Segment: Upto 1300 CC Petrol
Cars Considered: Maruti Wagon R Vxi, Hyundai Santro XO , Zen Estilo Vxi , Chevrolet Spart LT , Maruti Swift Lxi(Petrol)
Budget: Upto 430000 On Road
Maruti Wagon R
*Pros
*On paper, this car seems to be the best of the lot. It seems the most spacious on the inside, a good powerful engine and excellent city driveability. The view of the road from the driving position is also very good. The engine on this boxy wagon gives excellent pickup and is also frugal on the highway.
Cons
Where did it lose out .Well, it was one of my close finalists but didn't quite make it.Why?
For starters, I am a 23 year old and for me.the drive part of the car is most important. The Wagon R unfortunately has the most rubbery and sticky gearbox in its class. You have to drive the car for 1000 kms to get used to the gear shifting. The boxy looks also look dated though Maruti has tried its best to provide some character to the car by doing Plastic Engineering.
Also, the top end Vxi dosen't come with a rear wiper.(Though you may never use it:-D).
For me the combination of looks and gear shifting crossed out the Maruti Wagon R.
*Zen Estilo
Pros: Zen Estilo is Maruti's latest offering in this segment. The car looks distinctively cute and bears a fresh look. However, a small dig up of the car magazines would tell you that this is the Maruti MR Wagon relaunched in India as the Zen Estilo.Still new in India is new for us isn't it.
The Beige Interiors, Redesigned Dashboard, Easy Ingress and Exit make it a good choice. The Boot space is also good almost same as Wagon R . So why not the Zen Estilo.
Cons: The rear seat of this little beauty is abench, It offers you the same comfort and space levels as a bench does. You don't sit as high up as the Wagon R or a Santro. Thegear shift on this one is the same as that of the Wagon R.IT has the same rubbery feel and simply dosen't click for me.
Hyundai Santro
Pros: The ever reliable segment best seller. Hyundai's blockbuster car in India which just keeps going. So what sets it apart from the rest. This car has the most acceptable looks in its class. By acceptable, I mean that the looks of the car don't need acclamatisation. Nobody would dislike this Korean tomboy for sure. The interiors on the car are much better in plastic quality than the Marutis.The gear box is fairly good and the eRLX engine delivers it power in a neat, prim and proper manner. The space is good and so is the fuel economy. It seems the best package overall doesn't it. It also offers the most economical and best package of the lot when it comes to on road price.
Cons: The Santro is DEAD COMMON. It is as common as the Alto for me. It certainly loses out on the uniqueness factor like the Wagon R. Santro does all its tasks well but not too well.
The back seats are not the best place to be when on bumpy roads. The car seems to lose its focus on high speed expressways. Well I admit, it is very difficult not to buy a Santro from this class. It does everything fairly well and has the least ON ROAD price for comparable feature. It is only the too common factor which drove me away from the Santro.
*The Swift Lxi:
Pros: It is unfair to compare the Swift Lxi in this segment . It is a much bigger, more powerful vehicle offering unparalleled driving pleasure in its class .Whatever car you buy, you must test drive this one for sheer driving nirvana. The gear box is sporty almost like the Ford Ikon 1.6 and so is the steering. Nobody comes close to the Swift when you talk about the driver's car in this segment. . Rally Suspension and a host of other features** make this car the finalist with Spark for my budget segment. So why not Swift Lxi
Cons: Are you prepared to wait for 2 months or maybe more if you want a Swift of your color choice. Are you ready to sacrifice features like both sides outside rear view mirrors, Power Windows, Rear Defogger and Wiper for a better drive. Are you ready for poor build quality issues like initial noisiness, rattling sounds etc. Unfortunately, the Swift Build Quality isn't as good as other cars by Maruti . There are niggles here and there as per feedback from new car users.
For me, buying my first car i wanted a top end model. I wanted everything possible and the car fully loaded. Sadly, my On Road Budget didn't allow me the Swift Vxi or Zxi and thus I sadly rejected the Swift
*The Chevrolet Spark LT! - My Winner of the Segment
Pros: Except for the Swift or Spark, no other car in this segment offers you Gas Filled Suspension.The best in class. Again except for the Swift or Spark , no other car would give you **tubeless tyres -best in class again. Clear Winners here
Lets keep going.The Spark offers the'Look at Me Again' look.The cute exclamation mark shaped rear tail, the rear spoiler, the bubbly front makes this car the most attractive looking in class.
The rear seats split 60:40 -Again one of a kind in the class. There are cubby spaces plenty.Its like playing hide and seek with the interiors.There is a tray here and a tray there, a cubby, a bottle hodler in the driver tray.even a sunglass holder, coin holder and a credit card holder.!
The interiors on the top end are a notch lesser than the Estilo as they are not beige. Still they hold their own with spunky patterns in blue on the seats and a silver finished central console.
Silent Ride:The car brings to life the magic carpet ride quality of the Opel.You just can't make out that the car is running as there is ZERO engine noise unlike the Marutis. You have to test drive to feel this feature.
The power delivery is linear and you really feel it. It is as good as the Wagon R if not better in that department. The Gear Shift quality is a shade lesser than the Swift and thats good enough for me
*Cons:
Though this is my final choice and the segment winner for me, there are some things I would like to improve here.
Central Speedometer**: The speedometer and the fuel guage are mounted in the centre. Though it dosen't make a difffernce to me, the Indian Car market is too immature for this .
The Front Console tends to interfere with normal driving position. Long people would have to adjust their seats a little backwards in order to adjust here. Somehow, since I am on the shorter side, this did not affect me much and one can easily get used to it .These are the two Cons which I discovered in this car. **Ultimately the best in class features package and the diffrentiating factors lead me to buy the Spark.
I have completed 3000 kms and I stand by my choice.Comments Awaited.
