Pep squad

I am looking to buy a petrol hatchback within a budget of Rs 4 to 4.5 lakh. I won’t be using the car regularly, but would still like an economic yet peppy performer. I will use it in the city as well as for the odd highway trip with my family of five. Could you suggest a suitable buy?

Saptarshi Choudhury, Kharagpur

With your kind of budget, we guess our perennial favourite, the Maruti Suzuki Ritz LXi/VXi is the best fit. It has good space, decent room for five people and luggage, good suspension to tackle bad roads and it handles well too. The 1.2-litre engine is frugal and peppy enough for city and highway use. On the whole, it’s a good fit for your kind of use.

Rapid action

I want to upgrade from my old Maruti Alto to a new sedan within a budget of Rs 8 to 9 lakh. I will be driving myself and will run the car for around 30 kms per day in city traffic with occasional 250 to 300 kms highway trips once a month. I would like the car to be well built, with a powerful engine, have suitable driving comfort, deliver good mileage and be low on maintenance. I like the Volkswagen Vento, Skoda Rapid, Honda City, Hyundai Verna, Fiat Linea and Ford Fiesta. I’m confused between the petrol and diesel too. Would you please recommend a car?

Sumegh Prajapati, via email

If your running is under 1,000 kms a month and you intend to hold onto your car for less than four years then a petrol sedan should work out fine. If it isn’t the case, then you should be looking at diesel sedans as a more economical option. If it’s the former, then the best petrol sedan in that category happens to be the Honda City. It handles and rides quite well, the 1.5-litre petrol engine has good power and is frugal, it’s spacious for five large adults and is well-priced too. If it’s the latter, our best suggestion would be the Skoda Rapid diesel. The 1.6-litre diesel engine is frugal and is very tractable, both in the city and on the highway. It makes for an excellent highway car with predictable dynamics and good space at hand. The Rapid is also pretty good value if you ask us. Choose either depending on your requirement.

Sticky stuff

I want to buy a new sedan for my monthly commute of 1,500 kms, with 150 to 200 kms of the terrain being rough. I took a test drive of the new Honda City V MT with a CNG kit fitted in. While it had good ride, I’m not keen on waiting in line for filling gas. Is there any probability of Honda launching the new City with a diesel engine soon. Which diesel sedan would you suggest — one with good ground clearance, fine ride quality and fuel efficiency? I am not keen on buying the Nissan Sunny.

Mitesh Donda, via email

If your budget is tight, you can go for either the Toyota Etios diesel or the Maruti Suzuki Dzire diesel. Both cars are excellent when it comes to fuel efficiency. And they can handle bad roads well too. If you have a better budget, you can look at the Skoda Rapid TDI or the VW Vento TDI. These two will also match your requirements. In fact if you endure bad roads regularly, don’t go for the City anyway. The diesel version is not expected till next year.