[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Out of the list, I'd pick the WagonR 1.2 any day. Spacious and practical despite the boxy looks, peppy and fuel-efficient with the 1.2 K12 petrol engine.

That said,

ALL of these options, including the WagonR, raise a big question mark in my mind - that of safety! Hence, I would like to spend a little more on a TATA Tiago instead.

And it looks the best of the lot, post the facelift - with only the Renault Kwid coming somewhat close.

[shashi792]

Voted for S-presso. But, if I would decide to stretch my budget I would probably buy a entry level Ignis or a Tata Tiago

What I want in an entry level hatchback would be :

1) Peppiness (Its usually signal-to-signal drive)
2) Visibility (Making sure you don't bump into criss-crossing two wheelers)
2) Ease of Ingress and Egress (Mostly short drives)
3) Ease of maintenance.

At-least until now, I haven't got the house-poll majority in taking our Alto for a highway trip.

[TejasKinger]

Voted for the Hyundai Santro.

This would most likely be a second car, with restricted city usage for which the Santro works just fine. It looks the most inoffensive, the interiors are great, the car is reliable, and for me, most importantly, it has great refinement.

Hyundai's AMT is definitely a cut above the rest.

[sunilsreenivasg]

Surprised that Tiago is not in the list.
My preference would be Tiago. Peppy engine with a decent music system and SAFETY makes Tiago a better choice. Agree that it's a 3-pot but I felt the vehicle is more lively when compared to competition.

[Goku_YNWA]

Voted for Others.

I would pick up Petrol Ignis with sweet discounts over BS4 models

[manij]

Voted for S-Presso - mainly due to its narrower width and smaller footprint resulting in increased practicality for crowded city roads. Smaller turning radius, nice space inside, nice engine all add up.

On the other side, owners need to have access to another car for highway driving, as S-Presso is clearly not comfortable/safe enough for highways.

[RD150]

WagonR and Santro don't belong to this segment, and who really is buying the redigo? I am still to spot one here in Pune. How I wish the kwid had spresso's engine Spresso looks bad in pictures and looks uglier on roads. My vote goes to alto k10 just because it looks less weird.

[landcruiser123]

This thread couldn't have come at a better time. My Parents are in the conundrum of buying a new secondary car. I'd greatly appreciate any advice from BHPians.

Background:
I left the country for my MS in 2017 and in early 2018, my dad took up a new job which involved a lot of traveling. From 2 cars for 3 users, the situation changed to 2 cars for 1 user (mom.) While there was no pressing need to change cars, I felt my parents would be better with an AT. Out went the Innova (11y) and Getz (12y) and in came the Ciaz AT. Two years later, my dad is not going to travel much and Uber/Ola is not reliable enough for him. Considering my sister in 16, my family wants to buy a hatchback with a manual transmission. Convincing my parents for a used car is not easy as they don't have the bandwidth and I can't do anything from CA.

Requirements:
1. Manual transmission- my sister has to learn driving on an MT according to them
2. Good AC
3. Reasonable safety features- ABS and D+P airbags
4. Rarely will there be more than 2 occupants in the car, rear seat comfort is NOT high priority
5. Good low end torque
6. Cheap annual maintenance- annual running might be 7-8,000 kms
7. Preferably Hyundai & Maruti. I'm not present in India and want them to have reliable ASS close to home.

Some specific questions:
1. Are there some reliable sources for used cars? Some kind of dealership where they can just drive the car and sign the cheque if they like it. (I do know there is no guarantee on any used car, but I'd like to know if there's a dealership with consistently high customer satisfaction ratings)
2. What are the alternative options to owning a 2nd car? Uber/Ola is inconvenient due to wait times and Zoomcar requires planning. I can think of car subscription, but that's a blackbox, especially with multiple drivers etc
3. Which are the BS4 models on sale? I'd rather have then get a good discount on a BS4 car and keep it for 10-12 years.

TIA for the advice

[vshankarhere]

Originally Posted by blackwasp

• Huge 300 liter boot. 2nd biggest among all hatchbacks!

Isn’t the boot capacity of Kwid reduces to some 270-280 L in the updated version ?

I have voted for Hyundai Santro as it is the only hatch which feels complete to some extent. Decent build, well appointed interiors, smooth 4 cylinder engine and good amount of features.

[NiInJa]

Though we got an Spresso purely for my parents and given Maruti's no non-sense after sales service, I personally would go for the Tata Tiago. Its the safest and looks much better than others. I am one of those who can sacrifice power or engine characteristics for a better looking vehicle

[UMe]

Voted for S-presso.
Since we are voting for an entry level small car. I would choose something peppy for city drive and benefits of low cost. Also, there is reliable service center availablity.

[cs_rajesh]

Voted for Others, my choice is Tata Tiago.
I am surprised that Tiago does not figure in the list already. I choose Tata Tiago, due to its better build quality than Maruti Suzuki, better safety, good interiors, and being a "nice to ride in the city" car, even though it is a 3-cylinder engine.

[jithin23]

I chose others option because Tata Tiago is a much better built car and has better safety features. Performance is also decent for a 5L car. None of these cars mentioned in the list give that confidence of being safe nor are good handlers.

[amitayu]

Voted for Wagon R, though I am surprised to see it in the list given it is a category higher.

The K12 is a gem of an engine, and the new body is quite spacious. None of the cars in this list is really an ethusiasts car, and people in this price bracket are more often than not looking for an allrounder VFM than performance car.

Wagon R fits the bill to the T on that count for me.

[Sanidhya mukund]

Hello all!

My garage consists of a Mercedes C-class and a 2 decade old ford ikon. As is probably evident, the Merc is the primary car and the ikon is (was) the beater. But thanks to the NGT ruling, our ikon is now as useful as a 0.9 tonne block of metal.

Initially, we decided to manage with the Merc alone, but it has now started accumulating dings and blemishes at an alarming rate. Also, we have now decided to somewhat reduce our dependence on the chauffeur, but all of us at home are inexperienced at driving and hence, not confident enough to drive the Merc. Thus, we are now shopping for a convenient little car, that is not only easy to drive, but is also practical enough to be the beater of the household. Requirements are as follows:

1. Budget- around 5 lakhs, stretchable up to 6.5 lakhs if we really like something. ( But we would rather not spend that much)

2. Strictly no used cars.

3. Must be fuel efficient.

4. Must have good after-sales and reliability - Whenever the Merc goes in for service, it takes at least 3-4 days to sort out the minor stuff, so I want the other car to have hassle free service and minimum down time.

5. Should be easy for a total noob to drive.

6. Must have good all round visibility for short drivers.

7. Should have decent ride quality, and acceptable handling. The car will probably never be driven over 80Kmph.

8. Boot space and rear seat ingress and egress are also important to us.


The default choices - the wagonR, santro and S-presso have been considered. However, I was wondering how good is the wagonR for short drivers in terms of visibility.

Would really appreciate help choosing among these. Also, are there any worthy contenders I missed?