My last car (which I had to sell with lot of heartaches) was a 150bhp 2.4L nissan altima SE, which gave me lots of smiles across north america. before that our family maruti gypsy had given me more than enuf reasons to rave about in india. so when it came to buy a car for urban movements in the horrible traffic conditions of present bangalore I had to decide on many factors.
u buy a shiny 7+ lakh car and end up with scratches allround the bumpers and fenders in a matter of months.
petrol prices will touch 50Rs per liter in less than a year and Rs 60 by 2007
whatever u buy u will get snarled in traffic inevitably.
parking spaces? now that is a joke...
one cannot drive more than 110kmph in indian highways without sacrificing safety, u never know when that cyclist/cow/sheep/donkey/bullock cart will decide to cross that road...
boy am I sarcastic.
so the choice becomes very simple, buy a nice tiny car, use it for a 3 years sell it off and buy another.
so the players are...
zen- sweetheart of 90s but hey this is 05; + claustrophobic
wagonR- innovative but soapbox on wheels
indica- best interiors but sluggish to drive
palio- after 118NE experience, will never buy another fiat; nice exteriors though.
alto- again claustrophobic.
corsa- interesting alternative but poor gas milage.
santro xing- the best u get in this market really.
believe me, immediately after the 150bhp car the experience was not bad. I was nicely surprised by the acceleration of xing. didnt expect the ’’zip’’ but it fretters out around 100kmph. if u compare acceleration figures of bajaj discover and xing, u will see that this car will out perform the bike anytime. AC is excellent, windows up means road noise is pretty much cut off, power steering is very responsive and light. seats are ok, I dearly miss a left handrest though. Power windows and internally adjustable side rear view mirrors in XG and XS variants means some luxury. Back seat are good, trunk space is decent, one 30inch suitcase fits in with another smaller suitcase space to spare. u get some space all around. suspension is not bad but if u hit a particularly bad ditch, the rear side of the car seems to sway around. brakes do a good job. u do get ABS option. gear shift is pretty smooth. and oh, that rear wiper IS useful. if four -five ’’heavy ’’ people sit in the car the acceleration suffers, well after all it a small 1.1L engine chugging away.
milage: 13-14k/l in city with AC on 80% of the time and 18k/l in highway, now that is something.
my black xing really shines when I wax it. but it also becomes hotter than metallic ones under direct sunlight, maybe thats why most people go for metallic colors. I still prefer the black with matching bumpers, very classy.
and here is the wishlist: a left hand/elbow rest and a rear interior light.