Ready, City, Go!

I own a 2004 Honda City and the car has done around 87,000 km. Now I am planning to buy a new car. I need a good chauffeur driven car and I do about 1500 km monthly in Kolkata. I am very happy with the Honda City petrol and get about 11.5 kpl in the city. Please suggest between the City, the Volkswagen Vento or any other car.

Arun Kumar Mukherjee, via email

If you are happy with the City and don’t mind shifting to a newer edition of the City, then why not? The City is a proven car — it looks good, has good rear legroom, is efficient yet fun to drive and is reliable to a fault. We would recommend the Volkswagen Vento diesel rather than the petrol since it’s torquier and offers better performance with good fuel efficiency to boot. When it comes to petrol sedans, overall, the City is still unbeatable.

Perfect companion

I am planning to buy a diesel sedan. and have shortlisted the VW Vento, Skoda Rapid and Hyundai Verna. Which according to you is the best car in terms of driving comfort, rear seat comfort, suspension and build quality?

Rishi Rawat, Guwahati

Considering your parameters, the Rapid fits the bill best. It’s spacious, offers a good ride and has a potent diesel motor. It’s solidly built too. Moreover, it’s very good value for money. If you do find that the after-sales service setup is up to the mark in your area, you can go ahead and enjoy a car that does offer a very good overall package.

Hatch match

I am looking to buy a new petrol car. My monthly use is expected to be 1800 km and my budget is Rs 4.5 lakh. I am considering the Ford Figo and the Maruti Swift. Can you suggest which is better out of the two? Or is any other superior car in this budget?

Mayur Pithadiya, via email

The Swift is easily the better car, overall. You cannot go wrong with it as it ticks all the boxes, whether it’s performance, ride and handling, space or even features. You can also look at the Ritz instead of the Swift as the Ritz is virtually a taller version of the Swift and great value too! It is up for a facelift too, which is expected to be introduced later in the year. You can use that fact as a bargaining point at the dealership in case you are opting for a Ritz!

Rough and tough

I am looking to buy a diesel vehicle not because I drive too much but because I enjoy driving diesel vehicles. My budget is between Rs 6 to 8 lakh and I need a vehicle thats good at handling bad roads, is easier than my Tata Xenon to drive around town and is also an able mile muncher. I believe fuel efficiency is a given considering that it needs to be a diesel. I like the Mahindra Bolero as it ticks all the boxes, although my only concern is its ability to cruise between 100-120 kmph given its power ratings. What would your advice be?

Kuleshwar Singh, via email

Yes, the Bolero seems to be the kind of vehicle that suits your needs. But as you said, it does have its shortcomings. Mahindra will be introducing the mini Xylo soon — we havent evaluated it yet, but it should suit your purpose, as it will be able to handle bad roads, be manouevrable, and drive decently too. Plus, of course, it will fit your budget In case that is too much of an uncertainty, why don’t you look at a used Scorpio? For your budget you can get some low-mileage, well specced out ones. The Scorpio is much more civilised than the Bolero too.

Any automotive question? Ask us at srinivas.krishnan@bsmail.in