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Old 24th November 2008, 10:17   #31
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second hand diesels = risky ground.
swift diesels dont depreciate at all , so he wont find one in that price
A majority of indica diesels tend to be abused, so you may have a bad car and bad A.S.S
palio diesels and spares are mighty hard to find, and its the same tata A.S.S
zen diesel - cramped, car and spares hard to find...
caveat emptor

Last edited by greenhorn : 24th November 2008 at 10:19.
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Old 24th November 2008, 11:20   #32
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I feel that you should go for AStar. few reasons why
1)It will be better that estillo and spark in handling on highway
2)It will slightly be better in performance compared to alto
3)Though I am sceptic about 19.1kmpl as said in the ad, I feel the mileage will be better than these 3 cars u have shortlisted
4)Since AStar is built to european safety standards, it will be safer option compared to the 3 cars, because even if you go for versions without airbags the structural aspect(chassis design) will make it somewhat more safer.
4)Interiors much better, and front seats more comfortable
5)Astar is a new car on a brand new platform, which is not the case about the other 3 cars.

Please Note : All these points are based on paper spec, and you should wait till a lot test drive result come in, both from team bhp and auto mags. And most importantly(and obviously) take a test drive yourself.
One thing you must note in these reviews is many compare AStar with i10, hence they will obviously complain about comparatively less performance. But IMO, the AStar will have performance better than alto, and mayb comparable to estillo.


Quote:
Originally Posted by foosa View Post

I still have a few doubts before I finalize.

1) How do these 3 fare on highways?
2) With news or rumors about GM's financial condition in US, should I eliminate Spark from the options?
3) Since I do not have the option for a covered parking, most of the time the car will be parked in the sun. What will be a good color to choose?
1) no comments, never driven these on highway
2)I dont think you should eliminate spark for this reason. I think GM should come out just fine. There are lot of autos facing problems due to recession. It is foolish to think all these will shut shop. At worst there might be a merger.
3)Silver will be good.

Last edited by mxx : 24th November 2008 at 11:31.
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Old 24th November 2008, 11:55   #33
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Out of three, I would have spent on Estilo for the requirements.

But from any angle, Indica Vista, is the best choice
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Old 24th November 2008, 12:27   #34
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For majorly highway runs, the Santro makes good sense in petrol domain. However if you do a lot of bad roads, indica is the toughest
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Old 26th November 2008, 22:41   #35
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I did TD Spark yesterday and found it to be a better option among the three and within my budget.

I will be TDing Indica Xeta once again if I could find a good dealer (initial TD experience was very bitter due to issues with the dealership I had visited).

So for now, I have Alto Lxi and Spark in my list with Indica Xeta as a backup. In case price of Spark goes up next week as told by the dealer, I'd zero in on the Alto. And then it is all up to Tata dealership to show some customer service miracle before I cut a cheque.

As usual, I see that my initial post generated some interesting debates. Thanks very much for your inputs and feedback. Very much appreciated.
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Old 26th November 2008, 23:24   #36
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i10 should be your choice all the way. It's a good all round car.

A Star - I do not know but reports seem good till now. It looks OK. Mileage they say is tops.

So I would suggest you these 2 rather than the 3 you suggested.
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Old 26th November 2008, 23:33   #37
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I would put my bet on an estillo or a santro.
Santro with its superb mid range is a highway queen in this class of hatches.
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Old 27th November 2008, 00:23   #38
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From the choices you've given, I would personally go with the Spark. All are great city cars but none of them are really suited for highway journeys. You should take a look at the Santro too as I find it a tad better suited for highway runs.

But (call me biased if you want) for serious mile munching, nothing comes close to the Indica. It might not be the best driving machine in town but it does its job satisfactorily well. Reliability has improved by leaps and bounds and after sales service is not a problem if you follow the recommended service schedule.

The best solution is to take extended test drives on all cars and decide for yourself. Best of luck
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Old 27th November 2008, 00:37   #39
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Santro is good, economical and reliable for city and highway drivings.
i10 is would be another option if your budget can be extended a little.
What about A-Star ?
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Old 27th November 2008, 18:47   #40
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Dude go for the santro if you want something economical.
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Old 27th November 2008, 20:21   #41
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We have both the Matiz and the Santro. Santro bounces too much on the expressway, Spark with its lower COG and lower seats, feels more car like. Santro feels like a bus, its so high. Handling is simply better in the Matiz and is more confidence inspiring at 100kmph on the expressway, gearing too is taller, Santro's rpm simply becomes too much at 70 kmph while the Matiz with its tall gearing which makes it suffer a bit in the city traffic is super chilled out on the highway at 100kmph (My experience). I have done Mumbai - Pune a zillion times in both these cars. So yes, I vote for the Spark of course with the amount of space it gives compared to the Alto. No offence but I wonder why 'some' people can even think of buying the decade old buried in Japan ugly MR Wagon which rattles at the first pot hole as you drive it out of the showroom.

I like the A-Star, its modern in all ways but is super cramped at the rear. Go for the i10 if you can afford it, get the Spark if you want VFM.
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Old 28th November 2008, 17:10   #42
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Quote:
Originally Posted by abhi1309 View Post
We have both the Matiz and the Santro. Santro bounces too much on the expressway, Spark with its lower COG and lower seats, feels more car like. Santro feels like a bus, its so high.
Precisely. That's one of the major problems I have with the Santro. I have done Delhi-Jaipur-Delhi on the back seat of Santro and it was scary and bouncy after 70-80 kmph.

Compared to that, the Indica is leagues ahead on the highway, any day, any variant.
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Old 28th November 2008, 17:26   #43
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Foosa I see you have fixed your budget at 3.2 lakhs (is OTR or ex-showroom),need a NEW car for highway driving and you need real good service,then the best car for you would be the ALTO.The SPARK is better than the alto in all aspects except the A.S.S.If you are okay with Chevy's A.S.S in the Highways where you drive frequently yhen you can consider the Spark.If you dont mind checking out the Used market get your self a relatively new Esteem it matches your prioriyies pretty well.
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Old 1st December 2008, 16:45   #44
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Indica Xeta is the exact fit for the highway use. It is well planted, tough and can take any of the beating from our roads. Also it has a good A/c and lots of space for the class of vehicle. Check for the Vista petrol with its fiat petrol engine though it may be priced on the higher side. Also I think you can get a CNG verison in some markets and a great deal from the dealers.
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Old 11th December 2008, 18:06   #45
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A-star or the i10.... or as usual and Indica.....
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