Require Help and Advice to Choose the Best Hatchback


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Hi all, I am planning to buy a hatchback from a long time. I started with planning and TD’s first in July2010. In September’2010 my job pulled me to shift the location and I shifted to Pune with my family so the plan got suppressed.

In June 2011 I shifted back to Noida again and the suppressed ‘keede’ again surfaced after I sat in my friend’s Figo.

A little background:
I own Maruti Esteem from last 6 years (also got CNG kit installed on it). My experience is very good in terms of mileage, A$$ (other than few off times due to high cost of parts), drivability, big car feeling, comfort etc. etc. In short my experience has been very satisfying.

Now as my family has got one addition (my daughter) I felt need of safety features as well in the car I would like to drive (this is one aspect missing in Esteem).

Requirements:
As a first step to the evaluation process, I put together my requirements:

1. Had to be diesel since I already have a petrol Esteem which I will be keeping and petrol prices are something that make me feel like I should buy a cycle for around Rs. 3500 instead of getting a tank full @ Rs. 70/- which is recent petrol price in Delhi NCR (45 liters * 70/- = 3150). My average monthly running will also be around 1200-1500 km. (so by all means I qualify for dreaming about diesel car )
2. Good handling
3. Good ride
4. Safety features a must.
5. Budget – not a constraint, anything upto 7 lacs OTR is fine.
6. Driver seat must be comfortable - since most of those highway miles I would be on my own
7. Blue tooth enabled stereo is also a must as will have few long solo drives.

Cars considered:
a) Swift 2011 model: Booked then cancelled after the price of ZDI was announced (> 7.2 lacs OTR Noida). As safety features are must did not even think about considering VDI. Dropped from list there and then.

b) Micra – TD done but did not consider it any further. Reasons – No ABS even on the top diesel model, my reservations related to A$$ and looks.

c) Ritz: Dropped just after the TD. Reason – Never liked the looks (my opinion) but still went for the TD being optimistic, @ 5.5 + lacs OTR not even the music system was provided.

d) Vista – Liked it a lot, almost finalized it twice. Only reservation was family’s view. Nobody actually liked it from mom, sis, wife and even my daughter, though she is just 2 years old, after sitting in the car when asked how it is? She said not Yummy (she knows only two terms to express her liking and dislike – Yummy and not Yummy [:)]). Eventually I gave up (my bad luck as I have got only females to approve the final decision) and the car was dropped from list.

e) Figo – Now actually all of this started with this car after I shifted back from Pune. I sat in one of my friend’s car for around 100 km. ride and just loved the drive, handling, space and feel of the car. I drove the car myself for around 50-60 km. and just loved the steadiness (which was lacking in Esteem), pick up and ride (no turbo lag at all). His Figo was Titanium so all preferred safety features were also present in this model (ABS, Airbags). Few other features that I liked are electric boot opener, Bluetooth connectivity and boot space. The OTR price was also attractive (till I re-tested Punto) at around 6.25 lacs OTR Noida.

Things which I think should have been present: Alloy wheels, steering mounted controls, 60:40 split of rear seats, fire prevention system, better GC, USB port (though could have got that installed but for additional cost) etc.

f) Fiat Grande Punto – TDed this care even before shifting to Pune and it was like what a beauty and what a marvelous experience of riding it!!! Forget first 2 gears, rest there was no looking back or time to think about anything other than enjoying the ride and admiring it.

This time also considered it and the impression only became long lasting and addictive. The only hitch is few niggles that I have read in ownership reviews and am not too sure about the A$$ in my area (Noida, Ghaziabad).

Comparison:
Now my decision is only considering Figo and Punto (both top models).

Punto +ives: At 6.8 lacs OTR am getting Climate Control, 15" alloys, 195 section tires, audio control on the steering, rear power windows, split folding rear seats, USB port, Blue & Me and few more additional features. I think paying 55K (Figo is costing me 6.25 lacs OTR) more for these features, solid build and stunning looks is actually making this car sound cheaper than Figo.

Punto –ives: Few scary ownership reports and no conclusive feedback about A$$ in my area, Engine NVH (found Figo +1 in this department) but after speed of 100 the handling, feeling of safety is exceptional and even NVH feels better than Figo (may be the Figo which I drove on highway, that of my friend, was not that well maintained).

Figo +ives: Engine refinement (NVH), 0 turbo lag, seats (found rear seating of Figo more comfortable), boot space, fuel economy (my friend’s Figo gave around 23 km/l), No horror stories on Ford A$$.

Figo – ives: Less features (as already mentioned above), No discounts.

So first impression is Punto is winner for me as the cost difference is not much and feature difference is huge. Also my highway drive will be almost equal to my city drives so sluggish starting behavior of Punto is ot a concern for me rather Punto’s highway etiquettes are much better than any other car I have TDed. But still need help of all you experienced and knowledgeable people to make sure and finalize one car out of these two.

I have already booked Punto but could get it cancelled if am not satisfied and 100% sure about it.

I will be going for white color and when I see a white Figo ( IMO, white color on Figo looks royal and exceptionally good) my heart skips a beat and mind start see-sawing between Punto (BNW also looks good, no doubt)and Figo. Any advice, experience sharing and help towards efficient decision making will be highly appreciated.

:offtopic: Also, if any fellow TAI’an from Delhi NCR could spare sometime on Thursday (22/09) to come along with me to do PDI of Punto at Oberoi Tata showroom, Noida that will be highly appreciated. Please PM me and I will contact you.

Drive safe and value life.
 
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Re: Require help & advice to choose the best option

Figo has a good ride quality and Punto is not different either.
But in figo,the interior and exterior styling is pretty outdated.
Punto has much better looks and a refined 1.3 L MJD which is doing its duty in Swift,Indica Vista quadrajet and others.
But punto is not fun to drive.On other hand,it has more stability while cornering and on highway speeds.

The new swift is the class leader now,I think.And check if they these safety features are available as an optional package at your nearest dealer.If yes,then go for the Swift.
Otherwise Figo is better if you can adjust with the outdated styling.[:D]
 
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Re: Require help & advice to choose the best option

Figo has a great diesel mill under its hood and when it comes to driveability, i feel figo delivers more driving pleasure over Punto. On the other hand, Punto blows dopwn its rivals with its exceptionally good exterior designs which looks class apart. Further more, the Punto has better space and ergonomics over Figo.
IMO go ahead with Punto if you felt the drive in initial ears ok. Except for the initial sluggishness Punto is one of the best hatchbacks available in indian market.
 
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Re: Require help & advice to choose the best option

ashinhere Welcome TAI

As per your requirements Punto is the car for you.
And you have booked it so do not cancel it, There are very nice offers going on do grab them.Try to get maximum freebees from dealer.
Punto
1. Solid build car + specious
2. Great handling
3. Loaded with features which you want
4. 15" alloys + ABS + EBD + Airbags
5. Good for city drive and its best for highways also

Figo is also total VFM but just lag in some features from punto

Do go through these threads this will help you for sure

http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/f...nto-vs-figo-booked-punto.html?highlight=punto

http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/f...-fiat-punto-bnw-multijet.html?highlight=punto

http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/f...fiat-punto-dynamic-1-3-a.html?highlight=punto

http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/f...-linea-t-jet-goes-ladakh.html?highlight=punto

http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/f...-swift-best-diesel-hatch.html?highlight=punto

http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/f...en-figo-swift-polo-diesel.html?highlight=figo
 
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Re: Require help & advice to choose the best option

I'd booked Figo because it is VFM diesel hatch.
read this thread,

http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/car-bike-shopper/4682-help-choosing-spacious-hatchback.html

But go ahead what your heart says to you. I think you should go for Punto.
Problems are there with every car, so dont worry too much about it.
In fact, there are lots of complaints about figo, you can see this in their facebook page.
But that doesn't stop me going for it.

Enjoy your drive [thumbsup]
 
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Re: Require help & advice to choose the best option

I would stick to the age old saying, listen to your heart and do what your mind seeks! In this case this might be difficult though.
In simple terms, I would say go for Punto, it is more drivers car than Figo (Figo owners might sue me after this). It is a beast which boasts of good handling, ride, suspension, build, and steering. Things which lack are interiors and cabin space. Figo is more of a city car and does not like to be revved too much. During my TD of Figo, I could feel the vibrations trickling inside from gearbox, tyres etc after crossing 100. Although it is as silent as a petrol mill on lower rpms.

Other imp factors are A.S.C. and re-sale.
After sales support - If you discount the 'occasional' lack of spares for Punto, its spares are comparatively cheaper than Figo!
Re-sale - I don't want to go there as I don't think any of these will command any value after 5-6 years of ownership.

There are many on this forum who are passionate about their rides and most of them are Punto owners [:)]
 
Thread Starter #7
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Re: Require help & advice to choose the best option

The new swift is the class leader now,I think.And check if they these safety features are available as an optional package at your nearest dealer.If yes,then go for the Swift.
Otherwise Figo is better if you can adjust with the outdated styling.[:D]
Thanks ACMohan for your valuable advice !! Regarding Swift though I agree that it is class leader my reservations are its price, boot space and becoming too common in a few days time (already over 90K new Swift booked). ABS is indeed available for extra cost from GMP but not airbags. Also, I have a classic case of one of my relative who got ABS installed after market from GMP (Genuine Maruti Parts) vendor and is now facing a lot of problems, so am not in favour of going for optional packages from the dealers related to safety.

Figo has a great diesel mill under its hood and when it comes to driveability, i feel figo delivers more driving pleasure over Punto. On the other hand, Punto blows dopwn its rivals with its exceptionally good exterior designs which looks class apart. Further more, the Punto has better space and ergonomics over Figo.
IMO go ahead with Punto if you felt the drive in initial ears ok. Except for the initial sluggishness Punto is one of the best hatchbacks available in indian market.
Thanks Akash, yes initial gear is definitely a issue but as I have mentioned in my post ignore it and then there is no looking back. So am ready to ignore that as on highways there will be rare instances when I will have to come down to 1st and 2nd gears.

ashinhere Welcome TAI

As per your requirements Punto is the car for you.
And you have booked it so do not cancel it, There are very nice offers going on do grab them.Try to get maximum freebees from dealer.
Punto
1. Solid build car + specious
2. Great handling
3. Loaded with features which you want
4. 15" alloys + ABS + EBD + Airbags
5. Good for city drive and its best for highways also

Figo is also total VFM but just lag in some features from punto

Do go through these threads this will help you for sure
Thanks Surfer, indeed the links are very usefull. They are now the difference in my decision making. I am becoming more confident after going through them to stick with my decision of going with Punto.

I'd booked Figo because it is VFM diesel hatch.
read this thread,

http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/car-bike-shopper/4682-help-choosing-spacious-hatchback.html

But go ahead what your heart says to you. I think you should go for Punto.
Problems are there with every car, so dont worry too much about it.
In fact, there are lots of complaints about figo, you can see this in their facebook page.
But that doesn't stop me going for it.

Enjoy your drive [thumbsup]
Yes HuntersChase, totally agee that there is nothing like a perfect hatchback as of today in Indian market but I do not want to sit in or go daily to service centre from initial days of owning the car (same concern you too have shown in your thread). Thanks a ton for your valuable advice and definitely am becoming more confident about Punto.

I would stick to the age old saying, listen to your heart and do what your mind seeks! In this case this might be difficult though.
In simple terms, I would say go for Punto, it is more drivers car than Figo (Figo owners might sue me after this). It is a beast which boasts of good handling, ride, suspension, build, and steering. Things which lack are interiors and cabin space. Figo is more of a city car and does not like to be revved too much. During my TD of Figo, I could feel the vibrations trickling inside from gearbox, tyres etc after crossing 100. Although it is as silent as a petrol mill on lower rpms.

Other imp factors are A.S.C. and re-sale.
After sales support - If you discount the 'occasional' lack of spares for Punto, its spares are comparatively cheaper than Figo!
Re-sale - I don't want to go there as I don't think any of these will command any value after 5-6 years of ownership.

There are many on this forum who are passionate about their rides and most of them are Punto owners [:)]
Resale is not on my mind as I will keep the car for atleast 6-7 years. There is a differnece here my head and heart both are towards Punto and some part of heart is towards Figo. Head is with Punto as the cost difference between Figo and Punto is only 55K (after discounts) with load of extra features in Punto. The only hitch being no surity about A$$ but now after reading all the suggestions I am putting A$$ worries away and planning to stick to my initial choice the Italian headturner [:)]
 
Last edited:
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Stick with PUNTO ,no other hatchback will delight and sizzle you like punto ,to speak in terms of analogy can say that it's AISHWARYA RAI of the car world:lol!:
get yourself a punto and shoot at all corners,bang bang...............[gun]
 
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Well Ashinhere, welcome on board. I am sure you would get the desired advise on TAI and would take a wise decision.

Now back your questions / requirements:

1200 - 1500kms (40- 50 kms per day in a month). Well according to me you do not qualify for the Diesel car if you are buying it on EMIs. (Please do not take me wrong). Please refer to following thread The Definitive Petrol v/s Diesel Calculator. I am sure you would get the answer like whether you need a Diesel car or not and by when you will be able to reach to a break even point to actually start saving money.

Well to tell you frankly, you or people like us who think that by buying a Diesel car they would be able to save MONEY. 99.99% wrong perception. Read further to know why;

Let us say your current petrol expenditure is around Rs. 6000/- per month and by buying a diesel car it would be around Rs. 3500/-. So you are saving some Rs. 2500/- rupees. Well anyone can see the saving but it is not a hard saving rather a virtual saving. If you really want to save, then you need to open an account and use that debit card to pay for the diesel but at the same time pump in Rs. 6000/- month on month basis to that account. Then you would be having a hard savings in your account. That is the reason 99.99% rating.

Now again back to your point;

Feature wise Punto is way ahead than Figo. How much highway travel you do in a month? Are you considering express ways under normal highway runs or separately?
Figo’s city drivability is far better than Punto and as you yourself experienced in your friend’s Figo or while test driving. So consider that as a prime reason as ABS and airbags are present in both the top end models of these two cars.

Since you have already booked Punto EP (guessing) then stick to it or if you are not sure then cancel it and consider petrol as an option if you are able to find your breakeven point using the above tool.

I am sure you would take a wise decision. But if you ask me to chose from both of these. I would chose Figo over Punto because of drivability in cities. Mind you I am not saying that Punto’s city drivability is bad. No it is not the case; it is just that Figo’s is better.

All the best.
 
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If you can afford the extra amount that the Punto costs over the Figo, go for it. A.S.S. is not as bad as made out to be. Otherwise the Figo is also a good option but the looks are really dated.
 

350Z

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You don’t need to change the decision of cancelling the booking of Punto, as long as you are personally satisfied with it (which I’m sure that you are). Just perform a search in the forum and you will find some positive reviews.

Also, if any fellow TAI’an from Delhi NCR could spare sometime on Thursday (22/09) to come along with me to do PDI of Punto at Oberoi Tata showroom, Noida that will be highly appreciated. Please PM me and I will contact you.
Please refer to this Exhaustive PDI Guide and take a print along while inspecting the car: http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/f...pre-delivery-inspection-exhaustive-guide.html

Drive Safe,
350Z
 
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I personally feel, as you have already booked a car that means you have already made your decision.And that too after lot of research and TD's. Just go for it and grab it, [thumbsup] Discussing this further will take you to dilemma. You will remember certain negative comments and when your car gets delivered you will search for those negative things unnecessarily and you will sacrifice on the joy of bringing new car home and cuddle with her! Just listen to your heart and Congratulations in advance. Wish you happy miles![drive]
 
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Best that you did not take a swift decision.Given your needs Punto feels best to suit your needs and requirements.The diesel mill doing work in the Punto is absolutely the best seller and the features in the model mentioned has good value for paying.
Go through the ownership reviews and you will get to know the car right before driving it!
 

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