[derick]

This is my first post here at team BHP so apologies in advance if I make any mistakes. I currently drive a 2012 Diesel Ertiga and the car is months away from losing its roadworthiness here in Delhi. The car was bought by my father but was driven mostly by me. It has been my primary car especially after completing my studies and joining the work force. The car will be completing 10 years in our family and has served us really well. We have had some amazing road trips and since father was in defence, the car has touched some notable milestones like Nathula Pass, Majuli, Dawki, Wagha Border, etc. and will be heading back soon to Assam spending its retirement days with my parents.


This is my parents enjoying a drive to the Bangladesh border near Siliguri, West Bengal

I remember Ertiga’s concept launching in an auto show, my father had immediately made his mind that Ertiga will be our next car. Both my mother and I tried persuading him to go with the XUV 500 or the Verna or the Fiesta. I had even forcibly made him test drive the Verna, yet he was set on the Ertiga. The extra seats in the back was his golden argument to buy the car, that we could carry extra people if they need a lift, which was exactly the reason I didn’t want him to go for the Ertiga. The test drive of the Ertiga wasn’t impressive and still he went ahead and booked the car. We had booked the top model Diesel in dark grey and had a waiting period of three months. Within a week our SA said a White mid variant car had come and was waiting in the stock yard. We went to see the car and I noticed the centre console was different, it was ugly. But I didn’t pay much attention and we were too excited that we were getting the car so early and confirmed to take the delivery.



This is Nathula Pass in Sikkim

Here’s a pointer for people shopping for new cars, don’t get too excited. We got a mid variant car in a different colour than the one we booked. I hope the reader can sense how much I am disliking the car initially. But that changed very soon.

My father had an Innova as his official car back then and that was the car we were comparing the Ertiga with. The Ertiga was more compact, a plus in Shillong, had controlled body roll in mountain roads and the suspension felt better than the Innova. This was also when I learnt that test drive vehicles can sometimes be an incorrect representation of a car. Our car performed a lot better than the test drive vehicle. A big plus driving an MPV in 2012 was it drove like a small car. I think in 2022 it’s the opposite, people like the big car feel, everybody wants to be higher from the ground.



The car has covered 45,000 kms in its 10 years and possibly why still feels very new. Mechanically the car still drives really good, if anything the clutch feels like it’s getting harder overtime. The car has never broken down and no major repair work done. A reliable car we never thought twice before embarking on a long journey. Ever since I took the car as my daily driver I have tried my best to take good care of it. I always despised the rear end and the centre console in the dash, so I got an android head unit and some reflective tapping in the rear which in my mind looks a lot better. With minimal scratches and a lot of elbow Greece my car is always sparkling making my friends trip over the fact this is a 10 year old car having to retire too soon.


This is the red tapping I did

Interiors look just as new, and a shot of the head unit.

Now that my beloved 7 seater is about to leave for Guwahati. A huge task is before me, buying my first car! I always wanted to buy my own car just thinking about it made me feel all excited but now that I really have to, in a way I kept delaying it and avoiding it. I still sometimes think a two wheeler might be a wiser choice financially (although I’m not going that route). But my love for driving, Delhi’s heat, Delhi’s winter, road trips, and the fact that this is the age I will be able to enjoy driving the most I have to get a car and I need one pretty quick. My father still tells me how much he loved to drive when he was young and joined the armed forces, and by the time he was able to afford good cars he wasn’t able to drive long hours and neither does he like driving in traffic aided by the fact that he always had a driver with him during his service.

Lets get a new car for me already!

Requirements:
Daily office commute is 20kms
Weekend commute is 20kms

Hopefully will have 1 road trip in every three months near Delhi over long weekends. I live alone and the car will be driven by me only. (why does this sentence sound sad) So I want a small car but since I’m coming from an Ertiga its needs to feel spacious on the inside. Call me vain, but looks matter a lot both inside and outside especially since I’ll keep the car as long as the law lets me. I also don’t care about the shape, I consider a car as a whole package. I tend to lean towards the top variants in every car. Since I use the car for commuting to work the car needs to be relaxing to drive after a long day.

My Budget is 10 lakhs on road and I feel if I’m spending 10 lakhs the following features should be there:

Alloy Wheels, slick touch screen with built in nav, fancy drls, auto AC, leather interiors and a good audio system. Other cool features which would be a plus are, cruise control, sunroof, vented seats, and wireless android auto.

Over the past months I have taken test drives of the following cars and like them in ascending order please take my comments with a pinch of salt and there’s some sarcasm mixed too:

Tiago (CNG & Petrol)
The CNG was launched recently and I was considering CNG cars as well. I first drove the petrol, there was way too much of vibration, engine noise. The seat, gear nob and steering were giving me an unwanted three-way massage. I was so disappointed I turned the car back in the first u turn.
The CNG drove similar to the petrol, I liked how seamlessly it switched between modes. Also since the cng is available in all variants the car doesn’t feel cheap like MS’s mid variant cng options. I was disappointed to note that the much expensive nexon was using interior plastics from tiago?

Punch
I’m not a fan of the looks it’s too boxy inside and out, reminds me of a tempo (I’m really sorry). The AC vents keep staring at me! The drive however was pleasant, suspension was good, engine felt stronger than the Altroz and yet less noisy. However, I feel the Altroz is a better offering it feels more upmarket and definitely looks better. BTW anybody cares for the 90 degree doors? Isn’t it increasing the chances of denting a parked car.

Celerio
Yes I liked it more than the above Tata’s because the package is better. The engine is adequate for the size, refined, suspension is fine to and I think the more you look at it the cuter it looks. Plus the CNG is the most economical. I know people are not going to agree with this placement. On the other hand my present car is a maruti, my sister bought a beautiful red Baleno in 2019 and every other car on the road is a maruti, which is also the reason I’m not going for the new Baleno, and I’m not sure if my mind fully supports going for a “copied” product, upcoming Glanza.

Kiger
Here’s the good stuff. The real contenders. This car offers a lot for its price, the feature list is long and it looks handsome. I drove the turbo version couldn’t get the non turbo test drive. I liked the turbo engine’s pull in fact in sport mode the torque feels a little too much. In all of these test drives I had my old friend with me sitting in the back checking the passenger comfort and helping me criticise the cars. He was not impressed with the plastics and apparently felt a lot of engine whine. And also the fact that the car reminded him of a much cheaper kwid. His suggestion was that if i spent a little more I’d get much better plastics.


Altroz
The friend I referred to bought an Altroz for himself last year, on my very strong recommendation and a lot of persuasion. I wanted him to get the Altroz so much I even convinced his mom that this was the best car. So yeah I do like the Altroz a lot, I have driven his car a lot and have had a road trip too. The car feels very strong, inspires confidence, spacious, feature loaded and is priced good. The downside is, similar to its siblings it faces the same three cylinder engine problems, noise, vibrations, a tiny bit underpowered, I’m not a fan of the rear end and the touch screen is from 2009!. Another reason I’m not getting this car is the fact that my friend has it and I can drive it anytime I want. It’s almost as if the car is already in the family so I’m not going to buy the same car. The iturbo in the new blue is a very appealing though but i can’t test drive it so I’m not a 100% sure.

driving the friend's Altroz in Chandigarh.

i20
I disliked the design when this car was launched, I thought it was overpriced and wasn’t feeling the interior. All that changed when I casually went for a test drive, I drove the turbo imt first and was surprised how easy it was to drive coupled with the turbo it was fun too. I then arranged a home test drive of the manual, and was pleasantly delighted by the light clutch, engine refinement, easy shift and the suspension was to my liking. This is the most feature rich, it only misses the vented seats. And I felt the most relaxed driving the car, I could picture myself enjoy the daily commute with the smooth driving, bose sound system on a raining day watching the rain drops fall on the sunroof. Did I say it has a sunroof? I know it’s expensive but vanity does have its price.

They brought the manual petrol home for test drive

the slick touch screen, digital cockpit, and ac unit look cool, they could have been put together a little better but what's with the fabric seats? which we cant even cover because because of the airbag, apparently fabric seats cause static and hit you with a current every time you get out. The new Baleno keeps hitting you with current too.

Other cars
In this price range having no objection with shape I have a lot of other options and here’s why I don’t like them. Starting with Compact SUVs/tall hatchbacks except for the kiger I don’t get a range topping variant in my budget. I drove the nexon and disliked the body roll and lumpy ride because of the raised height. The venue is too ugly, the kia people won’t give a test drive of the sonnet and seem to be disinterested in showing/selling the car plus the upper variants are very expensive and the car feels cramped on the inside. All the craze behind the polo made me drive that too, but here I say the engine felt too overpowered? The creep in automatic is way too fast, especially while reversing. I’m surprised I don’t see botched polos on the road but then again who is buying a 20 year old car?.

I realise I have criticised a lot about the cars, I guess I went with an elimination process so please don’t get offended if you are a proud owner of any of the cars above. Having said that, test driving these cars real world impression of the market is very different from what social media has to say for the cars, at least for me. I honestly had a lot of hope from TATA but was mostly disappointed with its offerings. I’d love to hear suggestions and if anyone wants to make a case for their choice of car.

[gt3t0uring]

If I were you, I'd go for the VW Polo HL+ MT, it is really well built, especially that door thud is so satisfying. Here are some Pros and cons:
Pros: • Solid build
• Fantastic engine
• Feels like a much bigger car
• 6 speed MT
• Beautiful and understated looks (looks much more
expensive when seen from afar)
• Really good audio system.

Cons: • No DRLs, LED Headlights
• Dated interior (yet classy imo)
• Will be discontinued
• VW after sales and network
• Not-so-refined engine
• Average Equipment list (no parking camera etc.)
• Rear seat space

All above mentioned things I have personally experienced as we have one in our family, and have tried to be as unbiased as possible. Good luck!


Regards.

[Shiftlock]

Hi,
That looks like a well maintained Ertiga.

Coming to your car search, have you checked out the Honda Jazz? It is in your budget, has LOADS of space inside and quite a lot of creature comforts as well.

All the best for your search

[PetrolRider]

Originally Posted by derick

i20
which we cant even cover because because of the airbag, apparently fabric seats cause static and hit you with a current every time you get out. The new Baleno keeps hitting you with current too.

I have been there done that, purchasing first car with own money has its own charms. My only suggestions, at your age (I guesstimate in mid twenties), just go with your heart, don't bother with your head at all.

Coming back to i20 fabric seats, my primary car has been Verna for last 4 years and never had the issue of static current with fabric seats. Plus, I believe, fabric seats will help you a lot in those dreaded summer where you have to park your car in open.
Take a look at Jazz, if you need to justify i20' pricing. Jokes apart, I would have suggested Jazz, if you have a family. You might as well take a look at Maruti' twin from Toyota. Have you considered Brezza also?

Happy hunting.

[derick]

Originally Posted by PetrolRider

I have been there done that, purchasing first car with own money has its own charms. My only suggestions, at your age (I guesstimate in mid twenties), just go with your heart, don't bother with your head at all.

Coming back to i20 fabric seats, my primary car has been Verna for last 4 years and never had the issue of static current with fabric seats. Plus, I believe, fabric seats will help you a lot in those dreaded summer where you have to park your car in open.
Take a look at Jazz, if you need to justify i20' pricing. Jokes apart, I would have suggested Jazz, if you have a family. You might as well take a look at Maruti' twin from Toyota. Have you considered Brezza also?

Happy hunting.

Thanks for your suggestions. I test drove the Brezza last year, I did like it but I’ve driven a Maruti for a long time now, the fact that most elements in the interior are shared across models doesn’t get me excited either. And I’m not waiting for the new brezza because being Maruti I know the interior and features will be the exact same as the new baleno.

The Jazz was launched when I was in school, it looks the same to me.

How’s the fabric seats holding up on the Verna? I’m scared someone will spill something on them or I’ll have to keep dry cleaning them also won’t they soak up sweat and smell funky.

[GTO]

Love such detailed What Car? queries.

Originally Posted by derick

The friend I referred to bought an Altroz for himself last year, on my very strong recommendation and a lot of persuasion. I wanted him to get the Altroz so much I even convinced his mom that this was the best car. So yeah I do like the Altroz a lot, I have driven his car a lot and have had a road trip too. The car feels very strong, inspires confidence, spacious, feature loaded and is priced good. The downside is, similar to its siblings it faces the same three cylinder engine problems, noise, vibrations, a tiny bit underpowered

The writing is on the wall = Altroz turbo petrol or turbo diesel. I prefer the diesel, but maybe you don't want the same situation as with your Ertiga where you are letting go of a low mileage well-maintained car at the 10 year mark. Other options I would check out if I were you = Kia Carens (if you guys miss the Ertiga), Sonet (if you don't need a 3rd row of seats) - it drives beautifully, i20 (a truly premium hatchback with great engines) and XUV300 (might go a bit over budget, but wonderful crossover).

Drive all of these, then pick the one that tugs the strings to your heart the most. The one that makes you smile the most.

[PetrolRider]

Originally Posted by derick

How’s the fabric seats holding up on the Verna? I’m scared someone will spill something on them or I’ll have to keep dry cleaning them also won’t they soak up sweat and smell funky.

I have a kid, not exactly the right person to answer this question .
The white colored fabric seats of Verna are not exactly maintenance free, need at-least one interior detailing a year. But I had those fancy leatherette seat cover on my previous car and I am not a fan of having certain body parts char grilled.
If you are concerned about maintenance, go for leather / leatherette eyes closed. But you might have to consider the tradeoff between curtain airbag vs seat maintenance.

[vedirah]

Off the top of my mind, the Polo TSI was my first thought. But I would be hard pressed to recommend this car unless you're a driving enthusiast, considering that it will be discontinued soon.

It is hard to beat the Renault Kiger / Nissan Magnite at this price point. Do have a thought about these. I wouldn't recommend the i20 simply because it is over priced. But if your heart is set for it, then by all means go right ahead and buy it.

The Altroz is a worthy contender too, and it is a ridiculously VFM package. I usually do not recommend Tata cars because of reliability issues, but the Altroz has been around now for a while and I believe all the initial niggles are sorted out.

[padmrajravi]

My opinion is to go with the i20 petrol IVT. The sports variant should come at 10 lakhs on road with all essentials including android auto and wireless carplay. It looks great too. I don't think you should go for a manual or IMT. Think of your first car as an investment you make for buying your second car. The resale value of a manual will be rock bottom by the time you buy your next car, which I assume will be somewhere in the next 5-7 years.

Don't worry about exceeding the budget slightly at this point. 20-30s is a good age group to make such decisions. Exceeding the budget becomes exponentially tough after this phase.

[aniket13]

Originally Posted by derick

Hopefully will have 1 road trip in every three months near Delhi over long weekends. I live alone and the car will be driven by me only. (why does this sentence sound sad) So I want a small car but since I’m coming from an Ertiga its needs to feel spacious on the inside. Call me vain, but looks matter a lot both inside and outside especially since I’ll keep the car as long as the law lets me. I also don’t care about the shape, I consider a car as a whole package. I tend to lean towards the top variants in every car. Since I use the car for commuting to work the car needs to be relaxing to drive after a long day.

My Budget is 10 lakhs on road and I feel if I’m spending 10 lakhs the following features should be there:

Alloy Wheels, slick touch screen with built in nav, fancy drls, auto AC, leather interiors and a good audio system. Other cool features which would be a plus are, cruise control, sunroof, vented seats, and wireless android auto.

Given you are open to all shapes and since you are already well versed with a Maruti- may I suggest the Ciaz Delat or Zeta variant (if you can stretch a bit). Alpha would be out of budget.

- Long-spacious C-Segment sedan. Looks on par with the competition.
- Can carry 5 with ease and luggage of the entire village.
- Solid interiors, leg-room, equipment list.
- Brilliant driveability and best-in-class Fuel Economy.
- Decent ground clearance, won't hit the bottom easily. Cushy suspension.
- Automatic Headlights (LED) with excellent throw.
- Well you know this one, but - Maruti's sheer reliability and service network.

One of my close relatives was in exact same situation - looking to replace his Ertiga which had clocked 1.5L plus KMs. Ciaz ticked all the boxes and booked the Alpha AT recently. If there's any car that can match the comforts of a Honda City, this is the one. You may go through TeamBHP's official review of previous generation with link to the newer facelifts here - https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offic...al-review.html (Maruti Ciaz : Official Review)

[priyankarb]

You may want to give a second thought to the Altroz diesel? Looks not as bad, will fit your existing budget well, the 1.5 engine is sufficiently powered, should easily return ~ 16 Kms for the litre in city while the highway mileage is 20ish I remember reading, so will not be as pocket heavy considering that it will also be a daily driver. This car can handle your once a while road trips efficiently and safely since it carries a 5 star rating in NCAP. In 10 years from now, you should have a bigger family, plus, the EV wave is picking fast pace, so these may be compelling case for your next buy, till then it will not disappoint IMHO! But again like GTO says "pick the one that tugs the strings to your heart the most. The one that makes you smile the most" because you only live once right?

Cheers!

[PrasannaDhana]

I own 2 of the cars from your options list - 2021 Altroz 1.5 diesel as well as 2021 Celerio 1.0

For your usage the altroz petrol fits well, but the engine is poor when it comes to performance and the NVH is below average too. Do test drive the iturbo and see how you feel.

New celerio is a good package, though a bit overpriced. The looks grow on you and the space management is excellent. It also rides well. The engine is very efficient, more refined than the previous k10B and there is a good improvement in driveability too. But it has a vague steering like all other marutis and feels boring to drive. I don't think that would be a concern as your daily usage(driving time) is very low.

Do give triber another shot. The turbo is great to drive in sports mode, with clearly better throttle response as well as steering weighing up considerably. The space and ride are great too. With 4star crash rating, it's a safe car to be in. Only gripe is the manual gearbox, which is very notchy and below average to use.

i20 is too expensive for what it offers, and so is the iturbo altroz IMHO. I would not recommend diesel altroz as DPF issues will definitely crop up with such low usage, that too within city limits.

You can wait for the launch of Citroën c3 too.

At the end of the day, there is no car in the 10 lakhs budget without a compromise or two.

[TheHelix0202]

The Ecosport (or Duster) - if it were still on sale - would have suited your requirements to the T. Alas! Are you open to pre-owned cars as well?

[driver52001]

Also think about a used, well-maintained 1.5 NA petrol S-Cross. You will get it much cheaper. Use the surplus for new tyres and other stuff and save the rest. All this is of course only if you are ok with a used car. Am in this frame of mind because my next car won't be a new car, i have decided. After buying 3 cars in 7 years, lateral upgrade makes the biggest sense.

[derick]

Originally Posted by driver52001

Also think about a used, well-maintained 1.5 NA petrol S-Cross.

Originally Posted by TheHelix0202

The Ecosport (or Duster) - if it were still on sale - would have suited your requirements to the T. Alas! Are you open to pre-owned cars as well?

Thanks for your suggestion. I did actually check a few second hand cars, I was looking at some old cretas, ecosports, vernas. But I'm super skeptical about the second hand market here in Delhi, also the prices are pretty steep.

Originally Posted by PrasannaDhana

Do test drive the iturbo and see how you feel.

I honestly want to drive that and see if it is worth the upgrade, sadly showrooms around are not giving any.

Originally Posted by gt3t0uring

Cons: • No DRLs, LED Headlights
• Dated interior (yet classy imo)
• Will be discontinued
• VW after sales and network
• Not-so-refined engine
• Average Equipment list (no parking camera etc.)
• Rear seat space

The cons honestly are the reason I was'nt convinced even after a thorough drive. Every review says the design has aged well I just don't see it. In fact the new Virtus is looking just as old.

Originally Posted by GTO

Love such detailed What Car? queries.

The writing is on the wall = Altroz turbo petrol or turbo diesel. I prefer the diesel, but maybe you don't want the same situation as with your Ertiga where you are letting go of a low mileage well-maintained car at the 10 year mark. Other options I would check out if I were you = Kia Carens (if you guys miss the Ertiga), Sonet (if you don't need a 3rd row of seats) - it drives beautifully, i20 (a truly premium hatchback with great engines) and XUV300 (might go a bit over budget, but wonderful crossover).

Drive all of these, then pick the one that tugs the strings to your heart the most. The one that makes you smile the most.

The Ertiga is giving me 19kmpl in Delhi city so it has kind of spoilt me. About the iturbo altroz I wonder if it is worth the upgrade and if the refinement, vibration and power issues are resolved in this version.

The carens is too big, I will be able to get a very low variant in my budget

Ive heard a lot about xuv500 here on tbhp maybe I do need to get a test drive.