Altis ego

I am planning to buy a car, which most probably will end up with my father. My budget is in the range of Rs 10-13 lakh. Which one would you suggest — the Honda Civic or the Toyota Corolla Altis? He normally prefers a petrol, but if you think the new Chevrolet Cruze is much better than the rest, then I can convince him for the diesel also. I am also looking at a used, last generation 2007 Audi A4 diesel. It is working out to be more expensive even in terms of finance. What will you suggest?

Anubhav Sharma, via e-mail

We wouldn't suggest a 2007 A4 simply because parts will be hard to come by in the future and the cost of maintenance could work out to be prohibitive if you are considering cars in that price bracket. If you are going to be driving less than 50 km a day or 200-250 km a week, we recommend the Corolla Altis for you. You don't need a diesel for these kind of distances and the Corolla is efficient, more spacious than the Civic, has more comfortable seats, has got better ground clearance and is generally more practical in terms of getting in and out for the elderly. However, if your driving will exceed these distances, we then suggest looking at the Cruze. Overall comfort and space is still best in the Corolla among the three.

Beat this

I wish to purchase a car, my first one, and my budget is Rs 3.5 lakh to Rs 4.5 lakh, on-road price in Hyderabad. What would you recommend?

Raghunath Nunna, Hyderabad

The Chevrolet Beat makes for a terrific first car and at the current introductory price, it is also great value. The top-end version with ABS, airbags and all other creature comforts, including stereo and automatic climate control will work out to be within your budget. Interior space is excellent, ride quality is good and the overall feel of the car is brilliant. Engine has decent performance and is quite efficient too. Go ahead and get yourself one.

Back to front

I'm looking to upgrade from my Hyundai Accent to a slightly larger car. My budget is for a car within Rs 10 lakh on-road and I need a car that offers good ride quality and comfort since I suffer from a back problem. The car will be chauffeur- driven most of the time. After extensively looking at the options, I've narrowed down my choices to the Chevrolet Optra Magnum, Fiat Linea and Maruti Suzuki SX4. I've heard that the SX4 is a bit bouncy, while the Magnum isn't necessarily good for my requirement. Is this true? Also, is the Fiat Linea T-Jet with the automatic transmission on sale, since I wouldn't mind an automatic option. Kindly suggest as I want to buy the car at the earliest.

R Laxman, Mumbai

Your choices seem to be among the better bets for your specific requirements. The Magnum has a slightly hard ride and tends to pass road undulations like ruts straight to the occupants.

Maruti Suzuki have worked on their facelifted SX4 to make the ride more settled, especially at the rear. You also now get an automatic option with the SX4 which should work within your budget. The Fiat Linea has, by far, the most settled ride among the three, but the T-Jet doesn't go on sale until late-March/early April. The regular Linea should suffice if you are in a hurry, but is only available with a manual option.

Any automotive questions? Ask us at bijoy.y@bsmail.in