For sure

Please advise which is the best car for me. I am considering the Ford Figo, Chevrolet Beat and the Maruti Suzuki Wagon R. This will be my first car and I have a family of five — two adults, a six-year old child and two infants. My daily run will be a maximum of 30 kilometres. Mileage is important but not the only parameter. Maintenance and comfort is key.

Vinod K Jangid, Jaipur

Considering all parameters and requirements, the Ford Figo should work best for you. It is pretty spacious on the inside, the boot is fairly large and it is well loaded. Its ride and handling balance is the best among the three and it’s pretty much the most fun to drive car too. Importantly, it delivers about 12-14 kpl in city conditions with the air-con running all the time — the other two cars give more or less the same. What the Figo offers is tremendous value and the feeling of a large car in a not so large package.

Automation

I live in Bangalore and do about 3000 km a month, which is not much at all. I drive the Ford Fiesta, which is a real ‘driver’s’ car and I love it. However, with the traffic snarls, I am now looking at a small car with an automatic gear shift. I read the Weekend Motoring page a few weeks ago and what fits my budget is the Hyundai i10 Auto. The i10 also appears to be well refined for city traffic. However, I was wondering whether the new Wagon R comes with the automatic transmission and whether it would be a good buy. I’m not sure if the Ford Figo has one, in which case, it would be my 'automatic' choice.

Sridhar Sathnur, Bangalore

We see you enjoy driving and the Ford factor does play high. Unfortunately neither the Ford Figo nor the new Maruti Wagon R come with an automatic option. Your only choice in your kind of price bracket is the i10 automatic. It's a four-speed automatic that has decently spread out ratios and is peppy enough for city driving, thanks to the 1.2 Kappa engine. The i10 by itself is good fun to hustle around and despite it being the only choice, it isn't a bad one at all.

Civic sensibility

We were looking at buying a car in the Rs 11 to 14 lakh bracket. The choices we've narrowed down to are the Honda Civic and the Skoda Laura. The Volkswagen Jetta we felt is too expensive and gives nothing extra for the money being asked. The Chevrolet Cruze doesn’t interest us at all. We are more tilted towards the Honda Civic, but are open to your guidance on the matter.

Abhishek Saraf, via email

Well, there’s nothing wrong with the Honda Civic if you ask us. It still looks contemporary after all these years, especially on the inside. The cockpit is nicely designed, and there’s decent interior space too. It still feels sporty to drive, is reasonably efficient and Honda's updates over the years have made the car feel loaded too. And there’s always an automatic option available inthe Civic, if you’re interested.

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