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Fuel efficiency (ARAI):
maruti Ritz:9.5 /10
Hyundai I20: 9 /10
Fiat Punto: 8.5 /10
Diesel cars are increasingly preferred by us due to the superior mileage it provides on the highways and all 3 cars do a great job of stretching a litre of the sticky fuel, the Ritz not surprisingly being the most fuel efficient due to light weight and an efficient MJD Engine, followed very closely by the I 20 due to its new generation lightweight all alloy design and an efficient EGR system. The punto rounded off, but again, by only just.
The fuel consumption depends upon your driving style and the figures will, of course differ in varying conditions.
Figures (by ARAI)
Maruti Ritz: 21.1 kmpl
Hyundai i20: 20.1 kmpl
Fiat Punto: 19.2 kmpl
Buying and owning:
Maruti Ritz: 9 /10
Hyundai I 20: 8 /10
Fiat Punto: 6 /10
Maruti means automatically buying peace of mind. With the widest service network and readily available parts at cheap rates, maintaining one is again, not a pain and most of the dealers make a commendable effort to make customers satisfied.
Hyundai again provides good after sales service with its 3rd largest network of dealers and service centers and almost all service centers are stocked with parts. However, since the engine is imported and the car itself costs high, be prepared for a bit of high maintenance bills of I 20 Crdi.
The TATA-Fiat network is still working hard to make its customers satisfied but the problem is the dealer attitude in general and the service network of Fiat-based tata dealers-very less as compared to Maruti and Hyundai.
recently Fiat has tried to make its latest cars-linea and punto-easy to maintain on your pocket by providing the largest service intervals (15,000 km) and competitively priced parts but the perception of the brand per se is still not different as it used to be some time ago and as far as this factor goes, Fiat still has some climbing to do.
Moreover, there lies a concern of quality control and heavy localization has actually taken a toll on the quality of its parts. HOPE IT GETS RECTIFIED SOON. |
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The Final Verdict:
Maruti Ritz is a car that you really cannot go wrong with at the first place. Decent size, a competant engine with potent performance and the best mileage, good ride and handling and the peace of mind that comes with the Maruti badge means that suddenly this car makes a whole lot of sense.
Yes, it does make, but only for those who are on a tight budget and want a car for in-town usage that is easy to drive and frugal.
In that case, the ritz wins hands down. But factors like rear seat space and comfort, boot space, stability and features are what it brings it to 3rd place.
It feels outclassed by the Punto and the I 20 at most areas which matter to diesel car buyers. Still, as a small urban runabout, look no further than the ritz,.
Now comes a close call between the I 20 and Punto. The punto has an edge in style, ride and handling, build, equipment and high speed stability and the I 20 in safety features, fit and finish, the overall feel, refined, punchy and frugal engine, and interior space and comfort.
Moreover, owning an I 20 will give the Indian car buyer a better peace of mind than the punto and will also fetch better resale value years down the line.
Now, is the I 20 really worth the extra 1,50,000-2,00,000 over the asking price of the punto? Yes, and No.
Yes, because it actually gives you an impression of being getting more than what you have paid for with better engine, gearbox, warrenty, space and comfort and the overall feel of the car thats simply not there in the punto.
No, cause the car will be a bit heavy on maintenance bills as compared to the punto.
Butttttttttt, at an asking price of 6,11,000 for E-pack punto MJD, it is Rs. 7,000 cheaper tha the base I 20 magna model and comes with additional
features like Airbags, alloys, auto AC, blue and me with steering controls, USB port, 15 inch wheels, 15,000 km service interval etc, making it an enticing buy.
Tallying all the parameters, even though the punto has uninspiring engines, they are more than adequate for our average Indian driving conditions. It may not have the best of plastics, but we can easily live with it as long as it does not fail and fall, thats the only drawback of an otherwise brilliant package.
Believe me, if we are responsible drivers, you don't need to spend extra on I 20 with 6 airbags and sunroof, all of which form no importance to us.
The Punto wins this closely fought battle of the premium diesel hatches.
Now it’s up to fiat to make improvements in interior quality and have strict quality control, get its act together and sell it well.
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