The Hindu Business Line : Corolla scores on all fronts

I AM planning to buy a new Toyota Corolla. Some of my friends have advised me to opt for the Hyundai Elantra (diesel) instead, as they claim it is superior in performance and fuel economy. I would like to know your view on this.

D. Singh

At the time of its launch, the Hyundai Elantra CRDi was feature-to-feature and price-to-price a better value proposition than the Toyota Corolla. But Toyota has, since, readjusted the equation to at least partially tilt the balance again in its favour. What the Corolla has going for it is loads of pedigree, a history of reliable on-street performance in many markets of the world and an extremely fuel-efficient, yet sufficiently powerful, 1.8-litre VVT-i petrol engine.

The Toyota Corolla is a practical premium sedan in the Rs 10-12 lakh category. But with the arrival of the Hyundai Elantra, customers in the segment got another diesel engine option. The Hyundai Elantra CRDi features the very refined two-litre common rail diesel engine that is only a shade less powerful than the Corolla's 1.8-litre petrol burner, but the former is more torquey.

But despite its diesel fuel advantage, in the overall comparison, the Elantra's edge is blunted a bit by the Corolla's better-than-average fuel efficiency in its class.

With the key safety features between the two cars now balanced (airbags, ABS, and so on, are now standard across all the Corolla variants), the difference between the two cars will now revolve around less significant cosmetic features. Of course, the key difference in the engines remains. So, we recommend that you stick with your choice of the Corolla, unless the cost per kilometre edge that the Elantra may offer in the long run is a key determinant influencing the choice.

I want to buy a new car in the Rs 4-4.5 lakh price range. I am currently considering two options — the Maruti Suzuki Esteem LXi and the Hyundai Getz GLS. Which one should I opt for, and why? Manoeuvrability, internal space and mileage are important points to compare in my opinion.

Jitendra Kumar Tomer

Can you please indicate any strong negative point of the Ford Ikon 1.3 version? Is the maintenance cost of the car an issue? Does the Hyundai Getz match up to the Ikon? Without getting hung up about the issue of B or C segment, can the Hyundai provide me with almost all of the features of an Ikon 1.3?

A. Kar Roy

Both of you are stuck with the classic dilemma of customers looking for a car in the premium small car category, which is whether to pay Rs 4.5 lakh for a loaded small car or opt for a bare-bones variant in the entry-level sedan category.

However, the equation gets a little more complex with both the entry-level sedans that are being considered here. The Suzuki Esteem is extremely good value-for-money in terms of its price-to-features comparison with the others in the segment, though its interior space and boot size are minuses, relatively speaking.

The Ford Ikon 1.3, on the other hand, is big on interior space and boot area vis-à-vis the Esteem. But the Ikon is a shade lower in the value-for-money equation compared to the Esteem. The Hyundai Getz is a classic European style small car that is high on practicality, easy to manoeuvre, fairly fuel-efficient and extremely spacious inside. Space inside the car should be high on the priority list for customers in the small car segment. After all, comfortable commuting for the family within the city is what most customers in the metros will be looking at.

The addition of a boot gives customers in the small car segment the option of upgrading to the sedan category, but there are compromises to be made; space in the case of the Esteem and fuel efficiency in the case of the Ikon.

But such compromises will not be required for the Getz. With the launch of a new stripped down Getz GLE variant at Rs 4.15 lakh, this car should be a more attractive option from among the choices you both have listed.

But the Suzuki Swift may also be an option worth considering if the extra long waiting period is not much of concern for you.

I wish to purchase a car from amongst the Suzuki Swift VXi, Opel Corsa Sail 1.4 and the Tata Indigo petrol, cars that have been selected based on only one factor — almost similar pricing. What is your recommendation based on factors such as driving experience, maintenance, mileage and resale value?

Alok B. Namdeo

From amongst the options you have given, the Suzuki Swift is the obvious choice considering factors such as driving experience and mileage. But the Swift's resale value and maintenance costs in the long run are issues for which answers are not available just yet.

Overall, like you have indicated, the pricing for all the three cars and their variants are set close to each other and so only a comparison of the features may throw up some differences.

There is a lot of novelty value that is still attached to the Swift. Given that the Swift comes from Maruti and going by historical trends that indicate maintenance costs of Maruti cars tend to be low and resale values relatively high, the Swift may fall in line with the rest of the existing Marutis. But it will still be in the realm of conjecture now.

The Tata Indigo petrol is not the most preferred from the Tata Motors' stable. For obvious reasons, the company's diesels sell much more than the petrol-engined variants.

But if you don't place resale value and finish quality on the top of your list of priorities, the Indigo may be able to offer you the opportunity to upgrade to the C-segment even while you pay the price of a top-end small car variant.

Queries may be sent to: q&a@thehindu.co.in or by post to Q&A, Business Line, 859/860, Kasturi Buildings, Anna Salai, Chennai - 600 002.

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