Team-BHP - Your TOP 5 Indian Cars?

I guess almost all the cars which were on sale in India at one point or another has been mentioned atleast once by someone!!

This should be in the format of a poll where all cars are listed and only 5 votes allowed. Mods - possible??

And here are my top 5:

M 800 - Surely gave the nation wheels
Swift - A no brainer
Getz CRDi - The road rocket, a personal favourite
Octavia RS - Another road rocket
Jazz/Fusion - Brilliant concepts which Indians never understood !!

My list is as under:

1. Maruti Zen (original) - Was an amazing upgrade for people used to 800s and 118 NEs
2. New Honda City (2003) - the perfect urban car, space, interiors, good low end torque and a fabulous gearbox
3. Honda Civic - the instrument cluster and lines still look brand new; was my dream upgrade to the NHC, until I skipped a class and bought a Superb
4. Skoda Superb - Affordable luxury, amazingly spacious, surprisingly good to drive (blows the Accord away) and the service has not been as bad as reported (so far, touch wood)
5. Jaguar XF - have not even test driven or sat in one, but those amazing lines make it my current dream car

Only two Cars which could be bought and enjoyed below 20L have made to my list, they look fast standing still and go like a stink (comparatively)

Ford Mondeo
Skoda Octavia vRS.

Shall quote and up-date my post if anything else catches my eye. I haven't driven either, but to me, they both are Cars beyond ordinary.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ravi_23 (Post 2459385)

Look buddy everybody has different taste, if you dont like something then that doesn't imply that everybody wont like it. It is true that sierra has few niggles but those are not unbearable. It was a macho suv of its times, so if you are a family guy and want to commute with your kids and old parents then it may not be a suitable car for you.

agree: Good point. In fact, if Tata were to relaunch a vehicle on the Sierra design, with a modern engine and interiors, I'd queue up to buy it. The design was way ahead of what the Indian market could have accepted in those days.

Top 5 India Made cars IMO:

Swift – First to set new benchmark in hatchback segment.

Mahindra Verito – Best in class comfort and performance in its segment.

SX4 -D - excellent value for money and can compete with any modern car.

TataSafari – Can take you and your family anywhere in super comfort.

Mahindra Scorpio – Most practical SUV in City with decent built and performance on highway.

The top 5 as follows:
1. BMW 530i (Petrol head's delight and fantastic driver's car)
2. Honda Civic ( stunning looks, driver's cockpit nice driver's car).
3. Fiat Siena/Palio 1.6 ( Fantastic engine, Power just goes on and on)
4. Ford Fiesta 1.6 (Brilliant engine and handling )
5. Mahindra Classic 4X4 ( Just like to own one some day).

CHEERS!!

My choices are those vehicles which I feel have been landmarks on the country automobile history, positively.

1. M&M SWB Jeeps.- Everlasting, iconic and a fav even today.
2. Maruti 800.- The reasons are too well known.
3. Mercedes W124.- The first successfully Indian assembled phoren car, of our times.
4. Mahindra Scorpio.- The SUV that changed M&M's future and the highway scene of the country.
5. Maruti Swift.- The first hot hatch.

1. Honda Civic - the leader in its segment for a long, long time. 2006 styling which is still futuristic by today's standards.
2. Ford Fiesta Classic - The best driver's car in its segment.
3. Hyundai Santro - I guess this is the first non-maruti car to make it big.
4. Tata Safari - When it came out, it was in a class of its own + the ads with roshan seth made it stand out
5. Maruti 800 - the original indian people's car.

Well by now almost everyone has spoken on it for almost every possible reason to rank, here are mine
1. M&M SWB- the first 4-wheeled engine i drove, love it since childhood
2. M 800 - I never liked it nor ever felt like driving it either but this was once an Indian's car and stayed for a very long time ( I wish MUL could have improved it with time like europeans and it might have become an icon in itself)
3. Esteem - India's first true modern sedan, it had all at that time, it was sporty, fast, comfortable and stylish and built to last long
4. OHC - The car need no appraisal (atleast on Tbhp), it simply set benchmark all round for everyone (I still can't think of selling mine)
5. Honda Accord - The car has everything what the cars 2 segment up offers. The best VFM car

There are many more to add in top list but for the thread only 5.

1 : Mayura 1000
2 : Mayura 1000
3 : Mayura 1000
4 : Mayura 1000
5 : Mayura 1000

If there is one car that can be called as truly Indian, IMO , then it is the Mayura 1000 : though I have never driven this car, it continues to remain in my mind as one of the best Indian cars I have seen in flesh (for it's time, considering the state of the Indian Automobile industry at that time).

This is a car that was entirely designed/developed/manufactured in Coimbatore, by Jayem Auto.

J. Anand - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It was supposed to be way ahead of it's then-peers-in-the-Indian-Auto-industry in terms of technology and build quality.

I had seen it in Coimbatore in the late 80s, I guess (or maybe early 90s). A prototype car in red , which immediately caught my eye for it's radical (again, relative to the situation then) design and amazing build quality. I thought it was some imported car going by. The new format of registration numbers (with TN-XX-XXXX) had just started, and the car bore the special registration number TN-38-1000.

Then read about it in one of the auto mags, and the story behind it. It was awaiting ARAI approval then. I was amazed, awed, inspired by the story of that car.

But due to various circumstances :Frustrati, it never made it to mass-production.

PS : Incidentally, Maruti-Suzuki was on the verge of launching the M(aruti)1000 then, which turned out to be a Mayura-1000 look-alike.

1. Mahindra Armada - this was my first tryst with cars and I just loved this jeep (it was my dad's official vehicle strictly for official use, we got to sit only as per the govt allowed personal use).
2. Maruti Gypsy - this again was an official vehicle and only limited rides but just loved how we could manage ghaziabad to gurgaon in under 60 minutes in the year 2000.
3. Maruti Zen - oh how I used to love the drifts in this car.
4. Ford ikon - gem of a car for a driver.
5. Maruti Swift - the only replacement and a bloated replacement to my original jelly bean love :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by NikhilReddy (Post 2459611)

I see both the Swift and SX4-D on your list carry the Fiat 1.3L diesel engine. Perhaps you ought to consider the Fiat Linea as a possible inclusion onto your top 5.

My list as of now -

1. Honda Civic - Just love it, years after launch. If i get a good pre-owned one, I'll think of it over Swift, even with the rising petrol prices.
2. Suzuki Swift - Wanted one the second i saw it. Changed the Indian market forever. 6 years after the original, I finally get to stand in queue for one. clap:
3. Ford Fiesta 1.6 S - Something i may never get to experience, ever.
4. Maruti 800 - Simple and humble. Put the nation on wheels. My first car ownership experience too. Still regret selling that car. :Frustrati
5. List may change... But as of now, i can think of only this 5.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blue Thunder (Post 2494099)

1 : Mayura 1000
2 : Mayura 1000
3 : Mayura 1000
4 : Mayura 1000
5 : Mayura 1000

Never heard of this one. Do you have more details to share?