In its diesel form, the linea is extremely frugal, has decent power but is low on interior fit and finish and is now dated compared to the new fiesta. However, in its petrol manual guise, the T Jet continues to be one of our favorite cars to drive whereas the new Fiesta’s dual clutch autobox puts it in a different league altogether. To sum it up,…[Read more]

Fiat Linea for interior space, rear seat comfort and plush feel. Fiesta for drive and handling and features.

I think both cars are quite evenly matched for a person who wants a fun-to-drive sedan. The Linea TJet is the most fun to drive manual car around below Rs 10 lakhs. The Fiesta petrol DCT automatic is the most convenient to drive with a superb auto gearbox. That’s for petrols. For diesels, the Linea seems a little slower than the Fiesta. Ride and…[Read more]

Go for toyota innova, it fits your budget, is more comfortable even than endeavour or fortuner, good service backup, minimal service cost, peace of mind after owning a toyota..

Here in our side its very famous family car as well.. that’s why i told you.. no other car can match it comfort wise. Buy some metallic color and do some customization such as alloys.. It would definatly look good and a family car as well..

XUV500 bookings are open across India right now I think. They had opened it on June 26. Wonder if they closed it! There is an interesting car coming up soon – Hyundai Elantra. Hyundai is known not to scrimp on features! If you are used to Linea, I doubt if XUV500 will suit your tastes. Mahindra service centers are pretty unprofessional (though…[Read more]

The Skoda Laura Elegance is also a good car to pick, or if you want exclusivity – go for the Volkswagen Jetta – not too many of those on the roads, as it is slightly more expensive than the Laura. Both have the same good diesel engine and decent mileage.

Ahem, Mathew – service quality of Mahindra? Yes, quality has been improving, but so have the costs! It’s really quite expensive now. Minimum service cost alone is Rs. 2000. Add oil changes etc and you’;re looking at an average bill of Rs 6000 now per service. Also Mahindra recommends you get your vehicle serviced every 5000 km, although oil…[Read more]

spares of cruze are on the higher side, but same with skoda and VW.. If you want to spend so much money than fortuner is not a bad option at all.. If you don’t have much budget than try out the ford endeavour..

@Nirmal – Yes, Laura is a good option. Fluence is a car I want to recommend but won’t just because of not enough service stations everywhere. I just love its looks. XUV500 – its a Mahindra, and however great their improvements, tata and mahindra vehicles are not near Fiat or GM or anyone else when it comes to build quality. Simple example is,…[Read more]

The classiest looking car is the Fluence in that price segment, though as you said the scanty dealer-service network is a bother. The XUV500 has a 4-5 month waiting period even now. There’s no beating the features list it offers at its price point, but service standards at Mahindra are not everyone’s cup of tea. Laura is a safe bet. The Elantra is…[Read more]

Elantra launch will be next month. They are already inviting journalists to drive the car.

Cruze is not only powerful but also most attractive in the segment. It is the only car with the sunroof in its class. Everything inside is just placed where they belong. Interior quality is not up to standards but looks sporty. The down side of Cruze is the lack of space, the cabin is so cramped and the suspensions are stiff. But 320 Nm of torque…[Read more]

@Nirmal – I agree about the looks of the Jetta. VWs look too similar to each other – and I am afraid even the elantra looks too similar to the verna – a bit wider and longer, but similar!

I checked the US website too, some days ago. Found that Cruze is similar to what we have, difference is in quality of interiors and the equipment, rest is almost same.

@Nirmal Balachandran The link has the same Cruze which we have in our market. As i said earlier, little changes inside like the touch display and quality of plastics. On the exterior chrome accents with different alloys. This is the basic strategy of company introducing the car in Asian countries with basically same design. Even i checked the…[Read more]

@kunal – no thats the new cruze, showcased recently in Busan or somewhere. Check the fog lamp area The rest of the differences are too small to be seen.

Peugeot is still going through the hassles of setting up. They were building a plant in Gujarat, but those plans fell through. There was talk of coming in with GM too. It’s going to be a long wait for Peugeot.

With a budget of Rs 15 lakhs, I would either go for the Laura, Cruze or Elantra, depending on whether my priority is refinement, power or peace of mind in ownership.