Thread Starter
#1
Hi TAI-gers,
I am a new member to this enthusiastic group of petrol-heads. And I am on a look out for a new hatch.
Why Hatch?
The practicality of a compact car in our city lives. It will be be used transport two people most of the time, Sheer usability of tumble- down seats to fit in large items. If it can carry my cycle ( merida big9) i would be pleased to no extent, but then that is just a good to have feature, and will not be the primary criteria.
THE list:
I listed down all the available hatches in India and even those that are in the pipeline to be released soon: Brio, Ritz, Etios, Polo, Swift, Grand i10, Punto, Elite i20, and Figo. Please note that my budget is around 7-8 lakhs. So i am considering only the B2 segment hatches.
Brio VX MT: I liked the way this car rides, I was even ready to overlook the evident cost cutting and bare minimum instrumentation, oh wait! Where is the boot?? I need space to keep at least 4 duffle bags.
Ritz Zxi: Refined and powerful engine, well balanced chassis and good handling, decent boot as well, at least better than brio. Somehow we did not like the overall look and interior also seemed very basic.
Punto Emotion 90hp: Looked good on paper, but felt sluggish and would have to work the gears much more often to get the juice out of it. And I couldn’t see the new looks growing on me. I simply loved the way the old Punto looked.
Figo: A good overall car, but looks a bit dated. And a new version is coming sometime next year.
Elite i20 asta: Hyundai take luxury in hatches to new level. Stunning design, I would have blindly gone for it, but 3+ months waiting. I can’t wait that long, pretty excited about getting my new ride.
The Shortlist
Now comes the awesome trio which has messed up my head
1) VW polo Comfortline 1.5 tdi
2) Hyundai Grand i10 asta(o) 1.2 P
3) Maruti Suzuki swift Zxi
1 VW polo Comfortline 1.5 tdi/ 1.2 MPI,
The only diesel i am considering, petrol fits my requirements perfectly, and i had gone to take TD the 1.2 MPI but the SA asked me to take a look at 1.5 tdi also. I drove 1.2 and 1.5 back to back. Man.! Diesel is more refined and takes off like a hoot.
So i am confused because, VW seems to be a little thirsty car and i think i would able manage it with a diesel oil burner.
+ Good build quality
+ Manageable interior space.
+ Decent feature list in the Comfortline variant and the standard ABS and Airbags ticked off CL as more VFM.
+ Mammoth boot.
+ Very comfortable ride (I deliberately took the car over a crater ridden road to see how it performs)
- Ingress and egress a slight challenge
- Clutch pedal placed a little too high for my liking
- Cost of ownership over the long run i have heard is on a higher side
- Have read about various ownership experiences of ASS guys trying to increase the cost of service, like deliberately braking ac vents, this is something the VW guys should confirm.
2 Grand i10
+ Mature look
+ Plaint ride, compared to older hyundais
+ Felt more responsive than i20
+ Pretty loaded
+ I can get a much more comprehensive feature list for almost the same price of VW CL 1.2 MPI
+ Good quality interiors
+ And i was surprised; the i20 is not eons away from grand. Grand quite matches upto the i20.
- The only negative I found was the absence of adjustable head rests for front, I touching 6 feet, my head don’t get support.
3 Maruti Swift Zxi
+ Man the petrol is a so much fun
+ Really powerful and refined
+ Best fuel efficiency in this class
+ The new version ( i won’t call it facelift) has additional features like keyless start, Bluetooth streaming and 60:40 foldable seats, retractable ovrms
- Damn i can hardly fit at the back
- Windows are small, as small as an owl hole.!
- Boot,seriously ritz which is smaller boasts of bigger boot.!
- A tad too costly, the new hike takes it nearer to elite i20
My requirements
- It will be extensively used by my home minister within city, and is comfortable with all the above three. I prefer two-wheelers for city commutes. On the whole it will travel at max 60 kms on weekdays.
- Highway riding: forms an integral part, we love to travel. And will end up going atleast 2 long trips, around 500 -1000 kms/ month.
- Overall about 1500 kms per month.
- Good ASS, and reasonable maintenance, i do not want to end up spending more than 10-15k/year on service costs.
- Spares availability: At any point if any part needs replacement, i would want it to be readily available or atleast to be source within a couple of days.
Sorry for such a long post. But this is my situation now. I need you TAI-gers advice to help me choose.
I am a new member to this enthusiastic group of petrol-heads. And I am on a look out for a new hatch.
Why Hatch?
The practicality of a compact car in our city lives. It will be be used transport two people most of the time, Sheer usability of tumble- down seats to fit in large items. If it can carry my cycle ( merida big9) i would be pleased to no extent, but then that is just a good to have feature, and will not be the primary criteria.
THE list:
I listed down all the available hatches in India and even those that are in the pipeline to be released soon: Brio, Ritz, Etios, Polo, Swift, Grand i10, Punto, Elite i20, and Figo. Please note that my budget is around 7-8 lakhs. So i am considering only the B2 segment hatches.
Brio VX MT: I liked the way this car rides, I was even ready to overlook the evident cost cutting and bare minimum instrumentation, oh wait! Where is the boot?? I need space to keep at least 4 duffle bags.
Ritz Zxi: Refined and powerful engine, well balanced chassis and good handling, decent boot as well, at least better than brio. Somehow we did not like the overall look and interior also seemed very basic.
Punto Emotion 90hp: Looked good on paper, but felt sluggish and would have to work the gears much more often to get the juice out of it. And I couldn’t see the new looks growing on me. I simply loved the way the old Punto looked.
Figo: A good overall car, but looks a bit dated. And a new version is coming sometime next year.
Elite i20 asta: Hyundai take luxury in hatches to new level. Stunning design, I would have blindly gone for it, but 3+ months waiting. I can’t wait that long, pretty excited about getting my new ride.
The Shortlist
Now comes the awesome trio which has messed up my head
1) VW polo Comfortline 1.5 tdi
2) Hyundai Grand i10 asta(o) 1.2 P
3) Maruti Suzuki swift Zxi
1 VW polo Comfortline 1.5 tdi/ 1.2 MPI,
The only diesel i am considering, petrol fits my requirements perfectly, and i had gone to take TD the 1.2 MPI but the SA asked me to take a look at 1.5 tdi also. I drove 1.2 and 1.5 back to back. Man.! Diesel is more refined and takes off like a hoot.
So i am confused because, VW seems to be a little thirsty car and i think i would able manage it with a diesel oil burner.
+ Good build quality
+ Manageable interior space.
+ Decent feature list in the Comfortline variant and the standard ABS and Airbags ticked off CL as more VFM.
+ Mammoth boot.
+ Very comfortable ride (I deliberately took the car over a crater ridden road to see how it performs)
- Ingress and egress a slight challenge
- Clutch pedal placed a little too high for my liking
- Cost of ownership over the long run i have heard is on a higher side
- Have read about various ownership experiences of ASS guys trying to increase the cost of service, like deliberately braking ac vents, this is something the VW guys should confirm.
2 Grand i10
+ Mature look
+ Plaint ride, compared to older hyundais
+ Felt more responsive than i20
+ Pretty loaded
+ I can get a much more comprehensive feature list for almost the same price of VW CL 1.2 MPI
+ Good quality interiors
+ And i was surprised; the i20 is not eons away from grand. Grand quite matches upto the i20.
- The only negative I found was the absence of adjustable head rests for front, I touching 6 feet, my head don’t get support.
3 Maruti Swift Zxi
+ Man the petrol is a so much fun
+ Really powerful and refined
+ Best fuel efficiency in this class
+ The new version ( i won’t call it facelift) has additional features like keyless start, Bluetooth streaming and 60:40 foldable seats, retractable ovrms
- Damn i can hardly fit at the back
- Windows are small, as small as an owl hole.!
- Boot,seriously ritz which is smaller boasts of bigger boot.!
- A tad too costly, the new hike takes it nearer to elite i20
My requirements
- It will be extensively used by my home minister within city, and is comfortable with all the above three. I prefer two-wheelers for city commutes. On the whole it will travel at max 60 kms on weekdays.
- Highway riding: forms an integral part, we love to travel. And will end up going atleast 2 long trips, around 500 -1000 kms/ month.
- Overall about 1500 kms per month.
- Good ASS, and reasonable maintenance, i do not want to end up spending more than 10-15k/year on service costs.
- Spares availability: At any point if any part needs replacement, i would want it to be readily available or atleast to be source within a couple of days.
Sorry for such a long post. But this is my situation now. I need you TAI-gers advice to help me choose.
![[clap]](https://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/images/smilies/Clap.gif "Clap [clap]")
. They always fall short of Sales Target. For Car manufacturers too it is a difficult month. I bought my Car in December, and they agreed to ALL of my demands (posted in my ownership thread). Car Showrooms are bereft of Customers in Dec. Make your move on the 1st week of Dec. Book and take delivery during December 14. ![[:D]](https://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/images/smilies/Big%20Smile.gif "Big Smile [:D]")
. Also check out this comparo 
![[:)]](https://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/images/smilies/Smile.gif "Smile [:)]")
