Overview

The new benchmark for small cars Every once in a while comes a car that redefines the segment. The i10 was that car. Now, can the Ritz do the same? We have the i10 and the VFM U-VA with us to find out.

The Hyundai i10 is the benchmark small car today. It is small enough to make it a great city car, and large and supportive enough on the inside to seat four adults in comfort. It’s also peppy enough to leave a few sedans behind while returning fuel efficiency figures its brethren can’t ignore. But now, it has serious competition in the shape of the Maruti Suzuki Ritz. We have brought the two together along with the Chevy U-VA, another good valuefor- money car, to see if the i10 can retain its crown.

Exterior & Interior

Plastics don't exude class and even the top of the line LT variant does not sport a stereo as standard. It does get power windows all round though

U-VA has acceptable handling and steering feel

The European influence The Ritz, which is based on the same platform as the Swift but sits on a smaller wheelbase, is the Wagon R replacement for Europe. And it shows in its styling. The chunky proportions, the large grille, the well defined shoulder lines and the flared wheel arches, all hint at the same. It’s quite pleasing on the inside too, sporting the funkiest dash design of the lot on test here. The dash mounted tacho in particular looks really cool. It does nonetheless borrow quite a few bits from its cousin, the Swift, like the multi-functional steering wheel, the stalks as well as the power window switches.

The i10 is pretty close in design terms both inside and out. It too follows the European design language, but park it next to the Ritz and it looks a little jaded. However, the award for the oldest, least inspiring design goes to the U-VA. It is a Korean design and one that has been around for ages. Inside too, it lacks appeal and the cheap looking plastics all round don’t do it any favours. It is as well built as the Ritz though, with the i10 only inching ahead slightly.

Comfortwise, the Ritz is easily ahead. To begin with it rides well absorbing nearly everything with aplomb, especially at slower speeds. It also has comfy frontseats, and the ones at the rear might lack decent back and side support but these support the thighs quite well indeed. The Suzuki is also the quietest of the lot on test here which further adds to the comfort factor.

i10 interiors are smart and well put together. The clocks are easy to read and though it gets an integrated stereo, there are no controls on the steering

Good cornering behaviour, but tends to understeer

The i10 has the worst noise suppression. But, it compensates for it by providing the best seats in the house. The front two are accommodating, supportive and with the right firmness. The rear ones hold you in place better than the Suzuki too. And, even though the Hyundai might not ride as plush as the Ritz, being a tad stiffly setup, but it still hasrespectable ride. The U-VA on the other hand has none of these attributes. The seats lack adequatesupport and the car also tends to crash into pot holes (no matterwhat speed) which leave the occupants uncomfortable.

The space issue The Chevy isn’t significantly more spacious than the others either. Sure, it has the widest shoulder room, but in terms of knee and head room it trails the Ritz and only manages to beat the i10 by a slim margin. To its credit, it has good visibility allround which makes it an easy car to pilot in the city. The large glass area and thin pillars which make this possible, can in the meantime, be attributed to it being an old design.

The i10 manages the same by being a more modern design. Its edges are easy to decipher, the seating high and the A-pillars not too intrusive. It makes for a great city runabout, especially through evening street markets.

The funkiest interiors of the lot and the large white faced speedo in particular looks very nice. There are lot of intelligent stowage areas inside too

Ritz's rear has the most stand out design of the lot. And it's palatable too

The Ritz though loses favour on this account. The A-pillars can be a problem at intersections and it also takes longer than usual to figure out its ends. And even then, one isn’t completely sure. The rearvisibility meanwhile would have been great, if it weren’t for the hugely wide C-pillars. The Suzuki doesn’t have the friendliest boot either. It’s deep at the bottom, but thanks to the rear seat inclination, there’s verylittle usable space left towards the top.

Straight from the heart.The highlight of the Ritz is its engine. The 1.2-litre, all aluminium unit, is essentially the same as the A-star’s, albeit with an additional cylinder and minor changes to the bore and stroke dimensions. But, start up the car, get moving and the difference between the Ritz and its smaller sibling is immense. The latter sounds and feels gruff pretty early in the rev range, but the 1.2 unit loves to berevved, just like a Japanese engine should, and vibrations only trickle in at the very top of the rev range. It’salso decently peppy and pretty fuel efficient too. It is certainly our pick of the lot here.

We quite like the kappa engine on the i10 too. Like the Suzuki, it is a new generation unit and a free revving one at that. And even though it’s less powerful than the Japanese engine, thanks to its gearing and of course, the i10's better power-to-weight ratio compared to the Ritz, it helps the Hyundai post quicker accelerationtimes. It also has the best shifting gearbox in this bunch - short throw, precise and not half asnotchy as the others. It isn’t as efficient as the Suzuki though. The U-VA’s engine meanwhile is the least refined and it also sounds stressed at the top. It’s also the slowest of the lot. To the Chevy’s credit, it does post decent roll on times. It’s slowerin third, but leaves the other two trailing significantly in the top gear slog.

Engine & Gearbox

Chevrolet Aveo U-VA Chevy's 1.2-litre engine not as refined or eager as the other two.

Hyundai i10 The 1.2 kappa is refined and lends good acceleration to the i10

Maruti Suzuki Ritz Lovely engine; the 1.2 unit is peppy, refined and decently efficient too

Dimension

Chevrolet U-VA (mm)
U-VA's lower seats might make getting in and out of the car a little difficult for older eople in comparison. But, for seating three at the rear, the Chevy is best.	Boot space is the best of the lot here.
Hyundai i10 (mm)
i10 is nearly as easy to get in and out of as the Suzuki, but there's less head and knee room to be had. It does have comfy and supportive seats all round though.	Boot space is more usable than on the Ritz.
Maruti Suzuki Ritz (mm)
Ritz thanks to its tall boy design has the most headroom on offer. It also feels the most pacious. Ingress/egress again is as good as it gets in this segment.	Bootspace not good with seats up.

Scorecard & Verdict

Scorecard

Body: The Ritz and the U-VA score more for front space on account of having more shoulder room up front. As for the rear, the Maruti and the i10 have more head room but the Chevy offers more shoulder room. Therefore, all cars score exactly the same points for rear room. Overall too, the difference isn't much.

Drive: The i10 is the quickest car in this test, with the Ritz coming in a close second. Driveability wise, the Ritz returns better figures than the other two, but again it is closely matched. The i10 has the best gearbox here and the Chevy the worst. But, Maruti's way better fuel efficiency really did take us by surprise.

Comfort: The Ritz rides with authority. It absorbs bumps and undulations with aplomb. It is best riding small car here. The i10 comes in next. The Ritz is also the quietest and the best handling car here; even though the difference in the latter isn't very huge.

Dynamics: The Chevy has the best steering while the Ritz, the worst. The Maruti's steering feels too artificial compared to the others. U-VA also feels the most planted at high speeds. The i10 scores for being easy to drive and one with the best brakes

Cost: Four points separate the i10 and the Ritz, but it's enough to crown the latter, the benchmark among small cars. The U-VA is the meantime is a distant third, but if you do choose to buy it, you will at least get the best warranty if nothing else.

Verdict

The U-VA is an old car and it’s no surprise that it walks away with the wooden spoon. The Hyundai has finally met its match in the Ritz. The i10 finds itself playing catch up in a number of areas; the Suzuki is more fuel efficient, spacious, comfortable and better equipped. It also has a better engine and presence. The only area where the i10 scores is performance, and, of course, it has the best gearbox. But, overall, it loses its status as the benchmark small car for India. That honour now solely belongs to the Ritz.