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Car and bike questions? We have the answers
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I want to buy a car that is fuel efficient and has low maintenance costs. I have short-listed the petrol versions of Santro, Alto and U-VA and the diesel versions of the Getz and Indica. Kindly suggest a suitable option.
U Nagesh
In the petrols, it would be the Alto which would win hands down as far as maintenance costs are concerned. But we would prefer the Santro, do try out the new i10 as well. For diesel, the Indica would definitely win as the spares are much cheaper than those of the Getz. But the Getz CRDi is a much better car.
I want to buy a sedan and my budget is around Rs. 15 lakh. I am interested in the Honda Accord, the Honda Civic, Hyundai Sonata and Skoda Octavia Classic. I will use the car for around 30km per day and might take it out of town on weekends. Which of the cars mentioned above is most reliable? I can raise my budget a little as well. Please suggest a suitable option.
Murali Kartik
All the cars you’ve mentioned are quite reliable. At 30km per day, you could also look at diesel as an option. In diesel, you could look at the Sonata CRDi, it is a capable car with lots of boot space and a comfortable backseat. The Skoda is great in terms of fuel economy but the backseat could be slightly cramped. If it is petrol, you can’t go wrong with the Accord.
I am learning how to drive and immediately after, I want to buy a car. I am thinking of buying a new car and am confused between the Swift and Alto. Of the two, which one would you recommend?
V Ganesh
A new driver should start with a car that is not too expensive on the pocket or to repair. So it is the Alto for you. Being compact, it is easy to manoeuvre in traffic and park as well. Once you are confident behind the wheel, you can move to a bigger car.
I travel around 1000km per month in the city and once in two months, I travel out-of-station for around 700kms. I travel with my family of four. I want to buy a car and my budget is Rs 6 lakh (on-road). I want a car that will have the necessary acceleration to quickly take advantage of gaps in bumper-to-bumper traffic and one that has very good brakes. Additionally, I want it to be economical to run and handle well on the highway. Other requirements include, a comfortable and silent cabin, roomy interiors that can accommodate tall people and decent storage space.
S Suresh
The Renault Logan suits your requirements. The diesel is reasonably peppy. It is spacious, can seat five in comfort and also has good boot space. You have to however, live with its boxy styling. Highway manners are impeccable. Alternatively, there is the Tata Indigo. The quality may not be that great, but it has got space, is fuel efficient and offers a lot of kit.
I want to buy a new car and my budget is around Rs 3.5 lakh. I want to add a CNG or LPG kit to the new car. I have short-listed the Santro, Spark, Tata Indica Diesel and the Alto. Which should I choose and why? I will use the car within the city for an average of 20km per day.
K Ranganthan
With your kind of running, you could do with a diesel car rather than converting one to LPG/CNG. In that case, you have the Indica diesel that is a good combination of space and economy, but the quality isn’t that great and it can suffer from niggling issues. But if you must convert to gas, pick up a Santro and put an LPG kit. We suggest LPG over CNG as the power loss in LPG is less when compared to CNG.
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