D'Accord

WHICH CAR?

I own a Mitsubishi Lancer, it's chauffeur driven. I am looking to replace it, so I did a survey of cars available. This is what the situation looks like:

1. Corolla: Nothing great. The feeling was, why change for this car? No big deal.
2. Camry: Rs 18 lakh, which by itself is not an issue. But looks too big, attracts too much attention, is not value for money, the dashboard is tacky and is clearly seen as wanting to buy a Mercedes but can't afford it. So why get into such a situation?
3. Mondeo: Looks like a good deal at Rs 14 lakh. But a new version is due for launch later this year, so why not wait? It can hold its own vis-à-vis any other car, including a Merc.
4. Vectra: Sounds good at Rs 14.33 lakh. Is in a stand-alone category. Except it looks like a tank.
5. CR-V: Nice, but horrendous fuel consumption. But try getting my wife to enter it in a sari and you see why it's not suited for the 50-plus age group!
6. City: Super car but need to make a statement better than a City.
7. Accord: At Rs 15 lakh, far, far superior to anything that comes close to fitting the bill. Not too ostentatious, dashboard is outstanding, features are just perfect. Stands on its own.
8. Elantra: So, so disappointing.
9. Optra: Too many horror stories of ridiculous fuel consumption. Know of enough people who regret having bought it.

I am not looking at the Skoda Superb and stuff in that range. So I'm narrowing it down to the Honda 2.3 VTEC Accord as of now. Or should one wait for the new Mondeo? Have I missed out on anything?

Rajesh Khosla, via email

We don't think you have missed anything. A new Mondeo may take some time for an Indian launch. So why wait when there's the Honda Accord readily available? However, if you don't mind letting your chauffeur have all the fun, then the Accord V6 would also fit the bill.

Executive decision

I have to choose between the Skoda Octavia and Hyundai Elantra. Which one should I go for?

Vijoy Kumar, via email

If it is petrol cars that you are talking about, then the Elantra makes sense "� it comes loaded with features too. But when it comes to diesels, though the Elantra has a CRDi engine, we prefer the Skoda Octavia 1.9 TDi. Test drive both cars before you decide.

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