I went through it recently people. Yes I did. The all consuming and all confusing car-buying mania! A trip to the local dealer gets you more confused than you already are.
Basically, the whole deal can be cut into half if you have your budget in mind(which I’m sure u do). So first there’s the Alto, Santro, Matiz, Indica segment and then the Palio which scores over the rest a bit. Finally the so called mid-size cars. For anything above that I don’t think you need a review…baby it’s all GOOD! Here I’m just telling you about the cars you probably don’t know much about, the esteem stuff is boring now that you have better things in the market. So write out that cheque to any of these contenders!
SANTRO
So who scores the points in the first segment…frankly all cars are good. No doubt. Your concern, after the budget, should be the service. You don’t want to be stuck with a car that nobody’s willing to fix. In that aspect the Santro does well for one reason only, it hardly ever needs repairs:D The Santro gives you about a mileage of 17 which is pretty acceptable. It’s comfortable. It’ll lighten your pocket by approx 4 lakh depending on what kind of a model you choose.
INDICA
The Indica has done well with the diesel V2 model. If it’s a cheap trip to grandma’s you’re looking for then the diesel gig is your car. However I must add that the Indica has very poor finishing. The interiors tend to look like they haven’t been chiselled well enough. The seat belt lock is toy-like. It’s not a car I’d like, because if I’m gonna spend some cash it better give me good quality; and quality is something you never get with Indica. The TATAs have tried to lure the buyer with a diesel thing, but we’ve seen it before they just don’t have the quality. Though the ride quality is upto the mark. It’ll cost you around 4.77lakh. If it fits your budget the Indica V2 is a reasonably good purchase.
WAGON-R
It’s cramped. That’s the only thing to say. However I must admit, the people owning it are happy with it, so if you can get over the look of the thing you should go in for it.
I would’ve written about the car, only I don’t think it’s a car, looks more like a box to me. Sorry guys. Will cost you 4.5lakh depending on where you buy it from.
PALIO
One helluva piece of machinery and beats the smaller cars totally! It has loads of space. Trust me. It looks small but it has space. Sit and feel the leg room. It’s a more of ‘room’ in there than you have ‘leg’! It has one of those boots that extend under the seat giving you more space than you would want. The engine is good. Running is very smooth and gives you a mileage of 13, though the FIAT people insist it gives 15.5kmpl. Will cost you 4.72 lakh, rest depends on the model you buy. It has different colours. It is a good buy, reliable, and comes with a good name. You might find it’s running a bit expensive considering that it gives a mileage you’d expect of a luxury car, yet if you don’t think that’s any trouble, then go for it.
IKON
This baby is gonna give you some fun. It’ll cost you 6.4lakh for the 1.6 petrol version. It truly is a josh machine with good grip and smooth pick-up. It’s peppy. The 1.3 petrol version though cheaper isn’t peppy enough. It’ll pull a bit with the AC on and you uphill….but how often does that happen anyway! The 1.8 diesel version is no doubt the best but also the most expensive. The post-sale service is excellent. The Ford guys know how to make you feel like you’re their most important customer. Trust me, this baby is SMOOTH!