CORPORATE GAMES

WHICH CAR?

On your advice, I had zeroed in on the Honda City. I find the gearbox to be just fabulous. But now I see this great offer from Toyota: the Corolla at Rs 9.5-10 lakh on-road. This is the special limited edition, I think. Now, is it worth it spending that bit extra for the Corolla? It's 125 bhp I believe, vs the City's 77 bhp "" so that's what's got me thinking.

Arijit, via email

The Corolla is a bigger, better car overall. It rides and handles better and has stronger performance. It won't be as fuel efficient as the City, but won't be all that bad either. It will hold value almost as well as the City. Taking into consideration all of the above, it is not a bad buy at the corporate price that it is being offered at now.

RIGHT CHOICE

I have been driving my Indica for the last two years and have clocked about 52,300 km. A couple of months ago, I had a major accident on my bike, which has left my right leg with reduced capability, as one of the nerves which is used for multiple action has been removed. Can you suggest a car which I could drive again, with minor adjustments to my new machine and the limb. My budget is around Rs 6 lakh.

CKR, via email

Sorry to hear about your accident, and happy to see the resolve in you to drive again! As for your next car, you should look at an automatic. Unfortunately, all automatics need you to use the right leg for the accelerator and brake.

We don't know whether we should be advising you to re-learn driving using an automatic, wherein you will be using the stationary right leg for accelerator inputs and the left leg for operating the brakes. Get expert advice from your doctor before trying this out. With practice, you will be driving like any normal driver. As for the small automatic within your budget, we would go for the Santro Automatic.

FUELLING AROUND

I am planning to buy a car in the next one week. I have driven both the Honda City and Ford Fiesta, but am unable to make up my mind. Below are my usage and budget details:
Family size: 2-4
Daily usage: 30-40 km (love to enjoy long rides of 200-300 km during weekends)
Budget: Below Rs 10 lakh
Preferences: Driving pleasure and comfort. Maintenance should not be too heavy. My height is 5' 5" and I should have a clear view of the road while driving. City: Hyderabad
Please help in arriving at a sound decision.

Srinivas, Hyderabad

Your budget will allow you to buy a Toyota Corolla (you may have to stretch it a little bit), which is a bigger, more comfortable car for your needs. Between the Fiesta and the City (petrol models), the City is a better er... city car while the Fiesta, with its better ride quality, is preferable over longer drives. We trust the Honda to be economical and reliable over a longer period of time. But if you are looking at diesel economy, then there are few cars that can rival the Fiesta diesel.

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