War of Hatches!

[Zinam]

It has been long list of hatches now in India.
So i thought of starting this thread to find out which wins every ones heart!

The list of hottest hatches follows,

• Maruti Ritz Vxi
• Maruti Ritz Vdi
• Hyundai i10 1.2 Magna
• Maruti Zen Estilo

We start on now!
Here's my TD report of each & every car.


Maruti Ritz Vxi

It carries a KB12 Engine which has 85bhp & placed as competetion to Hyundai's Kappa Engine.

But the weight to power ratio is the one which makes the car bit under powered. Some how i missed the grunt in this car.This is definetely a good car from Maruti's Stable.

The car is lot refined than old gen maruti cars but still way back in competetion.


Maruti Ritz Vdi

It carries the same DDIS Engine of Swift.
This car has a good Weight to Power ratio as it is lighter than swift & claimed to give more mileage than swift.But the cabin noise is a real -ve point to which attention has to be paid.


+Ves

• Branding
• Service
• Head & leg room
• Mileage

-Ves

• Rear Design(most people including me hate this part!)
• Level of refinement is not up to the mark.
• Gear Shift are tight & hard & doesn't engage easily.
• Enginer is bit noisy & vibrations are present even in very new vehicle.
• Less Boot Space is a big miss
• Bad Plastics & cheap interiors

Hyundai i10 1.2 Magna

Most of us know why this car is selling like Hot cakes.
It has got a proven Kappa Engine, Which has got the best refinement from Hyundai.

It has 80Bhp of power which never makes you dumb anywhere. The power to weight ratio is extremely awesome which makes ahead in competetion. Interiors are class apart & Build quality is really worth paying for.

+Ves

• Looks & Style
• Interiors
• Comfortable
• Boot Space
• Mileage
• Hyundai's ASS

-Ves

• Low & deep boot which will be difficult in loading & unloading luggages.
• Leg Room is medicore.
• Ride quality is bumpy when we leave the car in small path holes.

Maruti Zen Estilo [K Series]

This is the car which is called as the WOW car from Maruti.
When i see this from outside, okay i managed to say Wow!
As soon as i stepped in, i'm absolutely disappointed with the bad quality plastics everywhere

Starting from the ackward positioning of GearBox, And it really looks like an Ace, Because i dont find the Gear knobs fitted into any plastics. It just peeps out straight from the floor!

The ride quality is not that good. Rear seat comfort is Ok, But leg room is less to occupy 3 adults.

+Ves

• Boot Space
• Branding
• Service
• Mileage

-Ves

• Poor Ride Quality
• Cheaper Plastics & Interior
• Level of Refinement in K Series is really poor

FINAL VERDICT

Now its time to choose the best among the list!

Maruti Ritz Vxi - 4,50,000 Lakhs OTR
Maruti Ritz Vdi - 5,24,000 Lakhs OTR
Hyundai i10 1.2 Magna - 4,13,000 Lakhs OTR
Maruti Zen Estilo Top End - 3,89,000 Lakhs OTR


My vote will defintely be given to i10 Kappa for its Looks, Outstanding Performance, Quality & Maneuverability.

The level of refinement in engine, Weight to power Ratio, Cabin Noise & Interiors has been now set as benchmarking standards for other companies.

More Over i10 is real fun to drive than any other cars in this segment!

NOTE: This Comparison is based on Test Drive of all the cars in the same roads at Same time back to back. All the above are my personal experience and I have payed much attention not to bias towards any manufacturers.

Please let me know if you think I haved over rated/ under rated any.

 

[sriharsha]

+1 to i10. but i think you ought to include even the i20 in the list and all the votes will be to that cute looking babe.

 

[Zinam]

Yes, I thought Sriharsha!

But everyone will say its out of range, as it costs 5.6+ OTR.

I test drove the diesel variant today!

The best premium hatch i have ever driven!

If you get a chance test drive i20 Magna ABS, it has got 1.4 CRDI engine with 90 PS & 220Nm which makes any premium hatch stay behind in competetion.

But its priced 6.94 Lakhs OTR & all say its Over Priced.

But its definitely not, Most people just gives a M:S [money to size ] ratio when selecting a car, which is really worse!

People has to change their mentality & test drive the vehicles before commenting anything, Once they test drive it, they will not say i20 is Over Priced.

 

[Neil.Bhujbal]

i 10 for me

 

[vroom]

Why not include Punto in this list?

Cheers,
Vroom

 

[Ichimaru]

i think a separate compareo should be created which would include punto 1.4 i20 1.2 and fabia 1.2 jazz i think is too expensive to compare with these and similarly one for diesel models.

 

[Zinam]

I expected this question from you :)

To be frank, I haven't completely TDed Punto Yet! Just got a chance to drive my friends Punto long back! There is a lot of difference in TDing a car and driving friends New car! I couldn't push that to its limit. so cannot write a review without doing that.

Went to TATA showroom today & its closed

So thought of including it in the list in a weeks time.

Will get Test Drive of both Gasoline & Diesel very soon.

NOTE: To mention this thread is not only about comparision of just the above mentioned hatches. Anyone can compare any hatches anyday if it is launched in INDIA

 

[napster]

+1 to i10, my friend got an i10 1.2 magna recently..drove it today and im completely loving the car, except for those stock tyres everything else is very good in i10. engine is well refined, doesnt vibrate much, takes heavy load easily

 

[vroom]

I expected this question from you :)

hahaha.. we all here at TAI have gotten to know each other better..

Cheers,
Vroom

 

[RSM]

Excellent review Zinam.

But my personal view was Ritz Petrol was better that i10 1.2. Only look wise, i didn't like Ritz, otherwise my vote would be to Ritz.

 

[Zinam]

+1 to i10, my friend got an i10 1.2 magna recently..drove it today and im completely loving the car, except for those stock tyres everything else is very good in i10. engine is well refined, doesnt vibrate much, takes heavy load easily

Ya. This is the worst part in the car. I even hate the handling at highways & cornering !

The UK i10 has R14 as stock, why not they launch the same thing in India ?

Excellent review Zinam.

But my personal view was Ritz Petrol was better that i10 1.2. Only look wise, i didn't like Ritz, otherwise my vote would be to Ritz.

Thanks RSM!

Okay this is what i was expecting for!

Now i would like to question more on this!

To be clear we can start a healthy conversation on why you like Ritz over i10 ?

Because i would like to know on what basis people say the car is good ?

 

[vijay]

good work zinam, requesting mods to add a poll to have a better lookout and results of this, but still the shortlisted cars are not enough for hatchbacks fights.Will add a few names and let mods and other members decide.

 

[RSM]

Ritz is bigger car compared to i10. I felt the space inside is much bigger.
Due to its tall design, the visibility is better.
As far as engine is concerned, both felt equal to me. I am not an expert, so minor details of engine i can't make out.

 

[Dcargod]

I would anyday go for the Ritz VXi. Ijust love its engine, which I found to be better and more fun to drive than the i10 kappa, the interiors are nice and airy, though plastics still dark, the gearshift and direct steering are also a boon, as is the comfy ride. It is only meant to be a city cruiser and not meant for spirited driving. Even then, straight line stability of the Ritz is acceptable, but it hates been thrown around corners. But overall, I would vote for the Ritz VXi.

 

[Zinam]

Ritz is bigger car compared to i10. I felt the space inside is much bigger.
Due to its tall design, the visibility is better.
As far as engine is concerned, both felt equal to me. I am not an expert, so minor details of engine i can't make out.

Okay! I agree to the points like better visibility & Space.

But can you try a back to back drive of Ritz & i10 if you get any time & you will feel the difference of refinement in engine!

I would anyday go for the Ritz VXi. Ijust love its engine, which I found to be better and more fun to drive than the i10 kappa, the interiors are nice and airy, though plastics still dark, the gearshift and direct steering are also a boon, as is the comfy ride. It is only meant to be a city cruiser and not meant for spirited driving. Even then, straight line stability of the Ritz is acceptable, but it hates been thrown around corners. But overall, I would vote for the Ritz VXi.

Hey DcarGod!

Thanks for making your choice.

Few things which you mentioned like Gear shift & Spirited driving are really mandatory for a car! [atleast for me :)]

This makes you feel bad when some car comes & Rev up in Signal, & you couldn't catch him up in the next signal!