[aaggoswami]

1) Ritz:
+:
-> Good utilization of space
-> Overall more compact dimensions that are certainly easier for city driving
-> Overall better visibility
-> Better FE
-> Definitely lower maintenance cost
-> Higher seating

-:
-> Less on space as compared to i20
-> Looks if you can digest

2) i20

+:
-> Quite spacious
-> Better fit and finish
-> More features and more premium feel

-:
-> A/C issues are more heard
-> Steering rattle, this does not even happen in a cheaper car like Alto/Santro/Spark. Still not fully solved
-> Rear seat design. A bit more flat than necessary
-> Unsorted ride. With that wheelbase, things could have been better. Ritz even with small wheelbase show how to sort out ride quality
-> Not so good handling. Given that the car is lower than tall boys with a longer wheelbase, handling could have been better


If you are purely buying the car for highway drives, i20 is good. But if city + highway driving or only city driving is involved, Ritz is better.

But at the end of the day, it all boils down to what you feel and what your heart says.

[charthom]

@tsk1979,

A thoroughly amusing,splendid account which is well written
with remarkable craft work.But re-structuring your article a little bit by adding a few heading etc would have made the reading more systematic.The article is not free flowing IMHO.

Still waiting for Godot

Rgds,charthom.

[Dr.Suraj]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

We own two cars. One is the huge humongous Tata Safari, the companion of our many travels, to the distant mountains and flats.
The other one is a 10 year old indica. An aging 2002 model which has seen 115000kms.
Unlike many other safari owners, we do not own a fill it, shut it, forget it kind of car.
Every time the indica starts in the morning, half the local wildlife goes dead, and window panes shatter.
Her mood swings can put your most dramatic soap to shame, and as I come behind a DTC bus, just the sound of the engine makes the bus driver wet his pants.
All I am trying to say is that, we don't have a car. We have a tractor, and a truck.

I know exactly what you are tallking about !

I own a 2005 Indica V2 Petrol Lxi.
Its not as noisy, infact HARDLY.
But it IS a truck !
I call mine Jumbo (Baby Elephant)
Because of the heavy footprint, slow pick up and relatively solid unshakeable stance (even at 160 kmph)



Loved reading your post - will keep reading !
Extremely well written & thoroughly entertaining.
All the best.

[RS_DEL]

WRT i20 steering issue. I have to agree with Vina. This is a design flaw. This niggle(if you are in charitable frame of mind) has surfaced across production lots in vehicles sold in different regions at different points in time. It affects the operation of the vehicle in a manner that has the potential to be life threatening.This is a safety issue.

Now we could well be wrong in making this inference. For that the company has to make public the reason why it happened. As I have said elsewhere leave alone acknowledging there exists a problem, the company is NOT even saying there is NO problem. To me this is just brushing the issue underneath the carpet and forsaking all responsibility.

[honeybee]

If you are willing to expand the hatch a little, you could also look at the Logan.

I saw a Ritz up close this evening and it makes a good choice. Only the factory fitted 'dent' on the rear will likely take away some important bootspace is my concern.

[zulfi hansi]

There is only one car that is custom made for you, but only two things can stop you from buying it. One is how long can you wait (about 2-3 months) for it, remember 'Sabar ka fal meetha hota hai', and the second is what if costs a little more. That car is the Liva diesel. Going by the pricing of Toyota on its petrol version, it will be priced well, may be a little more than the Swift, but new Swift is on the way, and we don't know what will it be priced at. Even if it is cheaper by 30-40 K, yet Liva will out pay itself in less then 2 years. And I am sure it will be cheaper than the i20. Everything said and done, no other car comes even close to these top three, Liva, new Swift and i20, but Swift & i20 will be a far far second, particularly for your requirements. My Dad owns a 2003 Corolla which has done 1.25L kms, the car is still fresh but he is bored! You cannot beat the reliability of a TOYOTA.

[akshay]

Some ritz vdi love.

5 months.

Del to ahmedabad with one stop in 15 hrs.
Steep Kasauli hills made really easy. Took us out of a sticky situation involving a steep incline, a narrow road and a stupid innova.
Avg. Fe 18 kmpl. Best 22 del. - chd.
No underbody scraping over even the nastiest speed breaker.
The wife and I both love to drive it with it's peppy nature.
Rear seat folds down to easily accommodate one big dog and several crates of mangoes alongwith bags.
I genuinely think it can take on some seriously bad roads - planning leh or chitkul or something exciting next month.
Can sustain speeds of 130 on clear roads.

Two happy owners, us.

[iFuel]

Loved reading the story, eh! review you posted and I can surely understand your dilema as I am looking for a hatch for myself and my family, a total of 2 adults and one 22 month little kid who wants to fiddle and break everything in the car that he can lay his hands on.

However after having explored the market and read all the reviews on this forum, I have broken it down to the New Swift, I currently own an Accent. Reason being that the car is pretty much what I as an enthusiast driver wants, has the Maruti A.S.S. network all over India and a reliable engine. What's with a 20-30K difference as long as I don't have to put up with a rear ended wagon R trying to be a start trek battle ship, and to think I am on a budget too and a similar story like yours.

No, I will not recomend the i20 no matter how much you fell in love with it, even I fell in love with it. My friend owns one and I have driven it a few times, his steering rattles, the A/C is barely there in hot summers here up North, the music system volume button has a mind of its own and will function only when it wants to and it bottoms out on big speed breakers that we are gifted with in North India and add to it, the cuvy machine burns a hole in his pocket every 6 months while going to the A.S.S.

[akhilesh]

I for one would strike out the i20 immediately simply because the A/C will be useless in Delhi summers, its the most expensive of the lot, the steering issues being reported everywhere are as serious as they sound and A$$ is most expensive of the lot.

Ritz is a good city runabout but I doubt if you would enjoy it on the highway as much. If I were you, I would test drive the Punto and Swift and then decide. But wait... the new Swift is going to be out very soon so you might as well wait for that too.

As far as premium hatches go, I see a lot of i20's on sale in the used car market. You can try your luck if you want to save some money. But a lot of used cars of a particular brand in the market is not reassuring too.

[govigov]

Have burned a lot going by what the heart says.. a sensible choice is a wise decision.

[honeybee]

Originally Posted by govigov

Have burned a lot going by what the heart says.. a sensible choice is a wise decision.

Please do mention a few details as to what your heart's choice was and what a sensible decision would be. This will enlighten us all as to which cars you are talking about.

[greenhorn]

even if you are not serious about a vista, I would still suggest you td one anyway ( what do you have to lose but a little bit of your time ). I know tata service sucks, but if you're looking at a ford, then a tata is not that further downhill

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Speaking of Figo, its a nice car, but its a pain on highways to constantly have to wring the engine. Its not good. I already have a car in which I have to wring the engine and everything else to squeeze performance. Not again

I am quite tempted to shoot a video of the Car doing 80-120kmph and 100-140kmph and post up.

I find it on par with the multijets.

[akhilesh]

Originally Posted by Sheel

I am quite tempted to shoot a video of the Car doing 80-120kmph and 100-140kmph and post up.

I find it on par with the multijets.

A video.... are you sure? I could have posted a video of the Punto too but who's gonna believe it is what you said.
All said, I don't think Figo's performance is as bad. I have driven one considerably and it goes until 120 kph without much effort contrary to what being reported here.

[Sheel]

We aren't talking about xx figures acceleration times, are we?

I too was surprised when I first sat in the Car and the speedo hoisted over 140kmph in no time at all. (It was Drivoblog's Figo)

All I can say after driving various diesel Cars, I find the acceleration upto 140kmph brisk, post this the spike begins to taper off.

Its OP's Car and let him decide