[srvm]

Hello VenkatSY, welcome to T-BHP.
I was in the exact same situation 5 years ago with the same requirements.
I bought Zest in 2016 from KHT Motors and have been fairly happy with the choice so far (ODO=52,000 kms as of today). Their service is also good so far.

Couple of colleagues own Tigor XZA+ (bought in early 2021). They seem to be happy with ownership so far. I think it cost them about 8.7 lakhs on road in Bangalore. Now, I think the price has breached 9 lakhs. Of course, depends on the discounts on offer.

But why are so reluctant to check out cars from other brands?
I see that you are not trusting build quality of MS & Hyundai/Kia. Ford is gone now. VW & Skoda are built well but rear seat space will be tricky. Other than Triber, no other car from Renault-Nissan-Datsun which satisfy your criteria. Perhaps, you can at least visit MS, Hyunai, Kia showrooms for seeing/test-driving their cars?

Good luck with your search.

[lsjey]

Originally Posted by srvm

But why are so reluctant to check out cars from other brands?
I see that you are not trusting build quality of MS & Hyundai/Kia. Ford is gone now. VW & Skoda are built well but rear seat space will be tricky. Other than Triber, no other car from Renault-Nissan-Datsun which satisfy your criteria. Perhaps, you can at least visit MS, Hyunai, Kia showrooms for seeing/test-driving their cars?

Good luck with your search.

+1 to that. IMO, Tatas are not ideal first cars. Maruti/Hyundai are the best bet in terms of hassle-free ownership. My suggestion will be to look at cars that cost a bit more as well to get a hang of what is on offer. And TD multiple cars multiple times.

Regards,
lsjey

[AYP]

Since safety is high on your priority list, the Tigor makes quite a lot of sense since it(Tiago actually) is the only car here with a 4 star safety rating. Since you aren't comfortable with a Maruti or Hyundai, the only other option left in the Amaze S CVT.

It has a proper automatic, is more spacious than the Tigor and has a better engine as well. It does lack in some equipment compared to the Tigor and while we may assume that it should be better in terms of safety as compared to Maruti or Hyundai, in the absence of a safety rating, it is all a speculation.

At a mere 25k more, the Amaze makes for a better buy IMO.

[VenkatSY]

Originally Posted by srvm

Hello VenkatSY, welcome to T-BHP.
I was in the exact same situation 5 years ago with the same requirements.
I bought Zest in 2016 from KHT Motors and have been fairly happy with the choice so far (ODO=52,000 kms as of today). Their service is also good so far.

Couple of colleagues own Tigor XZA+ (bought in early 2021). They seem to be happy with ownership so far. I think it cost them about 8.7 lakhs on road in Bangalore. Now, I think the price has breached 9 lakhs. Of course, depends on the discounts on offer.

But why are so reluctant to check out cars from other brands?
I see that you are not trusting build quality of MS & Hyundai/Kia. Ford is gone now. VW & Skoda are built well but rear seat space will be tricky. Other than Triber, no other car from Renault-Nissan-Datsun which satisfy your criteria. Perhaps, you can at least visit MS, Hyunai, Kia showrooms for seeing/test-driving their cars?

Good luck with your search.

Thank you for the reply!

I actually did visit MS showroom and know that MS and Hyundai have great cars for driving. As I mentioned earlier, I'm learning on a Maruthi. However, after seeing the accident videos, I really don't want to take the risk. We will be using it on highways once in a while. On our roads, even if we are careful, there's always a one off chance to meet someone who isn't. My father's friend lost his entire family in a similar freak accident. So, I definitely want to make the right choice.

[Bibendum90949]

Welcome to the forum. From your post, it's not quite clear if you're looking for an AT, even AMT for that matter. If automatic is a consideration, please do have a look at the Renault Kiger AMT. It's CVT would be over your budget. It's meeting most of your criteria, if not all.



Kiger can be a good first car for you. The Ford Free style could well have been a good choice, if not for Ford's exit.

[IshaanIan]

I believe the base model S-Cross petrol ought to be somewhere around the 8-9 lac region ex-showroom. Build quality, space and practicality simply does not get any better at this price point