sathyanaidu said:
I just got back from test driving all the cars coz I've got a similar budget.
1) Fiat Punto -> Over priced for the features, not very comfortable for my height(6' 4"). Could get into the 1.4 Emotion as it had tilt steering.
Couldn't test drive this as they didn't have sufficient people. Also its way over budget.
Price for the base 1.2l Active is 5.13L
2) VW Polo -> Very underpowered, crappy gearbox, GREAT looks(best looking car in the segment, especially the top end test car they had.. WOW!), pricey and the base model(1.2 trendline) comes in at 5.3L.
3) Ford Figo -> The best packaged car in the segment. Very nice build quality, roomy. The 1.2 ZXI was a good buy at 4.84L. Good pickup, average brakes the only drawback.
4) Maruti Suzuki Ritz -> Initially i was a little apprehensive about getting yet another maruti on road, test drove the Ritz with the new Kappa engine.. omg I was taken aback! All plus points to the Ritz which beat the Figo by a good margin coz of the great engine.
The Ritz VXI without ABS is at 5.17L. And coz of akshaya tritiya the dealer offered flat 20k off the price! a few accessories which u otherwise had to buy like floor mats, mud flaps etc. are given as standard at no extra cost. Only drawback on the Ritz was no music system. But given the -20k for a 15 day period I think it should more than make up for the cost. Great headroom.. I've most likely decided on the Ritz.
All prices are on-road, and from dealers i visited in Bangalore today~
I'm no expert on cars but let me share my thoughts.
I think if one asks the question, what hatchback car is desirable, keeping aside the niggles and problems of owning one, the "heart over head" answer would be the Punto. The good handling and looks appeal to many. But clearly, after seeing so many reports of issues faced by Palio owners, I would wonder if I would get the same treatment after 3 years or so. Right now, fiat is concentrating on providing good service for Punto owners but how would it be after a release of another car by Fiat? Plus the poor quality interiors make the Punto less appealing. I think the "heart over head" discussion would end here with those favouring it, buying the Punto
. For those going with a "head over heart decision", there is still some thinking to do.
W.r.t the Polo, one would worry about service availability and what is on offer for the price. Interiors are not flashy but at the same time, there is nothing special about about it. From a "head over heart" perspective, it does offer exclusivity but I would worry about service and look at what else I could get for my money. A Polo purchase might require a little "heart over head" thinking
.
The Figo is a good buy from the point of view of being a well balanced car but I heard that the new fiesta hatchback would be coming in soon. I wonder if Ford will forget about this car afterwards
. Stupid name...Figo. The Figo has some issues like: the boot release is on the left side and the rear windows don't roll down all the way (like the polo). When the windows on an i10 can roll down fully, I wonder what problem these euro hatches have in doing so. From a "head over heart" perspective, the equipment level on the Figo and Ford's service makes it a sensible buy if one has the finance to maintain it, desires more comfort and is less affected by the lesser service availability as compared to a maruti.
The Ritz and the Beat have different looks. To me, they look like car mutants. I want a car to look like a car and not some freak of engineering. Issues to consider would be the rear seat inclination, legroom and low visibility of the rear window in the Beat. If one can get over the looks of the Ritz and the Beat, it can be considered for a "head over heart" purchase.
The swift has niggles like rattling and poor rear legspace. I wouldn't be thrilled about buying it as it has been around for some time. If one prefers buying a car that is time tested and approved by many, one would consider going for the Swift. From a "head over heart" perspective, the greater availability of service, relatively lower cost of maintenance make it a good buy but one would have to be content with the poorer equipment level.
hyeah:
