With so many compacts vying for space in your garage, we pick four hatches to woo you. Which one should you fall for.
Small cars, hatchbacks, compacts… call them what you may, these are the ones that rule the roost in the Indian auto market. From an era of graduating from the Maruti 800 to the Hyundai Santro, the year 2010 has increased the spectrum of choices, not just from these Jap auto moguls but also, to the ferocious American rides and the ever-dependent German delights.
So we take a look at the four brand new compact hatchbacks, launched within this year, which are trying to wrest the market space from the likes of Maruti Suzuki Swift, Hyundai i10 etc. These are not upgrades or new variants for existing models, but spanking new models launched this year.
Now let’s get to know these four warriors. From the land of the rising sun we have Nissan’s Micra which hopes to live up to its Japanese reputation, Volkswagen’s Polo brings with it an inane gamut of subtle looks, top-notch technology, smoothness and the German quality of endurance.
And lastly from the cheeseburger and fries munching superpower America, General Motors and Ford bring in their driving delights, the Beat and the Figo. Though the Polo and Figo have diesel variants also we are sticking to the petrol run platforms for an equal matchup between all four.
So without any further delay let’s get down and play the role of a referee…
Starting with the looks we have to say that the Micra stands out pretty much cause of its retro looking circular profile. The Beat has an unnaturally sporty look for a car its size whereas with the Figo, we feel, more than the looks the utilitarian aspect is given importance.
All said and done VWs Polo has to be the one which dishes out a very balanced feel as far as the exterior is concerned. Amongst all four the Beat and the Polo, with their badges stamped prominently on the nose grill kind of stamp an authoritative look but it’s the butch stance which the Polo and Figo have that take the cake.
The Micra is a very good looking car, no aggression, no butch feel but something like a very natural look for a car this size.
Now moving on the interiors of these cars the Beat kind of falls a bit behind as far as quality is concerned. Though they have tried to innovate with their instrument panel, but when compared to the rest it has a slightly tacky feel to it.
But then we also have to remember that the Beat also happens to be the cheapest car in this shootout. The Figo, like every other Ford doesn’t care a bit as far as cheesy interiors are concerned. Here it’s all about maximising the space issues.
And considering that the Figo looks the roomiest of the four, guess they have succeeded in that. As far as the quality goes Polo once again stands apart from the rest… clear instrument cluster, demure looks with everything exactly where it should be.
The Micra also doesn’t compromise a bit on quality and has to be the car with the best-looking interiors. Though if we classify all these according to the rear legroom available, the Figo tops, followed by the Micra, Polo and then the Beat.
Now we move to the most essential bit of this article. How do these vehicles perform in the real world? All four of these are perfect city cars, but where one has an edge over the other is the power department, the mileage quotient or in its extra mean streak for the highways.
The shape of the Beat is the most conducive for city driving. Maneuvering thorough traffic, parking at sticky spots, reversing through cramped zone; it does everything like a pro. According to the traffic conditions of our city where reaching the fourth gear is luxury and the fifth gear is, let’s face it, literally unknown the Beat does a very good job of taking you from point A to point B.
But it’s when you plan to move on to the highway that slight power issues creep up and if the air-con on then you might as well increase your on-road time by at least 30%.
Just like the Beat the Micra also proves itself to be a master in the city. But then unlike the Beat’s power problems on the highway, the Micra has its own sets of issues to deal with. But one of the major concerns we had was its handling issues post the 80kph mark on the speedometer.
In fact, though we could easily push the car past the 110 mark, the wobbly nature of the machine kind of made us not test its limits.
Now we reach the Figo. Ford has always been known for its driving thrills. And the Figo surely didn’t disappoint us a bit. From handling the mad rush in the city to the speed crazed ways of our national highways, the Figo undoubtedly stands apart due to its performance. Stash up people to the hilt, top-up the boot as much as possible, switch on the air-con… it’ll still come out as the best performer out of this lot.
And finally we reach the last contestant, the Polo. Exactly like the Figo, this one also is an all round performer in both city and highway conditions. Across its entire rev band you’re showered with enough power keep you happy. But somehow unlike the Figo, you really just end up driving a car and yet not really have that extra dash of peppiness that the Figo brings with it.
Finally no longer would a small car buyer have to shuttle between Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai. All these four cars have their own USPs. Where the Beat has an attractive pricing with great sporty looks, the Micra has features like keyless entry and push button start which are unheard of in this segment. The Figo might be an all-rounder when it comes to performance and space, but still on the looks front it lags a bit.
As far as the Polo is concerned, they do have a damn good package but are still struggling with negligible dealership presence across cities, just like Micra. So as far as our verdict goes Figo wins our vote hands down due its attractive price point, spaciousness and drive pleasure.
As far as the others are concerned, the Beat holds its own due to its very competitive pricing and the Micra has to work a bit on its handling when on the higher side of 80 kph and establish more dealerships. Lastly, with Polo, as we said earlier, our only concern is their low dealership presence.
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