Better safe than

I am planning to buy a new car in the 5 to 7 lakh range. I am looking for a safe car with pleasant interiors. My daily travel would be approximately 35 km (20 km on the highway).

Also, I take advantage of some alternate roads (usually very bad) to avoid peak time traffic. I also do lot of highway driving on the weekends but never cross 100 kph mark. Which car suits me the most?

My second query is how effective is ABS. I met with two accidents (head on collisions) and both could have been avoided had the wheels not locked up.

I think it is better to rely on your brakes than on other peoples driving discipline. Is it worth going for ABS? Shouldn't car maker offer it at least as an option?

Thanks in Advance,
Arun Nagaraju

Congratulations on surviving two collisions and for writing in a near perfect which car letter. Yes, ABS is important and should be offered at least as an option to the Indian buyers.

As for your next car, how about the new City? No, it doesn't come with ABS but has reasonably good brakes. And it is one of the safest cars in the world as far as crash worthiness goes.

If you have to have ABS (and why not) we suggest the Accent Viva "� the comfort of a three box car, ABS and versatility of a notch-back design beckons.

Upgrade

We are a family of four. I have Maruti 800 DX since 1997 but I am not happy with its airconditioning performance. I need a new car, with power windows, power steering, good interiors and low maintenance.

My short list is: Corsa Sail 1.4, Santro Xing, New Zen and Wagon R. Which one do you suggest? My preference is Corsa Sail 1.4. It would be better price wise and I have to admit that I like the way it looks.

Vishwas Bhatia

The Corsa Sail 1.4 is a very well built car with nice interiors and a whole lot in the form of features. The rear seat is not all that comfortable and the mileage can be bad in terrible traffic (though it will still return 11- 12 kpl if you drive carefully).

So yes, go ahead and buy the Corsa if you like the car "� it is very well engineered and a proven product all over the world.

Planning to buy a car or bike? Ask us at bijoy@business-standard.com