Recently I had to make a big decision to decide which car to buy. Now to give you an idea I had previously used the good old rigid Fiat Padmini , Maruti 800.
I now wanted a car which was powerful but still good on fuel economy and maintenance. It had to offer me the latest features like Power steering , safety etc.
Initially I had to make up my mind to either go for a second hand C-Segment car (Accent, Ikon) or go for new B-Segment car (Santro, Zen, Indica, WagonR). Taking into consideration the maintenance cost of C-Segment cars, I finally decided to go for a new car in B-Segment.
The cars that I had short listed were Indica V2, WagonR, Zen, Santro Xing,
Before I list any cars I knew that Fiat Palio was a winner all the way in its segment but then the quality of FIAT dealers and after sales drove me away from that car. Also an important thing was resale value for FIAT cars. In past we have seen FIAT discontinuing many of its models like UNO, 118 NE etc. Which severely impact the resale value of those cars in market. Again as an individual who is keen to sell the car at a good value latter it is important to consider the resale value of your car say after two years.
FIAT is working towards realigning its image but I guess it is still some more time before we can actually see the results of those efforts. Frankly the fact the FIAT worldwide is not doing good still does not bother me a lot. FIAT is world No.4 car manufacturer, I am sure it will not perish all of a sudden like Daewoo but as I mentioned earlier the commitment to its various models is what drove me away from FIAT Palio
Now a brief about each of the cars::
IndicaV2 . Has great looks and styling is unique. It looks classy (especially the side mirrors which you can find only in C-segment cars). But then Indica is a car if you want to go for the Diesel version, remember that for every 100 cars the Tata Motors manufactures it is able to sell only 4 petrol cars.
The car has the powerful engine which generates a whopping 75 bhp with an engine displacement of 1405 cc although I am amazed why it still only has 8 valves and I am also unable to quite understand the purpose for such a powerful engine for a small car like Indica. The cabin room was not as silent outside noises were able to creep into the cabin. The gears were smooth. The AC was decent. Remember all cars except Santro Xing has 85 cc Air Conditioner.
But what goes against an Indica is the maintenance and car build. It is very clear that the petrol version of Indica starts giving you problems after 6 months. Even few of the parts like Silencer are issue as Tata uses Carbon steel instead of industry standard of stainless steel, as a result of this if you dont uses your Indica regularly the carbon deposits will ensure that your silencer is damaged. There few such others refinements that need to be undertaken by Tata to ensure that the care is relatively maintenance free.
Hence although the most exciting car in its segment a definite NO incase you want to buy the petrol version.
WagonR Was closest in my choice. Although the looks are unconventional, the car definitely is value for money. It is build on solid chassis with 16 valve engine generating 64.8 BHP and has a engine displacement of 1061 cc. It has a decent legroom. But the height of WagonR is a little too long. The car is especially good if you have people who have problems with their legs. Getting in and getting out of car is very convenient. But a drawback in the car is that it can only seat 4 people.
The other thing is that it does not look like a compact car , the ergonomics could have been better designed. The car does have an better turning radius then Zen and cabin room is noiseless the gear shift is very smooth. You get a very good view of the road thanks to its high front seat. The engine is very responsive. But one drawback that I noticed is that it does not give you rear power windows.
WaganR has electronic power steering which functions only on speeds below 60 Km/ per hour. Hydraulic power steering are standard only in Esteem and Baleno. WagonR gives you the best fuel economy in the segment after ZEN.
Wagon R does not give you warning indications for Low fuel, Seatbelt and door ajar. Facility to internally adjust the external mirrors, rear parcel tray. I am still wondering why this are not build into the car by default as they are almost standard features in all other cars in its segment. I am sure if this features are incorporated into the new WagonR it will give Santro a very though competition. And give customers a more better value for money.
Zen As I had previously driven a Maruti 800, I could not see any change especially in terms of cabin. The seats are very low. The ground clearance is a problem, and somehow I dont think Maruti has done justice by redesigning the Zen. Although front does boast of redesigned clear lamps in my opinion rear look more ugly. Yes do agree that once you start the engine you will feel the difference in the quality of ride. . Still Zen does have a state of art engine which generates 60.7 bhp with an engine displacement of 993 cc. The car definitely is a maintenance free car But still amazingly I found that Zen has a huge turning radius.
Finally Santro Xing The Sunshine Car
Very True to its word Santro Xing is truly a delight to drive. It produces a decent 63 bhp with an engine displacement of 1086 cc. It has 4 cylinder 12 value epsilon engine. The engine is a highly refined engine which Hyundai uses on many of its cars. It has all the features that you can desire from a B-segment car Power steering, Power windows, child lock, Engine subframe from safety, submarine seats for better comfort while driving for long distance.
The cars engine is very responsive, the cabin noise is the least, it amazingly blocks most of the outside noise. The gears may not feel as comfortable as Zen or WagonR but it is decent.
The car can boast of one of the most effective Air Conditioners(110 cc) in its segment. It cools the cabin even during a hot day when the sun is just shining above your head.
The car has impressive chrome grills which feels like the car is smiling. The front lamps of the car is a big advantage especially if you desire a powerful view of the road in night. Although the fog lamps look very attractive I dont see the practical utility of them during the city driving. The rear light are truly unique it the segment. Santro Xing XS comes with a spoiler which adds to the beauty of the car. The car is definitely longer than Wagon R and has more width than Wagon R although marginal. Although it is not as tall as WagonR
I had read lot of reviews about the rear seat. I found them decent and they definitely dont look like bench, the rear seats are raised hence it gives you a good feel. The shock absorbers are very decent and very similar to what other cars offer in the same segment.
The finishing of the car is very neat. It does not have any cluster of equipments but wish they have tachometer as a standard accessory. The provision for speaker grills in rear is useless especially as most owners now days goes for oval speakers. As a result you end up losing your parcel tray space. Although I find the rear head rests a little obstructive in terms of your rear view. Bit in all it does seem a good choice taking into consideration that Santro by far is Maintenance free car.