruti that they cannot have a 8+ lakh worth of product?
They have revolutionised Indian auto industry with cars which brought most middle class to think about owning 4 wheeler.
Their products are VFM, next only to TATA vehicles (again an Indian product)
They rank the best in best Customer Satisfaction in India for 9 or 10 years in a row. (Honda has never been even once in the last 10 yrs or their time in India)
The top end of Jazz costs us 6.8 lakhs ex-showroom (correct me if I am wrong). There are several threads going on about ANHC being overpriced and Honda owners accept it as well.
Anyday I would blindly believe in Maruti pricing because I know that I will get the value worth I am paying. Same way it will be very difficult for me to believe Honda even if the launch a right priced product (forget VFM).

For me the product and a** comes first when I buy and the Brand comes next or low in priority.

Folks, I am probably ignorant of the facts that connects to a Maruti product not worth 8+, if thats the case please help me understand