Feb 21, 2004 08:46 PM
43902 Views
(Updated Feb 22, 2004 01:46 PM)
We may talk about technology, read reports in magazines about Road Test and expert opinions but in the final analysis it is our personal view and satisfaction that counts. What people think of the cars that they drive is what matters.
And so the best place to know what people think of their cars is MOUTHSHUT.COM. For this review I have done a small research based on the reviews of mouthshut members in the Automobile section. In a sense this is a Review on Reviews. Analysing on what members think about their cars I have tried to draw a conclusion on the 5 Best cars.
METHODOLOGY
Let me first start by explaining the methodology I have adopted -
Only cars available in India have been considered from the reviews of mouthshut.
Only those cars with more than 4 reviews were eligible.
SUVs were not taken into account.
Variations in the model of a car were clubbed together. Fo eg. Santro and Santro Xing were clubbed together as Santro.
Each car model was analysed based on the Recommendations, Ratings and No. of Reviews
If there was a tie in the Recommendations and Ratings the car model with higher no. of reviews was given weightage.
Mercedes was not considered in this analysis. It is afterall the best.
The finding is as of 20th Feb.2004.
FINDINGS
Chevrolet Optra received a Recommendation of 100% while Honda City VTEC, Santro and Maruti Baleno each with 86%. Skoda Octavia came next with 85.85%, Maruti Esteem and Zen(Petrol) each scored 85%. Hyundai Accent - 81%, Fiat Siena(Petrol), Honda Accord, Toyota Corolla - 80% each, Tata Indica - 79.8%, Fiat Palio, Fiat Uno and Maruti Wagon R each with 78%, Ford Ikon - 76%, Hyundai Sonata - 74.5%, Maruti 800, Omni and Tata Indigo - 73% each, Opel Corsa 1.6 - 67%, Maruti Alto - 65.6%, Mitsubishi Lancer - 57% and finally Opel Corsa Sail - 50%.
Most of the cars in the list above had a 4 star rating with the exception of the following cars - Sonata - 3.8 star, Tata Indica - 3.6, Maruti Alto - 3.46, Ford Ikon, Opel Corsa Sail, Honda Accord and Omni each 3 star rating.
The most reviewed car in order of number of reviews were as follows -
Santro - 92 reviews
Maruti 800 - 80 reviews
Fiat Palio - 51 reviews
Zen(Petrol) - 47 reviews
Ford Ikon - 41 reviews
Tata Indica - 40 reviews
Hyundai Accent - 32 reviews
Maruti Esteem - 27 reviews
Maruti Alto - 26 reviews
In the final analysis the top 5 cars are(in order):
Chevrolet Optra
Santro
Honda City VTEC and Maruti Baleno
Skoda Octavia.
Zen(Petrol).
However the above conclusion is across all segments. But when each segment is considered seperately the findings are as under -
Segment A - Maruti 800 rules the road with a recommendation of 73%, rating of 4 star and 80 reviews.
Segment B -
Santro is the King - 86/4/92(Recommendations/Rating/Reviews) followed by
Zen(Petrol) - 85/4/47;
Fiat Palio - 78/4/51;
Tata Indica - 79.8/3.6/40 and
Maruti Alto - 65.6/3.46/26.
Though Tata Indica had a higher recommendation than Fiat Palio it lost on rating and no. of reviews.
Segment C and higher -
Chevrolet Optra is the best - 100/4/5. Next in order are
Honda City VTEC and Maruti Baleno - 86/4/7 each
Maruti Esteem - 85/4/27
Skoda Octavia - 85.5/4/7(lost to Esteem on no. of reviews)
Hyundai Accent - 81/4/32.
FINAL OBSERVATION
Most of the findings are in keeping with the market reports and trends.
It was found that Diesel versions of all cars fared pretty badly.
It appears that most of the mouthshut members owned Santro(different versions) as this was the most reviewed car.
Finally this is just a summary of opinions expressed by mouthshut members. I have just attempted to bring it together in one place. I hope more products from mouthshut may be analysed in this manner to help prospective buyers to make quick and easy decision.
