Valley Chai

what’s the best value in the mid-size/compact indian car segment? turns out the indian brands are in charge. take a look -

Skoda Fabia : The Elegance variant costs Rs.810,000. Czech made, VW/Audi-owned. Killer looks, Tons of standard options, but one bummer - the noisy 1.4L Diesel Engine. indian roads need pick up and acceleration more than engine power.

Maruti Swift : The ZXi variant costs Rs. 601,000. Hands-down king of the market. there is a 2-month wait period after you book this vehicle. Looks very good, but smaller than Fabia, and doesn’t have as many standard options. it comes with premium wheels and tons of options. we would’ve bought this if it were available in stock. there is a 4-week wait, and not even used cars are available from the dealerships.

Maruti SX4 : The ZXi variant costs Rs. 828,000. this sits incredibly high, and with the 16″s, it is almost a climb. but for weak-kneed indian elders, this is the perfect cart. yeah.. i was reminded of the bullock cart when i saw this up-close. the top of the boot in the back measures at almost waist/chest level when you stand next to it. but it’s well appointed inside with in-dash 6-disc changer and stuff. good value vehicle if looks is not the important factor. again, tons of people love this shit.

Hyndai Verna : update: The XXi-PET w/ABS lists at Rs.840,000. the showroom is somewhere between a maruti showroom and a skoda showroom. crowded but elegant, similar to their cars. the verna does try to be the common mans’ foreign car., and is very successful at it. the bad? it’s overly styled (no subtlety) and has a damn tape player in the deck. yeah you heard me right. what’s up with that? no airbags, but ABS on all 4 wheels. not as spacious as maruti SX4 (see above). this is a tough battle. but maruti wins on the interior design and on the cost. hyundai has be best network of dealers and service centers in india after maruti, so this is a good long-term bet.

i also took time to check out the i10. it has all the niceties like airbags and such standard, but is too compact and small to be safe or comfortable, specially on highways with longer drivers. the styling has no character, and maruti seems to have stolen the thunder with their zen redesign. no go on either of these models.

Honda City : The VTEC variant costs Rs. 947,000. comes fully loaded. the more mundane GXi lists at Rs.863,000. but the plastic mouldings and build quality could definitely be better coming from honda, at least when i compare to the civic’s in the US. plus i read on the web that this model is going to be discontinued (or at least significantly upgraded) sometime in 2008, so i am not sure if i should get this one.

Should i be considering the Ford Fiesta? Checy Optra? probably not. aside from quality, it would be hard to sell it to the desi junta who don’t trust the american brands as much as the asian brands.
Ford Fiesta (update): checked out the ford mainly because it’s the next-door neighbor to the skoda showroom. i was pleasantly surprised. they have two models in the same class - the fiesta model is a sedan, and the fusion model is hatchback utility. coming in from our SUV background, we immediately liked the Fusion (lists at Rs.676,000). the styling is nice, sits very high and is quite spacious. built in chennai this seems to have parts from japan, probably sharing some dna with mazda. the dings? it doesn’t have a cd player standard, and no airbag options. the fiesta model, however is very nice., especially the interior styling. leather everywhere! at Rs.820,000 on the highest model, it beats the verna on price. it only has driver airbag though. i wish they had airbag option on the fusion, i would’ve written the check rightaway.

General car buying experience: the car buying experience is SO different. honda dealer offered nice cuppa coffee as soon as you show up. and there aren’t high-school dropouts on the prowl in parking lot out to diss your ride or pressure-selling you. they are more than willing to print out on-the-road price lists let you go when you want to laave. the maruti fellow totally typifies indian showroom - disheveled, but have compelling value proposition. the skoda/honda showrooms are nice and polished, but seemed to offer lower value.the maruti/hyundai folks are pitch their dealer network and service centers as a differentiator, apart from value play with the price and standard features. all other brands pretty much wow you with better design, international branding and general ‘class’. tons of demand for diesel variants, mainly because of folks that run rental car businesses, and those folks that run their car on personal+business purposes.

the takeaway so far? i have been using the auto rickshaws quite a bit to go from dealership to dealership, and have grown to appreciate what these little pests do for the aam-junta in india. the bugger is available everywhere, and will take you from point a to point b with no frills and will cost you pretty much Rs30-70. may be i should just use these auto’s. at about Rs.250 average per day, it is very cheap, convenient and fuel efficient than anything else on the road.