Which Diesel hatchback?

Now that the fuel prices have gone a skywalk, most people opt for a hatchback preferably diesel. So which one is the best in India? Gone are the days when ambassadors and fiat padminis ruled the entire car segment. Now the market is flooded with almost all the world leading car makers and the hatchback segment is the most happening. We have maruti-suzuki, fiat, hyundai, chevrolet, skoda and tata. Honda, VW, Toyota, Nissan, Renault are on their way.

Though the market has aplenty of hatchbacks, I see Suzuki Swift, Skoda Fabia, Hyundai Getz and the Tata Indica are the best available diesel hatchbacks. Though I'm yet to drive a fabia and getz, I am sure they won't disappoint. Of all the four, Indica is the cheapest and the Fabia is the most expensive. Getz too is bit expensive and Swift is excellently priced. Though expensive, Fabia has no compromise for the build quality and interiors. It is the segment leader in both categories. Typical Skoda build quality and the fabulous interiors give the Fabia a D segment car look and feel. But it disappoints with its performance and the steep pricing. The onroad price for the top end diesel is a staggering 8 lakhs! Getz now comes with the Accent 1.5 CRDi engine which makes it the strongest performer here. Still gives a reasonable mileage. But the pricing and the less impressive looks are its downfalls. It has good space, excellent build quality and nice interiors though not as good as Fabia. Then comes the cheapest and the most affordable diesel hatchback, the Indica. Local maker Tata still has to come a long way in build quality, transmission and interiors. The plastic looks and feels cheaper. The gear shifts are rubbery and inaccurate. But the road presence, mileage and space are impressive.

So, finally coming to the class leading Suzuki Swift. Though this model is around for years, still it looks attractive. Now fitted with Fiat's world class diesel engine, the Swift is a runaway success again! Delivery period of over 4 to 6 months proves the demand for this car. People keep thronging to the maruti showrooms! Superb looks, awesome mileage, world class Fiat engine, petrol like performance makes Suzuki Swift unbeatable in this segment. Though the space, bulid quality, interiors are not up to the segment standard, the sales chart seems unaffected..

Me too planning to get one soon..... :-))

UK cars!

Now I am in UK, and it's a must to blog about UK cars ;-) Though I still didn't get a chance to drive a car here, I like the way they drive their cars in UK. I have been here for 2 weeks now and never heard honking so far. Even the taxi drivers stick to this.. Amazing! I just think about honkers in Bangalore. Some guys will keep honking even there is no vehicle in front of him! He has accustomed to it :-)

Apart from this strange(!) behaviour, the Brits follow the usual road manners we Indian never do: Stick to lanes, speed limits, etc. In fact, this seems really boring for a typical Indian like me ;-) What's a drive without honking, overtaking in wrong side, overspeeding, jumping the signals, etc ?? Jokes apart, I'm dreaming when we Indians can acquire this habit... Sticking to road manners not only is safe for drivers, but for the pedestrians too.

Unlike US (which I'm yet to go), UK people like to own small cars ranging between 1.0 to 2.0 litres. I see 1.2 and 1.4 are hot favourites. The top sellers in this hatchback segment are Vauxhall (GM), Ford, VW, Toyota, Peugeot, Honda, Renault and Mazda. Astra being the flagship model for Vauxhall, Ford has Focus and VW has Polo & Golf. But I personally feel, the Honda Civic hatchback Type R simply steals the show..