[SN88]

Dear all,

My dad needs to replace his daily driver. We have a sedan - a Honda City and an SUV, which is a VW Tiguan. But dad always prefers driving his hatchback - a Chevrolet U-VA, which needs to be replaced urgently.

His requirements are precisely as below.
1. Petrol engine and Manual gearbox.
2. Hatchback
3. Fuss-free and has to be smooth to drive.
4. We are looking for basic models on offer with only power windows as a must have. The others things are not important. Alloy wheels, ICE, MID, etc. are not important.
5. Budget - 8 lacs OTR Mumbai (max).

Please do take out some time and help me decide. I have considered the Jazz, Baleno, Polo, Sonet and the i10 Nios.

Thanks.

Mod Note - Please take out some time to create a post / thread and proof read it for spellings / grammar before submitting it.

Thanks.

[07CR]

Well out of your choices, Baleno, Jazz and I10 Nios make the most sense. Would avoid the Polo and Sonet considering point 3 of your requirement may not be fulfilled to the fullest. Also Sonet might look like a hatchback, but many classify it as a sub 4 meter FWD SUV.

Might I add the Toyota Glanza here. With T badge backup, it should be better than the Baleno.

My order-

1) Glanza
2) Baleno
3) Jazz
4) I10 Nios

[lamborghini]

Unfortunately, at this price you will have to choose between safety & ease of maintenance.

Safer options but average ownership :
1) Polo
2) Figo / Freestyle
3) Altroz / Tiago
These aren't exactly the easiest cars to drive, but offer solid build with good ride which would be appreciated in current road conditions.

Easy to maintain & live with options:
1) Tall boy Wagon R : arguably amongst the easiest cars to drive in Mumbai
2) Kia Sonet (think of it as a tall boy because it definitely is no SUV)

Arguably easier to drive with superior visibility. Sonet has decent quality as well.

[VKumar]

Originally Posted by SN88

i10 nios.

Get him the i10 Nios 1.2, or get the 1.0 T-GDi if you also intend to get behind the wheel at times for some fun.

That said, feather light controls, small body, no bulges on wheel arches (the car is just as wide as you feel it is, from inside), and good all round visibility make the Nios a perfect city car.

Additionally, one may say anything for Hyundai 1.2, but the engine comes with a really aggressive anti stall, and low weight of Nios combined with tall stroke motor, makes for a reasonable low end, adding a lot to the drive comfort in the city.

Having an aggressive anti stall makes your life very easy in the stop go traffic, the light clutch of Hyundai adds more to that feeling of ease. Couple that with a light gearshift and decent low end, that's all you need in the city. The engine is good enough that if the front wheels are moving even at 5 kph, the car picks up without a single jerk from even the second gear, and from 15 kph in third - absolutely flawless - exactly what the doctor ordered; for a perfect city drive.

If you can live with the design of it, an even better option is Wagon R 1.2. I don't even need to talk about its pros, especially when it comes to city drives.

PS: I always favor bigger displacement motors, they always give that ease of driving at low speeds.

[SN88]

Originally Posted by VKumar

Get him the i10 Nios 1.2, or get the 1.0 T-GDi if you also intend to get behind the wheel at times for some fun.

That said, feather light controls, small body, no bulges on wheel arches (the car is just as wide as you feel it is, from inside), and good all round visibility make the Nios a perfect city car.

Additionally, one may say anything for Hyundai 1.2, but the engine comes with a really aggressive anti stall, and low weight of Nios combined with tall stroke motor, makes for a reasonable low end, adding a lot to the drive comfort in the city.

Thank you and i am for the I10 nios as well. Atleast till now. I might want to check the Ford figo as well.

Wagon r although a brilliant product just doesn't make me or dad want to buy it.

[parrys]

I would suggest the Jazz.
It's a no nonsense, comfortable and reliable hatchback.
I am using once since end of 2017, without a single hiccup.

It is also very easy to get in & out of it, so should be a comfortable commuter for your dad. It will be a decent upgrade over the Chevrolet as well. When I got the Jazz, comfort of my parents was also a major deciding factor, hence got it home.

Should 4 adults need to go out on a trip, the Jazz would be happy host.

[Shreyas_H]

For your requirement set you can't go wrong with either the Jazz or i10 Nios.

I would personally go for the Jazz between these two

[arighna.dutta]

Since, you have safer cars to boot for all other purposes, and need a fuss free car only for city usage, and assuming once growing older the preference may tilt for an auto in city, may be the best would be the Wagon R 1.2 AMT. If wagon R EV becomes a reality, then nothing would beat it, but maybe doesn't fit the urgent requirement, neither we know that if it would be getting sold in India. If the preference is still for a manual, then, Wagon R 1.2 ZXi or maybe a Santro manual. Saves some cash too.

Else, out of the given options, will recommend to consider Glanza instead of Baleno for all the positive A.S.S experience of Toyota, additionally, Nexa A.S.S will be anyway be loaded with too many Balenos to service, so you may have a better chance to get more attention from Toyota.

[govigov]

Ignis is a good buy at this range. All variants have abs airbags; small for the city and is a tall boy with ease to get in and out. The 1.2 Petrol is peppy and has adequate power for city run arounds. Maintenance is a not at all an issue.

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by SN88

His requirements are precise as below.
1. Petrol and Manual gear.
2. Hatchback
3. Fuss-free and has to be smooth to drive.
4. We are looking for basic models on offer with only power windows as a must-have. The others things are not fussed. Alloys, Ice, MID etc are not important.
5. Budget max - 8lacs OTR Mumbai.

Maruti WagonR 1.2L comes first to my mind as the primary choice. He can 'walk-in' rather than 'sit-in'. Great car for the city with ample cabin space and great visibility which make driving easy. That 1.2L K12M engine is the best in class. Reliable and fuel-efficient unless one gun's it.

Avoid AMT honestly, they aren't smooth once the age of the car catches up.

[somspaple]

My suggestion would be Ignis if you are considering any offering from Maruti - feels better built, and has bigger 1.2 ltr engine. We have one back home in Hubli and Dad uses it for both city and short highway drives - no issues so far. It replaced an ageing wagonR and it was a perfect upgrade in terms of seating and driving comfort.

[SN88]

Originally Posted by arighna.dutta

Since, you have safer cars to boot for all other purposes, and need a fuss free car only for city usage, and assuming once growing older the preference may tilt for an auto in city, may be the best would be the Wagon R 1.2 AMT. If wagon R EV becomes a reality, then nothing would beat it, but maybe doesn't fit the urgent requirement, neither we know that if it would be getting sold in India. If the preference is still for a manual, then, Wagon R 1.2 ZXi or maybe a Santro manual. Saves some cash too.

EV does not make sense as his daily running is approx 10 kms and I am sure he will not be comfortable getting used to the braking and drive of an EV. Same reason he cannot adjust to an auto gear box in our other cars. He has driven a manual all his life and chooses to continue. Dads I tell you..

Originally Posted by parrys

I would suggest the Jazz.
It's a no nonsense, comfortable and reliable hatchback.
I am using once since end of 2017, without a single hiccup.

It is also very easy to get in & out of it, so should be a comfortable commuter for your dad. It will be a decent upgrade over the Chevrolet as well. When I got the Jazz, comfort of my parents was also a major deciding factor, hence got it home.

Should 4 adults need to go out on a trip, the Jazz would be happy host.

I am inclined towards the Jazz as well, thank you.

Originally Posted by a4anurag

Maruti WagonR 1.2L comes first to my mind as the primary choice. He can 'walk-in' rather than 'sit-in'. Great car for the city with ample cabin space and great visibility which make driving easy. That 1.2L K12M engine is the best in class. Reliable and fuel-efficient unless one gun's it.

Avoid AMT honestly, they aren't smooth once the age of the car catches up.

Agreed the wagon R is a very nice package, but just doesnt appeal to buy. It is probably the looks of it. I remember my dad calling it a toaster shape

[TrackDay]

Originally Posted by SN88

Agreed the wagon R is a very nice package, but just doesnt appeal to buy. It is probably the looks of it. I remember my dad calling it a toaster shape

I too was going to suggest the Wagon R, until I read this post ! In a city like Mumbai, it might be better to go with compact dimensions and an automatic. But I heard that your dad ruled out automatics too.

The next option would be the Ignis, though check with your dad if he likes the rear look of that car. The Jazz might seem a bit too big for city use. Seems like the best option would be to consider between the Tiago and i10 Nios.

[saisree]

Given his age the following are my choice in order

1. Wagon R AMT will be my first choice. Compact, Airy, better ingress and egress (walk in) and a humble car. Nothing could beat it in the last 15 years.
2. Tiago EV. Expected Soon this year.
3. Jazz CVT. Airy, non claustrophobic, smooth transmission and a golden engine. I got one for my FIL. He is in his mid 60's.
4. Renault Kwid AMT. But may look boyish to his age.

[Sahilrai166]

I would suggest you the new I20 Magna as it meets your criteria well. If the I20’s new design language isn’t to your taste then do try out the Nios Sportz as well. Not suggesting the Jazz as the base variant costs 9lac OTR and there is no point stretching your budget as you already have a spacious sedan in your garage.