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Car and bike questions? We have the answers
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I want to buy a car and my budget is Rs 4 lakh. I have short-listed the Spark, Palio and Santro. My priorities are fuel efficiency, low maintenance, reliability, safety and good space at the front and rear. Is the Pal io a good choice?
Ganesh Kumar K
The Palio is a good choice in terms of space. But it will not be as fuel efficient as the Santro or the Spark. You might want to look at the new Hyundai i10, its got decent space, is reasonably peppy to drive and fuel efficient as well.
I want to buy a Maruti SX4 but someone has suggested that I buy the Aveo instead. Is there a clutch problem in the SX4? I want to know the pros and cons of both cars and don’t care much about resale value. My priorities are fuel economy and comfort.
Chandan
The SX4 comes across as a good buy. We are not aware of any clutch issues with the SX4. But the Aveo is also a good choice if you have comfort in mind. Both the cars have similar fuel efficiency figures of about 9-10kpl in the city and 14.5-15kpl on the highway with the Aveo having slightly better figures. The SX4 gives you a lot of features especially in the ZXi variant, but the Aveo has more up-market interiors. But if you want comfort and fuel economy, the Aveo it is.
I am planning to buy my first car and though I know there are several choices available in the market, I have a limited budget. I am interested in the Stile and want to know your opinion. Is it a good car to drive locally and for long trips. Could you tell me if it is fuel efficient, easy to maintain, and the parts are easily available.
Saravanan
The Palio Stile is a good car, but the after sales service isn’t the best and parts are priced on the higher side. But what you do get is a car with solid underpinnings and the good performance in the 1.6 version. Parts availability isn’t much of an issue now and it makes for a good choice for highway use as well. Alternatively, you could look at the Swift. The rear bench may not be as spacious as the Palio, but it being your first car, it would make for a sensible choice.
I own a Maruthi 800 MPI DX five-gear model of 2000, which keeps me happy. However, I now plan to buy a new small or mid-size car. I will drive around 15-20km per day. I have a budget of Rs 3-5 lakh. I have short-liste d the Swift, Spark, Santro, Estilo and Wagon R. Which car suits me best given my priorities, which are performance, mileage and utility for a family of four? Is it advisable to switch over to Ford Ikon, Tata Indigo or Maruti Esteem?
Sunil Kumar
We would suggest you stick to hatchback as the cars you’ve mentioned from the mid-size group are from the lower mid-size group and may not have as many features as the premium hatchbacks like the Swift, Getz etc. Out of the hatchbacks, the Swift makes for a good choice, but also take a look at the new Hyundai i10.
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