[honeybee]

The Nano has completed 3.5 years and 60k kms. It has served me well over the years, through thick and thin, and though it has had its fair share of parts failing and needing replacements, overall I am very much happy.

The only complaint I have is with the AC on, the engine loses its agility. Of course it is a bit too much to expect the 38bhp workhorse to beat bigger and costlier cars at traffic lights even with the AC on!

So now I am thinking of looking for a replacement. The new car, if chosen, will be through the company lease scheme, so I get some tax benefit. The limit is 5 lakhs on the road, and I am not looking for a diesel.

The first choice obviously is a Nano, but this time on CNG. It hadn't been launched back when I purchased my existing one, so this time I would love to try it. While it has the same downside, low engine power, its running costs should be much lower, and the small hatch can literally squeeze into spaces only autos can dare go, and is a boon in traffic jams. No car can beat its agility in this sense today.

The next on the cards is the Tiago. The Nano purchase of 3.5 years back had a financial consideration (it was the cheapest brand new car available!), but this time I am looking at a Tata by choice. The Nano hasn't had any engine / gearbox trouble, so I am willing to bet on another fresh design from Tata. I would be losing on the size (Tiago can't possibly be as tiny as the Nano on the outside and as roomy as the Nano on the inside, also getting in or out would not be as easy as in the Nano), but it's a change from the Nano and should put a smile on my face on my daily office drives.

The only other models which could possibly contend are from Maruti and Hyundai stables. But after experiencing the Nano, they appeal to me a little bit less.

While the car will be on lease, I still don't want to pay a big chunk for EMIs, so keeping the price down will be important. I am not looking at diesel options.

The car would be my primary daily commute car and must be reliable. Also the running will be under 60kms in a day, five days a week, almost 90% solo.

[Sherlocked]

My vote goes to Tiago.

Its the most bang for your buck at this point of time and makes WagonR and Celerio look somewhat overpriced and barebones. Build quality of the Maruti's as compared to Tata is poor too.
Also you are a current and most importantly a Happy Tata customer so buying a Tata car shouldn't be a cause of concern to you. Its not like you are venturing into an unknown territory. You are well within the family.

Since the car you require should strictly be within 5L OTR, Tiago petrol fits in perfectly.

[Nissan1180]

The Tiago would be a good upgrade. It is better to trust a known devil (Tata) than an unknown saint
If you are alright with getting a used car, you could explore the possibility of finding a nicely maintained Swift from True Value. Maintaining it would be easier-routine services are enough and part failures are very rare.
You could consider the Maruti Baleno which comes with ABS and airbags as standard across all variants. It will be more expensive, but I think it will hold its value well over time.
We have a Nano Twist. Although it is a very good vehicle for the price, I must say that the service experience leaves a lot to be desired. Our 10 year old Baleno is attended to with more care than the 11 month old Nano. This may not be the case for everyone (service quality varies a lot from location to location) but in general, with a Maruti, you can be assured of certain basic service quality standards being observed in all their workshops. I wish I could say the same about Tata.
In case you are looking for a Tata product specifically, do give the Zest / Bolt XE a try. The refinement levels for both products are really good, but the base versions do not have any Passive/Active safety features. Both the cars feel very premium for the price.

Another option could be the Ford Figo Ambiente. An airbag is a standard feature in all the variants and considering the state of our roads, I think this should be a prerequisite for someone who is getting a new car.

[Skyline_GT]

I think you should check out the Renault Kwid as well. The car is compact, well built, clearly more agile than Nano. Quality wise Renault is miles ahead of Nano/Tiago. It has good GC and a well sized boot compared to it's competition. It's well within your 5Lac budget.
While Tiago also seems to be a good proposition but one main factor you need to take in consideration is that the Tiago is still in its first generation and TATA will take it's own sweet time to correct niggles/glitches if any as and when the customers report it. Had it been in its second/third gen it would have been the best replacement for your Nano.

[just_in]

As nissan1180 mentioned do check out the Tata bolt. There are really good discounts on it and you just might be able to get hold of one a little over the 5 lakh limit. But if the budget is strictly 5 lakh then without hesitation go for the tiago. It will be a good upgrade to the nano.

[honeybee]

Used is out of question. Since the new car will be taken on company lease, it has to be new. Not to mention I don't like the Swift ;-)

Renault after sales is a gamble. Also I am not sure if the Kwid will fetch a good resale price after 4 years.

High GC has spoilt me, so the new car must be able to clear the car breakers with ease.

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by honeybee

Used is out of question. Since the new car will be taken on company lease, it has to be new.

How about Alto K10 or WagonR? Both these cars do come in CNG variants too.

Are you interested in AMT variants or only MT?

[honeybee]

Alto K10 doesn't have good low end power from a drive I had taken a few years back. Not sure if this has been addressed.

I don't like WagonR, plus it is likely to push the budget further upward.

What is the on road price of WagonR CNG?

[autorahul]

Considering that you have run 60000 km in 40 months, I believe you should look at CNG only. Wagon R CNG is the best best, and with the ongoing offers, it might just squeeze in your budget. If its not in your budget, then go for Alto K10 CNG. Do note that engines of factory fitted CNG variants of Maruti have different tuning, to handle the extra bulk, so take a test drive if possible of the CNG variants of these. Do note the CNG variant of Alto does not have any safety features.

If you are ready for petrol, Tiago is a good buy, only if you are able to fit XT(O) variant in your budget. Other variants are sparsely equipped, and I would rather go for Celerio LXi(O) with all the safety features and essential features, and add whatever accessories I want at a later stage.

You may also want to ask the Renault dealer if he has any information of the upcoming Kwid 1.0 variant. It should fit in your budget and should be a good car. Renault service feedback has been decent and have not read any horror stories. Plus considering how well its 800 cc variant is selling, should retain good resale value.

[shifu]

Originally Posted by honeybee

Alto K10 doesn't have good low end power from a drive I had taken a few years back. Not sure if this has been addressed.

I don't like WagonR, plus it is likely to push the budget further upward.

What is the on road price of WagonR CNG?

Did you TD a CNG car? I drove a cousin's wagon R once and I found the pick up really really sluggish. And this is coming from a Nano owner. So it must be really sluggish

I would vote for Tiago. If it fits your budget, and you patronize Tata brand then there is no reason to look any where else.

[shekaran]

Once smitten by the Nano, you cant escape from it, the charm is always there...As you get "All You Need" For City/Urban use, and some little adjustments in highway useage.
Try the Nano GenX XTA and if you don't want an auto, the GenX XT is also very good.
Nano (TATA) quality has improved a lot, from earlier generation, so you don't lose on anything.

[zaheer5776]

If I am not wrong there was a similar thread recently about upgrade from a Nano!

I guess as a Nano fan I actually don't like the fact that one has to change a Nano at some point of time for some reasons. Honeybee, Its good that you are still considering another Nano in your options. And yes there are so many cars which can be natural upgrade from Nano. And in my opinion I see Wagon R as a natural upgrade from Nano and it comes with CNG too. Already you mentioned Tiago and I agree with that too. Kwid has got long waiting period I suppose.

But then lets talk about Nano again So in case if you are comfortable with used cars I would highly suggest you to check Nano XT (Power steering) which is 3 years old and less than 20 k on Odometer. I am sure it can be found that also with in good condition at around 1 L Rupees though I don't know the used car market, its just a wild guess. I am sure Nano has no demand in used car market so one can take good advantage and find a nice deal. Infact you can use the money saved in self driven cars occasionally if you plan for outstation purpose. Just guessing that your requirement is more for city driven cars and Nano still holds its place.

Otherwise the new Nano is attractive too and I like the manual version more than the AMT. So you can think about the newer Nano too.

[saion666]

I would suggest you going for the Nano again.
At 5L you will get the one with power steering/ Audio/AMT etc. (they call it GenX I guess)

No point in getting a Tiago as per your usage, since it is going to be used by you, only you, the extra space doesn't make sense. Since its for office usage, I guess it would mostly be driven in stop and go traffic, so again the extra power of the Tiago will hardly be used.
All the above points hold good for Kwid/Alto k10(the K series engine has inherently less low end torque)
Go for the new Nano, eyes closed and enjoy the nimbleness of the small car and save on the extra money as well.

[prokinetic]

Before thinking about the kwid, remember it has a large turning radius of 5 meters. CNG or petrol is completely your decision. If petrol, look no further than Nano AMT.

[GTO]

Since you have a 5 lakh budget, it's time to upgrade. You've experienced the Nano enough and I disagree with other BHPians suggesting the same car.

Originally Posted by honeybee

The limit is 5 lakhs on the road, and I am not looking for a diesel.

If you can stretch the budget a little bit, the Bolt petrol will fit in. There are heavy discounts on the car right now and dealers are desperate to get rid of stock. With some skilled bargaining, I don't see why you shouldn't be able to knock a lakh off.

Not including the Tiago as the petrol is unimpressive (refer to our official review). The Bolt has a nice 4-cylinder turbo-petrol.

Along with the Bolt, you could also consider the Honda Brio. It's a pocket rocket. Fun to drive and cheap. Like the Bolt, the Brio has heavy discounting too.

Another option you could wait for is the Kwid 1.0. It's coming soon.

Originally Posted by Nissan1180

It is better to trust a known devil (Tata) than an unknown saint

While I would generally agree with this statement, you can't go wrong with a Maruti or Hyundai.