I am back on cars after a long time. In March one of my friends told me that I am planning to buy a car in May and I want your reviews on different cars in market through a blog post. He said that the information he gets through my post he does not get that information by meeting me personally. I actually loved that statement at least someone loves my reviews on cars. Hence this post is dedicated to him. His budget is around 5 lacs so my prime focus is on small cars. In Indian car market small cars holds the biggest market share. So there are lots and lots of options in that segment and it is not possible to review all the cars in that segment. Hence keeping that budget in mind I have chosen few cars on which I will give my views.
Hyundai i10:
Let's start with i10. Frankly speaking I am not a fan of Hyundai's designing. So I don't like i10 and even grand i10 look wise. Now if we come on its engine and comfort then its engine is of 1086 cc which is not that powerful while Hyundai is not at all comfortable for the people with the knee problem. Moreover Its average is around 15 kmph. I feel Wagon R is much better and cheaper than i10. Wagon R's average is more than i10 and looks much better than i10. I mean what you look for in a small car? Good looks, comfort, nice average & according to me i10 gives you these to an extent but at much higher price. It is not value for money car according to me. At the price of i10 there are much better options available in the market. There are much better options available in the market. There are so many cars in the market which provide much much in the same price then why to go for i10?
Volkwagen Polo
Polo crosses the price of Rs. 5 lacs but it is worth giving that much money for that car. Polo, look wise is one of the best in the segment. It has 1200 cc powerful and long lasting engine. It gives you the average around 14 kmph in the city. Moreover it has that quality of comfort and other features which puts it in a different league altogether. Only thing which you have think before buying polo is its maintenance cost. Every Indian think about maintenance cost before buying a car. Polo has pretty high maintenance cost. If you are ready to pay around 10k at the time of service of Polo (everytime) then Polo is the best car in that price range. Polo is so good that your next three generations will drive it without any problem but the only issue is its maintenance cost.
Tata Bolt
Last couple of years has not been good for Tata Motors. They had lot of expectations from nano but it was a huge flop countrywide. At the same indica started disappearing from the market. Moreover sumo too lost its charm. People's perception regarding tata cars changed over time and are ignoring Tata at the moment. Tata has come up with Bolt and Zest seeing that. Bolt is in the range of 5 lacs. It comes with 1200 cc revotron engine. It has multi drive mode. Look wise it is good. Average is around 15 which is pretty good. Tata is too late to enter in the market of hatchbacks but it has come out with good one. Its all about how you differtiate yourself in the market. Tata is differtiating bolt on its multi drive mode which no other car has in this price range. Tata is providing technologically adavanced car in such a low price. I think one should seriously think about it before going for other options. I am looking forward to it as I think it has potential to establish itself well in the market.
Maruti Suzuki Ritz & Swift
Ritz
I am using Ritz for more than two years now and I am satisfied with it. It gives me smooth drive. It is so comfortable that my mom don't stop praising it for that. My mom has a knee problem so I always wanted a car which gives her comfort and Ritz provide that comfort to her. It looks good. Its maintenance is quite low. It has powerful 1200 cc K series engine. It has great space. Only thing I feel it doesn't provide is good average. It gives me the average of 11 kmph in the city. It hasn't been great success for Maruti and I think there is only one reason behind it that it is in the same price range of Swift. The difference in the price of Ritz and Swift is of 25K-30K. Maruti's Swift is responsible for the not so great run of Ritz in the market. According to me Ritz is a good looking hatchback which gives you an awesome ride.
Swift
I think Swift is the best car Maruti Suzuki has ever made. We all know that today Maruti is relying highly on Swift and Swift Dzire. Both these cars are best in class. I still regret that why I went for Ritz rather than Swift. Swift again is really smooth ride, it provides great comfort (better than ritz), it looks much better than other cars in the market, it has powerful 1200 cc K series engine, it has name of Maruti so low maintenance and high resale value is assured. Moreover it has good average of 15 kmph. If we compare it with Polo in terms of maintenance cost them its maintenance cost is 20% that of Polo. I think one should go for swift blindly if anyone want to buy a car around 5 lacs. Swift is not only the best car by Maruti till date but it is also the best car in the price range of 5 lacs.
Among others there are Sail u-va and Beat to look for but they are only good to catch your eye. Chevrolet doesn't stand out in all the aspects as the above mentioned cars do. So according to me one should look forward to above mentioned cars if you want to buy a car around 5 lacs.
