Santro gl plus vs I10 1.1 IRDE2 Era

Recently we have been in the market to scout for a replacement for our aging Matiz. Mostly my sister drives it alone and sometimes with parents. They simply love the sitting position, view and comfort it provides. We have test driven a lot of hatchbacks, starting from Estilo, Wagon R, Alto K10, Santro, Beat 1.2 and Spark. The decision has been swinging like a yo-yo from Estilo initially to i10 to beat to spark to santro and back to I10! Finally we have narrowed down to hyundai...santro vs i 10 irde2 For Santro Almost matiz like seats and space Proven design and engine Excellent city drivability low maintenance and solid build (compared to I10) Against Santro Old design too common may be phased out soon Rear suspension issue For I10 New design More upmarket better suspension? little more space 10% more power Higher ARAI mileage Against I 10 spares cost (have heard horror stories about front panel being all plastic, engine dropping on low intensity impacts leading to costly repairs etc) low resale for IRDE2 against kappa2 No Test drive vehicle available anywhere!! Salespersons deriding IRDE2 against kappa! Low FE on road stories Kappa is ruled out due to budget. Difference between I10 ERA and santro Gl plus is only Rs Rs 25000 ex showroom and that too is reduced when we consider I10 has some features which we will pay for in santro gl+ to install. So it boils down to Rs 18-20000 practical difference between the two. We would like to keep it for atleast 8 years. Hyundai is offering to have some 'bad death' policy covering bumper to bumper and all plastic parts for a nominal extra premium to assuage our concern for I10 bumper damage(don't know if this is actually true) Given these facts which one is a better long term choice.I seek opinion of members who have actually used these vehicles to make an informed choice for my family. And should we buy now as we are getting a Rs 40000 CD plus Rs 15000 exchange bonus + good market value of matiz as a deal or wait for last month of dec or first week of Jan 2012 to get a better deal which may or may not be given.

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