WhichCarIndia

Get this right - the Swift is fun to drive and the Getz is a better buy overall. A peppy, rev happy engine and an overall lightweight feel makes the Swift a point and shoot device with not much comparison. The Getz on the other hand works like a quality refrigerator, spreading little cheer all around. Now the 1.1 version (with the Santro engine) is available and is an absoulte economiser package. The Getz is better built and uses more quality bits too. If you want your 'grown up hatchback' with full complement of safety features, like ABS and two airbags, then the Swift ZXi is the only choice. Mind says Getz is a better buy but heart wants to have fun. I would succumb to the temptation and buy a Swift. And tell the world that I bought it for safety features. Actually I have done just that.

Old vs not so new? Tough question to answer really. Both are equally dated sedans built the traditional way - that means getting in and out is tough and you don't get the raised driving position you get to enjoy in cars such as the Honda City. Between the two go for the Baleno if you are doing lot of inter city driving in your life. Baleno Altura looks unique (I love it) but you may never use the additional space to good use (and it is not a good place to carry children). The Accent is a capable allrounder of a car that starts feeling soggy after say 30,000 km. The engine and gearbox is refined and reliable though. If you are ready to overahaul the suspension as it gets tired - then the Accent makes sense. The Accent GLE is a great VFM proposition too. Both cars return around 10 kpl if you have good driving habits.

Bijoykumar Y

The new Sonata is a brilliant car. I have had some serious fun blasting across the ECR (chennai - pondy) in one and I can tell you on a good day, with a good driver it will thrash the Accord. But hey, Honda knows how to make engines (what a glorious i-VTEC unit in this one) and depsite the fact that it is the underpowered car here it can beat the Sonata to 100 kph. I prefer the new-age look of Hondas and especially the Accord (it does look like a concept car that managed to hit the road, right?. While the ride quality is comprable the Accord gets more marks for handling. And yes, the Accord has a better designed interior that ages nicely, while the Sonata interior is a neat yet boring place to be. Any day, I would choose the Accord - but that does not mean the Sonata is a bad car. Yes, the rice rocket wins!

Bijoy Kumar Y

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

The 1.8 turbo motor as used in these cars is actually the USP of both machines. The 1.8T or the rider version is much cheaper and gives you exactly the same performance - as long as the going is straight. The big difference with the RS is tauter spring and damper ratings and lower profile rubber on bigger wheels - which makes the ride uncomfortable but handling a few notches above what is offered by the basic version. Buy the 1.8T only if you are into driving aggressively on twisties (it is a safer bet to do such driving). Otherwise all the base 1.8T has close to 150 bhp performance and decent ride quality on potholed roads. Trust me you can get second gear wheelspins on the latter too!

Bijoy Kumar Y