I am looking for a car with a budget below Rs 10 lakh. My usage will be mostly on highways, with a 500-600 km trip to my native place and back from Bangalore approximately once every two months. I don’t need the car much for daily city commuting, as my office is nearby.
I have shortlisted the Maruti Swift, Maruti Baleno, Toyota Glanza, and Hyundai i20.
Considering my usage, I would like to know which car would be the best overall, especially in terms of:
Highway comfort and stability
Low body roll
Low driver/passenger fatigue on long journeys
Comfortable suspension and seats
Highway performance and overtaking ability
Safety and build quality
Fuel efficiency
Ease of driving for a beginner
If there are any other cars under Rs 10 lakh that you think would suit my requirements better, please suggest those as well. I would like to keep them in consideration.
• 2d
For your usage pattern, the Maruti Baleno or Toyota Glanza would be the most sensible choices. Both cars are essentially the same underneath, so the decision comes down to dealership experience and after-sales support in your area. The Baleno/Glanza offer a more spacious cabin than the Maruti Suzuki Swift, making them better suited to long-distance highway runs, and now get the same 3-cylinder engine too - the Toyota Glanza facelift is soon to launch. The suspension is well-tuned for Indian roads, and the seats are comfortable enough for extended journeys, which will help reduce fatigue on your 500-600 km trips.The Hyundai i20 is also a strong contender, with a more premium interior and a slightly more planted feel at higher speeds. However, the Baleno/Glanza has a more spacious rear seat and better fuel efficiency, which makes it a more practical choice for your requirements. In terms of safety, all three cars offer similar levels of equipment, but this Hyundai Car feels slightly more solidly built.If you are open to considering other options, the Tata Altroz is worth a look. It has a 5-star Global NCAP safety rating, a solid build, and good highway stability. And if you stretch your budget slightly, you can get the diesel engine, which will be hugely beneficial on the highway in terms of performance and mileage, and is also better than the Altroz's own petrol engine.It's worth noting that all the hatchbacks you've shortlisted use naturally aspirated 1.2-litre petrol engines, which, though adequate, might feel lacking out on the highway, where you will do most of your driving. Thus, we would also recommend checking out some turbo-petrol options that fall in your price range, such as the Nissan Magnite, Renault Kiger, Renault Triber, Hyundai i20 N-Line and Tata Punch, which all meet your needs well.
