[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.

These days thanks to cross-shopping among segments getting popular, people ditching ICEs for EVs as well as people who would do away with every other segment but buy an SUV or Crossover, we see people replacing their cars with others which shouldn’t really be called an upgrade.

However, there are also some cars which are really difficult to upgrade. Let us discuss some cars and the reasons why they are hard to upgrade.

1. Features in the highest trim level:
Back in 2010 when you bought a base model car, you were content with it. The higher trim only had some minor features and changes added to it. You decided to get the additional features installed aftermarket for cheap.

Unfortunately, that does not work these days. Base model cars are sparsely equipped than the higher variants which not only get all the fancy tech and gizmos, but also the important features. The higher trim has all the necessary safety features and mechanical changes (in some cases) too.

MG Hector | Style (lower)

MG Hector | Sharp (top-end)


A safety conscious customer would rather buy a different car of a lower segment which is better equipped and safer, although it means downgrading.

This means, if your existing car’s (a base trim) current model year has a base trim which is poorly equipped and the higher trims are out of your budget, then your existing car becomes one that is “difficult-to-upgrade” from.

2. Discontinued Cars, Discontinued Variants

a) Discontinued Cars:

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.

BS regulations (I mean Bharat Stage), brand shutting shop etc. are some causes which factor into a car being discontinued.

b) Discontinued variants
Baleno RS was one of the few hot-hatches in India. It gave you the power of 101 horses at just INR 8.76 Lakh (ex). The current model year Baleno is not a logical upgrade over it by any means.

Similarly, a new Endeavour over the old 3.2 seems more like a downgrade considering it is underpowered.

3) Entire Segments on the verge of extinction:
D Segment sedans — They are almost extinct with people moving to crossovers. As of now, the Indian customer is left with just 3 contenders: Civic, Octavia and Elantra.

When an existing Toyota Corolla owner would want to upgrade his Corolla (now discontinued), he would be left with the Octavia, Elantra and Civic. The only reason he chose a Corolla over the other D segment sedans then was Toyota’s reliability, and assuming he doesn’t want the Skoda due to its service bills, niggles etc; and the Elantra’s lack of diesel works against his requirement, the Honda Civic is a ‘take it or leave it’ for him. Believe me, even one model exiting the segment or one lesser choice makes huge difference to the buyer.

Those who appreciate D-Segment sedans would agree that it is not easy to replace in a time when the world is moving on to crossovers.

4. Enthusiast Cars:
Let me ask you to find me a replacement for the Octavia vRS.
I bet you wouldn’t suggest me anything less than a BMW 3 series. There aren’t many cars specifically for enthusiasts in India, and even a Abarth Punto or the Palio 1.6 which was way ahead of its time. Enthusiasts won’t find that fun on a budget in the current car scene, making these cars too, hard to upgrade from.

(By Enthusiast Cars, I do not mean only fast cars. Old cars which have an emotional connect to them have also been hard to replace for some of us. We enthusiasts would all agree that modern cars lack the feel and feedback that a older car gives.

Until the launch of the Thar 2020, there was no proper lifestyle 4x4 which would be a proper upgrade from a Jeep.)

The pickup truck scene in India currently has just the ISUZU DMax Vcross, which is specifically for enthusiasts. Who can suggest me a replacement for this? Now, that’s all the enthusiast cars I can think of. So let’s move over to the final and most common reason why some cars are hard to upgrade.

5. Simply overpriced cars:
The Innova in 2010 retailed for just about 10.xx lakh.



Now, 10 years later, it is about 10 lakh more expensive. So is the Fortuner. Likewise, other high-end cars are also heavily overpriced.



This, car, the Maruti Suzuki Wagon-R costed 3.6x lakhs then and costs just about a lakh more now, which is acceptable. This is why, the Maruti Suzuki Wagon-R is not a “difficult-to-upgrade” car while the Innova is.

The Bottomline: Most of the points in this post overlap because cars are more expensive and more advanced. Some of these cars are special because they are hard to find an upgrade to. Price (or your budget) factors the most into a car being hard to upgrade. Please add on your points to this list as to which cars are “difficult-to-upgrade” and why, and share with us if you owned a car which was difficult to upgrade.

What is the solution to these difficult-to-upgrade cars?

Answer: The Pre Worshipped Route! It is the only way to get a better car at a pocket-friendly price. You would get lots of variety and if you search hard enough, you will find the perfect car to replace your “Difficult-to-upgrade” car. If you haven’t already, Team-BHP’s amazing threads: "Almost-New" used cars! The logic & beauty of buying 1 - 3 year old pre-worshipped cars and The not-so-obvious advantages and New car vs Used car are worth checking out.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[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.

For a Superb or Kodiaq owner, it is even more difficult as the Superb offers king size comfort, features & a fast 2.0 turbo-petrol, while the Kodiaq IMHO is a 70-lakh crossover selling for half the price.

[BackInTheFold]

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.

For a Superb or Kodiaq owner, it is even more difficult as the Superb offers king size comfort, features & a fast 2.0 turbo-petrol, while the Kodiaq IMHO is a 70-lakh crossover selling for half the price.

+1
A crashed Laura DSG landed me back in the market in 2014 and I got the Jetta, which has just spoilt me since. My next car choice is a head scratcher - there's hardly any choice that tugs at the heart or purse strings. Plan is to show more TLC to the Jetta and keep an occasional eye out for a performance focused but practical EV/hybrid to make a strong case

[DicKy]

Omni/Eeco - Bare-bones these maybe, but it is difficult to upgrade from these. Either have to forego many of the van advantages, or you have to go for much bigger and cruder CVs.

Asian Utility Vehicles - Seduced by the Innova which has almost tripled the prices, this segment is all but gone.
Sumo/Tavera/Qualis/Xylo/Rhino, they maybe ancient and unrefined now but there is still a considerable market for them.
Now either downgrade to the Eeco or buy a dinosaur Bolero (or the modern TUV) or buy an overpriced for 2020 Scorpio.

Innova - The list would be incomplete without mentioning this grand daddy. Almost as if sensing the dilemma, TKM is raising the prices "Don't worry honey. Even if you want to buy again a couple of years later, the price will make it look like an upgrade anyway"
Yeah, the Carnival has come. There is a slew of Marazzo size MPVs coming. Ertiga has carved up the lower market end.
But leave alone an upgrade, even a rival is hard to find for the Innova. IMHO, the only companies that could give a proper Innova rival, even internationally, are VW, Ford and Isuzu. Mahindra lost the chance with the Marazzo, Tata is....

Jetta/Octavia - An acquaintance with a 2016 Jetta is still flip-flopping with the German 3 showrooms. He wants an upgrade for business purposes, but he finds it difficult to justify the price difference between his Jetta and a 320d.

Camry/Accord - Yabbidy-dabbidy....slow sellers...non-sellers...small market. Even the segment is dead. Still.
Other than being rich enough for the German 3 or go with the SUV/crossover flow, there isn't much upgrade choice.

Fortuner/Endeavour - Ofcourse there are lots of luxury SUVs/crossovers to upgrade to, and even Toyota/Ford themselves ensures that with the next generations and price increase, it will be like an upgrade. LOL.
But for people who really appreciate these SUVs/4x4s capabilities and don't give a damn about snob/badge value, it is very hard to find an upgrade.

Actually, for anyone looking to upgrade from a non-German Big3 capable sedan or a body on frame Utility Vehicle have pretty limited or no choices.

[KPR]

Finding a replacement for Linea and Punto is quite a task. There's nothing in that segment or few segments above that can satisfy the one who drives it.

[CEF_Beasts]

Some cars which don’t have replacements IMHO are:

Fiat Abarth Punto/Linea TJet: 140bhp hot hatch and 120bhp sedan with a chassis-handling balance to die for along with solid build quality!

Possible Upgrade: Used GTI (tough to find in the used market at the moment), Compass for the Linea owners.

VW Polo GT TSI: The 1.2L TSI motor mated to the 7 Spd DSG was a pocket rocket, the 1L TSI mated to the 6 spd TC is alright.

Possible Upgrade: Used Jetta TDi or Octavia 1.8 TSi.

Ford EcoSport: Best ride and handling balance along with the steering feel that has no competition.

Possible Upgrade: Jeep Compass Diesel (Manual gearbox variant though)

VW Jetta TDi/Skoda Octavia TSi: With the kind of power and fun you can have in these cars along with the solid build a Superb/Camry won’t feel like an upgrade at all.

Possible Upgrade: Used BMW 530d or a new BMW 330i

Toyota Innova: Needs no introduction at all! Does everything without making a fuss. Bulletproof ladderframe chassis makes heavy load hauling seem like child’s play. Prices have become 3X the original yet people buy it.

Possible Upgrade: Maybe Kia Carnival (though it doesn’t have the same capability of hauling 7 passengers due to its monocoque chassis along with a long wheelbase) or a used 2.8L AT Innova if buying right now (could give D segment sedans a run for their money in performance).

Toyota Fortuner / Ford Endeavour: These big bulky ladder frame 4X4s also need no introduction, can carry a full house and still make it out of a jungle! Extremely capable vehicles.

Possible Upgrade: None at the moment! GLC, X3, Land Rover Discovery Sport, XC60, etc are too expensive at more than 65L on-road. They may have the badge value, premium experience but they can neither haul loads nor can they off road like the ladder frame cars. Also these are 5 seaters, the 50-60L price bracket on-road have no 7 seaters at the moment.

Surprisingly no manufacturer has a 7 seater at this price point. That’s what makes the Endeavour/Fortuner so popular. No wonder Toyota is trying to bring the Fortuner Legender at ~50L on-road to bridge the gap!

Skoda Kodiaq: Premium 7 seater at half the cost.

Possible Upgrade: None!

[boniver]

This is an extremely subjective topic, but I got home an old Santro Xing with the intention of selling it off after a few months. It has now been more than 2 years and I still have the car because I don't see the point of selling it off and paying 10-20x its value to buy another hatchback that might not even offer the same features (large space, dead pedal, decent boot space etc). Add to that the fact that I'm averse to things like power windows and touchscreens, now I see myself holding onto the car for much longer. Therefore in my view, cars like the old Santro and WagonR are extremely difficult to upgrade from.

[Aniket Verma]

Tata Indigo Manza is also one such car from C1 segment, which I had found difficult to replace due to sheer comfort & VFM it offered.

A Rs. 6-7 lacs C1 car offering ABS, 2 Air Bags, Soft Dashboard, Driver seat height adjustment + Lumbar Support along with legendary space, 2 DIN Entertainment system with blue tooth & steering mounted controls in late 2000s was unheard. Yes, these options were available in bits & pieces in other cars, but then they were either pricier or a segment higher.

My mother still prefer Manza over Ciaz for her highway trips

[J4J]

My Car, Tata Zest is a car I feel will be difficult to upgrade.
I totally like the NVH level and the seating comfort.
I don't think a similar segment car can ever replace that. If I have to retain the comfort levels, need to upgrade to an SUV/Compact SUV.

[punto_]

Coming from owning a Grande Punto for almost 10 years, nothing around 12L excited me enough, something was a compromise somewhere.
I picked up a sparingly used Abarth Punto couple of days back and I'm so glad I picked this up! I won't have to spend way too much money for something fun to drive.

Time will tell if I'll get as much fun car when that time arrives (Thats atleast 5 years away, fingers crossed)

[S15]

Punto and Fabia

I want a european hatch with sorted handling, and good build quality, and my only option today is the Polo.

A friend rejected the polo due to lack of space 9 years ago (and picked its cousin, Fabia), and today, it seems, as if he's going to have to buy that, and live with it.

Strange. Its almost as if we've gone backwards.

[SmartCat]

If you find that it is difficult to upgrade after owning a particular car, it simply means you love that car a lot. Just admit it, guys.

It also means that car you own has generally been reliable, spare parts availability is not an issue and never let you down on highways. But if you start having issues in this crucial department, you will magically find attractive upgrade options in the market.

[rpunwani]

Originally Posted by SmartCat

If you find that it is difficult to upgrade after owning a particular car, it simply means you love that car a lot. Just admit it, guys.

It also means that car you own has generally been reliable, spare parts availability is not an issue and never let you down on highways. But if you start having issues in this crucial department, you will magically find attractive upgrade options in the market.

Sooo true - I love my Passat (2012 model). It has features that the present 3 series/C Class don't have.

The car lacked Apple Carplay/Android Auto - I upgraded the ICE so I have this feature now.

Also got the ORVM's to auto fold on locking the car !

Sorted for a couple of years

[saisree]

Originally Posted by SmartCat

If you find that it is difficult to upgrade after owning a particular car, it simply means you love that car a lot. Just admit it, guys.

Well said. This is the reality and the only answer for the OP. If you are in love with something then that’s your world as simple as it is. No way you will find a upgrade / replacement for it. Cars are no different.