Jazzing it up

I am a college student and I drive a Maruti Suzuki Zen. My father is planning to replace it with another hatchback. A couple of months ago, he had been to Bangkok and saw the Honda Jazz there. He really liked the car. So I did a bit of research and found out that it will be launched in India by June 2009. Is this correct? Secondly, should I wait for this car to be launched? Or should I buy one which is already available? My main concerns are the looks of the car/styling and interiors. It should have power windows and power steering. I won’t be using the car on a daily basis; just twice a week probably.

Mayank Madan, via email

The Honda Jazz should hit the market by June/July this year. It will be all the car you want — great styling, power everything and stylish interiors and so on. We suggest you save your pocket money and you will have a spanking new Jazz to replace your Zen in a couple of months.

Civic lessons

I am a resident of Kolkata and am looking to purchase a car. I’m looking for a sedan for Rs 8-12 lakh and need a petrol as well as a diesel option. It should be comfortable for at least four persons, will be primarily self-driven and cover 15-20 km a day of city driving with a 100-odd km drive thrown in every week. It should have decent mileage, good resale value, good safety gear and good interiors. I have been looking at the Honda City, Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla Altis and the Chevrolet Optra Magnum. I am told that the Civic may be receiving a facelift soon. Is that true? Which one should I go for?

Vikash A Binjrajka, Kolkata

Considering your budget and usage, it is the Civic that we will recommend for you. It is a future-proof design and returns decent mileage for a car of its size. The interiors are top notch too. The Civic comes with ABS and airbags as standard equipment. Don’t worry, the facelift, when it comes will be minor. And you don’t need a diesel car for your kind of usage.

C you soon

I want to choose between the BMW 325i and the Mercedes-Benz C 230. I could always decide between the 320i and the C 200 K, but I don’t mind spending more for extra performance. The car will be driven in Mumbai city for most of the week and on weekends, I will head to Lonavla with it. Both cars are priced at around the same band, so I am okay with either one. I test-drove both the cars briefly, and liked the BMW for being great to drive, but the Mercedes was not bad either. I am in a dilemma. Any suggestions?

Anirudh, Mumbai

BMW 3 Series vs Mercedes-Benz C-Class: the eternal debate. The 325i is a brilliant machine to drive, no doubt about that. But it is the C 230 that we will recommend simply because not only is it a good driver’s car, but also is much more comfortable to live with in the city. The BMW’s steering is not easy on the arms at low speeds, while the ride is slightly harsh. The C 230, though about 10 bhp down from the 325i, is much more forgiving and comfortable, while being adept equally in the city or on the highway. It is a better car to live with on a day-to-day basis.

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