Why has the ford fusion petrol not been included? It beats most of the cars in this shoot out hollow in terms of engine, space, build etc.
Posted by
Bhardwaj Reddy Both the marutis-the swift and the ritz follow a similar interior theme-black and sportiness. The swift’s dashboard is well designed and wraps around the driver nicely, giving it a sporty feeling. It is also somewhat better built as compared to the previous marutis but still has its work cut out. In the ZXI version, the integrated audio looks superb and gels well with the dash, so do some splashes of silver. However, at the rear due to small windows, it feels claustrophobic and does not impart a feeling of airiness. Storage space above the dashboard is wasted, though there is a big shelf to store CDs and also, two cupholders abound. Door pockets, though large are slim and do not solve any purpose either.
The ritz has a more practical design of the two and even though the dashboard is inspired from the CR-V, it looks superb with the integrated stereo on the ZXI. It has superb ergonomics, decent storage spaces and is finished in generally high quality for a car of the asking price, but the instruments are a mess. The speedometer, inspired from the mini cooper, is large but too much dials make it difficult to read, so does the digital fuel gauge, which is just too small and belongs more to a bike than a car. The pop up tachometer is again a design statement which looks cool but is difficult to read on a moving vehicle due to its small size.
The Indica vista, however is a design disaster with surprisingly poor ergonomics and almost devoid of any usable storage space, save for the huge glove box and a small tray under the co-driver’s seat. In an attempt to save costs for left and right hand drive markets, the centre console is poorly designed and AC controls are way bottom, and also the console fouls with the driver’s knee. The door pockets are too small on a car this big and claims that it is designed for Indians. The central dials look decent but again, the tacho is too small to read easily.
However, the biggest problem lies with the fit and finish of the interior plastics. Though quality has improved by leaps and bounds, it is still way behind other cars compared here. Some parts still feel flimsy and feel that they will break apart due to repeated usage and some panels are not well screwed together, sadly a tata trademark.
The punto again doesn’t do badly as far as interiors are concerned but quality feels short as compared to the Skoda and Honda. Though the dashboard is superbly designed and feels like an aircraft cockpit with amazing ergonomics, it is let down by inconsistent fit and finish, especially in the areas like the steering wheel and seat latches. The storage spaces, though plenty, are not well executed either with shallow cup holders and small door pockets.
The main concern is lack of quality control and lack of it keeps popping around, as in this case, the parcel tray lock fell off mysteriously (shown in the pic). For the asking price, better quality interiors are expected and hope fiat takes care of this soon.
Space and comfort:
- Hyundai getz: 7 /10
- Hyundai I 20: 8 /10
- Honda Jazz: 9 /10
- Maruti Ritz: 6 /10
- Maruti swift: 6 /10
- Skoda Fabia: 8 /10
- Chevrolet Aveo 5: 7 /10
- Tata Indica Vista: 8 /10
- Fiat Punto: 7 /10
Since these cars are classified as “super minis”, and they are considered to be an alternative to entry level sedans, packaging plays a pivotal role as in our country, though these cars are strictly 4 or 5 seaters, accommodating an entire brood of your in-laws, grand children and even pets is not uncommon, as seen in many small
