[Kashish]

I completely agree with this phenomena. I have an Elite i20(d) and a Civic in the house. The i20 is way more fun to drive in the city. The smaller footprint and better ground clearance make it a no brainer for me within the city. I bought the superb 1.4L diesel over the boring 1.2 petrol motor to have some fun even though the annual running of this car doesn't justify a diesel. Planning to get her new shoes and a remap by next year to make things more exciting.

[sandeepmohan]

Second GTO's opinion on 2 wheels. My very own KTM Duke 390 was a testament to the fun you could have from a small, compact package.

It is not for nothing that any small car that VW sold with GTI badge has been a runaway success globally. The Suzuki Swift Sport has also done well. The compact dimensions of a hatchback make a lot easier to engineer and build a fast, fun vehicle.

[ThePatientMan]

Another pocket-rocket that I would like to mention here (surprised no one's mentioned about it yet) would be the VW GT TSI. Had the most fun driving a borrowed GT TSI on the Lonavala-Aamby valley stretch and Khambhatki ghat (on the way to Mahabaleshwar) stretches. It wasn't 'cheap' to buy in the true sense but you could get one of the best kick-for-your-money with its fantastic engine + quick-shifting DSG + Sports mode combo.

[COMMUTER]

When people were pushing me to use my loan limit to its fullest, I decided to use just half of it and bought the 2016 Ford Figo 1.5D Base for 6.17L On-road.

With 100bhp and 24+kpl FE, every kilometer covered was covered with glee and relief.

Now after having crossed 91k kms it feels great to drive it every single time. I have had no regret when I come across all the the options I could have bought. On the contrary, I still remember why I rejected them and smile to myself often on my solo drives.

[Santoshbhat]

Small cars make a compelling case for themselves in the Indian context when 'fun-to-drive' is the main goal. We don't have the luxury of super wide free roads in our urban jungles. Barring the big national highways, most state highways are two lane winding roads where small and nimble cars are able to deliver more on the fun factor. I can safely say that I've had the most fun in my Polo GTI than other bigger more powerful cars.



Also you can have fun without sacrificing on the practicality. These cars need not be super low, so you can tackle nasty speedbreakers with ease. Take them wherever you wish including your ancestral home in some remote village and have great fun along the way. They come with reasonable seating capacity and decent luggage space.

Small size, decent power to weight ratio, a well tuned suspension + steering and decent brakes - Sounds simple enough, but manufacturers tend to screw up one aspect or the other and ruin the fun

[iamgyan]

Wow! The flow of emotions is in full swing.

Even I felt compelled to post looking at the Brio in the image for this thread . Like many others, I too had the Brio (SMT) and man that was a hoot! Still miss holding it in third gear and listening to the soundtrack on the Ring road, on the way to office. The urge to get it back from current owner becomes stronger!

[1.2TSI7DSG]

The more I read this thread, the more I got intrigued by the experiences. One thing looks simple. In the world of platforms, the best car is usually the one for which the platform is made. Brio is better than BRV, Amaze. Figo better than aspire. 3 better than GT3, X3. Swift better than Dzire. Polo better than Vento.

[no_boundaries]

Its simple, non-complicated and fuss free nature of some these cars that makes it so practical to use everyday and also handle the highway drives with aplomb.

I've had 2 such cars that I can never forget and keep going back in memory to reminisce - The 2008 Swift and the 2011 GT TDi. Both in its times were classic "Neighbors envy. Owner's pride". Every time I see these models, makes me kick my behind for selling them. If I could travel back in time, I'd revisit the day I had the thought to sell these cars and probably go on a long drive just to remind myself how awesome these cars were.

I can't remember any of the other cars that I drive being as much fun as these 2 cars. Celerio comes close but not to be spoken in the same breath as the other 2. I think I will hold on to this to remind me of simpler things in life.

Given the options that we have in the market today, I'd still consider buying a hatchback for its simplicity and fun.

Some old pics of my cars. I named the Swift - Free Willy and the GT TDi, Bagheera.

[SnS_12]

The other point which I have noticed is that a more powerful car/motorcycle is always driven/ridden less than compared to a slower or less powerful one in the garage. So, basically your skills and confidence (physiologically) develops better for the vehicle you use more.

Case in point is my first motorcycle the RX 135, which I have ridden 1.5lac plus kms till date. It just feels like second skin whenever I take it out for a spin. Back in the day when I used to go on long rides on it I used to be right up with the faster motorcycles in our group except for the straight sections. This is the motorcycle I have had most fun with among all the others in my garage.



Now, compared to this the Hayabusa can really intimidate with its power and size. And this is something that always runs on my mind, which affects my riding as I am not able to build up the confidence that I normally have while riding the RX. Also, every maneuver on this one needs careful planning and execution which can get too straining on the body and especially the mind.

[d_himan]

Well, guilty as charged. I moved down to a Polo GT TSI (did it up with B6, Remap, Paddle Shifters) from an Accord. I was sick of trying to park the Accord, the incredible hard work in lane changing/cutting through traffic, and in my mind, I felt like a chauffeur.

So spoilt now, that though I would soon need a new car with more boot space given the expanding size of my family, I'm not exactly looking forward to my next ride - most likely a 330i or the new Octavia/Superb 2.0 TSI.

I do hope a 200 bhp spacious hatch comes in and rescues me from the clutches of a D segment car.

[Durango Dude]

I'd say Swift, is a funky car and fun to drive. I've driven the first Gen Swift from Salem to Chennai and it's a cool car and fun to drive. I also had a short spin in the latest Swift which has matured a bit and easy to drive but not as much as fun as the earlier models.

[ramnaresh_2000]

I disagree on small cars being fun to drive. I used to have first Daewoo Matiz (RIP) and first version Verna. I loved Verna thanks to the power diesel engine and excellent handling in city and highways. I currently own a TUV 300 AMT, I really hate the AMT but still driving from 3 years, it spoiled me for space. Once I drove my colleagues i10 and felt claustrophobic.

I also drove Venue, Kicks, Creta, Harrier and Compass. I only enjoyed Kicks and Compass. No more small cars for me.

[Mr.Bentley]

Thank you for the thread! It reminded me of those winter evening drives I did with the Alto. The cool weather, sports mode (AC OFF gives a boost of about 4BHP power), that lill' cold air lying around closer to the ground, beautiful and curvy roads in and around Jublee Hills and Banjara Hills.. Oh boy, was it FUN! The drive was an elixir to my worked out mind and numb body from the loong working hours.

Originally Posted by ChiragM

Golden Rule = It's more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow

+3000 !

I've driven many cars, but driving those small (wheelbase) cars was indeed a different experience! This is much more prominent when driving in City or un-divided country roads.

[AirWind]

I have used each of these cars for 5 yrs and graduating over time from a Sipani Dolphin 0.8 P > Maruti 800 > Santro Xing 1.1P > Gen1 Swift 1.3 P > Octy vRS mk1 1.8 TPI > VW Jetta 2.0 TDI.

I can still tell you in my college days, the two door Dolphin with its RWD, slick shifting 5 speed MT, sporty exhaust note, awesome steering and ultra-short turning radius, featherlight (fiber body) was the quickest, cheapest and simplest, at that point in time, only wished it had better brakes (all drums), tyres (no OE size avl so had to salvage from Vikram auto), reliability and service support!

But we got to understand that with age, we mature, lesser the adrenalin flow... and lesser the risk taking (= family man)!

All drivers should understand the limitations of each car and not assume the roads to be race tracks - I've seen plenty of Nanos/Alto's trying to overtake me while I'm doing a steady 100 KMPH in a Jetta and smiling at me ;-) Hell, I don't care, I have more grey hairs now and my speed governors (wife, daughter) are sitting beside and behind me!

[zavegur]

I mean not all small cars are fun to drive. I am used to driving WagonR, Santro, I10 (non-kappa)- they were at the best zippy but gives you jitters when you close in 100kmph, overtaking needs a plan.

But what really is fun is a FIGO 1.5tdci. What a joy to drive- of the 63k on the clock, 70% would have been on highways which is where the car is a gem. There is not even one trip where I have not given a tough time to cars double the cost or way above the class in terms of speed=fun. The rapid acceleration and the sweet spot around 2200-3000 rpm is just magical. It pulls like crazy on 3rd, 4th and 5th. Bad that the car doesnt have a 6th cog. Even then, unmentionable speeds are reached rapidly.

Its quite quick off the BLR signals too- because its so easy to drive and that its small, you'll always find a parking spot. Again good accelaration has the bikers wondering what I am upto.

I did a few hill drives as well, not very impressed with its corner munching capabilities but it sticks to the road and has more than adequate power, as long as you have the guts to push it, you'll come out smiling, grinning rather.

I am a spirited driver and really not concerned of mileage, yet I get an average of just below 20- awesome. Planning for a Stage 1 map soon to see how faster it goes. I have seen good mileage numbers on the dash if I stick around 2500rpm when cruising- but with this car its tough, you would want to push it.

We are family of 4 and the car is just adequate, I might have to take a decision on upgrading soon, but will be a hard job for the replacement to fill the shoes of our trusted ride. Convincing the daughter and wife would be even more difficult as they love the FIGO.

This lockdown is a pain- haven't driven hard in 2 months now, hoping for the state borders to open up soon.

Z