SUV or MUV?

WHICH CAR?

 

 

 

Yes, the Chevrolet Captiva is the newer offering, though if the third row is important to you, it isn't the most comfortable for long journeys. Both the Mitsubishi Pajero and Chevrolet Captiva offer foldable seats in the last row and have dual airbags and ABS as safety features. The Pajero's third row is a mite more comfortable and offers slightly better ride quality as well over the Captiva. We suggest the Pajero for your specific requirements even though the Chevrolet Captiva has a more powerful engine. If you are still not happy with the Pajero's third row comfort, the Innova Diesel V version should suit you best with its comfortable third row as well as dual airbags and ABS, besides saving on nearly 10 lakh rupees.

 

Small concerns

I am planning to purchase my first car soon. My budget is in the range of Rs 2.5 lakh to 3 lakh. My average running in a month would be less than 300 kilometres. I'm confused between the Maruti Suzuki Alto, Hyundai Santro Xing and Chevrolet Spark. I feel that the Alto and Santro Xing are very old models while the Spark suffers from low service network penetration. Which one of these models should I consider or are there any other options I should look at?
Rahul Dev Gupta, Ambala

Though the Chevrolet Spark is the more modern offering here, it seems after-sales service is a concern for you. If that's the case, go in for the Hyundai Santro Xing. While the car has been in the market for nearly a decade, Hyundai have been sprucing it up regularly. It has more space than the Maruti Suzuki Alto, is better built and offers near Maruti levels of service and cost of maintenance. Overall it is the better performer here.

Small or big?

I intend to get myself a small or big car, but I'm confused about the models available within my budget. I have shortlisted the Hyundai Santro Xing, Mahindra Renault Logan and the Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire. I've considered the above cars since we plan to hold on to the car for at least seven years. Mine is a family of five, and the car's daily running will be around 20 kilometres. My requirements are for a car that is fuel efficient and light on maintenance. What do you suggest?
Uday Katarmal, via email

The question really is whether you need that boot or not, especially if you do plan to make the occasional outstation trip or the run to the airport. Either ways, if you are looking at a hatchback, consider the Hyundai i10. It is one generation up on the Santro in terms of overall dynamics, space and build quality and is more contemporary. If you still want that boot, go for the Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire, especially the top end variant that has all the bells and whistles. Both cars are cheap to maintain, are fuel efficient and should hold their resale values well with time. With either car you can't go wrong. Any automotive questions? Ask us at bijoy.y@bsmail.in