Simply sedan - Post 1 - Research

Idea of buying new car was there from almost 2 years. The old Santro was almost 7 years and wanted to change. We had done one round of research in 2012 itself. But due to few reasons we didn't continue the plan.

Cars considered for first research
1. Fiat Linea
2. Maruthi SX4
3. Hyundai Verna
4. Ford Fiesta New
5. Tata manza

After a long research of 2 months and rounds and rounds of test drives, we had leant towards Linea and next in the list was SX4.

Reasons: Linea has great build quality, excellent looks according to me. Sowmya loved Verna in terms of looks than Linea. Many features were loaded in that beast.
Cons about Linea was, very less space inside, driving was lil discomfort due to full clutch, and there were no dedicated service centers at that time

Sx4 was our next favorite.
Why? Due to comfort feeling, excellent driving experience. Great road clearance, feels very good inside.
Cons: Old model, very less features

Ford Fiesta was very small. Tata manza, even though it has huge space, Sowmya dint like looks.

Verna, why we left last time: We loved features, build quality, ride experience, but only point was it had horrible road clearance. It used to kiss road almost in all road humps.

What we considered now?
This time short listing of cars were very different.
1. Hyundai Verna
2. Honda city diesel
3. Maruthi Ertiga
4. Toyota Etios
5. Renault Duster

Why no European cars? We were very much into looks the cars, Vento and Rapid were more blonde compared others, so they were in list

Let's see car by car, our view

Duster: Pro: Superb looks, very rugged, nice driving experience
Cons: cheap interiors, doesn't feel like 10lac car

Etios: Pro: Less price
Cons: almost everything else. Feels like taxi, horrible drive experience, no power at all

Ertiga: Pro: Superb utility vehicle, 7 seater for sedan price, very comfortable all sense. Good value for money
Cons: not a sedan ;), won't feel richness, no Bluetooth ;)

City diesel: Pro: Lovely new design (copied fluidic concept from Hyundai, I would say), excellent space management, a.c. duct for rear seat, loaded with features
Cons: New to diesel engine, little expensive, headroom could have been improved, no offers no discounts

Verna: Pro: We had already soft corner, they had improved ground clearance. Sexy looks, loaded with features, feels very posh
Cons: seats could have lil broader, rear seating comfort could have been improved, year end offer was extended and i got free insurance

Verdict went in favour of Verna, booked the vehicle on 30 Jan 2014.