Hyundai i20 Or Honda Amaze

[Raaj]

Introduction:
First of all, Hello to everybody and this is my first post in the forums altough I sparingly participated in the introduction threads. Iam honoured to be here and I thank everybody for making the TAI as strong and informative. Iam not good at writing or expressing my thoughts. So, kindly bear with it.

My Ownership with Ford Figo: Well, back to my topic, Currently I own Ford Figo Titanium Diesel Diesel which I've bought in March 2012 and drove on it nearly 19,000 Kms. This is my first car and my experience with figo was fascinating and I loved every moment in it. My family members also loved it. But on some personal reasons, Iam going to sell it off this month.

So, I now have to look for a new car. Since I already experienced with Figo with many good features like good engine, Boot space, Chilled AC, Good Music System with Blutooth, Airbags and ABS etc, I wanted a car with almost similar featured, If Not, More.

Test Drives and Other Options: Recently I test drived Toyota Etios Liva, Hyundai i20 Diesel, Cheverlet Beat, Sail Uva, Ford Eco Sport etc. I didn't liked Liva for its taxi kind of interiors and bad suspension. Beat and Sail are okay but overall, I don't find any great than figo in them. Ecosport diesel version is very good but then I thought it would look too sporty and may not fit for my routine use. I liked Hyundai i20 diesel version a lot for its comfort and driving experience. But then, ABS and Airbags are available only on higher versions which are too costly at the moment.

I almost decided to get Hyundai i20 Asta Petrol. But then think about whether its worth or not since it is said to be Underpowered engine (Sofar, I didn't had a chance to drive this one, although I had drived diesel version which is very good IMO).

My Other Options are Honda Amaze Diesel 1.5 SMT i-DTEC which is IMO, most valued for our money although it doesn't have airbags, blutooth and no service in my town. But on the positive side, it has ABS, great mileage at an affordable price. Iam also thinking about Ford Classic 1.6 Duratec CLXi /Titanium petrol versions.

Moreover, iam in a dilemma whether I should opt for the current exchange offers or should I wait until December when we usually flood with too many discount offers and freebies. Or should I live without car until new Honda Jazz version to be released in 2014? Confusion and Confusion. So, I need your valuable thoughts and suggestions.

In a glance,

My Budget: Rs.6 – 7 Lakhs On Road Price. (But can be stretched uto to 9 Lakhs)

New or Used: New Car

Your Location: Andhra Pradesh, India

Top Five Priorities: Good Engine, Safety, Comfort, Low Maintenance, Design, Luggage Space.

Monthly Running: Between 800 – 1,500 Kms

Type of Fuel: Petrol/Diesel

For What Purpose: Mostly to Office and occasionally to other places like in the weekends.

Seating Capacity: Maximum 5 Adults

Type of Segment: (Hatchbak/Sedan)

Thank You in advance. :)

 

[Ajay Sreedhar]

Hi raaj,

Of the two options given, I would suggest amaze. Its a tough choice to call between amaze and i20. You will get ABS but not airbags in amaze SMT.
I would also like you to TD the punto. Its a much better car in my opinion.
Waiting till feb 2014 for Jazz shouldn't be a bad idea either. All new Jazz is looking super hot in the pics atleast and its a "HONDA". (just to increase your confusion a bit)

 

[rafian]

Hi raaj,

Of the two options given, I would suggest amaze. Its a tough choice to call between amaze and i20. You will get ABS but not airbags in amaze SMT.
I would also like you to TD the punto. Its a much better car in my opinion.
Waiting till feb 2014 for Jazz shouldn't be a bad idea either. All new Jazz is looking super hot in the pics atleast and its a "HONDA". (just to increase your confusion a bit)

Raaj, Amaze has a long waiting period. If you're fine with that then wait for few more months beyond Amaze's scheduled delivery and take a look at the new 2014 releases. I hear that Hyundai is going to release a new i20. Also, by that time you would get to read enough ownership experiences of Amaze and you might be able to get the Amaze much faster. By end of this year you may learn more about the Ford Ecosport and perhaps you may go for it.

If you can wait, just wait...

 

[Bopanna]

Honda is trying to ramp up the production of Amaze to reduce the waiting period ...

Honda to increase Amaze production to reduce waiting period - NDTVProfit.com

Honda Cars India Ltd (HCIL) will increase production of its newly-launched Amaze sedan in order to cut waiting period, by starting a third shift at its Greater Noida unit from November this year.

The company hopes to reduce to 2-3 months the delivery time for booked cars with the increase in output from the current 4-5 months.

 

[rafian]

Whatever you buy, at any cost, do not compromise on ABS and Airbags.
Also, consider the maintenance cost for a period of 4 years. I think in that respect Hyundai might earn a few points.

 

[chayan]

Hi Raaj, I would advise to plan this out. First of all, advertise your car in carwale,olx and in other internet portals. Given the market condition today, it will take a couple of months to sell. Plus side is you will get a lot more than the exchange value the dealer would offer you.

Simultaneously start TDing the cars, but wait till Diwali /Year end to buy. If this market condition persist, you will get a lot of offers at that time. Use this time to short list the cars and also should give you time for new models that might be launched.

Would suggest that have a relook at the Ecosport, it might look sporty and SUV like but at heart its a hatch. So TD it and let us know.

 

[Surfer]

My Other Options are Honda Amaze Diesel 1.5 SMT i-DTEC which is IMO, most valued for our money although it doesn't have airbags, blutooth and no service in my town. But on the positive side, it has ABS, great mileage at an affordable price. Iam also thinking about Ford Classic 1.6 Duratec CLXi /Titanium petrol versions.

I will suggest to go for Amaze, but before that Just take TD of Dezire and Manza also.

 

[Raaj]

Thank You very much friends for your kind replies and for your kind recommendations.

Today, I sold my Figo Car but it will be with me until some official proceedings would complete, which may take a week or so. So, we would need another car asap.

Well, Today I TD'ed Hyundai i20 Petrol Asta. It's good that I tried this petrol version before I come to conclusion. The petrol version is clearly underpowered and can't have much fun with it when we go on an open road with fully loaded. So, It's out of my preference.

Today I also visited maruti showroom and asked to provide the Dzire for a test drive. And the guy said, sir, we don't provide Swift and Dzire vehicles since they are very popular vehicles. But then, he asked me to try Ertiga instead of Dzire since the both vehicles are running with same engines. I drove Ertiga for a while and came to conclusion to say Good Bye to Maruthi's.

Now came back to Amaze, I too love to try this vehicle but unfortunately, I don't have a chance to look into it carefully, since we don't have a showroom of Honda in our town. So, I've to book it blindly just in case. Apart from that, I also observed few worth mention things as below.

1. Although Honda Amaze is Sedan, it's 5 MM shorter length and the width is 30 MM shorter than Hyundai i20.

2. Hyundai Offers Complete Package such as Automatic Climate Control, Telescoping Steering, Rear Parking Censors With Camera, Driver Arm Rest, Dead Pedal, Adjustable Head-rests, Retractable ORVMS, Rain-sensing Wipers, Automatic Head Lamps, Daytime Running Lamps, Disc Brakes on Front & Back, Good Music System with CD Player Plus 6 Speakers and Not to mention the very important Bluetooth Compatibility. (Some people argue it may not be necessary to have it, But IMO, it is one of the safest things to have Bluetooth facility in a car)

3. Currently, Hyundai has No waiting period and they are Offering nearly 26,000 as cash discount and 20,000 as Exchange Bonus and offered Freebies such as mudflops, Under Body Coating, Teflon Coating, Mats etc. But they are insisting to take the Insurance with them only which they quoted Rs. 27,402 for Asta Diesel.

4. Honda doesn't have a showroom in our town. So, I will have to travel all the way to Hyderabad for every service which may costs me a lot since it is nearly 350 kms from my town.

5. But, The positive points for Amaze here is, The Badge of Honda and their extraordinary mileage giving powerful engine, Sedan feeling, a big boot.

Last but not least, my mind says to go and wait for Honda Amaze/Jazz and my Heart says to get the Hyundai I20 Diesel Asta or Sportz.

 

[rafian]

Raaj, you may listen to your heart or mind but you make a list of things that you want in the car (bluetooth, good music system, etc.,). Perhaps you could make a list of "must haves", "should haves" and "nice to haves".

I suggest you have ABS and 2 Airbags in your list of "must haves". Rest is up to you and your heart!!

If a manufacturer's badge doesn't meet your requirements (your list) then that badge is no good - it's a cheap badge.

 

[Ajay Sreedhar]

Well, Today I TD'ed Hyundai i20 Petrol Asta. It's good that I tried this petrol version before I come to conclusion. The petrol version is clearly underpowered and can't have much fun with it when we go on an open road with fully loaded. So, It's out of my preference.

If you are looking for a petrol machine. Then go for any of the Honda's. They are power-packed. If you book an amaze petrol now, you will be getting it in 50 days.

i20 has considerably less waiting period and full of features but I felt it as dull engine. Nothing to enjoy the drive quality. So in my opinion you are compromising an underpowered engine for the list of features offered.

Have you TD'ed the Punto yet ?

and yes, as somebody here rightlyly pointed out, do not miss out on the safety components.

Try Td'ing these cars: Fiat Punto and Honda Brio, Toyota Liva, VW Polo, tata manza, ford ecosport (I doubt if its petrol version is available for a td)

make a great choice buddy

 

[rafian]

What is the price of Amaze Petrol OTR?

 

[Ajay Sreedhar]

What is the price of Amaze Petrol OTR?

Bangalore OTR for highest amaze variant
vx mt (i-vtec ) ~ 7.8-8 lakhs
vxmt (i-dtec) ~ 9.4 lakhs

Many people tend to opt for mid-variants i.e smt. And rightly so. Its much more VFM. feel the top variant is a bit overpriced.

 

[VivekRj.Dieselhead]

If you need a petrol car then you must TD linea t-jet as well. Just have a TD and tell use about that. And if you need Diesel then punto 90. You must at-least TD them.

 

[rafian]

On a different thread I had mentioned that I thought Amaze AT was overpriced.
http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/test-drive-reviews/13683-honda-amaze-test-drive.html

Looks like even the non-AT versions are overpriced. And if we go for mid-variants lacking features (like ABS, Airbags), it turns out to be a cheap car. Basically we are paying for the Honda badge.

In general Honda, Toyota, Nissan are not luxury cars. In reality it's a consumer grade car. It happens to be considered a brand name car in India. I don't know if that's sad - blame it on the taxes and import duty. These japanese cars do offer reliable engine and transmission. They are also fairly safe cars. Common sense tells me that they are *safer* cars only if they have airbags and ABS.

I've personally talked to many people who justify their decision to buy a lower variant Honda/Toyota solely based on reliable engine/transmission and the japanese logo. I think we got to ask ourselves how many engines and transmissions residing in the Maruti cars have failed. I am yet to hear of an engine or transmission failure (breakage) in a Swift, A-Star, Alto, etc., in a span of say ~10 years. In fact modern engines last very long - longer than the body of the car. I hear Scorpio and Safari owners brag about their engines and overall robustness of the vehicle. This clearly proves that owning a Toyota or Honda gives us only that psychological feeling that their engines are better. In reality they are pretty much as good as the Maruti engines. Keep in mind that a vast majority of engines are actually made by Fiat (petrol) and Renault (diesel) in several cars. So when I say Maruti engine, it may not be manufactured by Maruti.

"Kitna deti hai" is a factor that could justify purchase of a car regardless of the features, if that is indeed our only requirement. If a good badge (Honda/Toyota) gives us good mileage than we're more than likely to buy that car. And when we do that with a tight budget we could compromise on the features to make it fall within our budget. And if we're going to compromise on the safety features and features that we most desire then we're back to square one. We've bought a cheap and less safer car.

Summary:
Always look at the VFM of a car in a holistic manner:
- Evaluate the VFM without the badge (brand) in mind.
- Evaluate the VFM on the total cost of the vehicle including accessories
- TD all available cars (all brands) that fall within your budget (try to have a flexible budget)
- Evaluate the potential maintenance cost of the car for a period of ~4 years.
- Check quality of service
- Don't compromise on ABS and Airbags (and other safety features)

Lastly, if you happen to miss a feature or two that you most desire (every time you drive the car) then you're not living!

 

[VivekRj.Dieselhead]

On a different thread I had mentioned that I thought Amaze AT was overpriced.
http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/test-drive-reviews/13683-honda-amaze-test-drive.html

Looks like even the non-AT versions are overpriced. And if we go for mid-variants lacking features (like ABS, Airbags), it turns out to be a cheap car. Basically we are paying for the Honda badge.

In general Honda, Toyota, Nissan are not luxury cars. In reality it's a consumer grade car. It happens to be considered a brand name car in India. I don't know if that's sad - blame it on the taxes and import duty. These japanese cars do offer reliable engine and transmission. They are also fairly safe cars. Common sense tells me that they are *safer* cars only if they have airbags and ABS.

I've personally talked to many people who justify their decision to buy a lower variant Honda/Toyota solely based on reliable engine/transmission and the japanese logo. I think we got to ask ourselves how many engines and transmissions residing in the Maruti cars have failed. I am yet to hear of an engine or transmission failure (breakage) in a Swift, A-Star, Alto, etc., in a span of say ~10 years. In fact modern engines last very long - longer than the body of the car. I hear Scorpio and Safari owners brag about their engines and overall robustness of the vehicle. This clearly proves that owning a Toyota or Honda gives us only that psychological feeling that their engines are better. In reality they are pretty much as good as the Maruti engines. Keep in mind that a vast majority of engines are actually made by Fiat (petrol) and Renault (diesel) in several cars. So when I say Maruti engine, it may not be manufactured by Maruti.

"Kitna deti hai" is a factor that could justify purchase of a car regardless of the features, if that is indeed our only requirement. If a good badge (Honda/Toyota) gives us good mileage than we're more than likely to buy that car. And when we do that with a tight budget we could compromise on the features to make it fall within our budget. And if we're going to compromise on the safety features and features that we most desire then we're back to square one. We've bought a cheap and less safer car.

Summary:
Always look at the VFM of a car in a holistic manner:
- Evaluate the VFM without the badge (brand) in mind.
- Evaluate the VFM on the total cost of the vehicle including accessories
- TD all available cars (all brands) that fall within your budget (try to have a flexible budget)
- Evaluate the potential maintenance cost of the car for a period of ~4 years.
- Check quality of service
- Don't compromise on ABS and Airbags (and other safety features)

Lastly, if you happen to miss a feature or two that you most desire (every time you drive the car) then you're not living!

Really nice and fair writeup buddy, I liked it too much. But I wanna make a correction, most of the diesel hatches running in India are equipped with fiat's diesel engine which includes some sedans as well. DDIS,QUADRAJET,SMARTECH all of them are diff. names of fiat's 1.3mjd.