Diesel Hatchbacks Comparison Chart Updated with Hyundai I20 CRDI

The diesel hatchback comparison chart is now updated to include the Hyundai I20 CRDI Diesel. The comparison is for the highest end trims for all models. Why ? Because only then can we compare features to features. the lower end trims are basically diesel engine and chassis.

The list now contains the following:

  • Ford Fusion Plus TDCi
  • Skoda Fabia 1.4 TDI Elegance
  • Getz Prime 1.5 CRDI GVS
  • Suzuki Swift VDI ABS
  • Suzuki Ritz VDI ABS
  • Grande Punto Emotion Pack Multijet
  • Hyundai I20 Asta (O) CRDI
  • Palio Stile 1.3 SDX
  • Indica Vista Aura Quadrajet
  • Indica Vista Aqua TDI
  • Tata Indica V2 DLS BS III

The specifications are now color coded to indicate the largest dimension/best value/cheapest cost(green) and lowest dimension/value /highest cost(red). Hope this sheet is easier to read now.

The costliest is still the Skoda Fabia and the cheapest still remains the Indica V2. 

The I20 is the second costliest in this comparison but also comes with a long list of features even longer than the Fabia.

Middle of the list with medium features and middle of road price is the Swift and the Ritz.

Here is the list : Diesel Hatchbacks Comparison Chart. Here was my original post on the diesel hatchbacks with more analysis on the data: Are you looking for a Diesel Hatchback ?

Thanks: A lot of feedback, errata identification and great suggestions from Jacob, Manoj and Vasu were used to update the older sheet  – Thank you for reading through in detail and giving valuable feedback and pointing out the many errors !

Some items still pending such as mileage data for the latest updated cars and the performance figures for acceleration and braking. This will be done in the next update.

The I20 & I: I tried checking with the Hyundai dealership I bought my Getz from but they still do not have a registered Diesel or Automatic available for TD. They have promised to get me a TD as soon as their vehicles get registered.

Welcome To India – Fiat Grande Punto !

Fiat Grande Punto
Fiat Grande Punto

Call me biased but I think my very favourite Automotive Bloggers (IndianAutosBlog.comMotorbeam.com,  Vicky.in & wheelosphere.org etc.) and discussion forum (www.team-bhp.com)  did a much better job than mainstream media and Fiat India before and after the launch of the Grande Punto on the 17th providing photos, writeups and specifications for several days and weeks prior.  Most information about the new vehicle and the specifications were out on the net for several days.www.zigwheels.com even had a review of the car yesterday. It was no surprise to hear of the engine options at all from Fiat. The only item worthy of waiting for the launch was the price of the variants.

My hatchback comparison charts are updated with the Grande Punto details for both the Petrol and Diesel versions.  Please click here for the Petrol Comparisons and here for the Diesel Comparisons. I have used only the top of the line versions of petrol and diesel in the comparison.

Innovative and useful features of the Grande Punto:

  • Tail Lamps are out of harms way. Hopefully fewer dings will occur where they are placed.
  • The climate control with pollen filter – good for those with allergies.
  • The service check reminders are useful. They can get annoying if they malfunction however :-).
  • Having the ignition key in a position that the driver can easily see is definitely a welcome feature.
  • The Programmable speed limit warning again is useful but may get annoying.
  • The Blue & Me seems like a cool thing to have – hopefully it is not too complicated for our regular folks to understand. Do not want to hear about crashes because of jokers fiddling with the system on the move.
  • The fold-able key is another cool feature.

Size:
Dimensions wise it is the 3rd longest hatchback currently on the market behind the Fusion and the Fabia. Legroom should be pretty decent.  It just about as wide as the Swift (narrower by 3mm). Wider hatch backs include the Fusion, I20, Swift, Jazz & Vista. So seating space for 5 inside should be adequate.

Looks:
I need to see it in person to really say how it looks. I like the looks of the car in most colors. Just felt the grille for the red or lighter colored cars should have been defaulted to black. The silver colored grille and fog lamp surrounds seems a bit out of place. The straight on front view is the best followed by the front 3 quarter view. I really do not care for its looks from the side or from the back where it just looks like every other hatchback and leaning towards plainness.  I fear there may be a huge blind spot up front at the A-pillar – will need to test drive to make sure.

Fiat Grande Punto
Fiat Grande Punto

Fiat has really played it safe and made the car available in the most common and popular colors. I think they are playing it too safe.  A few uncommon colors would have helped the car stand out. Their famous purple that was there on the Palio 1.6 and the brilliant yellow of the Palio S10 are notable omissions. I predict the hot color for the car will be the Exotica Red.

Price:
The top of the line petrol 1.4 Emotion Pack is the 5th costliest in the list with the Jazz, Fusion, Fabia and I20 being costlier.

The top of the line Diesel 1.3 Emotion Pack is the 3rd costliest after the Fabia and Fiesta.

In summary:
The real competition for the Grande Punto is the Hyundai I20 which is close to it in size and price and has a similar bag of feature laden trims that will entice buyers. There really will be bloodshed when the I20 diesel comes out. The Jazz looks very overpriced now and there is a lot of sentiment on the net and on Twitter mentioning cancelling Jazz bookings/thoughts to go for the Punto. I also predict to see some movement away from the Ritz to the GP as well.

Fiat Grande Punto
Fiat Grande Punto

I think the Grande Punto has been well priced and provides enough trim options for customers wanting a hatchback of that size. The design looks good, the price is right and the features are just right including the most sought after safety features of ABS & Airbags.  The Diesel trims are as well equipped as the Petrol trims. Yes the price is higher but thats still fine.

The key to its success in India will now depend on the sales and service experience. I just hope the Fiat/Tata alliance can somehow work together well to pull it off.

I want to test drive the Grande Punto just to get an idea of how it handles. Have registered for a TD and am now waiting for the call confirming the TD.  Will post updates after that.

Ending Crib:
I was cribbing while waiting for the Ritz launch, I held my tongue during the Jazz launch since I had a feeling we would have a huge let down and then finally the Grande Punto launch was no different. The manufacturers of all these three vehicles seem to think that their online presence can be ignored and all that matters is the big press conference where they call journos from the big mainstream media like print and TV and for the heck of it some of the major online websites. I think they need to carefully coordinate the launch  at the press conference and at the online presence to happen simultaneously or within  a matter of minutes – or hell kick it off during the press conference and show off their website as well. In the past 3 launches the online sites were updated only several hours past the official unveiling and till then had almost useless information with no time mentioned for the release of useful info. Its not like they are building the website after the official launch. The product has been ready for years, features and engines decided for India, website content is ready for weeks if not months, the pricing has been planned well in advance – all that is pending is to push a button which is the equivalent of “publish” to make all the data available to the thousands like myself who were sitting in office on their day jobs checking the official Indian website of the Fiat Grande Punto  www.fiatpunto.in at every free moment for details and also hoplessly checking the Fiat India website as well . After my initial enthu on noticing Fiat has a blog called Fiat For You– which was not being updated after June 17th morning a lot of my enthu went away.

"Be Bold"
"Be Bold" - saw this page all day !

I finally stopped checking the site after coming home and still checking till around 8.00 PM.  Had dinner and came back to check it and finally saw that the details are showing up hours later. The blog was also updated aroudn the same time.

I20’s Jazz-Fusion Getz Fabialous & U/VA’s Swift move to Ritzy Vistas!

After the Honda Jazz release on June 10th, I updated my Super Hatch (Petrol) Comparison chart. I will do a Diesel sheet soon.

While doing the updates I realized if the Jazz can touch 8 lakhs+ on road and still be in the sheet – then it was inexcusable on my part to omit the Ford Fusion which I had earlier left out because I was wanting to keep the list under 7 lakhs. It is a bit of a misfit since it has a 1.6L engine while the others are 1.3L at most.

Here is the data sheet for you to draw your own conclusions: Super Hatch Comparison Chart.

My Thoughts: Overall the Hyundai I20 seems to be spacious and feature loaded at a decent price when compared to the Fabia and the Jazz. It tops in safety features as well. Compared to the Jazz, now even the Fabia seems like a value for money car !

PS: Hope the post title made some sense :-).  Have a Happy Weekend !

Indian Super Hatches Comparison

The market segment of feature filled large size hatchbacks  in India is becoming very exciting with several new model launches planned for the next few months starting with the just launched Ritz in May, Jazz in June and the Punto and Polo soon after. If you were looking at purchasing a large sized Hatchback and puzzled with the options before you, you must have realised the need to do a lot of research to narrow down what fits your budget and your needs.

Suzuki Splash.
Image via Wikipedia
Suzuki Splash photographed in Tokyo Motor Show...
Image via Wikipedia

“Don’t Panic” – help is at hand. I have done the research on the key features, dimensions and specifications of the large hatchbacks available in the Indian market today for you. The focus of my comparison is primarily space,safety and features.  

 

Vehicles compared:  

  • Skoda Fabia 1.2 Ambiente
  • Hyundai I20 Asta(O)
  • Chevrolet Aveo U-VA 1.2 LT
  • Hyundai Getz Prime 1.3 GLX
  • Indica Vista Saffire Aura
  • Maruti Suzuki Swift ZXI  
  • Maruti Suzuki Ritz ZXI

These are all petrols only to keep the total on road cost under 7 lakhs. Indian Manufacturers have the highest trim levels with safety features only on their petrol models. The Fabia, Getz Prime, Swift & Ritz come in diesel versions as well but are usually not as well equipped (only exception being the Fabia) as the petrol equivalents.These vehicles have a good mix of space, are fairly new on the market and come with basic safety features. (**I have included the Indica Vista in the list only because it was similar in size to the other but feature wise it doesn’t come close).

The attached PDF file has this in an easy to compare format. Do take a look and let me know if you need any additional information. Click here for the PDF file. (I am not affiliated to any of the manufacturers other than through ownership of a Getz and a Swift.)

Do also take a look at these older posts of mine to help you

  1. select your first car
  2. select the best vehicle to upgrade to
  3. determine if you can add specific accessories later or buy them factory installed.

Updated June 14th:

Do also take a look at the following:

  1. Which car is better – the Ritz or the Swift ?
  2. Are you looking for a Diesel Hatchback ? (Comparison of Fabia,Fusion,Vista,Getz,Swift,Ritz, Indica and Palio) 
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Long Term Hyundai Getz GLS Review (4 yrs)

We recently completed the 4 year anniversary  of getting the Hyundai Getz GLS as of March 25th.  It has covered around 20 thousand kilometers till now. The mileage has been low since it is my father that drives it during the week and I drive it during the weekends.  Took me some time to write up this review – it is a long long one so I apologize in advance. Plus I can say you have been warned.

Why & how we chose the car: In 2005 we were looking for a replacement to the 9 year old Maruti 800 and we wanted a  bigger car.  At that point we had the Ford Ikon as well so we didnt need another sedan. The 800 was used for all errands and trips to places with bad parking while the Ikon was used only when going out to places with good parking and to Church etc. The primary driver was to be my Father so the primary requirement was something easy to drive and easy to park.

Features available was also a criteria. Having been spoilt with the Ikon I wanted power windows, central & remote locking. With the Ikon’s rear glass fogging up frequently I was adamant about wanting  the rear wash/wipe and defogger.  We started the process late February 2005. The decision was made for a hatchback and the budget initially set at around 4.3 L. A quick look around showed the choices with the features we wanted as the Santro and the Wagon-R. I was not planning on even trying the Indica, the Corsa Sail or the Palio which were also available at the time for various reasons.

Wagon-R blues: We went to Maruti and wanted to see the Wagon-R.  The dealership we first visited didn’t have a demo car at their dealership when we went in so had to wait for them to bring one to us.  One silver one was brought home and I test drove it and found to my horror that its speedometer was disconnected. Decided then and there that I am not buying from that dealership at all. 

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