Heavy pet-ing

I am looking for a good city car for my commute. However, it will only be used around 10 days in a month. The car will be driven on the highways occasionally, but not too often. As I am looking for a sedan, I am considering the Maruti Suzuki Dzire and the Honda City. Are there any other options that I ought to look at and must I go for a petrol or diesel car?

Parag Srivastava, via email

A petrol car is fine enough, especially if it is not going to be used frequently. The additional investment on a diesel car is not required. Among the sedans, you have a wide variety — the Dzire is compact, it’s essentially the Swift with a small boot. The City is overall a better car — it is comfortable, good to drive, nice to look at and cost efficient too. The other option you can look at is the Hyundai Verna, which is loaded with features, if that’s what you are looking for.

Star car

I am looking for a petrol car to drive within Nashik city. My budget is Rs 4-5 lakh and I need help picking a suitable car. Could you please point me in the right direction?

Vaibhavi Yardi, Nashik

You haven’t specified what you would like from your car, so we’ll try and offer you the best combination of space, economy, ride, performance and value for money. We believe you should consider the Maruti Suzuki Ritz. It has a peppy and frugal 1.2-litre petrol engine, it rides and handles reasonably well, is easy to get in and out of and is decently spacious too. There are some good deals to be had on petrol cars these days, so do bargain hard.

All that Jazz

I am planning to purchase a new car to drive within the city during the week and outstation on the weekends, preferably with a driver. I want a good hatchback with enough space, a good engine, and decent comfort for a family of four people. I have shortlisted the Skoda Fabia, Volkswagen Polo and Honda Jazz. Which car would you advise me to go for and should I opt for a diesel?

CN Gupta, Ahmedabad

If you don’t intend to drive more than 1,000 km a month, you don’t need to look at a diesel, even if you plan to go out of town on weekend drives. Both the Skoda Fabia and Honda Jazz are spacious, with big boots and reasonably frugal engines. When driven in a relaxed manner, with the air-con running pretty much all the time, expect them to give you 14-16 kpl on the highway. Our preference would be for the Jazz, since it has a nice blend of economy, performance and practicality.

Any automotive question? Ask us at srinivas.krishnan@bsmail.in