Chevrolet Sail U-VA vs Ford Figo vs Toyota Liva: Need for space

Buyers of premium hatchbacks have different needs. Some want fuel efficiency, some want performance, while others are looking at space as a primary need when buying a car. At CarToq we’ve got a number of queries from buyers looking for a premium hatchback that has maximum space.

If you are looking for a spacious premium hatchback within a limited budget, not really looking at features, but where fuel efficiency is also a parameter, the queries for most spacious, fuel efficient premium hatches include the Chevrolet Sail U-Va, Ford Figo and the Toyota Etios Liva. Also read: Chevrolet Sail U-Va vs Maruti Swift

Ford Figo most VFM if price is a concern

All three are offered in petrol and diesel engine choices. The Chevrolet Sail U-Va petrol as a starting price of Rs. 4.48 lakh going up to Rs. 5.63 lakh. (Chevrolet recently came out with an offer, reducing the price by another Rs. 30,000 on the U-VA). The Sail U-Va diesel is priced between Rs. 5.93 lakh and Rs. 6.68 lakh ex-showroom.

The Ford Figo petrol is priced between Rs. 3.84 lakh and Rs. 4.53 lakh, while the diesel is priced between Rs. 4.82 lakh and Rs. 6 lakh. The Toyota Etios Liva petrol is priced between Rs. 4.49 lakh and Rs. 6.26 lakh, while the diesel is priced between Rs. 5.92 lakh and Rs. 6.24 lakh (two mid-variants only). Also read: Ford Figo vs Honda Brio

Looking at the pricing the Ford Figo emerges as the most value-for-money car on price alone, as it is cheaper than the others.

Etios Liva best on interior space

However, when it comes to interior space choice between the three, the Figo, although it has the biggest boot isn’t the best on passenger space. In terms of boot space, the Figo with its huge 284 litre boot can swallow a fair bit of luggage. The Liva has a 251 litre boot, while the Sail U-Va has a 248 litre boot. But rear seat legroom and shoulder room is lower in the Figo compared to the U-Va and the Liva. In fact, the Liva with its fully flat rear floor and flat bench seat is the most spacious for passengers, followed very closely by the U-Va which cleverly uses under seat storage space as well.

Sail U-Va best on performance

When you look at the performance parameters of all three cars, the Sail U-Va appears the best because of its more powerful 1.3 litre multijet diesel engine that puts out 77 bhp of power, compared to 68 bhp from Ford’s 1.4 litre diesel and 68 bhp from the Toyota Liva’s 1.4 litre diesel engine as well. In terms of fuel efficiency, all three are good, giving claimed mileage of over 20 kmpl. Also read: Premium hatchbacks for first time buyers

What we think

The Ford Figo Titanium variants emerge as the most value-for-money car when you look at features versus price. The Titanium variant has airbags, ABS, Bluetooth music system, power mirrors, two power windows etc. The Chevrolet Sail U-Va is more expensive than the Figo by nearly Rs. 70,000, but matches it on features. The only reason to pick a U-Va would be for the extra passenger space it offers and the better performance figures. The Toyota Etios Liva doesn’t have much by way of features in the diesel variant, and yet it’s more expensive than the others, not really making it a value for money car. If we had to pick one car that offered a good compromise among space, performance and features – it would be the Chevrolet Sail U-Va, if you can stretch your budget. Else pick the Figo. Also read: Best cars for bumper-to-bumper city traffic