Someone once said, "Numbers are like bikinis. What they reveal is interesting, but what they hide is more vital." Not the most ideal way to start a diesel comparo, but take a look at the 0 to 60 kph times of the Hyundai Accent Viva CRDi and the Ford Fiesta TDCi and you will know that the old saying is true.

Where the Viva completes the run in just 5.14 seconds, the Fiesta is lagging a car length behind and takes 6.56 seconds.

In the dash to 100 kph, the Fiesta claws back the lead but only just, with the Viva still being half a second quicker. The Korean might be a generation old, but generation gap be damned. Stopwatches measure time, not age.

The manner in which these cars rack up numbers is completely contradictory and that's exactly why we are here. The Viva is fun in a straight line and acceleration, though not neck-snapping, is lively. Or least much livelier than the Fiesta.

And it would be. The Viva comes with a motor that liberalised common rail direct injection in India. It was a scorcher then, and even after being exposed to a lot of new-generation diesels, it's a scorcher even now. But the razor's edge has been softened a bit, or at least it feels so.

Detroit Diesel developed the motor for Hyundai, and if you leave alone the fact that it's a three-pot, the rest of the nomenclature makes for some good reading. The 1493cc motor makes 84.6 bhp@4000 rpm and an astounding 19.1 kgm@2000 rpm. And if you think I am out of line to use the word "astounding", let me tell you that a Honda Accord makes just as much.

The Fiesta gets a 1399cc, 68 bhp motor from the Duratorq family. It has common rail, but loses out to the Viva in the power and torque stakes.

The Fiesta's motor however warms up rather quickly and is the quieter of the two, principally because its common rail unit is a generation better than the Viva's. Of course, being a proper four-cylinder unit, it is inherently better balanced than Hyundai's lump, making it the more pleasing to drive of the two.

Firstly, refinement levels are a couple of notches above the Hyundai. Also, the Viva's powerband is really narrow and rapid progress is always accompanied by a fistful of gearshifts - not a very enjoyable thing to do since the shift quality isn't the greatest.

So while you're struggling to keep the Accent between 1800 and 3000 rpm, the Fiesta's power comes in a steady stream from idle right up to the red line. The overall feel in terms of gearshifts and engine noise is better in the Ford. In terms of fuel efficiency both are rather evenly matched, with the Viva returning 15 kpl and the Ford 14 kpl.

Now, Ford knows how to make cars handle and the Fiesta corners admirably well. Also, the amount of power that the engine makes isn't overpowering by any means and so there is just the bare hint of torque steer. Steering too is very communicative and everything about the car acts cohesively in a corner.

The Viva, on the other hand, is the Ford's complete antithesis. Because there is so much torque, the front wheels end up being louder than the stereo. Then there is the steering. Sailors have reported higher levels of feedback on their ship's rudders. In terms of ride quality, it's status quo as well.

The Fiesta's ride quality is a lesson on how a car should go over bumps. In fact it's so good, it is quite easily the best in its class. The Korean isn't too bad if you look at it as an individual entity, but let me put it this way: if you are at the point in your life where you wake up to a new body part making it's presence felt, you will be better off in the Ford.

Neither of the cars here tickle the visual taste buds, which is quite all right really. But the Fiesta is better looking to most eyes. Bear in mind though that the Viva is a hatch, and big hatchbacks do have their own charm. It's no Pininfarina but hey, it's better than a humdrum sedan.

The Viva retails in Mumbai for Rs 7,12, 535 while the Fiesta can be yours for Rs 7,59,015 with ABS - this is the one you should buy.