Need suggestion for the best Hatch guys! : Bought i20 Asta Sparkle Blue

[cooldhaya]

One of my close friend is on a look out for his first car , a brand new one. Initially we had plans to buy a good sparingly used car but the price difference between a used one and a brand new one was only around 75k-1Lakh so finally have decided to buy a new one! Since its his first car the maintenance should be hassle-free and the ownership should not be a problem.

Cars considered:
1.Swift ZXI
2.Figo ZXI or Titanium depends
3.Vista Aura+ or ABS
4. Maybe even Polo (He is protesting to his dad for budget hike and if he accepts it Polo is also definitely in the list)

Out of all this my friend likes the Figo a lot for its space and interiors. Swift is recommended by his sister. Vista his dad likes Indica and in general TATA a lot! And Polo is my friend's heartthrob but due to budget constraints not possible for him right now! And we also don want the Polo base model with no power-windows , fog lamps and many of the basic features.

You might notice Beat as a glaring omission and yes we decided to leave it out as rear space looks cramped , the car will always be occupied by 5 people! And also GM'S A.S.S is not so very good here in Chennai. Whatever car be it , he has decided to get White! ( no his dad is not a politician , he just likes white a lot).

We are planning to TD all the above mentioned cars in this coming month after we get to know the exact budget from his dad and so guys waiting for some suggestions from you. Also it would be helpful if we could get the OTR prices of all these cars in Chennai. And also if possible can anybody guide for the best Ford / Maruti / TATA / VW dealer here in Chennai? Zinam i need your help bro regarding this! Thank you all guys in advance!

Your Budget- 4.5-5.5Lakhs OTR

Your Location- Chennai

Top 5 Priorities:

• Good leg room at the rear as we always travel as a group of 5.
• Decent AC
• Good A.S.S
• Decent FE

Monthly Running- Not any exact running maybe only 10 k kms a year maximum.

For Which Purpose-Purely city driving with only occasional highway driving

Max. Seating Capacity-5

Priority of Fuel Type- Petrol

Body Type- Hatchback

 

[RSM]

I will remove Figo from the list, as requirement is for Petrol and Figo petrol engine is not at-all good. May be anuprav can chip-in to confirm. Figo Diesel has a different story though.
Polo will certainly be out of budget.

So from rest 2, my vote is for Swift, if its going to be 2 person mostly, otherwise Vista if its going to be used for family mostly.

Why is he not considering Punto? I think in his budget, Emotion variants should come, considering the current offers.

 

[AMG]

5 lakhs punto will get you only base model.
Go for i20 era.
The only real 5 seater hatch in the country.

 

[cooldhaya]

@ RSM But he is really hooked on to the Figo for its looks! Punto i think again only base model is available and so we are not preferring it, though he does like Punto for its looks!

Not much of a family use , will be used by my friend only mostly and us for roaming around Chennai!

And also note it will be customized later with alloys , HID , and other street smart stuff after the car gets a little older!

@ AMG Isnt i20era also out of budget? And i think even Era does not have most of the features.

 

[RSM]

Go for i20 era.
The only real 5 seater hatch in the country.

They are buying for chennai and i20's AC is not at-all effective. Era variant doesn't offer any good features.

@ RSM But he is really hooked on to the Figo for its looks! Punto i think again only base model is available and so we are not preferring it, though he does like Punto for its looks!

Figo is good, but my knowledge says the petrol engine is not good.

And for Punto, as i already mentioned Emotion variant will come in his budget (there are ~40K offer going-on). This will have all the features he is looking for at this price.



Since the car is not for family use, often, Swift will be my choice from the list.
And yes test drive all one-by-one and take whichever he likes.

 

[Akash]

From the cars you mentioned, the best Petrol car is Swift. But since IMO its never a god idea to get a car which is going to get a facelift soon.
IMO Punto is the car for your friend. Also Figo Petrol is not that bad, though i agree its not as peppy as diesel.

 

[350Z]

From what all you have mentioned above, I can make out that space as well as ease of use is the primary concern to your friend, Also, because he is a first time car-buyer, the dealership network and after sales support should be good enough. Therefore, personally my advice would be to consider New Wagon-R, top-end VXi ABS which costs approx. Rs.4.65 Lakhs on-road Chennai where he can save on some pennies which can also be used for accessories purposes later. Else, if he’s looking for something different and sporty, then Punto makes a good choice overall, like RSM said already. Fiat Punto 1.2 Emotion costs approx. Rs.5.56 Lakhs On-road Chennai but mind you that Fiat’s network is still not as wide as of Maruti Suzuki in India. The Figo is a good choice too but I’m not suggesting since Ford’s dealership network is no good yet either, moreover what else can be better when bigger Punto is under the budget? Secondly, estimated monthly running will be almost close to 1,000 Kms, So just re-confirm with him once, and if so then consider a diesel car.

Drive Safe,
350Z

 

[Shynish M]

Most of the important aspects are discussed above. Following is the price list in Chennai OTR:

Maruti Suzuki Swift 1.2 ZXi BS IV Rs. 5,94,868 /-
Maruti Suzuki Swift 1.2 VXi (ABS) BS IV Rs. 5,25,867 /-
Maruti Suzuki Ritz Zxi BS IV Rs. 5,49,524 /-

Hyundai i20 1.2 Magna Rs. 5,52,888 /-
Hyundai i10 Asta 1.2 (with Sunroof) Rs. 5,58,043 /- (You will get i10 AT version and Sportz for less)

Fiat Grande Punto 1.2 Emotion Rs. 5,55,624 /-

Skoda Fabia Active 1.2 MPI Rs. 5,61,917 /-

I have not included the new Wagon R as your friend has a slightly higher budget. However, as Vibhor mentioned, its a very nice car to own. I really don't think we have to iterate the benefits of MSIL cars. Since your friend is not going to use the car that much (10K per year is average use), I think its better to have a MSIL car. However, i20 and Punto offers better room inside.

If have to pick one for my daily/family use, I will go for Swift ZXi just because of the MSIL factor; which is very important!

 

[350Z]

If he's comfortable with Ritz's styling (Yes I am) then that is a better option as well. About the Swift, It is the most popular choice BUT:

- Does not offers as much interior space as other two.
- Soon going to be replaced with newer model.

Drive Safe,
350Z

 

[Shynish M]

That's true Vibhor. I don't understand why people don't like Ritz styling. I liked it and I think its much better design. Wagon R is replaced with Ritz (Splash) in international market just was Hyundai did with Santro and Getz (i10 and i20 respectively). I think all these new designs are good. I recall that when Zen and Honday City was launched, every one was screaming about the styling too. I am sure, going forward Ritz will rule the segment.

 

[350Z]

That's true Vibhor. I don't understand why people don't like Ritz styling. I liked it and I think its much better design. Wagon R is replaced with Ritz (Splash) in international market just was Hyundai did with Santro and Getz (i10 and i20 respectively). I think all these new designs are good. I recall that when Zen and Honday City was launched, every one was screaming about the styling too. I am sure, going forward Ritz will rule the segment.

Absolutely. I share very similar thoughts, Shynish. For me, Ritz has the smartest design amongst most of the tall boys. Maybe those who scream have never seen that car in real?

Drive Safe,
350Z

 

[cooldhaya]

@ RSM First time am hearing i20's AC is not enough! I have heard that generally Hyundai's AC's are good. I have experienced it in my friend's Santro and my Verna.

And checked out the features of the Emotion variant and yeah its loaded with almost all the features! Will ask him to surely consider Punto also!


@ Akash Yeah am not keen on Swift as there are loads of them running on road and even if you do hell a lot of modifications on it , People's reactions will be like oh yes just another modded Swift , such is the state of the car now. And also not considering because of facelift and high waiting period. Now my heart is saying Punto! Have to make his heart also say the same!


@ 350Z Exactly just space and easy to drive factor are primary! And no WagonR even though he likes the looks of new one , he feels not a looker even if modded. In Chennai we have a place called Ambattur industrial estate just 5 kms from my home where we have workshops right from Benz ,VW , Audi , Bmw to Maruti , Hyundai , Tata-Fiat only Ford is missing out. So dropping the vehicle for service wont be a problem and Punto owners here have had a happy time so far. Am going to suggest him Punto! And again no diesel , a strict petrol family!


@ Shynish Really thanks for the prices buddy! Seems Zxi is out of range for now only Swift Vxi! Ritz ruled out for looks and i10 for space. Fabia also ruled out as its a Skoda and costly spares. The race is within Punto emotion and i20 Magna.


I feel Punto and i20 are my final contenders , will have a word with my friend and keep you guys updated! Thank you guys for all the advice!

 

[RSM]

I don't understand why people don't like Ritz styling.

Absolutely. I share very similar thoughts, Shynish.

I am one who hate Ritz's design, specially the rear. The looks are purely subjective so one you may like other will hate. I am yet to see any other bad design than Ritz.

@ RSM First time am hearing i20's AC is not enough! I have heard that generally Hyundai's AC's are good. I have experienced it in my friend's Santro and my Verna.

Just google it "i20 ac problem" you will find a lot. Actually i20's AC is very ineffective.
But other cars are good from Hyundai, even i10 has good AC.

 

[cooldhaya]

Too bad we don have any i20 owners on board!

My final list: Punto emotion and i20magna. even my friend loves both the cars for its looks!

 

[Shynish M]

My final list: Punto emotion and i20magna. even my friend loves both the cars for its looks!

WOW! You are in a deep trouble now! I am curious to know the final pick and the reasons for it. Both are excellent cars. Hyundai is more established brand in India. Its hard pick one over the other.