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S. Muralidhar

I am a marketing engineer working in Coimbatore, and in the process of buying a car. My choices are Maruti Alto LXi and Hyundai Xing. I want to know which will be a better choice. My friends suggest that I should opt for a used car instead. I am really confused. - Ganapathy Subramaniam. N

When the choice is between the Maruti Suzuki Alto LXi and the Hyundai Xing, the issues that really matter are whether you are looking for a value-for-money proposition or if you are looking to enter the premium small-car segment within the confines of a fairly tight budget and expectations of class-leading fuel efficiency.

The Alto LXi option is a sensible choice if your budget will not allow you to cross the Rs 3 lakh plus ex-showroom price level. The Alto LXi offers you power-steering and the overall package of a decent entry-level B-segment car. At Rs 2.90 lakh, ex-showroom in Coimbatore, the Alto LXi's price is a major draw. Since the LXi variant of the Alto also features the same 800cc, multi-point fuel injected engine of the Maruti 800, the car's fuel efficiency can be expected to be higher than the Hyundai Xing's.

The Hyundai Santro Xing XP could be the real comparison to the Alto LXi in that it too is the only entry-level variant of the Santro that sports power-steering. However, the comparison ends there. The Santro Xing XP represents more value-for-money, is more contemporary, more spacious and offers better finish quality.

However, at Rs 3.55 lakh ex-showroom in Coimbatore, the Xing XP will be almost 25 per cent more expensive than the Alto. Fuel efficiency of the 1.1-litre Hyundai Epsilon engine will also be lower.

If you are a first-time car buyer and have not trained much in a car, it makes sense to opt for an used Maruti 800 before buying a new one. An used M800 may not pinch your pocket and will give you a good start to the world of cars.

To sum up, buy the Alto if you are on a budget, buy the Xing for better value and finish, or go for a second-hand M800 if this is your first car.

I am planning to buy the Palio NV ELX version. Is it a good buy? What is the fuel efficiency of the car and should I look, instead, at the Santro or Zen? Your suggestions. - Gautam Chatwal

The Fiat Palio NV ELX variant is a good choice for anybody looking to buy a car with class-leading safety, comfort, and fit and finish quality. However, despite the re-engineering that Fiat did to improve the Palio's fuel-efficiency this parameter is not its forte. The Palio New Version (NV in short) offers about 10 per cent more mileage than its predecessor. So, the Palio will now do about 11 km per litre (kmpl) compared to 10 kmpl earlier.

However, this will still be less than the average mileage of about 13 kmpl that both the Hyundai Santro Xing and the Maruti Zen will be able to offer in city driving conditions. The Palio NV ELX, with some of the special offers, is the best value-for-money option among the variants in the line up of this Fiat brand. The Palio's extra weight is the result of a reinforced chassis and thicker gauge steel. It is even heavier than the Esteem.

But while this extra weight pulls down the car's mileage and makes it feel sluggish in the first and second gears, it also gives the car more stability and safety at higher speeds. The mileage gap between the Palio and the other competing cars also tends to narrow on the highway.

If you are not unduly worried about Fiat SpA's (Italian parent) financial troubles in Italy (we definitely are not) and if the lower mileage numbers are also acceptable, then the Palio NV ELX is a good choice.

Queries related to the world of automobiles may be sent to:q&a@thehindu.co.in, Queries can also be sent to Q&A, Business Line, 859/860, Kasturi Buildings, Anna Salai, Chennai - 600 002.

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