Got stuck?

I would like to buy a new car with a budget of Rs 9 to 11 lakh. I’m considering the 1.6 litre Hyundai Verna or the 1.6 litre Volkswagen Vento. Fuel efficiency, ride quality and looks are some of the key points that I have kept in mind. My daily running is 25 to 30 km in Mumbai. Is there any other diesel variant that I ought to consider?

Hemang Marfatia, Mumbai

If you want a car that looks good, rides well and has decent fuel efficiency to boot, you should be looking at the Hyundai Verna diesel. Apart from your three requirements, which it fulfils, the Verna is also the most powerful diesel car in its class, is well loaded and well built too. There is decent space at the rear and on the whole it drives and handles pretty neatly. For a city diesel car, it has a light clutch that makes it easy to use in start-stop conditions. On the whole, we think the Verna diesel is what you should generally be considering.

i for detail

I am planning to buy a small car with a budget of Rs 4 to 5 lakh. I have shortlisted the new Hyundai i10 and Ford Figo. My requirements in a car are good fuel efficiency in city traffic, maintenance and after-sale costs. Which of the cars would be better for me?

Shivani Mantri, via email

The Hyundai i10 1.2 Kappa makes for a very nice city car. It is compact, has a nice seating position with good all-round visibility and is very easy to maneouvre. The 1.2-litre engine has good pep, is reasonably frugal and for the odd occasion, it even makes for a decent highway car. Overall cost of maintenance is not too much either. It’s the car we recommend.

Swiftly done

I’ve been using a Hyundai Santro since 2001 and I now want to upgrade to another hatchback. My average running is 18,000 km per year in the city, with occasional highway drives too. I have a budget of Rs 6 lakh and I need the car to deliver good fuel efficiency, be low on maintence costs, have good aftersales service, good ride quality and decent safety features. I’m considering the new Maruti Suzuki Swift, Hyundai i20 and Honda Jazz. Will there be better options if I wait for three or four months?

Shyamal Joshi, via email

Under ideal circumstances, we would recommend the new Swift diesel to you. It’s reasonably spacious, peppy, is well-loaded and comes with a raft of safety features in ZDi variant. While this might entail stretching your budget a bit, you may also want to check with the dealer on the waiting period, given the supply constraints Maruti is currently facing due to labour issues. Your other good bet would be the Ford Figo Titanium TDCi which is quite spacious, the motor is peppy and frugal and it rides quite decently too.

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