I drive a Hyundai Santro and am looking to upgrade to a sedan. My budget is a maximum of Rs 7 lakh. I am looking for a diesel car and have shortlisted the Tata Indigo Manza, Ford Fiesta, Maruti Suzuki Dzire, Hyundai i20 and the Volkswagen Polo. My daily driving is 35 km within the city and once a month out-of-town drive of approximately 1000 km. I am confused and want to consider every aspect like service support, parts availability, fuel efficiency and driveability. Which car should I buy?
Amit Dwivedi, via email
Of the lot you have elected, the Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire works out to be the best option. It is easy to drive and park, has decent space on the inside, has an efficient and peppy 1.3-litre DDiS diesel motor under the hood and given Maruti Suzuki’s after-sales support spread, it’s probably one of the easiest cars to maintain.
Take two
I am looking to buy a car primarily for urban use and am confused about whether I should go in for a hatchback or a sedan. Could you recommend the best car in both categories? My budget is limited to a maximum of Rs 9 lakh and I won’t be driving for more than 200 km a month, with the occasional highway outing. The car should have good styling, be comfortable and provide decent fuel efficiency and be easy to maintain.
A Singh, via email
If a boot is essential, only then go for a sedan, otherwise a hatchback should do the job just fine. Still, since you’ve asked for both, we'd suggest the Hyundai i20 1.2 Kappa among hatchbacks and the VW Vento among sedans for you. The i20 looks good, has good space and the 1.2-litre engine is efficient enough. It rides well too and has a good features list to boot. The Vento 1.6 petrol has even more space and rides even better. It’s priced quite well and offers decent value too. Both Hyundai and VW have reasonably good service setups in metros and large cities. Either of these cars should serve you fine.
People MUVer
I live in a rural/semi-urban area and I’m looking to purchase an SUV/MUV under Rs 10 lakh. The vehicle should seat 8-9 people and while it won’t be driven extensively, it should be able to handle terrible potholed and semi-paved roads. I’m trying to narrow down my selection between the Chevrolet Tavera, Tata Safari and Mahindra Xylo. The Tavera seems a tad outdated and pricey when you add comfort options. The Safari scores on many points, but has limited boot space and cramped third-row seating. The Xylo seems to score well on space, features and value for money. Any other vehicle suggestions would be welcome. Also, would a BS-III engine differ much from a BS-IV engine – is it worth the extra Rs 10,000?
KN Pal, via email
You seem to have answered your own question! There’s no doubt that out of the three, the Xylo is the perfect fit. It seats up to eight persons rather comfortably, rides well on potholed and semi-paved roads and has good ground clearance too. Add the peppier and more efficient 2.5-litre m-Eagle engine into the equation and the overall value the MPV offers and the Xylo is the car for you. The BS-III versus BS-IV debate is all about if you want to have greener credentials. If you do, then opt for BS-IV, especially since it does tend to marginally affect used car prices when you plan to upgrade.
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