Some of option in the 5 lac bracket and my take on them
Maruti-
You primarily have two options here
a. Ritz Vxi w/o ABS. Check the pricing.... The Vxi without ABS comes for about 4.9
Pros:Big tall boy alternative to the Swift. Good Engine (kB12 engine), with good traction even with AC and fully loaded.Large tyres(165/80 vxi and 175/80 for ZXI), these would help to take pothholes and trenches with confidence Good aftersales support. Gear shift knob rest real high and you have a commanind view from the seat. Pus you can seat 3 fat arses at the rear bench, unlike the i10.Best handling of all tallboys.
Mileage is well with most reported figures of 13-15 with AC in city driving
Cons: Stiffer rear suspension.The rear fat pillars at the rear end might onstruct ur rear view , specially while parking.Clutch & power Steering is not as soft/ergonomic as Hyndai's.Interiors aint plush
The ABS option should be about 30k more.
b. Swift Lxi- 5.15 on road..... watered down version of the Vxi withh cuts in rear power windows and other stuff..check the spec sheet compariosn page
Pros:Interiors,One of the better handling hatchback's out there. Shares almost same engine with ritz, but with better lower end torque.So less gear changing while driving.
Somefeel the swift AC performs better than the Ritz even though they claim its the same unit.Other pros as in ritz with engine traction, tyre size,rear bench,decent mileage(12-14)
Cons: Cramped rear space with the sloping roof not helping matters. Plus you will miss out on the goodies with Vxi version. Again Power steering/clutch not as soft/ergonomic as the Hyundai's
Hyundai: i10 1.2kappa2. The largest selling hatchback from hyundai.The breadwinner from hyndai and they seem to have kept it updated to appeal to the mass
Pros:Good engine , Plush interiors, Very Ergonomic steering/clutch operation.Good handling and awesome breaking.Softer suspension.
Cons:Narrow, you can seat only 2 fat ppl at the rear bench, Mileage(11-12), somewhat lowered torque compared to older IRDE version with mid to high range toruq improved.Small tyres. AC takes some time in hot weather(personal exp) .After sales service is very costly.While Maruti advises service at 10000 kms a year, Hyndai states 6000 Km per year..dats almost twice the servicing i na year. Also parts charge of labour is quite high..Almost twice of Mul paid service....A friend of mine spends close to 4k for his santro while he spends 2.3k for his Swift
Brio: The eay to reach version of the Jazz
Pros: Excellent AC, engine, handling, rear bench can accomodate 3 fat arses with some effort, Quite new so not many feed back
Cons: Low height,will brush high speead breakers with load. Disrepute of authorised service stations in quite a few places.
Other noteworthy options:
Figo petrol
Pros: Good Rear leg room, Good torque engine and handling, wide
Cons: Mileage, Rough engine, After sales support, costly maintenance
come to think of the the brio has the same 1.2l engine as the Jazz, but weights far lesser...so you should have pretty decent mileage,acceleration figures..
Also somehow i dont like the semi transparent back door hatch.Not becoz its not sturdy, but simply would not want peeping toms looking at my luggage contents.
