[AllisWell]

My dad owns an Alto K10 VXI which is a pretty basic entry level car. If I were to choose an upgrade for us, these are the following factors I would take into considerations.

1) Safety and a stable body shell. We've had the Alto for about a decade now. While it boasts of perfect mechanical reliability, the lack of any kind of safety in the car still worries me while we take it out on highways.

So in our next upgrade, I believe safety will take top priority.

2)Decent ride and handling package. I drive the car most of the times, especially during highway trips. I'm a sedate driver for the most part and I prefer to cruise at 100 Km/h. At this speed, I want the ride to be sorted. I'm not expecting a great deal of steering feedback but at least there must be a considerable amount of weight added so the vehicle isn't too sensitive for the slightest steering input.

3)Space and rear seat comfort. We are a family of 3. I would prefer a vehicle which can seat 4 in absolute comfort and can seat 5 average sized adults in case we are traveling with other family members.

4) A decent boot (320 litres and more approximately). Alto has a very small boot but since we are only 3 of us, we tend to stuff luggage in the back seat as well. In the next car, this shouldn't be the case.

5) Naturally aspirated Petrol engine with respectable Fuel Efficiency. We keep our cars for a very long time and the trending turbo Petrols are yet to make a case for themselves in terms of long term (10 yrs and more) reliability.

6) After sales service and maintenance cost. We are a middle class family which means buying a car is still a very big deal for us. We can't afford to put our money on a manufacturer who lets their customers fend for themselves in case of any issues. Maintenance costs isn't the biggest deal breaker but a respectable after sales service where the customer is well taken care of is important.

Now I'm well aware that many cars excel at one or more things listed above. For example, A Skoda rapid or VW Vento excels in terms of ride and handling whereas they fail in the reliability and after sales part.

We'd rather purchase a car that does not disappoint us in anyway even though it may not particularly excel at anything.

For example, a Vitara Brezza ticks all of the above mentioned points to a respectable extent. It's not the sharpest handler but it will do well at a 100 or 120 Km/h. It may not have the most powerful engine but the K 15 is well tested, reliable and delivers decent mileage. The ASS of Maruti is miles ahead of most of its competition. It's also a rare Maruti which scored a respectable 4 star in GNCAP and has a stable body Shell.

For a middle class person, I believe it is better to buy such a car which scores average in every area rather than a product which excels at one and terribly fails at another.

[aniketi]

My list -

1 Features
2 Power - In short better engine
3 VFM - Should be affordable
4 Fuel Efficiency (Petrol is too costly now )
5 Space - Better space is always welcome
6 Better safety
7 Better Looks
8 Better comfort
9 Boot space - Very important for me
10 GC - With bad roads around, this is very IMP

Cheers !!!

[DrSumit]

To be honest, it's a 4-letter word: ITCH!

The only time I changed a car for practical reasons (needed a budget AT to battle Mumbai office traffic), it was a downgrade from a Linea to a Tiago! Every other change has been an upgrade, and every single time the itch was responsible.

If I were to give reason to the itch, it'd be just 2 things for me:
1. Straight line performance - does it do 0-60 faster than my current car?
2. Is it a bigger car - the bigger the better! (Has to be a sedan, BTW)

[sahil624]

When we were upgrading from our humble i10, we (or rather I) had one parameter at the top. This was Engine and Performance. This became foremost because of the experience I had while on long road trips and loaded with four adults.

Other requirements were, had to be a mile muncher with a Diesel engine. Had to be a comfortable vehicle on a long ride and a Compact SUV. Luckily, I found Nissan Kicks Diesel just before the BS6 transition and one of last K9K engines to be sold in India.

[JishD]

My list is a three liner when it comes to my existing Polo GT TSI :

1. Better rear seat space
2. Comparative performance, ride and handling to the Polo GT 1.2 TSI
3. Higher seating to suit the seniors

Interestingly the Kushaq 1.0 seems to tick all the above boxes at a price still reasonable.

Yes the 0-100 is quite off the Polo , but check the 20-80 !

[landcruiser123]

With changing technology, here's my list:
1. Safety rating (if applicable); At minimum - manufacturer's commitment to safety
2. Well conntrolled NVH
3. EV
4. AT (if ICE)
5. Good ride quality
6. Cheap maintenance (avoid turbo petrols)
7. Should not be extremely low
8. Fuel efficiency
9. Good GC (in India)

[Steelneo]

I will look to the next level in all compartments. Am owning couple of sedans now. Will prefer owning SUV or MPV in next upgrade. few things like

1) A Total new experience from the existing vehicle
2) Seating comfort and capacity
3) Higher ground clearance and bigger tires
4) Higher engine capacity
5) Upgarded electronics and instrumentation
6) Sunroof
7) good Mileage and ease maintanence
8) Good brand image and social value
9) Good crash performance (Must)
10) A different color

and many more..

[tejus.s]

Great thread!

After 7 years with a pre-worshipped A-star Automatic, we decided to trade it in for a brand-new S-Cross manual (petrol). At the time of writing this post, only booking is done and we are hoping to get delivery on August 13, 2021. So far, interactions with Nexa, JP Nagar (Kalyani Motors) have been a mixed bag (more on that in a future ownership thread perhaps).

These are what we considered in the decision making process (in no particular order) -

Space
As someone who used to primarily drive solo in Bangalore, a small automatic car made lot of sense in 2014. 2/10 drives with family/friends, mostly within the city did not warrant a bigger car. It was also the time dad was interested in becoming independent by driving around himself - never happened though.

With a growing family (wife and kid) in the last few years, the A-star is starting to feel cramped. Boot is small and so is rear seat. The occasional weekend breakfast drive that requires us to carry all the baby stuff only makes it more evident.

Many 'CSUVs' at this price bracket compromise either on the boot space or rear legroom which ruled them out.

Comfort
The driver and co-passenger comfort in terms of space and ride in A-star are top-notch, but a stiff rear translates to rear passenger discomfort. Again, family needs meant a comfortable car that can handle our pothole ridden roads better.

In my test drives so far, the S-cross has been pretty good. The two-step reclining rear seat also adds to the comfort level.

Safety
Automatic variant of the A-star comes only with ABS. I understand that the S-cross has not been put through the GNCAP test yet and new gen Maruti Suzuki cars are not the best built, but I felt the S-cross to be an exception in their portfolio. The international variant with 5/6 airbags apparently scored a 5* in ASEAN NCAP, but I don't know how much of that panel quality has been replicated in the Indian model.

IMO, two airbags on the Alpha variant gives them a pass from the mandate standpoint, but I definitely would have liked a 6/7 airbag option that most cars in that price point offer.

Overall, build quality of S-cross is much better and airbags are something we never had in any of our previous cars (M 800 std, i10 Sportz, A-star), so that is a bonus. Oh, and let's not forget ISOFIX mounts. I am tired of 5 minute process of buckling up the infant seat every single time.

Features
Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, fog lamps, projector lamps, rear camera, keyless entry, boot lamp, climate control, etc., are all the 2021 features missing in the A-star.

Something Unique
S-cross being a Maruti is not really a rare sight on our roads, but the styling makes it different from a sedan and in the Indian context it is the closest I can come to buying an 'estate' form factor at an affordable price.

I have to say, the A-star has been a fantastic companion for us and leaves a lot of memories behind. We were on the fence about trading a good ol' TC for a manual, but since there is no need for two cars at home right now, decided to part with it.

S-cross might be our last ICE car and is certainly not perfect (no car is), but it has all the essentials we need for a few years. Keep in mind that an extensive feature list comes at a price - something we wanted to be mindful of.
The 1.5L petrol on the S-cross suits my unhurried driving style. Though 60% of usage will be within the city, the 4-speed automatic offered by Maruti is ancient and slow. I wonder if it's lifted from the A-star and plonked here - appreciate BHPians sharing their inputs here.

News cars and brands make headlines every other day. They offer modern features, unique designs, powertrain choice, the lot. But if I were to look beyond the hype and consider a family car with strong fundamentals, S-cross fits the bill and comes with peace of mind of owning a Maruti.

Reference - this fantastic post (Maruti Suzuki A-Star Auto - Road Test) on the Official Team BHP review thread brings out the best and worst features of the A-star. Many are inline with my ownership experience.

[kraken]

My list is pretty straight forward.

1. Driveability. Should be fun to drive, period. Life is too short to drive boring cars.
2. Safety. No elaborations. I'm not spending money for a death trap.
3. Automatic preferably a dual clutch or torque converter if I have to compromise.
4. Reliability. I've a multi car garage, some cars are bought with reliability alone in mind (think of it as a life raft). With Germans in the garage, I'm mentally prepared to leave them in the ASC for 30 days every 365 days. It's inevitable. With my business, sometimes there's a need to do an impromptu 400 km drive and I simply can walk to my Fortuner and drive off, worry free which is impossible with a DSG Skoda, I would be nervous all the time.
5. Features. No gizmos, but stuff like 360 degree camera, TPMS, keyless entry etc would be icing on the cake.
6. Proximity and availability of ASCs. I like my cars to be in it's top shape, no exceptions and I need access to service centres nearby.

[TheVegabond]

So, it seems we have all the bases covered or at least most of the folks have broadly similar set of points when looking for an upgrade.

For me, I drive 2014 Hyundai Grand i10 sportz variant. When it comes to the feature list, it can easily beat cars a couple of segment higher and here is a list of features that it has and are bare minimum requirements when I think of an upgrade:

1. Easy to drive - smooth and silent engine with spot on ergonomics, super light clutch and linear acceleration makes it a breeze to drive. I have not felt any fatigue even after 13 hour drive with a single break.
2. Supreme cabin experience - comfy seats(for its price and segment), cooled glove box (thought it is a gimmick but turned super useful in summers), rear AC vent, ample storage space in the cabin.
3. Keyless entry and go, push button start - convenient and super cool specially when your friends envy them.
4. Electrically adjustable and foldable ORVMs - again convenience at its best, lock the car and the mirrors will fold automatically. Similarly unlock the car from a little distance and it gives a grand welcome with lights blinking and mirrors unfolding.
5. Super reliable and fuss free ownership with wide service network.

And then there are things you don't like and make them must haves in your new car:
1. Driving pleasure - each time I drove a Swift, a Polo or a Figo I did not want to go back to my grand i10. It struggles below 2000rpm and you literally feel that it is you who is pulling the car rather than the engine. My new car must have a much better drive.
2. Hyundai is charging a premium when it comes to getting your car serviced. Even after careful examination of the service job sheets I haven't been able to get the service bills down.
3. Safety - Since there were not many safety mandates for cars in 2014, my Grand i10 does not have any. This will be one of major requirements from the new car.
4. Sunroof - mandated by my daughter.
5. Connected tech - just a good to have thing.
6. More cabin and boot space - as the long distance trips increase this is becoming a necessity.

[jkrkrish]

Originally Posted by gkveda

In my view, upgradation is not matter of grey matter. It is matter that belongs to heart. Some corner of the heart starts eyeing on a car that "it" wants. Then, brain starts working on substantiating the reasons to support heart decision.

I agree, despite all the reviews one reads in this forum, one's heart gets attached to certain car(s). The reason maybe, it's looks ( which is subjective) a link to the past(from childhood), etc .

Though I have purchased a Kia Sonet recently, I would like have an old model jeep, a second hand perhaps (though my brain says, I may not use it much).

[puntOOs]

I upgraded from a 2011 Punto 90 HP to a 2014 Jetta HL DSG in almost the same colour (grey) last month.



What I wanted to keep the same: A good combination of performance and ride/handling

What I wanted as an upgrade:
- More safety features
- Bigger size (as our luggage would overflow into the cabin for long drives in the Punto)
- Automatic

Extras I got after the upgrade:
- Much better engine/performance
- Lots of comfort features - auto headlights, electric seat adjustments etc. Feels 2 segments above the Punto
- More mods opportunities (I upgraded the ICE as of now)

Any other cars considered:
- Used Octavia of similar age. But preferred Jetta TDI due to multi-link suspension and lower prices too. The interiors in the similar vintage Octavia were better. But a sunroof in a 6-7 year old car might be liability due to leaks/rattles/rust so no regrets.