Need Advice: What Hatchback To Buy For New Driver?


Thread Starter #1
Joined
Dec 21, 2012
Messages
8
Likes
5
Location
Kochi
Hi Friends,
I am an amateur when it comes to vehicles. I am a newbie driver and my driving skills are only at midway. Now I have decided to buy my first car in a months time.

Since my monthly usage is going to be around 200 - 300 kms I believe a petrol car will be a better choice. My budget is up to 7 lakhs on road price. I am looking for a Value for money car that's not going to burn a hole in my pocket when it comes to maintenance. For long time I cherished the dream of owning a Punto MJD and still would love to even though it makes no sense to me when I think why. Punto was dropped owing to strong apprehensions from wifey and other family members after a relative who owns the same recited its very expensive to maintain add to that the poor image FIAT earned over the past years.

The second best option I thought was Swift but we now have a new Swift VDI in the family and once my driving skills improve I can anytime drive it.

After pondering over the issue i thought why not Grand i10 PETROL ? I ve seen the car and liked it. While checking various online forums there was mixed reactions to the car from the indifferent attitude of SA to battery drain issues. ?

Now I m under real confusion. What car to go for. ? I wish to have a car with above average interiors , a feel good driving experience. FE and resale value is not much of a concern as my running kms are going to be low. Not so expensive maintenance.

Please suggest me a car. Open to any car from Alto to Polo .

(Please Note : This is my first post in any forum and it may not have a seasoned touch or finish, similarly all my knowledge on cars are either hearsay or what i ve read in some forums. )

Regards & Wishes,

JR.
 

bhvm

Honoured Member
Joined
Oct 15, 2011
Messages
5,289
Likes
4,818
Location
Some Village
Re: Need advice - What Hatchback to buy ?

you can think maruti a-star as well. it's small, cute easy to drive and fuel efficient as well. next could be indica petrol. parts are available anywhere and maintainace is very cheap.
 
Joined
Jul 10, 2013
Messages
263
Likes
91
Location
Chennai/Dallas,Tx
Re: Need advice - What Hatchback to buy ?

Now I m under real confusion. What car to go for. ? I wish to have a car with above average interiors , a feel good driving experience. FE and resale value is not much of a concern as my running kms are going to be low. Not so expensive maintenance.

Please suggest me a car. Open to any car from Alto to Polo .

Regards & Wishes,

JR.
Hyundai Grand i10 petrol fits the bill perfectly. It has great interior quality, maintenance is pretty much lesser than germans (polo) and also it wont be too boring to drive.

Even Punto is a great option but all the fiat cars in India were severely underrated though.
 
Joined
Oct 23, 2013
Messages
1,143
Likes
865
Location
Bangalore
Re: Need advice - What Hatchback to buy ?

JR
Other options are top end variants of Honda Brio and Nissan Micra.
With your budget these cars with ABS and Airbags are in reach.
I would suggest Honda Brio VX
 
Joined
Oct 17, 2011
Messages
419
Likes
114
Location
Pune
Re: Need advice - What Hatchback to buy ?

7L is a decent budget. Why are you sticking to Hatchback only? If not yu can also check Honda Amaze ivtech. Do take a TD before finalizing.
 
Joined
Nov 30, 2013
Messages
223
Likes
59
Location
Bangalore
Re: Need advice - What Hatchback to buy ?

Hi amateur.

Battery drain issue may be limited to sports and asta version(which has start/stop push button)
Mine is magna diesel version I never exp it.
Also it seems Hyundai rectied for current batch

Considering your requirement(my preference goes like)
Swift
Grand i10
Ritz if you are OK with looks
Brio
Liva

I will opt out below petrol model
Ford

Well Micra too great car but it hurts at resale

Omg above is my personal opinion, please do test drive and decide your self
 
Last edited:
Joined
Oct 17, 2013
Messages
361
Likes
128
Location
DELHI
Re: Need advice - What Hatchback to buy ?

Hi amateur, Welcome to The Automotive India !
I would suggest you to take s look at Brio ,If you want a fun to drive engine .It is the best for learners according to me . You can also look at other options in the market like Honda Amaze if you want a compact sedan which provide trouble free ownership . Hyundai cars are not fuel efficient like 8 kmpl ,10 kmpl and sometimes their bills are heavy (Myself own Hyundai i20 Petrol) .I also own a Honda which is way better then Hyundai in terms in maintenance and mileage .
 
Joined
May 23, 2013
Messages
274
Likes
41
Location
Ghaziabad/Noida
Re: Need advice - What Hatchback to buy ?

For above average interior, good ride quality and comparable FE and maintainence cost, it has to be Honda for sure. Now Amaze would not amaze you in terms of interiors and may be not Brio also. But please look at New Jazz which would come withing you budget and would have a unique/stylish presence
 
Joined
May 7, 2013
Messages
27
Likes
10
Location
Chennai
Re: Need advice - What Hatchback to buy ?

welcome JR..
when your budget is about 7 lacs, don restrict only on hatch. Just be open on different segment which falls in your budget.

VW Polo and Brio will be good options for hatch.
Can consider Honda Amaze too(compact sedan)

If you are ok with the base variant, check out Ford Ecosport Ambiente. Its best car and it fits your budget too.

Do testdrive and then decide your car.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Joined
May 17, 2013
Messages
443
Likes
281
Location
Bangalore
Re: Need advice - What Hatchback to buy ?

Since you want reasonable maintenance costs, Polo IMHO should not be considered. Please go through ownership reviews on TAI and get an idea of the kind of labour costs and service costs for Polo before you consider it.

Figo and Punto can be ruled out as interiors are average. I think Grand i10 fits your bill well. Brio will have a better driving experience, but interiors and boot space are not as good as Grand i10.
 
Joined
Jan 31, 2013
Messages
753
Likes
316
Location
Pune / Calicut
Re: Need advice - What Hatchback to buy ?

Brio all the way. And being in Kochi, it would be easier to maneuver effortlessly. Check out the Brio threads in our forum. And do take a TD and analyse.

Meanwhile, as others suggested, even Amaze could be within your budget, as it has the advantage of a 400l boot, along with the Brio's "loves you back" peppy engine, with good FE, and considerably less cost of maintenance. Though, interior may lack gadgets, you could still enjoy you drive.!
 
Joined
Dec 13, 2011
Messages
1,714
Likes
1,082
Location
Bangalore
Re: Need advice - What Hatchback to buy ?

Hi Fri....

Now I m under real confusion. What car to go for. ? I wish to have a car with above average interiors , a feel good driving experience. FE and resale value is not much of a concern as my running kms are going to be low. Not so expensive maintenance. ...
JR.
In my opinion Punto MJD is the best hatchback you can buy - Handling, Performance, price, safety, build quality all are superb. It has same engine as Swift D/Ritz D/ Enjoy/ Ertiga/ SX4 etc, so maintenance should not be an issue. Non movable parts wont give up in the first few years of ownership so, this definately is a good choice.

This is the strongest car on sale (here in India in this budget, heavy car, superb hydraulic steering, heavy duty suspension, VGT (Variable Geometry Turbo), a blast to drive on highways and eye-ball grabber in city.

Drive a swift/Ritz/i20 for about 5 - 6kms on potholes and then immediately drive a
Punto/Linea you will love the difference for sure. Figo is also a nice car, but not sure about its maintenance costs.

If you are ruling out Punto completely then

Grand i10 petrol - superb interiors (may be even the best in this budget), excellent reviews from actual owners (not just magazines), slightly costlier than Maruti (to buy or to maintain). i10 anyday has better interiors than most entry level maruti (Alto, wagonR, Estilo, Astar & chevy cars (Spark & Beat).

Assuming your budget is approx 5 - 8lacs
My suggestion:
Punto MJD - for the solid car and driving experience
Grand i10 - best interiors, wide spread HASS, loaded with features
Ford Fiesta Classic (if it is in budget) - a VFM yet nice to drive

Skip the below cars if you are a fan of solid doors, safety on highway (handling and crash worthiness), good suspension etc
Alto, wagonR, Estilo, Astar, Spark, Eon, Old Santro, K10.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Oct 30, 2013
Messages
200
Likes
139
Location
Kolkata
Re: Need advice - What Hatchback to buy ?

With your monthly running, petrol is the best. Your 7L budget seems quite high to me. Why not Hyundai i20? Best car for interior, exterior, driving pleasure, low maintenance, high dependability.

BTW, if you ask me to put my money on a hatchback, I'll buy Alto for 3L. :offtopic: I personally prefer diesel cars irrespective of the monthly running since the initial investments for diesel will be got back at the time of resale (whenever you resale). With 7L budget, I would have gone for Tata Manza VX Diesel by extending budget for 1L max. It's VFM, fun to drive the variable geometry turbo, lots and lots of space, good interor, medium maintenance/dependability, acceptable service network, ABS, steering mounted audio control, blue-5 tech and what not in that money. Again, my personal preference.

At the risk of being repetitive, if you have understood your requirements well and exactly what you have written is your requirement, go for i20 petrol.
 
Thread Starter #14
Joined
Dec 21, 2012
Messages
8
Likes
5
Location
Kochi
Re: Need advice - What Hatchback to buy ?

Thank You friends for the prompt responses.

when your budget is about 7 lacs, don restrict only on hatch. Just be open on different segment which falls in your budget.
Currently I am sticking to hatch because I d prefer a fully loaded hatch to a base variant sedan. May if I have some money left I can even consider ICE and tyre upgrades.
 

Top Bottom