best sedan entry level: fiat petra??

hi there

i m planning to buy a new car. my requirements are..strong & safe built, absolutely zero maintainance, decent mileage, decent power, lots of space,including boot space, good suspension n ground clearance,looks..budget upto 6 lakhs on road.

well..after lots of research these were the likely choices..fiat petra , tata indigo /marina diesel,maruti esteem, ford ikon/fiesta 1.4, chevy aveo 1.4

personally i took a great liking to fiat petra...according to my requirements n the test drive i took...but the prob is tht this car is quite an unknown commodity..cause though i liked it very much i cant imagine why i cant see much of it on roads..is there anythin wrong with it??n how do the others compare with this choice. please advice..especially regarding fiats n petra's future too. and would really appreciate feedback from owners of fiat petra

thanks in advance

bharat

You can consider Petra as sedan version of Palio. Petra's failure lies behind Fiat's failure in India. Though you see too many Palios around but you cannot say that it is a successful model. Buying a Fiat brings fears of bad after-sales-services, spares non-availability and poor resale. Nobody is certain about Fiat's future in India. However, if you are not worried about resale, nothing can be better than Petra in the segment. Second best option is evergreen Maruti Esteem.

I don't own a Petra!



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If you want very little maintenance, remove the Indigo/Marina Diesels from your list. Fiat has a much better car on the same extended Palio/Siena/Petra platform. It is the Fiat Palio adventure. It does not look like a Sedan (it is an adventure style estate). It has a 100hp DOHC 1.6 liter engine with phenomenal acceleration and great mileage on the highways. With the current discounts you should be able to get it for Rs. 6Lakhs. At that price it is the cheapest 1.6 Lit vehicle going around, and definitely more fun to drive than a Ford Fusion or any other car you've mentioned in your list. It's driving dynamics are far better than the Esteem and if you are a seasoned driver, you'll get used to and maybe even like the hint of oversteer Europeans seem to build into their cars. If you like that format of vehicle you can pick up a Indigo Marina GLG/X from Tata's at about 5.5 on road. It is a large car with a reasonably fun to drive 85hp engine.

If you want a large car from Maruti, your only choice should be the Baleno. It is a great performer, though I personally do not like the low seating.

Which Car did you buy finally ?

I drove the AVEO 1.4 Limited Edition today... & its AMAZING !!

I am planning to strech & go for the 1.6 LT with Option Pack.

Regards.