Comparo: Swift Vdi vs. Indica Vista 1.3 Quadrajet vs. Fabia TDi vs. Palio Multijet vs. Getz CRDi

Diesel technology is getting widely accepted and it has been taken to a new level – benefits of which have filtered down even to the sportiest segments like that of the Hatchbacks. It is a tough segment and all car-makers are vying to lure the customer with as many options as possible. The new Fiat Palio Stile gets a heart-transplant with Fiat's highly potent Multijet engine.

The Hyundai Getz Prime CRDi has been around for quite some time but it hasn't been able to make its presence felt in this class. Why so? Maruti Suzuki smartly dished out a diesel version of its already popular Swift hatchback and boy was the media impressed by the Swift diesel! Then Skoda launched the much-anticipated Fabia 1.4 TDi with its superior build quality and exemplary handling. However, the latest and toughest competitor to step into the ring is the new TATA Indica Vista and it has stirred up things in this segment like never before.

Design and style

Full marks for styling go to the Maruti Suzuki Swift. Its chic European styling with carefully drawn curves and sporty elements like the matte-black pillars give it an uber-sexy appeal. The Skoda too is very neatly styled with highly sophisticated looks and graceful stance. However, it falls short with the lack of sporty appeal to it and that's where the Swift diesel takes the crown with its design and style. The all-new TATA Indica Vista is a lovely car to look at. It's got sporty appeal – attention to detail is spot-on and significant design inputs really make it a much better car in terms of styling than the last generation Indica. The Fiat Palio got a makeover last year and in its new clothing the Palio Stile surely looks good, but it still doesn't match up to the standards of the top three cars. Though the Hyundai Getz Prime CRDi is one of the sportiest cars in this segment, now with newer cars entering the Indian car arena, the Hyundai looks a little outdated with its conventional hatch design lines.

Crowned: Maruti Suzuki Swift DDiS

Engine and performance

Out of these five cars, three cars – the Maruti Suzuki Swift, the TATA Indica Vista and the Fiat Palio Stile are powered by Fiat's second generation UniJet Turbo Diesel common rail diesel powerplant – the 1.3-litre Multijet engine. However, each of them is fine tuned differently to suit the needs of the end-users. Out of the remaining two cars, the Skoda Fabia comes with a 1.4-litre 3-cylinder in-line TDi engine while the most powerful of the lot, the Hyundai Getz Prime borrows its 1.5-Litre diesel motor directly from its elder sister the Verna diesel.

Thanks to its 110PS of power and a humongous 235Nm of torque, the Getz Prime shoots of the line like a bullet and touches the 100km/h mark in just 11.83 seconds. That's faster than most of the petrol hatches! The only other diesel hatch that came close to the Getz was the Maruti Suzuki Swift with its 75PS and 190Nm of torque and it took 14.13 seconds for the 0-100km/h dash. The Skoda Fabia's 1.4-litre motor produces 69PS of power and develops 155Nm of torque that hauls the car to 100km/h from zero in 16.49 seconds. The same Multijet mill from the Fiat Palio is tuned to be more frugal and fuel efficient which has reduced the Palio's capability to impress in the performance department as she crawled to 00km/h from a halt in 19.29 seconds. Similar fuel efficient approach of the TATA Indica Vista and a few extra kilos, made the new Indica the slowest car of the pack and it took 21.10 seconds to reach 100km/h from a standstill.

Crowned: Hyundai Getz Prime CRDi

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Suspension and Handling dynamics

We have a tie in the suspension and handling department – the Skoda Fabia and the Maruti Suzuki Swift. Both these cars offer supreme chassis balance and exceptional handling characteristics. The Fiat Palio too has a well-tuned suspension setup but it doesn't inspire as much confidence as the top two. Interestingly, the new Indica Vista has superior suspension and the boffins at the TATA Tech Centre in UK have cleverly increased the torsional rigidity on the car without increasing the overall weight of the car. Another significant improvement is the front suspension that is mounted on a sub-frame which in turn is then bolted onto the body taking the handling one notch higher. The Getz Prime is most fun in straight-line but once she is made to tackle corners, her flaws can be easily noticed by even the most casual driver. The Getz chassis is not rigid enough to successfully put down all that power produced by the massive 1.5-Litre engine. The car suffers from severe understeer, leaving a bad taste in the mouth of a spirited driver.

Overall ride quality is best on the TATA Indica Vista while the Hyundai Getz also runs close on the Indica's heels. The Skoda Fabia offers best balance between good ride quality and precise handling. The handling on the Swift is top notch but that sacrifices the overall ride quality to some extent on the Maruti hatch. The Palio's ride quality is slightly better and it scores higher marks than the Swift because of its rear seat comfort.

Crowned: Skoda Fabia and Maruti Suzuki Swift

Living with it (Interiors, ergonomics and equipment)

All these diesel hatchbacks come with liberal cabin space and sorted out ergonomics. These days even the overall equipment is almost similar amongst all these cars. However, the plush interiors of the Skoda Fabia and its sturdy built quality are truly top-notch and one can clearly see its German origin in the plush in-cabin space, contemporary dash and the sun-roof.

This latest TATA offering, the Indica Vista has upped the game like never before and the ergonomics as well as the equipment quality is way better than what has been seen on TATA cars earlier along with improved cabin-space. The Maruti Swift too has excellent ergonomics and plush interiors but the rear seat feels a little cramped once you try to fit in two average Indian adults and a teen. This, however, is much more comfortable in the Hyundai Getz Prime CRDi. It is roomy enough even at the rear and the dummy wooden finish goes well with the beige interior trim but when compared to the latest trend of contemporary interiors, the fake wood looks outdated. The Palio Multijet falls short in this department and Fiat could have done a better job with the equipment quality on the Palio. There is ample space in the Palio and the ergonomics too are very well designed keeping all the switches and buttons well within the reach of the driver.

Crowned: TATA Indica Vista

Fuel efficiency

The most fuel efficient out of the lot is the Maruti Suzuki Swift diesel, which returned almost 20kmpl in our tests. Considering its performance and sporty character, that comes as a big surprise to many, including us. The same mill plonked inside the Palio 1.3 Multijet returns 18.6kmpl while the new Indica Vista with the Multijet engine re-badged as Quadrajet, ran for 15.5km on one litre of gas. The 1.4-Litre TDi mill on the Fabia wasn't as frugal as its competition and the Fabia returned an overall efficiency figure of 12.48kmpl. However, it's still better than the Hyundai Getz Prime CRDi, which retuned 11.90kmpl under mixed conditions. But one can't blame Hyundai for that, because after all the Getz Prime surely is the fastest and most potent performer out of the pack with 110 horses waiting to be set free.

Crowned: Maruti Suzuki Swift

Verdict:

It was always difficult to choose one out of the five hatchbacks as the winner and as expected, we have a tie here. The Maruti Suzuki Swift has impressed the media since its launch and it lives up to the hype extremely well. Joining the Maruti on the top spot is the new TATA Indica Vista. Both these cars fulfill the needs and requirements of their target customers perfectly well. The Swift is primarily targeted at the youth and it manages to provide its target customers fun without emptying their wallets. The TATA Indica Vista is for the family man and the Indica delivers exactly what the buyer demands – comfort, economy and ride quality. The earlier Indica suffered from major reliability issues and the over build quality was not upto the mark only till now. The new car is much strongly built and has superb dynamics that enhance the ride quality to a greater extent.

The Fabia would have been the obvious winner had it not been for Skoda's pricing of the car. The Fabia is a great car nevertheless, but that doesn't justify the premium asked by its maker, especially since the car is not a competent performer like the Swift and neither is it as economical as the Vista. That leaves us with the Fiat Palio and the Hyundai Getz Prime. No points for guessing there – the Palio wins over the Getz Prime but it is still not upto the mark to compete with the front runners. Lack of grunt from the motor and shoddy built quality means that the Palio, though a value-for-money option, isn't good enough to challenge the new Indica or the sporty Swift. The Hyundai Getz Prime is your car if you are a fan of drag racing and straightline acceleration. If that is what you are looking for, then no other car except the Getz will put a mile-long grin on your face. But the moment one factors in fuel economy, drivability and handling dynamics, then the Getz doesn't come anywhere close to its rivals.

Crowned: Maruti Suzuki Swift and Tata Indica Vista

Pricing (Ex-showroom Delhi):

Maruti Suzuki Swift DDiS:

Maruti Swift LDi BSIII      Rs 4, 80, 405
Maruti Swift VDi BSIII      Rs 5, 15, 600
Maruti Swift VDi BSIII (ABS)       Rs 5, 34, 746

TATA Indica Quadrajet:

Aura 1.3 Quadrajet       Rs 4, 99, 661
Aqua 1.3 Quadrajet      Rs 4, 70, 852

Skoda Fabia 1.4 TDi:

1.4 TDI Classic       Rs 6, 37, 702
1.4 TDI Elegance       Rs 6, 80, 000
1.4 MPI Elegance      Rs 7, 14, 425
1.4 MPI Active      Rs 7, 15, 000
1.4 TDI Ambiente      Rs 7, 17, 189

Fiat Palio Stile: 

1.3 SD      Rs 4, 53, 183
1.3 SDE      Rs 4, 73, 767
1.3 SDX      Rs 4, 94, 355

Hyundai Getz Prime CRDi:

1.5 CRDi GVS      Rs. 5, 63, 851