I am planning to buy my first
car, for a family of 5. It is not
for city driving or every day
use. My budget is `4 lakh and I was looking
at an automatic transmission.
— Tatyasaheb Patil, by email
The only automatic in the range of your
budget is the Maruti A Star. Maintenance wise,
there won’t be any problems but it will seem
a little sluggish and fuel economy will suffer
a little because of the automatic transmission.
Another car to look for is the Tata Indica eV2
Xeta.
I am planning to buy my first car. My
budget is `4 lakh and my daily travel is 40-
50 kms. Should I go for a new or used car?
If new, which is better in terms of mileage,
maintenance and comfort for 5 persons?
Also, should it be diesel, petrol or CNG?
— Pranav Shah, by email
Buying new is the best option for a first
timer as it will last a lot longer and there’s no
chance for you to get ripped of by a shady second-
hand dealer. The Chevrolet Beat diesel
would make a great first car for you.
I am planning to buy my first car and I
would like to go for a diesel. I am confused
between the Volkswagen Polo and the Skoda
Fabia. My driving would be mainly on the
weekends. Please suggest.
— Bhavin Khant, by email
Between those two, there’s little to be confused
about. They’re the same cars basically
(they are cousins too, since Skoda is also
owned by Volkswagen!), so choose whichever
you feel looks better. If by weekend usage
you mean that the car won’t be used a lot, we
suggest the petrol variants instead of diesel
since they’ll be cheaper.
Can a driver information system (DIS) and
digital speedometer be installed in a
Hyundai i10 anywhere on the instrument
cluster or dashboard? If so, what would be
the cost? — CM Pradhan, by email
Digital speedometers can be added for sure
but unless you really want one, we suggest
against it as it will stick out like a sore thumb
in your instrument cluster. DIS would be tricky
to implement because the unit will have to
communicate with the ECU to get the required
information. It’s best to leave that alone and
enjoy your car for now.
I am planning to buy a new car for around
`6 lakh. I am a short person and drive
around 1000 km per month. Should I go for
a diesel or petrol variant? Between the i20,
Jazz and Polo, which should I choose (no
Swift for me). — Paramvir Bhadwal, by email
First, go for a petrol variant. If you’re taking
the Swift out of the reckoning, the Jazz is
the next best choice. The i20 and Polo are great
cars, but the Jazz trumps in space.
I had asked a question about selecting a
car some weeks ago, and I am very thankful
for such a nice answer. Now I am confused
on whether to go for a petrol or diesel
model. So my question to you is why is a
petrol car preferable if you travel less and
diesel otherwise?
— Kaushal Pancholi, by email
The simple rationale is that diesel cars cost
more than their petrol counterparts, and it’s
hard to recoup the initial investment through
fuel economy gains if the car is not used much.
Hence, if the intended usage is low, a petrol
car is recommended for lower overall running
costs.
I have a Maruti Wagon R since 3 years. It’s
fitted with a CNG kit now. I get a good
mileage — petrol about 16-17 kms per litre
and about 26-29 kms per kg of CNG. Now I
want to buy another car in the `5-6 lakh
range but with the same consumption as
above. I am thinking of the Beat diesel.
— Bhupendra Khatri, by email
The Chevrolet Beat would suit your needs
well. Mileage is great and there’s no need to
spend extra bucks getting a CNG kit fitted. Another
option to pursue if LPG is available
where you live is the LPG version of the Beat.
I have a budget of `5-6 lakh and wanted
to know if the automatic Maruti A-Star is a
good choice.
— Jitendra U Todkar, by email
The A-star automatic comes with a 4-speed
transmission which affects mileage adversely,
but it is well worth a lot of city driving in
start-stop traffic. All other specifications are
the same as the manual variant. If you can increase
your budget a little, you can also look
at the Hyundai i20 automatic.
I am planning to purchase a car with a
budget of `7 lakh. I am looking at the new
Swift or Honda Jazz. Which would be the
best within my budget?
— Rohan Bhargava, by email
If you use the car extensively, the diesel Swift
fits the bill quite nicely. If it’s just for short runs
in the city and the occasional long drive, the
Jazz is a great car. Alternatively, look at the
Hyundai i20 for a more premium diesel hatch.
I own an SX4, 2007 model, petrol variant.
My daily running is 60 to 70 kms. Would it
be advisable to fit a CNG or an LPG engine?
— Faisal Patil, by email
The mileage justifies the expense involved
in a CNG or LPG kit, but realistically, that depends
on how long
you plan to keep the
car. If you are considering
replacement
somewhere
down the line, you
should wait and opt
for a diesel/CNG/LPG
model the next time
around.
car, for a family of 5. It is not
for city driving or every day
use. My budget is `4 lakh and I was looking
at an automatic transmission.
— Tatyasaheb Patil, by email
The only automatic in the range of your
budget is the Maruti A Star. Maintenance wise,
there won’t be any problems but it will seem
a little sluggish and fuel economy will suffer
a little because of the automatic transmission.
Another car to look for is the Tata Indica eV2
Xeta.
I am planning to buy my first car. My
budget is `4 lakh and my daily travel is 40-
50 kms. Should I go for a new or used car?
If new, which is better in terms of mileage,
maintenance and comfort for 5 persons?
Also, should it be diesel, petrol or CNG?
— Pranav Shah, by email
Buying new is the best option for a first
timer as it will last a lot longer and there’s no
chance for you to get ripped of by a shady second-
hand dealer. The Chevrolet Beat diesel
would make a great first car for you.
I am planning to buy my first car and I
would like to go for a diesel. I am confused
between the Volkswagen Polo and the Skoda
Fabia. My driving would be mainly on the
weekends. Please suggest.
— Bhavin Khant, by email
Between those two, there’s little to be confused
about. They’re the same cars basically
(they are cousins too, since Skoda is also
owned by Volkswagen!), so choose whichever
you feel looks better. If by weekend usage
you mean that the car won’t be used a lot, we
suggest the petrol variants instead of diesel
since they’ll be cheaper.
Can a driver information system (DIS) and
digital speedometer be installed in a
Hyundai i10 anywhere on the instrument
cluster or dashboard? If so, what would be
the cost? — CM Pradhan, by email
Digital speedometers can be added for sure
but unless you really want one, we suggest
against it as it will stick out like a sore thumb
in your instrument cluster. DIS would be tricky
to implement because the unit will have to
communicate with the ECU to get the required
information. It’s best to leave that alone and
enjoy your car for now.
I am planning to buy a new car for around
`6 lakh. I am a short person and drive
around 1000 km per month. Should I go for
a diesel or petrol variant? Between the i20,
Jazz and Polo, which should I choose (no
Swift for me). — Paramvir Bhadwal, by email
First, go for a petrol variant. If you’re taking
the Swift out of the reckoning, the Jazz is
the next best choice. The i20 and Polo are great
cars, but the Jazz trumps in space.
I had asked a question about selecting a
car some weeks ago, and I am very thankful
for such a nice answer. Now I am confused
on whether to go for a petrol or diesel
model. So my question to you is why is a
petrol car preferable if you travel less and
diesel otherwise?
— Kaushal Pancholi, by email
The simple rationale is that diesel cars cost
more than their petrol counterparts, and it’s
hard to recoup the initial investment through
fuel economy gains if the car is not used much.
Hence, if the intended usage is low, a petrol
car is recommended for lower overall running
costs.
I have a Maruti Wagon R since 3 years. It’s
fitted with a CNG kit now. I get a good
mileage — petrol about 16-17 kms per litre
and about 26-29 kms per kg of CNG. Now I
want to buy another car in the `5-6 lakh
range but with the same consumption as
above. I am thinking of the Beat diesel.
— Bhupendra Khatri, by email
The Chevrolet Beat would suit your needs
well. Mileage is great and there’s no need to
spend extra bucks getting a CNG kit fitted. Another
option to pursue if LPG is available
where you live is the LPG version of the Beat.
I have a budget of `5-6 lakh and wanted
to know if the automatic Maruti A-Star is a
good choice.
— Jitendra U Todkar, by email
The A-star automatic comes with a 4-speed
transmission which affects mileage adversely,
but it is well worth a lot of city driving in
start-stop traffic. All other specifications are
the same as the manual variant. If you can increase
your budget a little, you can also look
at the Hyundai i20 automatic.
I am planning to purchase a car with a
budget of `7 lakh. I am looking at the new
Swift or Honda Jazz. Which would be the
best within my budget?
— Rohan Bhargava, by email
If you use the car extensively, the diesel Swift
fits the bill quite nicely. If it’s just for short runs
in the city and the occasional long drive, the
Jazz is a great car. Alternatively, look at the
Hyundai i20 for a more premium diesel hatch.
I own an SX4, 2007 model, petrol variant.
My daily running is 60 to 70 kms. Would it
be advisable to fit a CNG or an LPG engine?
— Faisal Patil, by email
The mileage justifies the expense involved
in a CNG or LPG kit, but realistically, that depends
on how long
you plan to keep the
car. If you are considering
replacement
somewhere
down the line, you
should wait and opt
for a diesel/CNG/LPG
model the next time
around.
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