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Game, set and hatch!

Wheels put five budget hatchbacks in the spotlight and has one question to ask - which one represents the best value for your money?

PRIZE HATCH From the tiny Alto to the muscular Palio and everything of relevance in between, which one is the best buy?

Need a campus car that's easy to park before hurrying to your lectures? Or perhaps one for running those stop-and-go errands at diametrically different ends in the city? Now, you can pick and choose from an array of small cars that will not burn a hole in your pocket every time you top up the tank, be easy on the eye and serve your city commuting well.

This week, we look at the small car market and our main contenders for the budget hatchback comparison are the Indica Xeta, Hyundai Santro, Fiat Palio 1.2 and Maruti's Alto and Wagon R.

Design and engineering

The Palio and the Indica are large, full-sized hatchbacks while the Santro and Wagon R are based on the tall boy design. This leaves the Alto — the smallest of the lot, and tight on space. The Palio's clean lines are appealing and the jewel-like headlamps and flame-shaped tail lamps go well with the overall design. The Indica's tall tail-lamps and the winged headlamps are great, but the design is not as well integrated as the Fiat's. However, the car is definitely built better than before and comes with a good paint finish and quality.

The tall boys, the Santro and the Wagon R, may not be handsome, but they use space better. The tall cabins and upright seats make them feel airy, but the Wagon R and Santro do feel flimsy when compared to the Palio. The Xing, however, is a surprise package — it is well put together with excellent fit and metal quality. The Alto, the odd one out here, can't match the rest for useable space. But the recent facelift is a definite step in the right direction.

Interiors and comfort

The Xing has the best quality interiors of the lot. The Wagon R, like the Xing, is built tall with ample headroom and while seating position for the driver is comfortable, the seats themselves are flat and lack sufficient support. The interiors feel cheap due to low-rent plastic on the dash and the door pads.

But neither car delivers space, comfort and a feeling of safety like the Palio and the Indica. Both are big inside and can seat five in relative comfort. The Palio's driving position is the sportiest and the interiors have a tough build, but the cheap plastics, thick pillars and big roof lend the Palio a gloomy feel inside. The Indica's cabin, in contrast, feels airy thanks to lots of glass and the new beige interiors. With doors opening almost 90 degrees, ingress and egress is easy too. Though quality has improved over the years, certain buttons and switches are still made of cheap plastic — a shame, as the rest of the interior is now a much nicer place to be.

Coming to the Alto, its interiors are cramped and rear passengers have very little legroom. The rear seats are narrow and can barely seat two abreast. The tiny boot doesn't help either.

Engine and performance

Twenty four bhp separates the most powerful and the least powerful car here. But figures don't matter. When you consider you'll be using your car mainly in town, a peppy, responsive engine and short gearing are what matter — and the Xing rules. The eager 63bhp `eRLX' engine has instant throttle response, and with a snappy, easy gearshift included, this Korean car makes busy city roads easy to negotiate.

The Indica with its recently revised Xeta motor is a surprise here, with a power delivery that is smooth and linear. The gearshift, however, is still rubbery though, and a coarse top-end means it's still not as refined as most of the competitors here.

The Palio's ECU has been recalibrated for Euro III norms. Throttle response and low engine speed torque, never its strengths, are now even worse and the car feels sluggish low down in its powerband. Most of the power lies at the top of the powerband and the Palio drives well when you keep the engine buzzing. Gear ratios are well spaced and make the car feel faster than it really is. But the considerable weight of the Palio means performance is blunted — traffic can be a handful. The Wagon R's 1061cc motor pulls well from low speed, thanks to the engine's wide and flat torque curve and the tall Maruti drives well in the city. But the engine is nowhere near as responsive as the Santro's, which walks all over the Wagon R as far as engine refinement and smoothness are concerned.

The Alto's three-cylinder, 12-valve engine is the smallest capacity unit here. It's actually the Wagon R's engine minus one cylinder. The slowest, but throttle response is quite good, though it can be irritatingly snatchy, especially in first gear.

Ride and handling

The Palio's well-weighted, accurate steering is light and the superb chassis and reasonable forward visibility make the car a breeze to drive, especially in the city. The thick C-pillar makes reversing and parking difficult though.

The Wagon R suffers none of the Palio's visibility problems, with its high seating position and large greenhouse ensuring excellent all-round visibility. It's a good city car but on the open road, the electric-assisted steering is excessively light and lacks sufficient feedback.

This Maruti is also sensitive to crosswinds due to its slab-sided design — remember, it is also the tallest of the machines here.

Blessed with most of the Wagon R's plus points, the Santro is an even better city car than the former. The conventional hydraulic steering is light, quick and accurate too and you have a super view of traffic and the road ahead. But the car's ride is lumpy at low speed and choppy when driven fast. Crosswinds affect it too. Not so with the Indica, since its long wheelbase provides stability on the highway. Unlike the Palio, it also has a tight turning circle and steering is light enough to tackle urban traffic. The Xeta's suspension remains unchanged from the earlier Indica, but a general tightening of quality gives the Xeta a more refined ride.

The Alto isn't a great handler, but it manages far better than both the tall boys. The Palio has the sharpest brakes but they need concentrated modulation. The brakes of the Indica, the Wagon R and the Alto do a fair job. The Santro's brake pedal needs the most effort in emergency situations.

Fuel efficiency

The Alto is the king of the fuel sipping game. Your search ends here if fuel is what matters most.

The smallest engine and a kerb weight that undercuts the Santro by a whopping 109 kg makes it Scrooge when it comes to saving fuel. The Wagon R and the Santro are evenly matched due to their similar kerb weight and engine capacity.

With Tata working overtime to improve the Indica, the Xeta is better with its fuel habits than the Palio, which also saw some improvement a while ago. H

owever, poor low engine speed response and heavy kerb weight take their toll on the Palio's efficiency.

Verdict

If running costs and fuel economy matter most, the Alto is the only choice. It's the basic, cheapest to buy and run, but lacks space.

For a car its size and what it delivers, comfort and performance-wise, the Indica Xeta is great value. Good in the city and on the highway, this first petrol car from Tata makes a good city commuter. The only thing that holds the Xeta back is its still unverified long-term durability.

The Wagon R's popularity has been steadily increasing, but the car remains unimproved. It's comfortable for four and efficient too. But it lacks refinement, isn't a well-rounded product, and the interiors badly need an upgrade.

The Palio, like the Wagon R, hasn't moved forward and is dated, but it still packs a punch. With good suspension and steering and unshakeable road manners, it's a car that excels in many areas except two, in city traffic and at the petrol pump.

Nippy and light to drive in the city, efficient enough to keep you smiling at the pump, refined, nicely equipped and a car that holds on to its value; well, the Santro eRLX wins. It's not the best riding car here but while tallying up the scores in areas that matter, the Santro clearly leaves the others far behind.

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