Car India – August 2019

TwiTTer:@carindia

facebook:facebook.com/carindia

insTagram:carindia_mag

websiTe: http://www.carindia.in

PosT: Car India, Next Gen Automotive,
201,GeraSerenity,CTSNo15,North
MainRoad,KoregaonPark,Pune411001.
Your Views email: [email protected]

Suggest theRightSUV

I am looking to buyanSUVwithinthe

range of Rs 8 to Rs 10lakh.ThecarsI am

confused between arethenewRenault

Duster and the HyundaiVenue.I need

some clarity as to whichofthesecars

offers the best valueformoneywhenit

comes to comfort, features,and

maintenance cost. Iwouldalsoliketo

mention that a petrolenginematedtoa

manual transmissionwouldbemy

preferred choice. Pleaseadviseme.

Aditya Rajesh, Bengaluru

Dear Aditya,

Since features are amongyourpriorities,

it would make moresensetooptforthe

top-end Hyundai Venueratherthanthe

entry-level Renault Duster,which,

incidentally, is the onlyvariantofthe

Duster that will fit withinyourbudget.

I amlivinginthecrowdedcityofMumbai

and want to buy a hatchbackformyregular

commute. My budgetis tightandwillonly

allow me to buy a higher-endsmallhatch

like the Santro or theentry-levelVolkswagen

Polo. I have always likedthePolo,butI am

not sure if it would bebettertogeta top-end

smaller hatchback instead.Whatwouldbe

the pros and cons of eitherchoice?

Also, please keep inmindthatmyuse

will be mainly restrictedtocommuting

within the city.

Please advise me.

Arjun, Mumbai

DearArjun,

If youoptfora top-of-the-linecompact

hatchliketheHyundaiSantro,youcan

getanautomaticgearboxanda feature-

loadedmodelthatgetspowerwindows

anda touchscreeninfotainmentsystem.

Ontheflipside,if yougowiththe

VolkswagenPolo,you'llgeta slightly

roomiercarwithbetterdrivingdynamics,

butonethatis quitebare-bonesinthe

featuresdepartment.So,whichwayyou

gowillhavetobeinformedbyyour

prioritiesregardingthefactorswehave

mentionedabove.

Compact Hatch for Daily Commuting

Waiting for Citroën

I have been following the news about

Citroën and I am quite excited about the

marque coming to India. I have been saving

up to buy a new car and if things go well, I

will have enough to afford a brand-new

Maruti Suzuki Swift by the end of the year.

If Citroën are planning to launch their first

model in India within a year or so, then I

am prepared to wait. Do you have an

approximate idea of when the brand expects

to enter India and what models will be part

of their Indian portfolio?

Susan Cherian, Kottayam

Hello, Susan,

It is nice to see your enthusiasm for

Citroën. However, even if they do plan to

introduce a premium hatch to rival the

Maruti Suzuki Swift — something they

haven't confirmed so far — it is unlikely to

arrive before 2021. Their first model in

India is going to be the C5 Aircross

compact SUV and that will only come in by

the end of 2020 at the earliest. So, you

might have to wait a little longer than

originally planned.

Compact SUV with AT

I am a resident of Chennai and currently

drive a Hyundai i10. I am thinking of

upgrading to a compact SUV. My

priorities are second-row space,

manoeuvrability, cabin refinement, and an

up-to-date infotainment system.

I am considering cars like the Ford

EcoSport, Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza,

Mahindra XUV300, and Hyundai Venue.

While I am okay with petrol or diesel, an

automatic gearbox is not negotiable.

Which car should I look at?

Antoo Fabio, Chennai

Hello, Antoo,

The Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza is the

most budget-conscious option of the lot

while still offering a decent amount of

space. So, if you have a tight budget, that's

the way to go. If you're trying to decide

between the Hyundai Venue, Ford

EcoSport, and the Mahindra XUV300, our

comparison story of the manual variants in

this very issue will definitely help you

decide. We would recommend that you

also test-drive all these cars and also check

out the second row leg-room figures in our

story to make sure you pick the right option

that suits your needs perfectly.

Letterof

tHe montH

30 CARINdIA^ August 2019