[shankarbn]

I would add my first generation hyundai tucson to the list. Though it has a somewhat outdated 5 speed manual transmission and fixed geometry turbo, it is hard to find a replacement for what is essentially a small footprint SUV with 4wd and a working traction control system. After almost 15 years (and plenty of preventive maintenance on my part), there is not a single rattle inside or out.

All the new age soft roaders are either underpowered tin cans, disguised hatchbacks or extremely expensive. And in most cases, much larger than the first generation Tucson.

[shankarbn]

Originally Posted by Carpainter

Don't get me wrong here but you're already using the cheapest and smallest car ever sold in our country and any car you buy today would be an upgrade in terms of space, features, build quality, safety etc. Only thing is it would definitely cost more. And as you have said, a similar sized EV, if launched, would cost a lot more.

I think we are losing the purpose of this thread. We all love our cars but let's be honest, not all cars are irreplaceable. Only some iconic cars that were launched with either really good engines like the Octavia, Polo GT Tsi etc or had served the purpose well like Innova are difficult to replace. And yes Fortuners/Endeavours are difficult to replace in India because if you want to upgrade from them, you have to enter the luxury segment where you have to spend a lot on purchase/maintenance compared to a Fortuner. Other than that there are not many cars that are not replaceable except for your unconditional love.

I have owned a nano and it is in fact absolutely perfect for a crowded city commuter in every imaginable way. It is tiny on the outside and has acres of space on the inside. If the EV version is positioned correctly in the market, it would find many buyers! The whole "cheap" narrative really takes away from what a spectacular purpose built car it was.

After having sold the nano a couple years ago, I took a long time to get over the hangover of how much of a "get in and go" car the nano was and still miss it dearly.

[TorqMaster]

Tata Manza - Difficult to upgrade from.

In fact back in 2010 we bought two of these just because nothing else matched the value for money at that time. The past decade hasn't been kind to the car. We recently had to do major gearbox work on it. We also bought a nexon a week ago. Though the Nexon feels premium (top end), it's the manza which has more space . And the nexon is twice as much as we paid for the manza back then.

According to me, if we are willing to spend more in terms of money and resources I think the options will come. A possible upgrade from the manza is the modern day Innova which is 25L rupees and we did not want to spend that kind of money.

[German_clan]

Originally Posted by EightSix

Upgrading meant exchanging your old car for a new car of the same segment, or a new car of a higher segment and it was simpler few years ago than now.

2. Discontinued Cars, Discontinued Variants

a) Discontinued Cars:
Attachment 2094296
Some cars like the VW Jetta which are solidly built, luxurious, fun to drive etc. for these special cars, a replacement would only mean going into the BMW/Mercedes/Audi territory.

I would like to add few more to the list:

1. Skoda yeti 4*4 2.0tdi mt : this is the most difficult car to upgrade from in my opinion. With a 2.0 TDI under the hood paired with the 6 speed manual is a gem to drive on the highways and occasional off-roading trips. The t-roc or the Tiguan even don’t make sense at the pricepoint they are sold for.

2. Bmw 530d f10 : this is another gem which would be definitely hard to upgrade from. The current gen 530d is a 3 litre turbo diesel. With understated looks and fairly nice reliability I would suggest you buy them till you can.(pre owned ofc). Possible upgrades : Audi A8 w10, Porsche Panamera, Mercedes s500.

Best regards,
German_clan

[venkyhere]

I think most opinions here are based on "what feels nice to drive, and how some of the higher segments still dont give a better driving feel".

However, are we sure the word "upgrade" means the same thing to all ?

1. better driver feel
2. better ride quality
3. bigger engine, more power
4. 2WD to 4WD, limited slip diff, better offroader etc
5. more seats, bigger size, bigger space
6. more upmarket brand
7. more 'modern' car with all kinds of connectivity

One or more or all things could mean an 'upgrade' to an individual.
Hence my Q, what is the criteria based on which cars are being listed in this thread ? I can see almost every car from each segment finding its place in this thread. Also, we must accept that we always view discontinued/i-owned-in-the-past cars with rose tinted spectacles

[vinya_jag]

I was plotting available models for Sedans in the US vs Here.
Huge empty spaces for us here in India

Nothing north of the 14L bracket that one can upgrade to.
Also not, those Luxury brands in India cost 5x the base Sedan, while in the US, it is slightly more than 2x.
Blame it on the taxing structure, or the attitude of the big 3, we are left we no choices again

[itsashishsharma]

I own a Ford global Fiesta from 2015. There just isn't anything south of the 3 series that can replace it and of course I can't afford that. Even the newly launched 2 series is overpriced and out of reach for the most of us.

[krishnakarthik1]

Originally Posted by ajaiD

Have been driving carnival with 4 people onboard and 3 big suitcases, 2 medium all super heavy. Chandigarh to Indore not one speed breaker grazed the car.

No you are correct. Even during my test drive everything was just fine. After seeing your comment I buzzed the carnival owner to ask him how exactly the bottom scraps. So the thing is it never bottoms out but the rear end scraps on inclines while for example coming out of malls or something like that.

The mid variant carnival is the most VFM vehicle right now in our country in my opinion. I absolutely loved it.

[07CR]

My dad purchased a Used Ford Ecosport S in June this year. Now that I will be shifting to Pune soon, we will be requiring two cars in the family. I am on the lookout for a bigger one, but honestly the Ecosport has just spoiled me. Except the space for a large 5th occupant, I really can't fault the car much.

I am on the lookout for a 7 seater SUV, but except Endeavour, nothing comes close to the Ecosport in terms of an upgrade in all parameters!

[Sahil]

A superb is very hard to upgrade from. A close friend bought the first gen and couldn't find anything to upgrade to even with double the budget so he bought the next gen too. Now he has finally upgraded to the E-class LWB. This seems like the only logical upgrade for a Superb owner. However, with todays announcement from BMW I think the upgrade options from the Superb are increasing and the 3 LWB would be a popular choice for Superb owners.

On the personal front, I am finding it very hard to upgrade from my RS5. It is now nearly 8 years old, running superbly/trouble free and yet makes me smile everytime i floor it so I have no reason to complain. But, us humans always want more!
I tried to finally upgrade it 2 years ago and put it up for sale, one person who came and saw it with a good offer actually told me he owned one a year ago and was his biggest regret selling it hence he wanted to buy it again! That's when it struck me that I don't want to turn up like him so I cancelled the deal
What I find most hard to upgrade from is the NA v8, its a dying/dead breed. The new RS5 as well as the M3 are 6cyl turbos now. Hence I have to look above and settle for a V8 Turbo engine if i want an "upgrade" however that takes the budget to a whole new segment. Preworshiped maybe the way to go but even there its hard to find a good upgrade at a good price currently.

[Accent Martin]

in my opinion, the cars that are difficult to upgrade from, is linked to what one perceives the gold standard value proposition from products that meet their requirement. To explain - currently for me I prefer spirited driving backed with product quality hence I didn't have hesitation to upgrade from Octavia to 530D. One year passed by and I love its drive each time, every time.
Projected hypothesis that I would still chose spirited drive even after 7 to 8 years that I intend to hold present car, I don't think I would wanna upgrade to any other make or product and rather I would pick up another equivalent within BMW which so far has been a great value proposition. Of course there are superior levels of my same requirement of spirited drive with an amazing quality built product but from here on cost would be a major factor. So for me this is the ceiling. No upgrade from 530d ; instead just going to be a lateral replacement.
However if my priorities change to comfortable driving, might hop into either Merc or Volvo later on. yet will remain in the same league due to cost factor.

[blackbeast]

Originally Posted by TorqMaster

Tata Manza - Difficult to upgrade from.

In fact back in 2010 we bought two of these just because nothing else matched the value for money at that time. The past decade hasn't been kind to the car. We recently had to do major gearbox work on it. We also bought a nexon a week ago. Though the Nexon feels premium (top end), it's the manza which has more space . And the nexon is twice as much as we paid for the manza back then.

According to me, if we are willing to spend more in terms of money and resources I think the options will come. A possible upgrade from the manza is the modern day Innova which is 25L rupees and we did not want to spend that kind of money.

On the contrary, i had a difficult time selling my sis Manza. Like most Tatas it was great on space and sadly nothing else. Poor build quality and pathetic road manners. Looking at Tata cars today, one must admit they have progressed from 0 to almost 90.

[v1p3r]

Originally Posted by German_clan

2. Bmw 530d f10 : this is another gem which would be definitely hard to upgrade from. The current gen 530d is a 2 litre turbo diesel

Ummm what? No it's not!

[GrandTourer]

Originally Posted by GTO

No matter what the segment, but premium Skodas are really difficult to upgrade from because they punch above their weight (Cars that punch above their weight in India!).

E.g. an Octavia 1.8 TSI owner really won't see the value in spending 50 lakhs on a same-size & same-power C-Class.

Not just the Skodas, a Polo GT TSI punches way above its weight. I'm going to have a very tough time, if a need for a bigger car arises. I've been test driving a lot of cars over weekends off late, and honestly none of the current crop of car has impressed me till now (obviously not talking about the vRS or the big 3). Every time I hop back into my little pocket rocket, I have a new found appreciation for my car, and after almost 3 years of ownership, I'm still amazed at the fact that a car, which is essentially 10 years old mechanically or 6 years old in terms of powertrain, is still superior to cars that are fresh off the designer's table. Also, didn't like the 1.0L TSI + TC combo on the new Polo, because the engine noise is too intrusive (if only it sounded good). The TC is fine, a non enthusiast wouldn't notice the difference, and one good point is the jerk from 3 -> 2 in the DSG is not present in the TC.

So yes, most cars two segments above cannot replace the Polo GT TSI for the sheer FTD and bangs per buck factors.

[swarnava.ch]

A bit late to this thread, but let me add Hexa to this list.
2017 XT 4X2, Superb ride, stability and handling, 7 Seting in comfort, my cost was 17.xx on road (pre GST) and now my company lease will be over in April 2021. Now the decision is coming up should is upgrade after the lease is over or I take over the car in personal ownership.
Owning a Tata has its nuances but everytime I go down to the basement, just want to pick up the car a drive on open highways.

Do I really miss anything in the car - perhaps an AT, may be 4X4.

Next logical upgrades can be Innova, Fortuner, Endevour.
If Tata launch Hexa again in BS6, I would swap eyes closed but not willing to go 2X price for an upgrade (Fortuner, Endevour territory). Lets see how life is in another 4 months and then take a call.