I bought the T-jet.
Once you're behind the wheel you pretty much forget the mileage.
Which, by the way, is not too bad given the size, weight and sheer fun the car is. I got 11.5 in Delhi with the ACC set to 24 degrees, the car has just 400ks on the odo so I see no reason to disbelieve the claimed figures of 13-14 which the car should give. I have already clocked it at 14 on the highway at 90km/h in 4th gear or 120 in 5th, the second is probably not something you can actually achieve on a regular basis but nevertheless the car delivers much better than the Opel I used to drive. In the much shorter 3km run between home and work in Gurgaon, I struggle to break 9. The trundle in 2nd and 3rd gear doesn't help matters. However, the kit list is extremely long and it's a hoot to drive, after a cross-city run of Delhi traffic I didn't feel tired at all.
I had the Vento as the only other alternative as I didn't like the City (too light and a vague steering and ride). The SX4 was impressive but the blind spots were very disconcerting, plus I didn't want to pay so much for a Suzuki. The Fiesta was too long in the tooth, but an excellent car to drive and not very fussy to maintain. The Vento diesel offered the right mix of pretty much everything but it had a 4-month wait, and the EPS was a big question mark for me. If you do not have a problem waiting and like the looks of the car (cars are one category where the cosmetics play a very big part even for me), this is your bet.
The Sunny is something you might want to wait for or the new Fiesta. If you're already at 12 the Cruz may be a possibility if you're willing to stretch - I couldn't so I had to settle for the T-Jet, and I don't mind the decision at all. Then there's a used Civic or Accord, both of which will be bigger and nicer cars.
If mileage is what you're chasing, then nothing but a diesel will do. Remember that typically (Fiat's T-Jet being an exception) diesels are always more expensive than the petrol and do cost a bit more to run, so unless you are clocking lots of kilometers petrol is a better bet. Variant to variant the difference is in the range of 60-90K, plus an additional 10K for maintenance over a 4-year car life. So for the 100K difference, you would need to have run many more ks on the diesel car.
Also remember that with very few exceptions (the Vento TDI and the Cruz notably) diesel cars are dogs on the highway. They run out of breath very quickly and the nice torquey city drive is replaced with panting for breath. In the end it all depends on what you really want out of the car. If you want a barnstormer the only two options are the Vento TDI and the T-Jet (or the Cruz, if you stretch). If you want a relaxed cruiser used mostly in the city for 4-5 people and the occasional weekend jaunt, pretty much any car mentioned here will work so just pick one in your favorite colour. Nowadays cars are fairly well-built, so you should be able to get through 3-4 years without any major expense.
Remember that for Fiat the problem is the after-sales-service. They have tried improving this and personally I have yet to face a problem with the service itself but the fact that I had to resort to using it within an hour of owning the car is a telling sign.
