Best Buy in 7 Lakh (Petrol). i20 vs Swift vs Amaze

[firstdrive]

Hi guys,

A cousin of mine is on the look out for a petrol car with a on road budget of 7L Mumbai.
The following are the 3 cars shortlisted. All petrol versions:

1) Well the shortlisted ones are i20 for all the features it provides. Sportz version will suffice the needs. with ABS,ACC,Reverse Parking Camera...Costing around 6.8L
2) swift zxi ... The only reason being every other person says there is nothing like swift.Costing around 6.6L
3) Amaze S iVtec... Spacious,Honda Badge... The only thing missing is ABS... How is the braking?? is ABS really necessary??? Costing around 7.1L

My cousin doesn't even know how to drive . But his wifey is adamant to get 1st hand car .He will be starting driving lessons later this month & planning to buy the vehicle in 2 months or so. Since even i don't drive , i will leave it to the experts to suggest.
Your feedback will be very valuable.. Also feel free to suggest any other car.

 

[saimad4u]

Why dont you try i10. Its better for newbie.

Pls menction the drive through highways or city??

 

[firstdrive]

Hi saimad4u,

grand i10.. well i did not like the looks. drive through will be mix of city & highways. Very few weekend getaways.
Expecting almost 1000 kms per month at max.
one thing i would like to share that i found online about many people facing issues with next gen i20:
Brake Failure I20 - Page 3 - Hyundai Forums : Hyundai Forum

 

[patkar_a]

i20=> features feature features!!!!luxurious ..much more exciting than maruti,you will love it.Bet own a maruti but still felled in love.Good boot space better than any segment.Engine not like vvt of maruti no comparison,i mean not up to mark,but any how may live with it.High spare prices,high maintenance cost.

Swift=>VVT peppy petrol engine,trusted brand,trusted car world wide,pride to own it,low maintenance. VFM. But flip side low boot storage.

Amaze=>Altogether HONDA,a different category a sedan,Engine its honda no offence,one word 'Refinement' .Features are lesser than above both but it will fetch good Boot.

@First drive yes my friend who own a Hyundai i20,for last 3 years had a ABS failure,during his visit at his native,led to reduced braking,went to hyundai replaced ABS device at some 7 k.

 

[greaet]

@firstdrive, since your cousin is a newbie in driving, I would suggest the i10. Good engine, excellent mileage, and there are huge discounts going on.
The disadvantages I see in the car are not so good steering, bouncy ride (why don't Hyundai fix their cars) and I had a severe backpain in a 100km drive in the back seat (Not so comfortable).

Believe me, i20 is a expensive bet like the Polo. Service costs would be similar to Polo if not more. For example, the wiring kit of i20 is 40K (read this somewhere, can't remember where).

Why not the Brio? Any reasons for omitting it?

 

[draneeshpm]

Hi firstdrive,
Since your cousin is a newbie,it makes sense to buy Swift.It is a good handler and peppy to drive.i10 has a lifeless steering and a bouncy ride.Test drive the Swift,it has an amazing ride quality,dismisses potholes with ease.
Regards,
Aneesh.

 

[saimad4u]

I20 petrol is a bit sloppy engine. But will fall for its interiors and all the gizmo's included.
I recommend to go a head with swift petrol though its has small boot the engine is lot more refined compared to i20.
Cost of spares is on greater side in i20.
Mileage:
City:i20:10 ,swift:14
Highways: i20:14 ,swift:16-17

 

[firstdrive]

i20=> features feature features!!!!luxurious ..much more exciting than maruti,you will love it.Bet own a maruti but still felled in love.Good boot space better than any segment.Engine not like vvt of maruti no comparison,i mean not up to mark,but any how may live with it.High spare prices,high maintenance cost.

Swift=>VVT peppy petrol engine,trusted brand,trusted car world wide,pride to own it,low maintenance. VFM. But flip side low boot storage.

Amaze=>Altogether HONDA,a different category a sedan,Engine its honda no offence,one word 'Refinement' .Features are lesser than above both but it will fetch good Boot.

@First drive yes my friend who own a Hyundai i20,for last 3 years had a ABS failure,during his visit at his native,led to reduced braking,went to hyundai replaced ABS device at some 7 k.

Thanks patkar_a for your feedback.
we have ruled out i20 for now. i guess swift & amaze are in the hunt for now.

@firstdrive, since your cousin is a newbie in driving, I would suggest the i10. Good engine, excellent mileage, and there are huge discounts going on.
The disadvantages I see in the car are not so good steering, bouncy ride (why don't Hyundai fix their cars) and I had a severe backpain in a 100km drive in the back seat (Not so comfortable).

Believe me, i20 is a expensive bet like the Polo. Service costs would be similar to Polo if not more. For example, the wiring kit of i20 is 40K (read this somewhere, can't remember where).

Why not the Brio? Any reasons for omitting it?

Hi greaet,
Brio well its a wonderful car,we love it too but the boot space is the only concern :(

Hi firstdrive,
Since your cousin is a newbie,it makes sense to buy Swift.It is a good handler and peppy to drive.i10 has a lifeless steering and a bouncy ride.Test drive the Swift,it has an amazing ride quality,dismisses potholes with ease.
Regards,
Aneesh.

Hi draneeshpm,
Well it looks like swift is leading the race currently.



one of my friend suggested me punto, but he also warned that a refresh is planned next year :(

 

[draneeshpm]

Punto is a beauty, but that's it,it has all the ergonomic flaws of Linea.The clutch has a long travel.But it gets the top spot for handling and ride quality. Still its better to leave it with the questionable after sales.

 

[greaet]

All cars get refreshed now and then. Swift is due for a refresh but that doesn't affect your current car. Polo recently got a silent upgrade in the head unit (including bluetooth support etc), comfortline models got more features yet no one knows the difference.

Regarding Brio, boot space is the only drawback.

 

[firstdrive]

All cars get refreshed now and then. Swift is due for a refresh but that doesn't affect your current car. Polo recently got a silent upgrade in the head unit (including bluetooth support etc), comfortline models got more features yet no one knows the difference.

Regarding Brio, boot space is the only drawback.

I agree with you greaet.. The more we wait the more we get confused.
I had one question since i am a newbie...
How much does ABS matter in a car? I read it on all forums to buy a car with ABS & airbags.
But i see 90% of V & L series of maruti. Hardly anyone buys top end model.

I was asking this question so that i could get an idea if i should consider Amaze S ivetc or go for swift ZXI.

 

[draneeshpm]

ABS is absolutely necessary in my opinion,I have a Zen with no ABS and my Dad has a Figo with ABS.During emergency braking Figo doesn't have tail stepping out as in Zen.My funda is buy a car with the maximum safety features,gizmos can be added anytime.Not in case of ABS,Airbags etc.Life cannot be given a price,as a doctor I see lot of people losing lives in accidents due to absence of safety features.I remember one of my friends argument 'I drive at low speeds,so no need of ABS and Airbags !
Regards,
Aneesh.

 

[greaet]

I agree with you greaet.. The more we wait the more we get confused.
I had one question since i am a newbie...
How much does ABS matter in a car? I read it on all forums to buy a car with ABS & airbags.
But i see 90% of V & L series of maruti. Hardly anyone buys top end model.

I was asking this question so that i could get an idea if i should consider Amaze S ivetc or go for swift ZXI.

Buying a car with ABS and Airbags is more of a precautionary measure. ABS will help you during emergency braking. Airbags will help in case of accidents but the driver should be wearing seat belt (only then the Airbag will deploy as the after effect of airbag could cause more injuries - can kill a person too) and the point of impact should trigger the system to activate airbags. Search for airbags in Google. You will get a lot of information on the same.
Regarding the V and L variants, I totally agree here. V and L looks more VFM compared to the Z variant. Going for the top model is an expensive task and the mass population's requirement from the car might vary.

 

[firstdrive]

ABS is absolutely necessary in my opinion,I have a Zen with no ABS and my Dad has a Figo with ABS.During emergency braking Figo doesn't have tail stepping out as in Zen.My funda is buy a car with the maximum safety features,gizmos can be added anytime.Not in case of ABS,Airbags etc.Life cannot be given a price,as a doctor I see lot of people losing lives in accidents due to absence of safety features.I remember one of my friends argument 'I drive at low speeds,so no need of ABS and Airbags !
Regards,
Aneesh.

Hi draneeshpm, I agree with you. I guess having a ABS & Airbag should be mandate from the government.

Buying a car with ABS and Airbags is more of a precautionary measure. ABS will help you during emergency braking. Airbags will help in case of accidents but the driver should be wearing seat belt (only then the Airbag will deploy as the after effect of airbag could cause more injuries - can kill a person too) and the point of impact should trigger the system to activate airbags. Search for airbags in Google. You will get a lot of information on the same.
Regarding the V and L variants, I totally agree here. V and L looks more VFM compared to the Z variant. Going for the top model is an expensive task and the mass population's requirement from the car might vary.

Hi greaet, thanks for your input.Yes going for a top end model is high on pocket, atleast manufacturers should give ABS as an option.Anyways their top end models are not selling as high as expected.This is my personal view :)

 

[greaet]

Hi draneeshpm, I agree with you. I guess having a ABS & Airbag should be mandate from the government.




Hi greaet, thanks for your input.Yes going for a top end model is high on pocket, atleast manufacturers should give ABS as an option.Anyways their top end models are not selling as high as expected.This is my personal view :)

Very true. I have a suggestion here. I visited Hyundai showroom today and got Grand i10 (P) test drive. This car looks value for money and performance is not bad at all (I am saying this after owning Swift for 5yrs and a Honda City in garage). I can't say it is in par with swift but performance is pretty good. I am deciding on the Sportz edition. 83PS power, auto folding mirrors, Start/Stop button, rear AC vent, comfortable rear seats, 250L boot and goes on. And this costs 20K more than Brio SMT. Now that's what I call as a VFM product. Please take a test drive. This car (mainly the sportz variant) just makes the 7L cars look puny in comfort and technology.