WhichCarIndia

The Fiesta offers better ride and handling feels more like the dynamically sorted machine out there. That is, as long as we are talking engines here. The Honda City idsi motor is not as peppy as the VTEC alright but this eight spark plug/four cylinder engine is advanced enough to make it driveable both in traffic and on highways. The best part is 14 kpl on offer on a regular basis. I persoanlly like the build quality on offer too though the Fiesta too is a well put together kit. Honda certainly is the better/more futuristic looking machine here to look at and will command more resale value four to five years down the line. Buy the Honda if you want a city sedan and go for the Fiesta only if you like driving hard on mountain roads (in that case you will be driving a Fiesta 1.6, right?).

Old vs spanking new? Well let me tell you something it is not as easy a decision as you think. A proper three box is an appealing proposition, right? My take is simple - if you are going to employ a driver then buy the Esteem (the Swift is meant to be driven) and if you want maximum safety features for your money (ABS, EBD, airbags) then please buy the Swift. Contemporary looks and natural handling prowess comes as a bonus. (That said Maruti needs to improve the build quality of the Swift - I bought one and it crabs to the left and has minor squeaks from the left door!!)

Bijoy Kumar Y

Ah, the perennial question. You see, the Wagon R came first (in Japan) and the Santro was Hyundai's attempt at making a small car with the Japanese Kei car concept (small 600 cc cars with fixed dimensions that puts them in a lower duty bracket) as the benchmark. So the Santro has more space inside and continous development of the successful Hyundai means newer engines and a rather contemporary car. I have been recommending Santros for a long time when I got the opportunity to drive the Wagon R in the mountains - the Raid de Himalaya of all things! And that changed my opinion of the 'bread box' Suzuki forever. The little R is absolutley well built, has a stunning 1.1 litre engine that has longer legs than you would ever imagine and it returns 13-14 kpl on a consistant basis. Guess what, now I love the way the R looks too - it is as utilitarian as a Prestige pressure cooker but it works. Wagon Rs are better bought second hand (under 25,000 km models aplenty out there for as little as Rs 1.5 to 1.8 lakh. You can expect the R to go on for 1,00,000 km before becoming squeaky. So the question is 'newer product' vs a 'modern classic' and I think the latter is better built and has more character over a period of time. Buy the R!

Bijoy Kumar Y