Easy To Drive Hatchback - Need Help (Booked Baleno Alpha)


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Hello everyone.

We are planning to purchase another car in Meerut to share the garage with my Etios. It will be driven by my mother and "Ease of drivability" is the top priority. Rear seat space is not a problem, boot space should be decent. My mother is 5'5" and a height adjustable seat (plus tilt and telescopic steering) would be great. Planning to keep it for ~8 years. Not looking at the following cars -

1. Anything from Skoda/Nissan/Renault - Reliability concerns and lack of dealership network
2. Toyota Etios Liva - already have an Etios
3. Maruti Swift/Dzire - Have a Swift and Dzire already

Requirements -

> Budget: Rs. 5-8 Lac On-Road

> New or Used: New

> Location: Meerut (registration would be done from Uttarakhand)

> Top Five Priorities: Should be easy to drive, reliable, low maintenance, decent interiors and exteriors ("status" thing comes into play), well equipped with useful features

> Monthly Running: 800-1200 km per month

> Type of Fuel: Petrol/Diesel (Confused!)

> For What Purpose: Regular in-city commute only, frequent start stop, B2B traffic, recersing and parking in tight spaces

> Seating Capacity: 5 (but 3 people in comfort is fine - as we have Etios when we need space)

> Type of Segment: Hatchback

Waiting for suggestions.
 
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Re: Easy to Drive Hatchback - Need Help

If Petrol, choose either Baleno or Grand i10 or Jazz!(I know itsn't fair to compare these, but these 2 have decent petrol engine withnice driveability)
If Diesel, choose either Elite i20 or Jazz.

But before that, TD them all. Choose what fits your mom. If I were you, I'd go for Grand for 2 reasons. Easy to drive in city, small dimension but yet better space in the cabin.
 
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Re: Easy to Drive Hatchback - Need Help

Honda Jazz & Hyundai i20 are my top 2 choices. The former is marginally ahead in terms of practicality and easy entry/exit. It also comes with efficient engines compared to latter. Being Honda, I expect it to hold well for 8 years or even more.

3rd choice would be Baleno.
 
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Re: Easy to Drive Hatchback - Need Help

Honda Jazz and I20, but Jazz tops the space and practicality points and considering you have etios which would have spoilt you for Space at the back i wouldn't recommend the i20. Baleno is very similar to Swift and Swift Dzire except the front side bling effect and Apple play.
 
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Re: Easy To Drive Hatchback - Need Help

From what I have heard from people in my circle, it has to be the Jazz which offers a lot of ease of driving in city with a lot of practicality.

BTW is there anything on this earth which is better than a Brio for city routes? And with the on going offers, a Brio VX (with all safety features) can be had for less than 6 lac.
Brio gives:
  • Ease of driving
  • Sporty handling
  • Enough comfort for 3 (it has a decent rear seat with perfect cushioning)
  • Is simply perfect for tight spot and dense city roads driving with fantastic all round visibility and its dimensions
  • And the boot is also decent, the problem arises only when one has to carry 25-25 kg wheat bags (50 kg one won't even fit there) in it. Believe me, I have had worse experience in pulling out two 25 kg wheat bags from its boot.

Else... Go automatic!! Celerio AMT for tight budget and Figo DCT for 8 lac budget [clap]
 
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Re: Easy To Drive Hatchback - Need Help

Wagon R AMT - is a reasonable choice, it won't give you too much gizmos like grand i 10 automatic but fuel economy and as well as maintenance friendly package it's a sure shot.
 
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Re: Easy To Drive Hatchback - Need Help

You can wait for the Tata Kite which will be launched next month; if you are not in a hurry. It seems to have EPS and easy driveable engines at the same time offering good space and possibly great interiors. Else you have the Celerio, Tata Bolt, WagonR, i10.
 
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Re: Easy To Drive Hatchback - Need Help

I have Brio, and will agree to TSIVipul's views above. Apart from small boot, it's a perfect car for city runabouts. These are the same reasons I bought one in 2013 and I am enjoying it. It is a peppy little car with good space inside.

Wagon R AMT - is a reasonable choice, it won't give you too much gizmos like grand i 10 automatic but fuel economy and as well as maintenance friendly package it's a sure shot.
Add to that, fact that WagonR offers ABS & Airbags as option gives it an advantage over Grand i10. Hyundai are stupid in not providing Safety features in Grand i10. Even the top versions don't get them in manual and though they are available as options at least. I hate Hyundai's in this aspect.
 
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Re: Easy To Drive Hatchback - Need Help

From what I have heard from people in my circle, it has to be the Jazz which offers a lot of ease of driving in city with a lot of practicality.

BTW is there anything on this earth which is better than a Brio for city routes? And with the on going offers, a Brio VX (with all safety features) can be had for less than 6 lac.

Else... Go automatic!! Celerio AMT for tight budget and Figo DCT for 8 lac budget [clap]
Thanks Vipul for the detailed reply. Brio is definitely on my list. Celerio is also to be considered. But I doubt if we would take the Figo DCT, it is a new launch and there is still some confusion about 10 year DCT warranty.

Honda Jazz and I20, but Jazz tops the space and practicality points and considering you have etios which would have spoilt you for Space at the back i wouldn't recommend the i20. Baleno is very similar to Swift and Swift Dzire except the front side bling effect and Apple play.
Honda Jazz & Hyundai i20 are my top 2 choices. The former is marginally ahead in terms of practicality and easy entry/exit. It also comes with efficient engines compared to latter. Being Honda, I expect it to hold well for 8 years or even more.

3rd choice would be Baleno.
If Petrol, choose either Baleno or Grand i10 or Jazz!(I know itsn't fair to compare these, but these 2 have decent petrol engine withnice driveability)
If Diesel, choose either Elite i20 or Jazz.

But before that, TD them all. Choose what fits your mom. If I were you, I'd go for Grand for 2 reasons. Easy to drive in city, small dimension but yet better space in the cabin.
Thanks krishnavamshi, nishant5858 and furious_driver for the suggestions. Baleno, Jazz and Elite i20 are surely tempting but do consider my requirements, given in better detail below.


Wagon R AMT - is a reasonable choice, it won't give you too much gizmos like grand i 10 automatic but fuel economy and as well as maintenance friendly package it's a sure shot.
WagonR AMT is also shortlisted. Thanks VISHNUCARCRAZY. I was wondering if the dashboard hieght would be a problem for a 5'5" person.

You can wait for the Tata Kite which will be launched next month; if you are not in a hurry. It seems to have EPS and easy driveable engines at the same time offering good space and possibly great interiors. Else you have the Celerio, Tata Bolt, WagonR, i10.
There is no hurry, the purchase would be done in 2016 only. But we (parents only) are not willing to go for new launches, because of the initial niggles they have in the initial batches. Thanks for the suggestion.

> Seating Capacity: 5 (but 3 people in comfort is fine - as we have Etios when we need space)
What I meant by the above statement was that 2 people at the front and 1 at the back seat should be comfortable, not only space-wise but seat contours and cushioning also.

I am re-writing my requirements in detail below.

Firstly I am confused between a diesel or a petrol. As budget is not a problem (for diesel cars) and running is around the 1000 km mark, we are thinking of going for a diesel car as it will have a better resale value and diesel is a cheaper fuel. I am worried about the turbo lag in diesel cars below 2000 RPM which might be hard to handle in city traffic, especially for ladies. Petrol's torque curve would be a lot more linear and power delivery will start from a lower RPM. Which would be easier to drive in city? A decent performing engine at the lower revs would be better. Next, I am confused on the transmission type - AMT, AT or Manual? I have ruled out manual transmission cars as on now, and will consider those only when I fail to find a good AT car. My mother is not a newbie in driving and is able to drive the Etios comfortably on open city roads, but she has problems in traffic, parking and reversing in the Swift (due to poor rear visibility), Dzire (due to poor rear visibility and turbo lag) and Etios (due to long boot). So the car should have good frontal and lateral visiblity, should have a tight turning radius, and would be good if aided with parking camera from the factory. Music system can be crap or good - it WILL be changed after few months of ownership.[;)]

Fuel efficiency is not a problem. 13 kmpl and above is fine. We want 1 airbag, ABS, rear wiper and basic features like power windows, EPS, etc.. Alloys are not necessary. The legspace and headroom should be decent (even slightly tight is manageable). Rear seat won't be used much but the seats need to be comfortable. Soft compound seats are preferred. And one more thing, we are not considering new launches and will have to remove Jazz, Baleno, etc. from the list. Only tested and successful cars would be considered. Also, the car would cover close to 1 Lac kms during ownership, how would an AT car (and petrol) hold in these conditions?

Now what do the members have to say?

I am shortlisting the following cars as of now and will begin the showroom visits shortly.

- Hyundai Elite i20 Petrol (Asta, Asta Option)
- Maruti WagonR (Vxi Option, Vxi AMT)
- Honda Brio (VX, VX AT)
- Chevrolet Beat (LT Option, LT Diesel Option)
- Maruti Celerio (ZXI, ZDI)
- VW Polo (Comfortline, TDI Comfortline)
- Maruti Ritz (ZXI, ZDI)
- Hyundai Grand i10 (Asta Option, CRDi Asta Option)
 
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Re: Easy To Drive Hatchback - Need Help

Height won't be an issue,as my mother being 5.3 inches drove wagon r quite easily, its front is neatly streamlined and made quite aerodynamic ( Almost all are completely aerodynamic-swift ,innova,verna)thereby judging front is by calculating that from dashboard level a 1 m distance comes the bumper for wagon r.

Only drawback is due to boxy design(Wagon), in highways it won't be drag resistant.
 
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Re: Easy To Drive Hatchback - Need Help

@Ice_wise:
Here is my take on the cars you have mentioned:


  • - Hyundai Elite i20 Petrol (Asta, Asta Option): Sluggish engine in petrol, diesel is fine but all round visibility is nothing special to write home about.
  • - Maruti WagonR (Vxi Option, Vxi AMT): Super practical car but build and ride quality are nothing special. All round visibility excellent and so is ease of driving.
  • - Honda Brio (VX, VX AT): Seems to be a perfect city car by every way, has comfortable seats and rides well too. Boot can be an issue though.
  • - Chevrolet Beat (LT Option, LT Diesel Option): No comments :biggrin:
  • - Maruti Celerio (ZXI, ZDI): Only AMT variants. ZXi AMT will cost you around 5.7 lac with Dehradun registration, will offer you around 18-20 kpl on highways and 14-16 kpl in city. Will get you driver airbag too and is a better option than Wagon R by every way. Additionally you can install an armrest in it and the car is perfect for city and moderately long routes (BTW a friend did Rajasthan and Gujarat tour in Celerio VXi AMT only and the car nowhere let him down). All round visibility is very nice and the crawl feature of AMT will keep your mother super happy while climbing the car on ramp or in dense traffic as the car simply never goes back and keeps on crawling well and slow even on inclines (with 5 people too) without any throttle input in drive mode (Many autos do though), just leave the brake and the car starts creeping forward when in D mode.
  • - VW Polo (Comfortline, TDI Comfortline): No A.S.S. in Meerut
  • - Maruti Ritz (ZXI, ZDI): Discontinued, still stocks being cleared.
  • - Hyundai Grand i10 (Asta Option, CRDi Asta Option): Poor engine, better look for Swift or Figo 1.5. The 1.5 TDCi is a proven rocket and it has proved its reliability and ease of maintenance in Ecosport.
 
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Easy To Drive Hatchback - Need Help

DJBro - My parents know that Bolt is a good car but it is not a successful one according to them. Tata reliability is still far from Maruti and Toyota standards (which we have currently), and the chances of minor niggles are also there. We haven't considered new entrants like the Baleno, Jazz and Figo also.

TSIVipul -
Elite i20 : Diesel is out of budget. Petrol Asta/Asta Option would be just under 8 Lac. Is the low end torque (and power) that bad?

Beat : I like this cute little car, and for the price it comes at (add to that some great discounts), it looks a good package. Not sure on the drivability and rear visibility part. Plus the boot space is also less. And I haven't got the green signal from parents also regarding Beat. Safe to rule it out I think.

Ritz : Dad checked at Raj Sneh Auto (Maruti) and they are giving some good discounts on the Ritz. I have asked for a TD for Petrol this tuesday and will see how my mother feels while driving it. Avoiding diesel due to the turbo lag.

Celerio and WagonR : I am getting decent discounts on the WagonR. Reviews are also good. But I feel Celerio has a better cabin and is worth the extra price we pay over WagonR. Will arrange a TD of both to see which one is better to drive. WagonR's visibility is excellent, and I think would be better than the Celerio also. Any comments on the drivability of Diesel Celerio?

Brio : Will there be a facelift anytime soon?

Polo : I was thinking of picking it up from Volkswagen Gurgaon, if we finalise Polo. For service, we will have to take it to nearest ASS but not a problem as it will be once in a year or 6 months. As you are driving a Polo these days, do shed some light on the lateral and frontal visibility. Is the dashboard placed too high?

VISHNUCARCRAZY - Thanks for the advice. WagonR is a strong contender in my list but I am thinking of moving to Celerio AMT, as it is a better feeling car. I am not concerned about high speed or highway dynamics as this car is meant for city use only and would hardly see speeds upward of 60 kmph.
 
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bhvm

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Re: Easy To Drive Hatchback - Need Help

Petrol Or diesel-
Todays modern diesel are far better than petrols today. The torque is better and starts low down. Speaking from My experience, my i10 1.1 Petrol is far easier to CLIP on speed beakers, Inclines due to very poor low end torque rather than comparable diesel.
Also fuel efficiency will be better in diesels.

AMT, AT or MT.
Women usually prefer automatics. It takes the tension off in bumper to Bumper traffic. Also there will be less chances of wrong gearing/Improper clutch wear. I deliberately purchased MT for my girl and she now likes shifting and performance. Its better if you ask your mom about this.
 
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