Suggest me the Best Diesel Hatchback for long term use

[MSN1]

Hello All,

This is madhu from bangalore,

here is the details.

looking for a good diesel hatchback for my family, am new to car now learning on how to drive one

my budget is max 7 lakhs.

I already short listed swift and figo.

want to know some figo diesel owners feedback

am concerned about saftey hence looking at the top variant
example FIGO Titanium diesel.

am looking for back seat passenger comfort [here figo seems to be better]
in terms of performance pickup and mileage [seems swift is the best]
passenger saftey concern [figo has driver and front passenger air bags, seems thats absent in swift but it has the power windows where figo has only two power windows]

am new to here and new to cars please guide me,if you know any better hatchback that can fill my requirement please do suggest me

thanks to all in advance

Madhu

 

[Zinam]

Hello Madhu,

Welcome to The Automotive India & have a pleasant stay.

If you are looking for an diesel hatch with 7 lakhs on hand, you should narrow to Swift, i20, Punto & Figo.

Swift - Too old & its grandpa's performance car now! wait for swift 2011 [Expected in Q1 2011]

i20 - Top most safety & featured car. But handling is not on par with the segment

Punto - Not really an luxury hatch, but solid contender running for title.

Figo - Nice car, but performance is bit on the lower end, the initial grunt is missed.

I would suggest you i20 or Punto which can really deliver the performance which you are looking for.

 

[MSN1]

I20 top variant is too costly beyond my loan budget.

As you said punto is a nice car thats all in my place know the tata A.S.S and even the showroom guys are not showing intrest.

Thats true swift is old the only main advantage is performance so who cares 0 to 60 or 0 to 100 in realtime indian traffic and road conditions, more over most are buying for comfort commuting so passenger comfort and safety are more important than speed and pickup.

Seems figo suits my bill and requirement as well.

I have a long way to go let me get licenceed to drive before I try a test drive.

 

[jayadev]

msn1 take my words, if tata-fiat showroom and a.s.s guys in your locality lacks interest dont even go miles near them .
they will mess up your already nice ride with ill workmanship and dirty attitude. so cancel fiat or tata from head.
(as most of the compliaints from punto owners arise after first or second service)
probably something fishy is going betwwen them regarding the jv so beware.

 

[cooldhaya]

Hmmm you are in Bangalore right? I think Bangalore has good TATA-FIAT workshops too , there are many happy owners of Punto from Bangalore in here.



i20 top-end will exceed your budget! What about Polo? Swift yes its becoming very very common and to be frank am bored of seeing modified Swifts too! Figo is a good choice but initial response from the engine is not great. I would say check out some other dealer of Fiat in Bangalore and check out Punto. Diesel Micra will also good but it lacks the saftey features which you want.



And since you are just learning , why not a used car first? With your budget you can get even sedans too.

 

[jayadev]

and since you are just learning , why not a used car first? With your budget you can get even sedans too.

come on dhaya do not spoil his excitements...

 

[Akash]

Hello Madhu,
Welcome to The Automotive India.

* Since you are looking for a diesel hatch, you may go for a Figo, Punto(which seems to
have be out of your list), Swift and i20.

* Rear seat passenger comfort - Punto and i20 score here; somehow i feel Figo a bit cramped(rear), maybe its cramped for 6fter like me)

* Performance- Swift, Figo, i20 score here.

* Mileage- Almost all of these hatchbacks are good

* Passenger saftey concern- Figo will fit in your budget. The top end variants of Punto, i20 may overshoot the your 7lac limit.

So in the nutshell, for your needs FORD FIGO is the winner.

 

[MSN1]

Figo tops my list because me the safety features (abs with ebd and double front airbags)

 

[gears1313]

I love the SWIFT DDiS; but looking at you preference FIGO suits your needs.

 

[MSN1]

I love the SWIFT DDiS; but looking at you preference FIGO suits your needs.

I do love Swift DDiS when it comes to performance, but for saftey futures, space aka comfort of passengers i have to compromise with FIGO

any idea are we getting more space in the 2011 Swift ?
are they release the 2011 swift diesel variant together with petrol one or it was delayed ?
it is coming before march rite

 

[Zinam]

Yes MSN,

Swift is expected by Jan End or Feb 1st week.

Wheel base of 20mm is increased & obviously the space in rear is increased to 20mm.

So do wait for that.

But launch of Diesel is not yet confirmed.

 

[MSN1]

Yes MSN,

Swift is expected by Jan End or Feb 1st week.

Wheel base of 20mm is increased & obviously the space in rear is increased to 20mm.

So do wait for that.

But launch of Diesel is not yet confirmed.

Hmmmmnow itself bimal is saying wait for another 4 months and if i wait for the new swift diesel means i have to wait till almost end of 2011

 

[Akash]

Wheel base of 20mm is increased & obviously the space in rear is increased to 20mm.

Yes Madhu, the wheelbase has been increased. Also the boot space has been reduced to increase the rear legroom. However looking at the slopping roof, i dont think the issue of head room(a trouble for tall occupants) would have been eliminated.

And IMO if you want to go for a hatchback right away, go for Ford Figo(beware even Figo has considerable waiting period).

 

[jayadev]

rear seat passenger comfort
* performance
* mileage
* passenger saftey concern

why not check out indica vista aura + with drive tech4 you get all of the above and it is vfm too
tata is doing much much better nowadays.
No offence just an opinion.

 

[MSN1]

why not check out indica vista aura + with drive tech4 you get all of the above and it is vfm too
tata is doing much much better nowadays.
No offence just an opinion.

No offence please
what you said sounds good, but till this time am unaware of it because all indica looks too similar like the pulsar cousins

will check it out for sure