B clear

I own a Tata Indica V2 diesel. I plan to buy a new B-segment car. The car’s driven on an average 50 km per day (40 per cent of it on the highway and 60 per cent in the city). For me, fuel efficiency, maintenance cost and resale value are important — essentially, the cost of ownership of the vehicle. Besides this, overall space and boot space are also important since I have six members in my family. I usually change my car every five years and my budget is between Rs 4 and 5 lakh. The car is driven by the chauffeur 75 per cent of the time. 1) Should I go for a diesel or a petrol vehicle? 2) Accordingly, which one of these should I opt for — Tata Indica Vista Quadrajet/Vista TDi, Suzuki Swift LDi or Chevrolet U-VA? 3) Which one of these three is the best in terms of technology and fuel efficiency, and is low on maintenance costs?

Amit Agarwal, Dhanbad

Since cost of ownership is important for you, you should choose between the Indica Vista Quadrajet and the Swift diesel. Both these cars are powered by versions of the same Fiat-developed diesel engine that offers decent driveability and excellent economy.

The Quadrajet powered Indica Vista is certainly a great improvement over the last generation Indica and is more spacious than the Swift. The Swift diesel is more fun to drive though, and that too without compromising on fuel economy. Since you are going to be chauffeured most of the time and space is important, your decision should favour the Indica Vista.

Swift move

My dad is planning to book a Suzuki Swift. This is his first car. The only hitch is that we are a little confused between the petrol and diesel models. I know all the general details but am totally unaware of the practical side of owning a car. So we have 87 bhp vs 75 bhp and the top-end models of ZXi vs VDi. One crucial point missing on the diesel is the lack of airbags and ABS that we get on the ZXi. My dad stays in a small city where the car would be used for about 20 km a day or even less sometimes. However, he plans to shift to Hyderabad in a short while, where the distances involved would be more (say 30 km a day or more). Once in a month, we could go on an out-of-town drive involving a little over 200 km. And of course, the main thing — our budget stands at Rs 5 to 5.8 lakh. Keeping in mind the above factors as well as the long run maintenance issues, please throw some light on which model would be better for my dad.

Shasank Nagavarapu, via email

No need to get confused — ask your dad to buy the Swift ZXi petrol. He does not drive enough to suffer a diesel motor. The 16-valve four-pot motor from the Esteem that powers the Swift petrol is refined and economical, and has decent punch too. As for the premium money, well, you do get airbags and ABS.

Sedan done

I am looking for a sedan in the Rs 8-12 lakh segment. I have seen the Fiat Linea, Hyundai Verna and Honda City. Which car would you suggest irrespective of the fuel type? And which car, according to you, will be appropriate?

Himanshu Agarwal, via email

Of the cars that we have tested in this league, it is the new City that has won our respect. It is powered by an excellent iVTEC engine that combines good performance with decent mileage. With your budget, you can order your City with ample safety equipment too.

That said, there is no diesel variant on offer, and if diesel economy is important to you, you will have to look at either the Linea or the Verna — the former is economical and spacious, while the latter is powerful and fun to drive.

 

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