[aniketi]

New car dilemma

Wife's old Santro is giving lots of problems now & is beyond repairs. No point in spending more money onto it anymore. So started looking for preowned cars and shocked to see the prices. I am not at all interested in spending 3.5 to 4 lacs on 8 years old Wagon-R or 4.5 to 6 lacs on 5-7 years old Grand i10 or Swift or similar cars. So started new car hunt. Budget set to 6 lacs at first. Checked & realized no cars available in 6 lacs budget except Alto, Kwid or S-presso. Rejected all of them due to less space, small engine, poor quality. All are overall small cars for my needs.

Meanwhile wife suggested that we should go for automatic as we already have other manual car. So basically my requirements are as follows -

1. Don't want low sitting car, height should be good (wife is 5.6, I am 5.11). Also mother will be sitting quite often, so big NO for low sitting cars.
2. Should have sufficient features, infotainment system is kind of must along with keyless entry, steering mounted controls etc.
3. Should have good ground clearance considering our roads & speed breakers we have in Pune.
4. Should have good average along with sufficient engine power.
5. Should have good AMT.
6. Should be good looking, don't like new Wagon-R.
7. Good space for 4 people along with good legroom & headroom for rear passengers.
8. Within my budget of 8 lacs.
9. Good A.S.S. is must.
10. Will be used mainly in City only, occasional nearby highways runs can be done. I already have other bigger, better car (Ertiga Zxi+) for highway duty and trips.

Now I have set a budget of 8 lacs on road (+/- 50k). After checking various options, I have shortlisted 3 cars mainly.

1. Tata Tiago
2. Hyundai i10 Grand Nios
3. Maruti Ignis

Which is better car here considering my requirements? Which of the above cars has good AMT?

[VaibhavShatna95]

Go for i10 Nios eyes closed. I have Tiago EV and Nios in my garage and Nios looks much more modern inside out. Have also heard of great reviews for Hyundai tuned AMTs. I am 5'11 as well and with height adjustable seats its a breeze to find a decent driving position.

Not sure about Ignis but it is not a populat car from Maruti stable is what I have observed. If you want to go to Maruti way, atleast spring up for Swift and you will probably recoup your investment while selling. Baleno is so close to Swift anyways in terms of price, I went directly once for Baleno as well

[greenhorn]

tiago is a bad fit for your requirements - I feel punch is the better option.
I was in a similar situation and ruled out both tiago and nios because i didn't feel there was enough legroom (I'm 5'10"). I was ok with the 5 year old pre owned route so went with an etios. else would have gotten a i20 nline

[GTO]

As good as Tata's latest cars are, their AMT is very, very sad. Too jerky, poorly tuned and the long-term reliability is proving to be patchy.

If AMT, then go for Hyundai as it's got the best one out there. Second choice, Ignis.

Since it's city usage only, you should strongly consider the Tiago EV. Butter-smooth drive, cheap running costs, Tata is king of mass market EVs.

[fhdowntheline]

I have a Tiago, so here are a few points having looked at those other two cars as well during the time of purchase.
1) Tiago is more rugged ( mechanically) .
2) Low speed bumps / potholes are handled better.
3) It has a surprisingly high driving position for the driver, inspite of being a hatchback. So you dont feel like you are crouched in.
4) Ignis may give you a more smooth engine performance. Ingress/ egress for the rear seats will also be better, just mind the rather thick roofline and the upright seating position.
5) Nios I understand now has 6 airbags and ESP in the top version, also a smoother gear shift and good initial torque, like the Tiago. AMT is less jerky. Also expect a better ICE screen experience. But Tiago's speaker sound quality is much better.
6) TMSC Service experience so far for me has been " ok " . I have had better experience with Hyundai for my Creta.
7) Fuel efficiency for the Maruti is likely to be the best of the lot. Tiago is ok. 13-14 in traffic, 17-19 on highways.
8) Tiago's AC is probably designed for a car of the volume of Safari or higher. It is bone chilling even at 23 deg C in Auto mode.
9) Tiago does not feel like a small car at highway speeds in terms of ride/ handling. But it is more noisy than the Ignis/ Nios for sure. Funnily, the speaker system has a built in compensation that enhances volume beyond say, 60 kph, probably to mask the NVH.
Punch is better than the Tiago in most aspects ,but it may be a bit much in terms of width if you want to squeeze out of gaps.

[darkfantasy]

If you can wait, please wait for the Hyundai Exter. Of the 3 selected cars, if you are going for the automatic I'd choose the Nios. For your listed requirements though the Ignis feels like the perfect fit for now. The Ignis feels old inside out when compared to the Nios but mechanically should be reliable in the long run. Maruti's AMT coupled with the K12 is not far behind the Hyundai in terms of shift quality. I wouldn't consider the Tiago mainly for the ASS experience.

[Iconoclast]

Another factor to consider could be that Ignis is competitively priced vs the other two cars being a relatively dated model and on top of it is also available at attractive discounts.

This could mean that if you are operating with a strict budget - you could have a top end Ignis with the money that could only fetch entry/middle variants of the i10 Nios/Tiago.

[locusjag]

Originally Posted by aniketi

5. Should have good AMT.

< snip>

After checking various options, I have shortlisted 3 cars mainly.

1. Tata Tiago
2. Hyundai i10 Grand Nios
3. Maruti Ignis

Which is better car here considering my requirements? Which of the above cars has good AMT?

Hyundai alone makes electrically actuated AMTs, amid a sea of hydraulically actuated AMTs in India. That's believed to be the reason why Hyundai's AMTs feel so much more refined when compared to the rest. But you should test drive these and deliver an AMT verdict yourself. 8 lakhs is a considerable sum of money.

[TheWheelDeal]

As an owner of a manual Ignis Zeta, allow me to offer my perspective:

I am 6 feet tall, and there's enough space for someone of my height, even in the rear after setting the driver's seat to my position. The rear doors also open quite wide, so ingress and egress should be okay for your mother (we've used the car to transport my grandparents to doctor's appointments, and the Ignis works fine for that). However, taller folks would need to be aware while getting into the rear since the top of the door aperture is a bit low and it's possible to graze your head against it if you're not paying attention.

In terms of driving, I'm extremely happy! The engine is quite frankly a gem, and we have never encountered any difficulties with speed breakers thanks to the relatively high ground clearance. The ride quality is definitely on the firm side and personally I'm good with that, but it isn't to everyone's taste. The suspension can get noisy over bad potholes as well, but the general NVH is decent.
We did test drive the AMT which performed well enough. However, I do agree that Hyundai does it better. We ended up going for the manual because it was a better fit with the fun-to-drive nature of the engine.
We've also used the Ignis on a few road trips of about 500km total distance. The car performs reasonably well on the highway; the suspension that's firm in the city lends it stability at speed. It's capable of cruising at around 100-120kph without feeling overly stressed with 2-3 people plus luggage. With four adults and a weekend's worth of luggage, you will definitely notice a dulled response while overtaking. Do note that the engine spins at 3000rpm at those cruising speeds, which isn't ideal. Your Ertiga should serve you better on long journeys, but the Ignis can certainly handle long trips in a pinch.

I get a fuel efficiency of just under 14kmpl in the city, and around 20kmpl on the highway (with the AC running full time).

As far as equipment is concerned, the Zeta misses out on a few comforts like automatic AC, height adjust driver seat, and I really do wish it had the LED+DRL headlights from the Alpha. But overall, it covers all of the bases nicely and should suit your needs well.

I still feel it's an underrated vehicle, and great value for money. Looks are subjective, so I leave that to you, but I will say that the interiors are quite contemporary and look/feel better than newer and more expensive cars from the brand. Overall, I'm quite pleased with the car and can definitely recommend it

When it comes to alternatives, I - like some other members in this thread - would suggest sticking around a little while to see if the upcoming Hyundai Exter works for you. Hyundai has the better AMT, and their ASS + network is up there with Maruti's. I suspect the NVH might be better as well. Judging by the price of the i10 Nios, I suspect the Exter may slip outside your budget, but it should still be worth considering. You could also look at the Tiago EV, although that would depend on your usage, charging infrastructure, and the reliability of the power supply in your area. I'm starting to hear that Tata's sales & service is improving, although there still seem to be a worryingly large number of complaints in the forums...

I hope this helps, and as always, do get a thorough test drive of the cars in your list! Happy shopping!

[SNA411]

Originally Posted by aniketi

1. Don't want low sitting car, height should be good (wife is 5.6, I am 5.11). Also mother will be sitting quite often, so big NO for low sitting cars.


1. Tata Tiago

The Tiago is a very low slung car.
I wonder how it made it to the shortlist.

[aniketi]

Originally Posted by VaibhavShatna95

Go for i10 Nios eyes closed. I have Tiago EV and Nios in my garage and Nios looks much more modern inside out. Have also heard of great reviews for Hyundai tuned AMTs. I am 5'11 as well and with height adjustable seats its a breeze to find a decent driving position.

Not sure about Ignis but it is not a populat car from Maruti stable is what I have observed. If you want to go to Maruti way, atleast spring up for Swift and you will probably recoup your investment while selling. Baleno is so close to Swift anyways in terms of price, I went directly once for Baleno as well

Nios is good but I don't like it's design that much. Too curvy for me. Grand i10 was good but now not available. Also Nios has least ground clearance and less space in back seat along with low sitting. On top of it, it's costlier than 1-1.5 lacs.

Originally Posted by GTO

As good as Tata's latest cars are, their AMT is very, very sad. Too jerky, poorly tuned and the long-term reliability is proving to be patchy.

If AMT, then go for Hyundai as it's got the best one out there. Second choice, Ignis.

Since it's city usage only, you should strongly consider the Tiago EV. Butter-smooth drive, cheap running costs, Tata is king of mass market EVs.

Thanks GTO. EV is not option for me as I don't have proper charging facility at my place and also its over my budget.

Originally Posted by fhdowntheline

I have a Tiago, so here are a few points having looked at those other two cars as well during the time of purchase.
1) Tiago is more rugged ( mechanically) .
2) Low speed bumps / potholes are handled better.
3) It has a surprisingly high driving position for the driver, inspite of being a hatchback. So you dont feel like you are crouched in.
4) Ignis may give you a more smooth engine performance. Ingress/ egress for the rear seats will also be better, just mind the rather thick roofline and the upright seating position.
5) Nios I understand now has 6 airbags and ESP in the top version, also a smoother gear shift and good initial torque, like the Tiago. AMT is less jerky. Also expect a better ICE screen experience. But Tiago's speaker sound quality is much better.
6) TMSC Service experience so far for me has been " ok " . I have had better experience with Hyundai for my Creta.
7) Fuel efficiency for the Maruti is likely to be the best of the lot. Tiago is ok. 13-14 in traffic, 17-19 on highways.
8) Tiago's AC is probably designed for a car of the volume of Safari or higher. It is bone chilling even at 23 deg C in Auto mode.
9) Tiago does not feel like a small car at highway speeds in terms of ride/ handling. But it is more noisy than the Ignis/ Nios for sure. Funnily, the speaker system has a built in compensation that enhances volume beyond say, 60 kph, probably to mask the NVH.
Punch is better than the Tiago in most aspects ,but it may be a bit much in terms of width if you want to squeeze out of gaps.

Punch is good but it's costly for what it offers. 10+ lacs for middle variant AMT is way too much. Tiago is well built and safest but I want mainly for city use only. I am not still 100% sure about Tata's reliability and trouble free service for 3 pot petrol engine.

Originally Posted by darkfantasy

If you can wait, please wait for the Hyundai Exter. Of the 3 selected cars, if you are going for the automatic I'd choose the Nios. For your listed requirements though the Ignis feels like the perfect fit for now. The Ignis feels old inside out when compared to the Nios but mechanically should be reliable in the long run. Maruti's AMT coupled with the K12 is not far behind the Hyundai in terms of shift quality. I wouldn't consider the Tiago mainly for the ASS experience.

Nios is already over my budget, Exter will go beyond my reach for sure. My guess it will go 11+ for AMT mid variant.

Originally Posted by Iconoclast

Another factor to consider could be that Ignis is competitively priced vs the other two cars being a relatively dated model and on top of it is also available at attractive discounts.

This could mean that if you are operating with a strict budget - you could have a top end Ignis with the money that could only fetch entry/middle variants of the i10 Nios/Tiago.

Yes, currently Ignis is the best choice available. It offers best value for money.

Originally Posted by locusjag

Hyundai alone makes electrically actuated AMTs, amid a sea of hydraulically actuated AMTs in India. That's believed to be the reason why Hyundai's AMTs feel so much more refined when compared to the rest. But you should test drive these and deliver an AMT verdict yourself. 8 lakhs is a considerable sum of money.

AMT's are more or less same for all IMHO. All are good for city use, less on highways.

Originally Posted by TheWheelDeal

As an owner of a manual Ignis Zeta, allow me to offer my perspective:

I am 6 feet tall, and there's enough space for someone of my height, even in the rear after setting the driver's seat to my position. The rear doors also open quite wide, so ingress and egress should be okay for your mother (we've used the car to transport my grandparents to doctor's appointments, and the Ignis works fine for that). However, taller folks would need to be aware while getting into the rear since the top of the door aperture is a bit low and it's possible to graze your head against it if you're not paying attention.

In terms of driving, I'm extremely happy! The engine is quite frankly a gem, and we have never encountered any difficulties with speed breakers thanks to the relatively high ground clearance. The ride quality is definitely on the firm side and personally I'm good with that, but it isn't to everyone's taste. The suspension can get noisy over bad potholes as well, but the general NVH is decent.
We did test drive the AMT which performed well enough. However, I do agree that Hyundai does it better. We ended up going for the manual because it was a better fit with the fun-to-drive nature of the engine.
We've also used the Ignis on a few road trips of about 500km total distance. The car performs reasonably well on the highway; the suspension that's firm in the city lends it stability at speed. It's capable of cruising at around 100-120kph without feeling overly stressed with 2-3 people plus luggage. With four adults and a weekend's worth of luggage, you will definitely notice a dulled response while overtaking. Do note that the engine spins at 3000rpm at those cruising speeds, which isn't ideal. Your Ertiga should serve you better on long journeys, but the Ignis can certainly handle long trips in a pinch.


I hope this helps, and as always, do get a thorough test drive of the cars in your list! Happy shopping!

Thanks for detailed review of Ignis. It certainly helps.

Originally Posted by SNA411

The Tiago is a very low slung car.
I wonder how it made it to the shortlist.

Currently we do have very few choices in market in small cars & within budget. All good cars crossing 10 lacs mark very easily. Only Maruti and Tata providing us options in small cars. Hyundai has only i10 Nios as option but that too touches 10 lacs mark. Honda, Mahindra, Toyota, VW, Skoda etc. don't have any option for small car.

[DCEite]

Originally Posted by aniketi

I am not still 100% sure about Tata's reliability and trouble free service for 3 pot petrol engine.

As owner of both Tigor AMT (Tiago's elder sibling) and Ignis Petrol MT, I can give you some feedback.

The Tigor's has clocked 32k kms in last 5.5 years. The only grouse with Tigor I have is with how the AMT is tuned on this particular variant (2017-2018). There are two modes on offer - City and Sport. While City mode dulls the performance a little too much (you need to be generous with throttle to keep up with city traffic), the Sport mode is completely opposite (in a not so good way), being peaky and jerky.

Now in later iterations of Tiago/Tigor AMT (post 2019), they have removed drive modes altogether. So I guess there should be definite improvement.

The Tigor/Tiago is very well built, and can literally glide over potholes. And to be honest, the engine itself has good low end torque and power, and easily reaches city speed limits quickly.

Coming to the Ignis, it is much much more smoother to drive, even though its MT. The 4 cylinder engine has linear and smooth power delivery with sharp throttle responses.

Biggest plus of the Ignis over the Tigor is the FE. While Ignis can return 17-18kmpl in congested city traffic, the Tigor struggles to give 13kmpl.

Apart from that, the service experience in Maruti is much much better than that of TATA.

[VaibhavShatna95]

Originally Posted by aniketi

Nios is good but I don't like it's design that much. Too curvy for me. Grand i10 was good but now not available. Also Nios has least ground clearance and less space in back seat along with low sitting. On top of it, it's costlier than 1-1.5 lacs.

I have taken my Nios with CNG, luggage and 3 hefty adults over some of the most broken roads in monsoon twice over mountains in North India and I have never managed to scrape it once. Ground clearance is good in my opinion, doesn't feel any different than Tiago, Figo or anything else in this segment and I have purchased almost all cars in this segment from Maruti, Hyundai, Tata and Ford
Plus for rear you get AC vents and my mother thinks i10 is better at rear seat comfort than Tiago EV I purchased just a few days ago.

I would not have touched the old grand i10 because of its styling with a barge pole and the new one seems cool to me but to each his own I guess. I would rather take Sportz of Nios vs Tiago ICE as engine is also 4 cyclinder vs 3.
Decide among Swift and Nios as others are not competitive enough at this moment in this segment with AMT or give a try to Amaze, it has a much better gearbox and space management altogether.

[raptor_diwan]

Based on your analysis itself, you can consider the Tata Tiago. It is a good-looking car with ample ground clearance and an overall nice package, boasting a 4-star rating. If you're not inclined towards the Nios, it appears that you may not be fond of its design and it has only 2.5 rating on crash test.

[SoumenD]

Since its required only for city usage, I would strongly suggest TIAGO.EV

Yes, its a bit of a stretch considering your budget but the sheer value proposition compared to all the others you are considering is tremendous.

+All 3 of them have an AMT & Tiago.EV will be way smoother than all of them.
+Electric engine is faster and smoother than any petrol counterpart.
+Feature-wise again the EV has features from segment above.
+Cost of ownership will be much lower as long as you have a charging setup in your house/apartment.