Team-BHP - Your TOP 5 Indian Cars?

No particular order. But just a list of cars i think have stood out in their respective times(not compulsarily have set the sales chart ablaze)

W124 Mercedes Benz-
The last of the battletank Mercs. Had a certain charm in the way they looked.. thats missing from the new ones.. Sure the new ones are way better to look at all curvy nwth gadgets n stuff. But stil this baby gets my vote of all the mercs i've known

Though the oh so s*xy CLS might jst do me in.

Honda City 1.5/Vtec OHC
The car that defined a new performance segment. The acceleration, the sound, the works.. Loved everything about this bad boy.
Ofcourse lotsa shortcomings.. But one word "ENGINE" was enough to overcome them all..
Lets take a moment of silence mourning its demise ;-)
The only good thing is that I do have an ohc. So i can enjoy it when i like it.

Maruti Suzuki 800(original one)
Truly a relevation in the dark ages of Ambassadors n Fiats(no offence to Amby n Fiats lovers). But this was a car that indeed felt like a car.. n way better than the competitors of its time. Way outdated now.. but has a death grip on certain folks till date who swear by it. Ask EDMUND on this one!!

Fine car indeed.

Peuget 309D
Dont really know about this car.. n sadly never got to know it cos of the marketing stratergy adopted by its parent company. But this was a diesel, rode well, was reasonably cheap and Hardy.
Almost everthing anyone wud need. Wonder why it died so early???

Lotsa cars for the fifth choice
ZEN/Maruti 1000/Skoda 1.9tdi/Indica/Santro/Accord
All excellent cars, Each redefining the market in their own ways.. Alas the four previous winners were easy to pick.. Here guys, its your call.

I am rating Top 5 based on its achievements.

1) Standard 2000 - Marked the begining fo perfomance cars in India.
2) W124 Benz - Be it 220 or 250 its Benz at its best.
3) Ford Mondeo - True Divers car and first of its kind for our country.
4) Skoda RS - The first taste of turbo charged petrol power for India.
5) 99 Honda City - Started power race among competitors.

1. Mercedes SL500
2. Ford mondeo - long elegant, best family class car on the planet according to autocar..a true drivers car...
3. Old honda city ( the one with clear lamps ) - it had more power than the city that replaced it...good looks....give it a spoiler and side skirts..gr8
4. Skoda Octavia RS -150 bhp in a solid, refined car...
5. Maruti Swift - not practical but gud performance.....

The old zen missed the cut, so did santro...my car!

I shall confine my opinions within the range of the budget cars that is upto Rs 6.00 lakhs. Anything beyond that out of range for a middle class person like me. Within this category the top 5 cars are(need not be in the same order):

Maruti Zen

Palio 1.6 GTX

Maruti 800 DX

Hyundai Accent

Ford Icon

The Mercs and Accords and Octavias do not appear here because you know, you cannot put ice and icecream in the same bracket.please:

Here's my take

1. Baleno Altura (Station wagon) - with wider rubber

2. Baleno Sedan - with wider rubber

3. Mitsubishi Lancer Cedia - Brilliant car, its only downside is the service and spares

4. Honda Accord - purely for its looks

5. Maruti Esteem - The new esteem gives immense driving pleasure... (A stock swift cant match it from this point of view)

What is an Indian car? Do SKD/CKDs qualify as Indian? Hopefully CBUs dont!
1. Maruti 800 - made middle class Indians mobile
2. Tata Indica - first car to be designed, built and sold by and for Indians
3. Mahindra Scorpio CRDe - Our own first real SUV
4. Tempo Trax Gurkha 4x4 - Go anywhere in India in it
5. Tata Safari - for the looks and attitude

1) Esteem only
gr8 car simply performance for a small mill.
Just needs to be customised with some independent suspension rear and some upholstery with some little performance mods and this cars going to keep the driver smiling always.
btw i dont have preferences for all the options etc like on a merc etc. etc.
a simple ac / stereo / sufficiently good handling / just enough braking and a GR8 Engine is what i look for in a car.

My top 4 based on their utility value for me would be :
1. Alto LXi - for the city (loads of traffic and limited parking space).
2. Omni - for drives with 3-5 friends and space for booze, food etc.
3. WagonR - for the high SUV-like driving experience (at low cost) combined with advantages of a small car.
4. Baleno - for the adrenalin rush and for long trips on the highway.
5. ----- Don't see any motoring void left, that would need a 5th car to fill.

And the top 5 cars which I like, but would never buy (because I don't feel the need) :
1. The current Honda Accord - awesome looks.
2. The Old Honda City - the best C segment sedan ever.
3. The Skoda Octavia - rugged looks.
4. Ford Fusion - the different kind of look.
5. Ford Endeavour - beefy, muscular looks.