Fiat Linea VS Hyundai Verna Transform VS Maruti SX4 VS VW Vento

Overview

Fiat Linea VS Hyundai Verna Transform VS MAruti Suzuki SX4 VS VW Vento

Changing Priorities With travel distances going up, diesel is becoming the preferred fuel, especially in the C-segment. And now there’s another option in the form of the SX4 diesel. But, how good is it?

Everyone begins their day in a unique way. Some get up early and go for a walk while others need to be shaken awake. Then there are some who pray but I begin my day by deleting all the spam text messages I receive on mycell phone. And yes, I do know about the DND (Do Not Disturb) service, but being as lazy as I am, I have never really bothered.

Now, while some of those messages are about curing baldness and obesity, and some about enhancing your manhood, most of them are about new residential projects. But why just SMSes, the radio too is full of housing related adverts.

These projects, meanwhile, with their conveniences, can shame amusement parks, spas and even five star hotels. However, all these projects are always far away from the main city be it Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai or anyother prosperous metro

For good reason too. The property prices in the main cities today are obscenely high. I mean, for a flat that even a rodent might reject for its small size, it’s awful construction and design, and no modern amenities at all, the extortionists demand over a crore rupees (on the conservative side). That’s ridiculous!

Naturally, like me many city dwellers have moved away to these new residential towns, butsadly, the employers stay put inthe expensive city surrounds. So, the commute for the regular salaried Indian has gone up significantly.

And this, finally, brings me to the cars on test here. These are all C-segment offerings; ones you can buy for just under Rs 10 lakh. And because a long commute is involved, these are all diesel; diesel is cheaper and more efficient than petrol, after all. Now, the Hyundai Verna, the Fiat Linea and more recently, the Volkswagen Vento have always had the diesel option and not surprisingly, majority of sales for each of these models are accounted for by the diesel variant. The two bestsellers in the segment, the Honda City and the Maruti SX4 however neverhad this option. But now Maruti does. But should you buy it over the former three diesel cars? Read on and find out.

Exterior & Interior

Not so the list of equipment; it's the best equipped car here.

The engine apart, the Linea works well for an enthusiast. It's the best handler here and one with the best steering.

The Linea also sets the benchmark when it comes to the ride and handling compromise. It is the most comfortable and reassuring car over broken roads and even around bends it’s right up there with the Vento and the SX4, if not better. And in terms of steering response, feel and directness, it’s the best here, though the Vento comes close.

Wondering then, if it does so many things so well, how come it finishes last in this test? Here’s why. The Linea is a big car, but the space utilisation is pretty poor. It’s spacious at the front, but is cramped at the back, especially when it comes to usable knee room. Its front seats leave something to be desired as well. These aren’t the most comfortable and support offered, particularly for the thighs, is inadequate. Its dimensions, turning circle and visibility also ensure it’s not the easiest to drive inside town or park. But mostly it’s the drivetrain that lets it down. The engine is the same as the SX4, but it just isn’t as refined or peppy. In-cabin insulation isn’t as good either. The engine is efficient, but with its lack of go and a gearbox that requires some effort to shift, it can get tiring to drive after a while.

The Verna might not be the prettiest car here, but it certainly stands out in a crowd. Inside, it feels inviting initially. It feels spacious and has good visibility mainly over the hood and through the A-pillar. However, like the Linea, the look and feel of plastics doesn’t feel at par with the competition.

Seating comfort on the Verna though is noteworthy. It’s as good as the SX4 and the Vento. The front seats aren’t as supportive, but these never get uncomfortable either. Moreover, three abreast seating at the rear is the most comfortable on the Hyundai thanks to a wide shoulder room and a seat with limited contours. The seat itself is decently large.

Interiors feel airy, but quality could be better.

Easily the least competent handler in this bunch. The Verna rides well, but rolls too much around bends.

The Maruti is quite the opposite when it comes to handling though; it’s not joyous, but is at peace handling bends. But, the same cannot be said about the Hyundai. The Verna’s suspension is set on the softer side, so it handles poor roads really well. It’s only when the road gets undulating, that the Verna seems to get uncomfortable, courtesy the wallowing.

But, throw it hard into a corner, and it feels pretty lost compared to other cars here. The steering doesn’t feel too good to use and the car itself feels loose; there’s pitching and rolling and it moves about unpredictably. It gets worse, if there’s a quick direction change.

We do love the engine on the Verna, none the less. It’s refined and packs in quite a punch. It feels quite quick too, but that’s mainly down to its pronounced turbo lag, which makes it feel much quicker than it is when the boost does finally arrive. This lag also takes away from the driving pleasure especially in the city as more often than not, at slower speeds, one ends up driving below 2000rpm where the turbo still isn’t in its stride. And then coaxing or even stamping on the throttle does little to get the car motoring ahead in a hurry.

It is the second largest selling car in its segment behind the Honda City. It’s well equipped, spacious and an awful lot practical given its high ground clearance, a decently sized boot and Maruti’s fantastic service network. Say hello to the SX4, albeit with a diesel heart.

Interiors are decently equipped.

The SX4 might be tall, but it behaves surprisingly well around bends. Meaty 205-section tyres help as well.

However, if you were expecting a minor face-lift to go along with the new engine option, you’d be disappointed. There's no change inside or out. The interiors are decently finished and ergonomically sound nonetheless, but fail to stimulate your senses.

The visibility, thanks to high seating is good. The seats are accommodating and comfortable, and there’s good room all round as well. And when you begin driving, the ride quality impresses too.

Having said that, dynamics don’t make or break a car; it’s the overall package that matters. And on that count, the SX4 makes for a fantastic diesel sedan to buy. It is competitively priced, decently equipped, is adequately spacious and practical, and has acceptable performance and fuel economy in its favour as well.

Interiors are best built and most upmarket.

Great engine and an able ride and handling package make the Vento diesel a good fun to drive car1005.

Our winner and easily the best diesel saloon you can buy in the upto Rs 10 lakh bracket is the Volkswagen Vento Highline. It doesn’t look all that great, we agree, but its generic looks, especially from the rear three quarters, won’t put you off either. Inside again, the design isn’t flashy or contemporary, say like the Linea’s, but it’s warm. More importantly, the insides look and feel sturdy and a bit rich as well. The only other car that comes close to matching it, but doesn’t quite manage it, is the SX4.

In fact, the Vento and the SX4 are closely matched in a few other areas as well. These are similarly priced, return almost the same fuel efficiency and then the equipment list, both for safety and convenience, is almost the same. But yes, the Vento does get a few additional features like the trip computer and one touch up/ down operation for all windows besides the innovative front passenger seat adjustment from the rear.

In terms of comfort again, our top two finishers are pretty close. The ride is similar, so is rear seat comfort including ease of ingress/egress. The cabin insulation is similar too with the SX4 being quieter at slow speeds, and the VW running more silently at higher speeds.

We have also given the two cars similar rating for handling as the difference between the two isn’t much in the way the two perform on the road. But, in terms of involvement, the Vento is clearly the better of the two. Its steering for one is more progressive and it returns better feel. The Vento also feels surer while tackling bumpy corners.

Engine & Gearbox

Fiat Linea Engine feels underpowered in this group.

It gets climate control, an integrated stereo and ABS like the other three cars. Additionally, it gets steering mounted controls (present on the SX4 but missing on both the Vento and the Verna), a trip computer (present on the Vento and missing on the SX4 and Verna), and Bluetooth connectivity (missing on all three).

Hyundai Verna Transform Engine though, is the party piece here; it's very enjoyable indeed.

The drive though with the new engine could have been better. It’s essentially the same Fiat engine that powers the Dzire, but, thanks to a variable geometry turbocharger, it produces higher power and torque figures. The end result is a quicker 0-100kmph compared to the Swift Dzire as well as better driveability.

Maruti Suzuki SX4 1.3-litre diesel engine is a proven performer and works well on the SX4.

But, at 13.1 seconds, the SX4 is one of the slower cars in the run upto 100kmph in this group. Only the Linea is slower. The same holds true when it comes to driveability. Moreover, if you like driving, the SX4 again isn’t the most entertaining drive. It’s more involving and fun compared to the Verna, but both the Vento and the Linea with their better steering feel, body control and predictive handling, make a better case for themselves.

VW Vento Engine too is the best here; quick and efficient.

However, the biggest difference between the two cars is the engine. The Vento’s powerplant is addictive. It’s more powerful and on the road, it’s almost three seconds quicker to 100kmph. It’s a similar story in driveability and as a result, the Vento feels a lot quicker to drive on an everyday basis as well.

Dimension

Fiat Linea (mm)
	There's enough usable luggage space, though1070.
Hyundai Verna Transform(mm)
	But, luggage space is the least.
Maruti Suzuki SX4(mm)
	Boot is one of the biggest here.
VW Vento(mm)
	Boot is large but rear seats don't fold or split.

Scorecard & Verdict

Three VW Vento - Easily the best diesel sedan one can buy for around Rs 10 lakh. It's spacious, quick and fuel effi cient. It's only drawback of sorts is its relatively higher pricetag.

Two Maruti Suzuki SX4 - Diesel engine makes the SX4 very enticing indeed; not so much as a fun car, but one for everyday commute. Plus, there's the confi dence of Maruti's huge service network.

Rank 1 Hyundai Verna Transform- Great engine and decent space, the Verna remains a safe bet. It's priced well too. It just looks a tad old and the least evocative in this company.

Three Fiat Linea - Linea has huge potential; it looks good, rides and handles well and is feature rich. But, its lack of rear space, average quality and lack of performance in this company lets it down.

Scorecard

Body: In terms of usable in-cabin space there's not much to choose from between the four. But yes, the Fiat even though roomy at the front, is very cramped at the rear. In most other parameters, the cars are close as well, baring safety where, the Verna scores the least.

Drive: The Vento, thanks to its accelerating abilities and of course, fantastic driveability (it's almost like an automatic), pulls ahead under this head. It's also fuel effi cient. But, a comparatively smaller fuel tank against the SX4, means, its range isn't as good.

Comfort: The Fiat comes good here. It has the best ride quality and it's also one of best handling cars here. Moreover, it sports the most comfort equipment as well like Bluetooth connectivity.Wish it had better front seats, however.

Dynamics: Surprisingly, the SX4 diesel gave us shorter braking distances. And not just compared to the competition at hand here, but also the petrol version which helps it close the gap with the Vento in the overall test tally.

Cost: The Vento still rules the roost. It might not have as good a resale as the SX4, but its warranty makes up for it. But, it's the Verna that strikes the best balance under the Cost head.

Verdict

An SX4 diesel was waiting to happen. And now that's it here, it will draw a lot of customers to itself, no question. It is practical, decently equipped and well priced. Moreover, with the diesel engine, it's also effi cient to run without compromising on performance much. No wonder it leaves both the Verna Transform and the Linea behind on our scorecard. However, the Vento with its mechanicals, better quality and fi t and fi nish, and well thought out interior design, not to mention, a gem of a diesel engine sets the benchmark a tad too high even for the competent SX4 diesel to reach. The Vento then, remains our winner and our serious recommendation to all those looking for a well rounded C-segment diesel saloon. Plus, it has the highest snob value.