[amolathalye]

Hi Oxy ,

thanks for your suggestions but the Baleno is too bouncy at the back. Many have indicated on team-bhp forums that the CVT is far better than the DCT.

regards
Amol

[swissknife]

Originally Posted by amolathalye

hi ,

Currently I have a grand i10 AT. Now I am looking for another car with petrol engine , AT transmission , ABS , airbags , I am not able to figure out as my zeroed down options have some issue or the other as stated below.

Hyundai New Grand i10 or i20 - not available with ABS , the best available variant misses out on earlier available features like start/stop button , alloy wheels etc.

Honda Jazz - No head rests for rear bench. No ABS

regards
Amol

Have you considered the Volkswagen GT TSI? It runs on Petrol. Has a DSG gearbox. Has ABS, Airbags. No, it does not have a start / stop button, but does come with allloy wheels.

[Rahul Rao]

Originally Posted by Oxy

I find myself on the exact same boat. Have booked a Baleno Zeta CVT a couple of days ago, but my heart screams Ecosport.

The problem is that we were one of those affected by Chevrolet's decision to exit India, so wife suggests to play it safe this time and not experiment with another American company.

Always do what your heart says, otherwise you will feel bad later.
I have 3 cars, but I often have to drive cars belonging to extended family and other colleagues too, I also take care of fuel and maintenance cost of vehicles belonging to employees so have good vehicle to vehicle statistics.
The satisfaction one gets driving a planted on the road car like Ford, VW etc is totally absent in any Japanese car smaller than a Corolla.
Ford is doing good numbers 7k to 9k a month and they have more bookings, but exports keep the India supply down, their India plant is base for export and largest plant outside the US.
having used two Ikon's both close to 2 Lakh km before sale, and having a Ecosport now, I find the Fords cost far less in maintenance cost per lakh km as compared to others, even my WagonR.

Rahul

[ampere]

Originally Posted by Oxy

The problem is that we were one of those affected by Chevrolet's decision to exit India, so wife suggests to play it safe this time and not experiment with another American company.

With regard to Ecosport, please do check on the thick B-Pillars. Because if other folks in the house also plan to drive, it can come as quite a surprise to them. But otherwise a fantastic option no doubt.

[amolathalye]

Hi Swissknife ,

Yes , the deal breaker was the limited available space for the rear bench occupants and low seating position , many times we have 5 passengers. Its quite frustrating to find a suitable hatchback despite so much of choice.

[Oxy]

Originally Posted by amolathalye

Hi Swissknife ,

Yes , the deal breaker was the limited available space for the rear bench occupants and low seating position , many times we have 5 passengers. Its quite frustrating to find a suitable hatchback despite so much of choice.

I believe if 5 occupants is a requirement that cannot be compromised with, then your only automatic hatchback options are the Baleno and the Jazz.

Checking out the Ertiga VXI automatic would be a good idea I think.

[amolathalye]

Hi Oxy ,

Yes , that's how i zeroed down on the Jazz but the rear bench is without adjustable & comfortable head rests which i find totally unacceptable for a car of that price. The Ertiga is too big to consider

[Oxy]

Originally Posted by amolathalye

The Ertiga is too big to consider

My advice would be to take a test drive before arriving at a conclusion. In my opinion, the Ertiga is just as big as a Jazz or maybe slightly more length wise. It should not be too difficult to handle.

[latentpotential]

Originally Posted by amolathalye

Hi Oxy ,

Yes , that's how i zeroed down on the Jazz but the rear bench is without adjustable & comfortable head rests which i find totally unacceptable for a car of that price. The Ertiga is too big to consider

Physically the Ertiga is just the size of a City. Plus the middle row is adjustable for leg space and recline. May indeed be worth a test drive for you.

[Shreyas Agarwal]

Hello all,
My friend needs to buy an automatic hatch under 5 lakhs.

Requirements and details:

• His yearly usage is around 5000 km.
• He is new to driving hence automatic is preferable.
• A very powerful engine is not required.(he is not a car enthusiast)
• Tallboy design is preferable.
• The car should be easy to drive.
• It should be fully loaded.
• Safety features aren't a must (This is not a BHPian's advice).
• 5 lakh is the maximum.
• The car should be reliable (Maruti is preferred in this department).
• Fuel efficiency should be around 10 km/l.

Please suggest a car keeping in mind the details mentioned above. Also, driving would be mostly in city with short weekend trips

With Regards,
Shreyas Kumar Agarwal

[autorahul]

Originally Posted by Shreyas Agarwal

Hello all,
My friend needs to buy an automatic hatch under 5 lakhs.

• He is new to driving hence automatic is prferable.
•Tallboy design is preferable.
• Saftey features aren't a must (This is not a BHPian's advice).

First and foremost, I might be going off topic here, safety features are a must for any car. No offence to you or your friend, I don't understand why people place a low value on this. They are more important features than anything fully loaded car can provide. Of the 3000 days one may own a car, these features need to save you just once to prove their worthiness. They are absolute must in my opinion and no car should be on road without it. If that brings up the entry cost of cars, then so be it. So please advise your friend about the importance of it.

Keeping the requirements in mind, and considering the low running and new driver points, I would recommend going for a used i10 Asta AT. Has all the features, including safety features. You should get a 2012-13 model around 4-4.5 lakhs.

Amongst new you can consider Wagon R AMT and Celerio AMT with optional packs which have safety features too, though that would likely increase the price above 5. Celerio VXI(O) AMT with discounts might be bordering around their budget.

[AkMar]

In the given budget, I would recommend Celerio LXi (O) AMT as the first option followed by Alto K10 AMT. Celerio will be slightly above the budget & won't be fully loaded, but then you can't have the cake & eat it too. Celerio offers much better safety, ride & handling, build quality than an Alto.

If he is ok with used cars, you can look around for used i10 as suggested by Rahul, or Honda Brio. Also you might want to have a look at this thread: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/hatchb...i-celerio.html

[Shreyas Agarwal]

Originally Posted by autorahul

First and foremost, I might be going off topic here, safety features are a must for any car. No offence to you or your friend, I don't understand why people place a low value on this. They are more important features than anything fully loaded car can provide. Of the 3000 days one may own a car, these features need to save you just once to prove their worthiness. They are absolute must in my opinion and no car should be on road without it. If that brings up the entry cost of cars, then so be it. So please advise your friend about the importance of it.

I have advised him to do so and I have also explained him its importance but he replied I will opt for safety if it comes in my budget.

Keeping the requirements in mind, and considering the low running and new driver points, I would recommend going for a used i10 Asta AT. Has all the features, including safety features. You should get a 2012-13 model around 4-4.5 lakhs.

Used cars are not on his shopping list.

Amongst new you can consider Wagon R AMT and Celerio AMT with optional packs which have safety features too, though that would likely increase the price above 5. Celerio VXI(O) AMT with discounts might be bordering around their budget.

WagonR would be over budget if optional variant is bought. BTW, why are there discounts on the celerio, it was selling like hot cakes an year ago.

Originally Posted by AkMar

In the given budget, I would recommend Celerio LXi (O) AMT as the first option followed by Alto K10 AMT. Celerio will be slightly above the budget & won't be fully loaded, but then you can't have the cake & eat it too. Celerio offers much better safety, ride & handling, build quality than an Alto.

If he is ok with used cars, you can look around for used i10 as suggested by Rahul, or Honda Brio. Also you might want to have a look at this thread: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/hatchb...i-celerio.html

Sir, he needs a tallboy design as he does not like low seating position. So, alto is out of the list but Celerio could be considered.

[visky]

Originally Posted by Shreyas Agarwal

Hello all,
My friend needs to buy an automatic hatch under 5 lakhs.

Requirements and details:
===========================
Please suggest a car keeping in mind the details mentioned above. Also, driving would be mostly in city with short weekend trips

With Regards,
Shreyas Kumar Agarwal

The car that comes to my mind is Renault Quid 1L. It ticks most of the criteria that you have mentioned. it has a tall boy structure, It has AMT, fuel efficiency would be much better, it comes loaded with double din deck, power steering, driver side airbag, power windows, central locking.

[AkMar]

Originally Posted by Shreyas Agarwal

Sir, he needs a tallboy design as he does not like low seating position.

If so, then an increase in budget is inevitable. There is no car that fits all his criteria below 5 lakhs. You can ask him to check out the Kwid, but that is still not a proper tall boy. It's AMT too lacks manual mode & creep which are crucial features.

I would recommend Celerio, as WagonR AMT is not available in LXi trim. If he is ok with stretching by a lakh, then Celerio higher variants can be considered too.