Why you must suspend your compact sedan purchase for few months?

Sub 4 meter/ compact sedan category has grown into a furiously competitive territory between manufacturers in India. India is a price conscious market which this class of cars proves right as what they offer to buyer is a sedan with all the possible creature comfort but within 4-meter only. This segment is created by Indian government by offering duty cuts on the cars of this size. It got so much popular that every manufacturer has to throw in some kind of product to establish them in Indian market.

 Now the question -

Why you must suspend your compact sedan purchase for few months?

There must be many buyers who cannot wait for few months to purchase – Swift Dzire because it is so popular or some might have made their mind for Hyundai Xcent for the features and comfort it offer; some might also be looking for Honda Amaze or Tata Zest while those who want a petrol powered compact sedan - Volkswagen Ameo might be ringing some bells; and last but not the least Ford Figo Aspire with its good looks and safety features must be striking its chords on many.

You see, with time every manufacturer brought in new designs, features, safety and power with economy to lure buyers of this segment.

Some buyers will continue to walk on old roads and opt for a Maruti Swift Dzire which by no means a bad car –

• It has a great petrol engine and a fuel efficient diesel engine
• Maruti has added lots of features with time
• It has great ride quality
• Handling is one of the best in its segment

However where it lacks is in its awkward looks and cabin space especially for rear passengers.

Some will chew the boxy Xcent threw in by Hyundai. Hyundai has got some great design philosophy but their designers were not ready for a sub 4 meter sedan; due to which the tail section is just too old school. However buyers buy Xcent for-

• Great cabin build quality
• Features that includes rear AC vent (somehow it fascinates Indian so much that these days every reviewer has started noting it in every new car launched)
• Frugal and efficient three cylinder diesel engine

To some people Honda will try to Amaze with its not so Amazing product. The sales of Amaze declined due to its poor interior quality and lack of features, although, Honda did updated it’s Amaze and carved out its chink.

• Amaze looks clean and proportionate but not so fancy or striking
• It has got great Diesel Engine but rev limiter limits its top speed to 140kmph
• Petrol Engine now comes with CVT gearbox but is not a popular choice
• Amaze still lacks features such as parking sensors or a touch infotainment system
• Cabin space, seating comfort and handling is great

Then comes Tata Zest with a chubby rear and a heavy looking overall exterior, unable to shed its Indica Vista clothes fully. The car buyers initially showed good interest but with time sales number got poorer.

• Zest is great in terms of space
• Tata built a brand new petrol engine with a turbocharger and thought to inject some extra air with its tiny turbo but failed
• It is the Fiat sourced diesel motor that put smiles on customer’s face while Petrol somehow became a non-performer on road as well as in sales
• Zest was the first diesel automatic in its segment
• Harman Music system is the best in the lot
• Ride quality is superb and handling is more than adequate

Ford came very late with its Figo Aspire but when it arrived; all guns were firing in right directions.

Figo Aspire looks good from front but rear looks chubby. Small 14 inch wheels also do not help in enhancing stance and cutting its chubbiness.

• It came with a gem of a diesel engine that performs extremely well with extra juice available all the time.
• It has good cabin space with acceptable boot space
• The interiors are nice with all required features
• You get the extra safety of 6 airbags with 2 airbags as standard even on the base variant.

Everything was good about this car; still it never sold in good numbers. Why? Ford Figo Aspire came at a time when there was a shift of buyers from Diesel to Petrol and Ford never got a fuel efficient engine - Too bad for such a nice car.

There is a similar story for Volkswagen Ameo, which came so late in to the party with underperforming and not very efficient petrol engine. The extended tails section looks like something has been imposed on the car; also tail lights that looked classy on Polo looks boxy on Ameo.

Now answer to the question - Why you must suspend your compact sedan purchase for few months?

The reason is Tata Kite – Why? Every compact sedan mentioned above offered something new but none offered coupe like car profile. You can select any one of the available car available as of now but you do compromise in looks department. However Tata Kite might change this aspect, as what we saw in Auto Expo and some latest pictures recently, it looks absolutely fantastic. You can also expect Tata to undercut its rivals with a huge margin in the same manner they did with Tiago.  Here is the Auto Expo Video by Powerdrift and some pictures that can make you wait from few more months.