[gsferrari]

The word "fun" only brings up two cars from my own vehicle history:

1. 2004 Ford Ikon 1.6 SXi
2. 2010 Maruti Gypsy King MG413W

Every other 4-wheeler I have owned don't quite measure up. They were either too practical and purposeful OR too bland and competent.

From the current options under 15L, the ones that I find fun to drive are:

1. Swift
2. Ignis
3. Figo and FreeGo
4. Ecosport
5. Thar
6. VW Polo GT

Fun can be had with as little as 40 Bhp as is evident from this video by Drive Tribe:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmoHKfjuNXc

[OctYFAN]

Sad to see the Octy 1.8 not given a huge mention anywhere. As it is evident from my username, I am a huge fan of Octvaias. Especially the 1.8. It is the grand daddy of turbo petrols in India and also was one of the first cars ever sold in India to have more than a 150 bhp.

It was and is still a hoot to drive and can still smoke today's budget hot hatches in cornering and everything being based on the VW Golf hatchback platform. Also no other car is as practical as an Octavia with it's huge boot and wide seats.

I am looking for a well maintained one even now. Any suggestions are welcomed. Please PM me if the car is anywhere in South India. I have seen very few well maintained 'unbeaten' ones and all of them are commanding a price of 5 lacs range. At that price I could tune my regular Octy for double the power.(But I won't do it and sacrifice on the excellent mileage )

Cheers
OctYFAN

[Rupaparna]

Originally Posted by GTO

Mini Cooper S
Attachment 2077204

========
Official Review

I was thinking of getting a second hand mini Cooper countryman or a used range rover Evoque.

What are your thoughts on that please ?

Also a good dealer in Bangalore for the second hand Evoque if anyone can suggest please ?

Thanks !!!

[car_guy1998]

I've driven few FTD cars within Rs.25L of budget and here is the list:

1. VW Polo/ Vento 1.0 TSI MT
2. Kia Seltos 1.4 TGDi MT and 7DCT
3. Honda City iVTEC MT
4. Mahinda Thar MT(2020)
5. Kia Sonet Diesel 6AT
6. Ford Ecosport 1.5 TDCi MT
7. Tata Harrier 2.0 MT and AT

Out of all, I loved the VW's 1.0 TSI engine, which I felt quick and fun to drive along with Kia's 1.4 TGDi engine, Honda's iVTEC engine, and the Thar as well.

Coming to Ecosport, this is easily one of the best C-SUV's I've ever driven and its driving dynamics made me fall in love with it and 1.5 TDCi Diesel engine is one of the best engines produced by Ford and best car within Rs.14L of the budget as well.

Even I felt the Sonet Diesel AT to be quick due to 115PS of power on paper and in fact, it's way better than Seltos Diesel AT, which I felt a bit underpowered when compared to Sonet and the lightweight is the reason why I felt Sonet Diesel AT is fun to drive than the Seltos.

And, coming to Harrier, I simply loved its drivability though I felt a bit cumbersome to drive in city traffic, but, I loved the performance of MT over the AT, though I found AT is not bad to drive at all.

[Livnletcarsliv]

I definitely miss the following

1. Diesel rocket - Cruze
2. Linea, Punto Abarth, Palio 1.6 sport
3. Iconic Ikon - 1.6 sport with that spoiler
4. The first-gen swift 1.3 petrol (which is significantly better than the current-gen one)
5. Honda City first-gen 1.5 VTEC
6. Everlasting Zen and first-gen Baleno 1.6
7. Fiesta Sport

[Livnletcarsliv]

By the exit of Ford in India, my disappointment knew no bounds for a reliable and robust SUV in the price bracket of 15Lakhs to 25 Lakhs on road.

These are the only options I have now
1. The Korean twins - Reliable but for a car enthusiast like me, it doesn't have any "wow/special" factor(s) except for the long feature list.
2. MG - still a long way to prove itself in India. In spite of I being an anti-Chinese person. The average car "Hector" is another factor though.
3. Kushaq/Taigun - Even though the VAG 2.0 is a good initiative, the true "Skoda" is missing in the Kushaq. Hope the Taigun is better off.
4. Tata twins - Totally unreliable and known for issues/niggles. Still development in progress beta cars.
5. Nissan Kicks - A highly potential and under-rated car. The main issue is the product itself which looks and feels years dated compared to its competition.
6. XUV700 - Looks promising on papers. However, only time can reveal the credibility of the product once it is put to the ultimate test - the end-user test.
7. Crysta - Ticks all the boxes except that is a people mover and not really an enthusiast car.
8. Compass - Still reliability and ASS is a hit or miss in addition to its expensive (> 25L ) price tag.

I was eagerly awaiting the C-Segment SUV from Ford and it's never going to happen.

Now, I am seriously thinking about whether is it the fate of a car enthusiast like me for having no proper option in the budget of 15-25 lakhs especially from reliable and robust brands like Ford, Honda, Toyota, Nissan, etc?
Or is it just a matter of a few month's time until we get cars from these brands?

[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by Livnletcarsliv

...no proper option in the budget of 15-25 lakhs especially from reliable and robust brands like Ford, Honda, Toyota, Nissan, etc?
Or is it just a matter of a few month's time until we get cars from these brands?

A bit confused by your post, to be honest. None of the brands you mention have existed in your preferred price + product segment for several years recently, if at all, or shown any serious inclination to do so.

Ford have never had anything close to a confirmed product between the Ecosport and Endeavour. The Escape or another car in the Creta/Seltos/Harrier/Compass segment never went beyond being a rumor, and the JV with Mahindra would've yielded a rebadged Mahindra with a reworked face, not a 'true' Ford you seem to prefer.

CR-V jumped segments long ago, was always a soft-roader (a very capable one, mind), and Honda's mid-sized SUV offering also never went beyond rumors (which still continue).

Renault-Nissan have had nothing to offer us beyond the Duster platform. We haven't forgotten the Captur fiasco where they tried to pass off a Duster with a wardrobe change as the global car, by muddying the waters. Try harder, Renault!

Toyota is a two-trick (wildly profitable) pony, which doesn't look like offering anything exciting south of 20L in India, or even well north of it, for that matter.

Given how prices are rising, it won't take very long for today's sub-20L segment to be the next 20-30L segment, and there's hardly anything truly exciting for that much money. Sad indeed.

[abhishek46]

Originally Posted by Livnletcarsliv

By the exit of Ford in India, my disappointment knew no bounds for a reliable and robust SUV in the price bracket of 15Lakhs to 25 Lakhs on road.

Ford had no vehicle in the Rs 15-25 Lakh range in the first place.
So, I am a bit surprised at your disappointment.

Nevertheless, there are some good options now in this price range.
There is some thing for every individual.

Driving Pleasure: Taigun, Kushaq 1.5
Size & Presence: Safari, Hector Plus, XUV700
All-Rounders: Creta, Seltos
Gizmos & Bling: Creta, Astor, Hector
Off road Ability: Thar

Just choose as per your need!

[Livnletcarsliv]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

A bit confused by your post, to be honest.
Given how prices are rising, it won't take very long for today's sub-20L segment to be the next 20-30L segment, and there's hardly anything truly exciting for that much money. Sad indeed.

Sorry for the ambiguity. Your last statement sums it up. There is nothing exciting in the 20L to 30L segment. In fact, I miss the CIVIC which almost ticked all the boxes.

Originally Posted by abhishek46

Ford had no vehicle in the Rs 15-25 Lakh range in the first place.
So, I am a bit surprised at your disappointment.

Nevertheless, there are some good options now in this price range.
There is some thing for every individual.

Ford had plans to bring a SUV/Crosover in this segment which was dangling when the JV with M&M was called off. And was finally put to rest due to Ford's exit.

Again Kushaq/Taigun 1.5 doesnt have the true Skoda DNA - even in terms of driving dynamics or outright perfomance (Like the Polo or Rapid or T-Roc). It has more of Indianised flavour to it. It doesnt have that true Skoda build quality either. And I dont blame VAG for it. Thats what Indian market is. No wonder why Maruti is a leader.

Again of all your options, only Creta/Seltos ticks the reliability factor.

A SUV from Ford/Honda/Toyota/Nissan/GM/Renault would have checked in most of the boxes if not all. Kicks for eg- is still a underrated car. However it is completely outdated now compared to its competitors.

Sad for enthusiasts like me.

[the pony]

Originally Posted by OctYFAN

Sad to see the Octy 1.8 not given a huge mention anywhere.

It was not on sale when it was posted by GTO. Octavia 1.8TSI saw sunset in India with BSVI implemented from April 1, 2020.

However, I agree 1.8TSI is an enthusiast dream purely because of the engineering, driving dynamics, luxury & practicality it brought to the fore at fraction the price of its 4 ringed cousin. I was one of the buyers of the last lot and have had amazing ownership experience over the last 2 years

[jeganatu]

Here is the cartoq version of enthusiast cars!
They ranked the new Kushaq and Taigun twins on the top 2, while Kicks 1.3 turbo being 3rd.
Leaving the gizmos, surely the Seltos and creta never have any driving connect with the driver as the first 3 does.

https://www.cartoq.com/which-is-the-...dia-we-answer/

[toretto]

From the time I learned driving, I have always enjoyed cars and driving. The love for cars brought me to this forum as well even though I have been mostly a silent reader. I am facing a dilemma now where I need help and advice from fellow members.

Background

For a long time I have bought used cars due to the value for money factor (more car for less) and below are some of the interesting cars which I had:

1) Toyota Corolla H2 – Comfortable, fast and reliable car. Did multiple long trips and it had great suspension - it was almost like there is a layer between road and your seat. Had to sell as the car became old and 1 lakh plus kms

2) Maruti Swift zxi 1st gen – Sharp steering and go kart like handling. Even though performance was not as good as its diesel counterpart and suspension was a bit stiff, it takes corners as if on rails. Remember taking corners at 100kph and car remaining stable. Felt that future gens of Swift lost some of that dynamics. Had to sell as I was moving out of station during that time.

3) VW Vento TDI 1.6 – Torque and VAG handling/ride quality. Once past turbo lag, there is a burst of power and you get pushed to the seat. It is very addictive. But had to sell it off as hard clutch was causing knee pain in traffic.


Then in 2018, after test driving multiple options, finally bought a new car – Mahindra XUV5OO W9 AT which satisfied all the requirements which I had at that time –
a) Spacious rear seat which can accommodate 2 car seats and 1 adult
b) Automatic
c) SUV
d) Powerful engine
e) Below 20 lakhs

Current Dilemma

The XUV5OO has completed 3 years and almost 20k kms now. There was an initial niggle related to burning smell from AC which needed 3-4 trips to service centre and an escalation to Mahindra to get resolved. But otherwise it was mostly a reliable experience till now. Even though this car meets all our requirements for now, somehow I am not able to connect with the car. The steering feels vague and ride quality on undulating roads is not confidence inspiring. Also driver seat and steering ergonomics even with rake and reach adjust is not comfortable enough for my 6 feet height.

Hence thinking of changing to something more comfortable and driver oriented in the next 6 months. Main requirements being steering feel, handling and ride quality rather than outright performance as the Pirelli ad says “power is nothing without control”. Below are the options I thought of below 25 lakhs:

1. Skoda Octavia 2021 Style NEW – Really liked Octavia from long time and wanted to own one. Positives are great engine, new DSG gearbox, ride and handling etc. Negatives are over budget, ground clearance concern as we will be using the car in Bangalore
   
2. Skoda Kushaq/VW Taigun NEW - Positives are great engine, DSG, ride and handling etc. Negatives are narrow rear seat which is a deal breaker for my use case, DQ200 not very reliable, feel car is not worth 22 lakhs
   
3. Skoda Octavia pre-owned – Positives are great engine, DSG, ride and handling, more engaging to drive than new gen. Negatives are same DQ200 gearbox, ground clearance.
   
4. BMW X1 pre-owned – Positives are BMW steering, engine, gearbox, ride and handling. Negatives are service and maintenance cost, some say X1 is not proper BMW as it is mostly front wheel drive, unnecessary attention etc.

Hi Bhpians,

Please advice on what car to buy and let me know if I have missed any other enthusiastic cars