[sachinj12]

I can think of only one car-ANHC.

Agreed not fun to drive (compared to the legendary OHC) but ticks most of the boxes.

[PaddleShifter]

i20 with 6 airbags looks good to me.

BUT, my vote goes to Punto 1.3MJD Emotion Pack 90bhp or 76bhp.
It is well below 10lac mark. 76bhp has so many freebies= lot of savings.

Built like a tank. Has got the looks. Excellent Ride and handling need not be mentioned again. Perfect Steering. 1.3National engine of India.

Has all the bells and whistles one can ask for. Blue&Me, rear AC vents, 15" Alloys with 195/60R15. Widest for any hatch as per my knowledge.

Hatch is easier to drive on congested city roads and easier to park.

Uses Diesel so saves some money even if running is less than 1000km/month.

Why diesel even if running below 1000km/month?
The difference between 1.4Petrol and 1.3MJD is just 40k whereas a diesel car like Swift DDiS is 80k costlier when compared with Swift petrol, i20 CRDi is 1.10lacs costlier than i20 1.2petrol. So, for a small additional price you get a hatch that runs on cheaper fuel plus has better drivability in city as well as highways as compared to petrol.

Long service interval of 15000km/1year. Convenient for those who are working for long hours daily.

Finally, SidIndica is a witness for Punto's safety standards.

Sedan: Fiat Linea MJD or T-JET. Ford Fiesta TDCi.

[manishk83]

Originally Posted by invidious

Airbags didn't pop out even in my friend's i20. I would think on paper it would be the i20 though - with 6 airbags and ABS. Even the Tata cars do look solid as opposed to the Suzukis.

I should think that airbags would open when they're needed to. Most modern cars use a complex algorithm to calculate whether the severity of the crash deserves the airbags to open. For this, they have sensors all around the car & an intelligent software (this is why an airbag equipped car is 50-60k costlier). Hence, a smart rick-wallah trying to cut you and hitting you, probably severe enough to make a dent in your bumper will not activate the airbag. Neither will, as someone pointed out in this thread, hitting a pole or nudging a car in front of you in bumper-to-bumper traffic. Only when the software deems the crash to be severe enough does it activate the air-bag.

An airbag activating when you are not wearing seat-belts is often more injurious than having no airbag at all. In a crash when the airbag gets activated, you HAVE to be wearing seatbelts. This is because, an airbag has to expand to its full level in under a second for it to be effective. So, it uses the same principle as an explosion.

A severe crash will activate an explosion which will meteorically expand the gas in the airbag system thousands of times in less than a second. Hence, not wearing a seatbelt will be injurious since you'll be thrown against, literally, an explosion. Usually causes severe face & spinal injuries. On another note, seatbelts usually provide 80% of passive safety to an occupant. Seatbelts are essential. Not to say that airbags aren't important but seatbelts are many times more important. Many a times, occupants get afalse sense of security due to airbags and don't worry about seatbelts. A potentially BIG-BIG hazard!

[Ricky_63]

Buy a German car / European car. P E R I O D

Consider a Skoda Octavia or Laura (Used or new) Can't get any safer ! Even a Fabia or Polo is better than a lot of Jap or Korean cars.

I can go on & on with this subject of safety. But will restrict myself.

Happy buying.



cheers

[manikjeet]

i would fully agree with Ricky

i crashed a NHC last year and i would say that they are not safe at all.

i own a optra now and i would say that i feel a lot safe now

[noopster]

Safety features like ABS, airbags, anti-roll, foglamps are available on most high-end variants of decent cars these days, including hatches. It really pretty much depends on your presonal preference which brand you want to go for.

From personal experience Swift Vxi ABS should be a good buy. The fully loaded i20 should be great as well.

[Anandg]

Great inputs guys. I never thought of some of the points. But what you say about swift ZXI and VDI with ABS. Are they worth considering looking at the VFM / fun to own and maintain factor compared to costly machines like punto and i20?

[noopster]

Originally Posted by Anandg

Great inputs guys. I never thought of some of the points. But what you say about swift ZXI and VDI with ABS. Are they worth considering looking at the VFM / fun to own and maintain factor compared to costly machines like punto and i20?

Swift is a real enthusiast's car, so you should have no worries on the fun-to-own part. And Maruti's service is the industry benchmark anyway. I bought a pre-owned Vxi last year as a stop-gap till I decided on my "real car" but this baby has made such a big impact that I will keep it even if I get another one!

There is a Swift special edition out- check if matches your requirement. Good luck!

[PaddleShifter]

Swift is a great product in itself.
Fun to drive, peppy, performance oriented, light weight so good power to weight ratio, low maintenance, good service network etc.

But, then you can't compare a Swift with Punto or i20. Swift starts rattling after a few Ks as reported everywhere and the ride quality/comfort offered by Punto and i20 is better when compared to Swift.

I've noticed that discussions like these always start with i20, Punto, Jazz or mid size sedans but end with Swift and Figo for being a real VFM.

[anachronix]

I would safely assume the Fiat Linea to be the safest car under the 10 Lakh slab!

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...ml#post1422879

Any car to save people after such an impact? I am not talking about sheet metal here!

[Anandg]

Thanks @noopster. I agree. Now if we narrow down to swift which is better - ZXI or VDI with ABS? as they both have same price but ZXI has an edge with airbags.
Only negative with swift is ride and build quality as compared to new babes of town - punto and i20.

[Ricky_63]

I (also) drive a Swift ZXi 2006, no issues so far ! But I thought you wanted the safest car under 10L, hence my earlier post...recently had a German Car nick my swift - the bumper was ruined as was the front left fender.

The fender needed just a "kick" to set it back, but the bumper may need to be replaced. So much for the "strength" of the body.

Ultimately it is your call


Cheers

[Anandg]

Originally Posted by Ricky_63

I drive a Swift ZXi 2006, no issues so far ! But I thought you wanted the safest car under 10L, hence my earlier post...


Cheers

Hi Ricky_63
The safety should also mean it does not looses on fun to drive and maintainance factor and this is where swift wins. However we see that the others are soon catching up. The car should bring smile to you when you drive else who can beat a bull-dozer's safety .

[wilful]

I would say on Sedans, at a 10 lac price point, I would go in for the ANHC. Good safety features, looks and some bells and whistles. Vento should also be a good bet (not driven one yet tho') I guess others like Linea & SX 4 should score fairly high on the safety parameters.
On hatchbacks - there seem to be plenty with good safety features in the premium hatch segment - Jazz/Fabia/i20. So are the others like Punto, Polo etc. For me Jazz is the best looking (but that is so subjective) - with sufficient b's & w's (value for money is another thing).

[Adi_k]

The Fiesta fits your requirement.

Safe, sturdy and to top it up a drivers car. Both diesel and petrol top-end fit your budget. If you are eligible for corporate discount you would end up saving some cash as well.