I’ve been considering to buy a car for a long time now.I have test driven all the cars that I was considering.. I have taken them for long drives.. and finally decided for i10.. I will try and present my reasons which compelled me to buy an i10.. The cars that I test drove are.. Palio sdx, Swift vdi, Spark, A-star, Indica Vista Quadrajet and the Hyundai i10
1. Palio Stile SDX
Pros - Good built quality, ride quality and an incredible engine (Multijet)
Cons- Poor after sales, non availability of spare parts (which can make life miserable and owning this beauty painful to maintain)
2. Swift VDI
Pros - Good handling, absolutely silent engine (though a diesel), unbelievable network of service Centers...
Cons - Expensive to my budget ; Crampy space in the rear ; poor rear visibility (Rear); A lot of guess work for (New drivers) when parking.
- Spark (I was not seriously considering to buy this car hence my opinion about Sparky may be a little biased but I think its a good car for teenagers.. and mileage conscious crowd.. but some how I felt it was more meant for ladies than men) as it lacked the aggression/power which I needed.
Pros - reasonably good interior, fairly enuf space for a small car
Cons - Since I had taken test drive of better cars I did not like the ride quality.. and this car was greatly under powered.. I was fully stepping on the gas and it was still taking its time to cruise...
4. Indica Vista Quadrajet *- I simply loved this car but the built quality is not as appealing as palio stile.
Pros - The space inside is unbelievable.. Two in the car would feel as though they are in two different time zones (a lil exagerated for the purpose of the audience).. in other words its very spacious.. and lot of room and sensibly desiged with a lot of space being sensible used, and ofcourse the incredible Quadrajet Engine (The same as the one in palio). This Car handles pot holes very beautifully. I literally enjoyed driving this car.. Its indeed a good choice .. if you have to travel a lot and if you have a big family.
Cons - Though redesinged well.. The quality is not appealing.. If you compare the bumper of indica vista with palio you would note the difference... The bumper is simply too big... and not so strong.. Even in the interior.. you will find some cheap plastics here and there..
5. Hyundai i10 - The Car’s design is very simple and pleasant.. The beautiful curves makes it elegent.. The interior is also nice and elegant. The gear box is smooth.. and shifts like a knife through a butter. The engine is very responsive, and the steering Wheel is a pleasure to hold.
The visibility is perfect in the front and at the rear. Any body with basic driving skills can park this car like a professional, Its simply unbelievable....
I make frequent trips from Bangalore to Mysore... as I stay in bangalore.. Its a pleasure to be in an i10 when you are in busy traffic of bangalore... and its an pleasure to drive on the highways.
It suits all people of all age.. from Teens and twenties.. to Senior citizens.. It gives the safety and comfort which the elderly prefer and the power which appeals to the teenagers.
It has the gentleness (Steering) which apeals to a women and the agression (1.2 Ltr Kappa with Shell premium) (Power which apeals to men. Over all.. Since my average running during the weekdays is around 20KM/day and on weekends is 400 KM, I found this was a perfect choice. Which me and my family can enjoy for thousands and thousands of kilometers to come. And when it comes to servicing.. Hyundai service is second best to Maruthi.. so that was pretty good enough for me for the Quality of ride I am get for the money I pay.
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Though a hardcore fan of Palio Stile Multijet, I ended up purchasing Hyundai i10 1.2 Litre Magna Champagne Gold. , and am Extremely happy about my choice...
I love Palio for its looks (Exterior) and built quality (It feels like a tank is true indeed).
The reason I compelled to drop the idea about purchasing an Palio Stile Multijet Diesel.. is When I read a review and heard it from few friends of mine about the After sale service (Which to my understanding is pathetic (Understated)).
I was planning to compromise on the after sales service because I was convinced that the Car was indeed built tough to last longer and it had an awsome engine... However when I read a review where one of the owner met with an accident near ananthapur and was denied service in the tata service center in ananthapur, and then was compeled to wait for more than 2 months (for the spare parts), this testimony was one of the big factor that helped me change my mind.
The second factor ofcourse was.. my experience with the sales representative from Tata showroom in mysore .. Narender.. I had left my Cell phone in the car when I took the test drive.. and never got my Cell back.. On enquiry.. I learnt that he was the last person to use the car and nobody else had used it after that... I did not pursue the matters further.. I just let it go..
sorry for the detour.... Now comming back to the point.. the First reason was more compelling than the second.. I would not like to wait for months together to get a part replaced.
Secondly.. I was considering Hyundai i10, Though not as strongly built as Palio.. its indeed a beauty.. cheeky little car and has enuf umph (Power) to help you cruise smoothly.. on both Highway and busy traffic..
The Design both interior and exterior is futuristic... I love the way the car handles pot holes, and the ride and handling quality of the car is indeed very good...
The rear seating of this car unlike Swift and A-star and Spark .. is much spacious.. for that matter.. I dont want to compare it with Palio.. but even if I do compare.. the rear space of i10 is as good as Palio...(Though Palio is better by a whisker). Though the boot space is’nt as good as palio.. its decent enough.