[alokk0912]

I always go for the top variant. My first car was Maruti zen way back in 2003 and there was no inbuilt music system which I got done after market. There was a minor rattle which bugged me till the time the car was with me. Since then, I bought the top variants. I keep my car for very long so it evens out in the long run. Ofcourse, this will not apply for luxury segment.

[ashish_sax]

Went through it recently when picking up my next car,

Safety was the most important one for me. Was looking to max out the airbags and other features which made sense like ESP / TC etc, I don't consider gimmicky safety features to be useful like ADAS (Atleast here in India)

Selected the City 2020 VX Variant but once I saw the leather seats and the front indicator of ZX, was immediately sold on it and spent another lac for the bling.

I tend to prefer VFM variants if they have all the bells & whistle I consider necessary they can be either top or base, doesn't matter much to me.

[Revvman]

I completely resonate with alokk0912's views as my first car was an Indigo mid level variant and had to get music system and other accessories from outside which was not a great experience. Next car was a top variant I20 Asta and since the car was fully loaded for the time, it gave us a superb experience for 12+ years without us having the need to change anything.

[Arun_S]

Originally Posted by libranof1987

The one with the most safety features, and AT. That's the logic I've followed on all my purchases in the recent past.

What's unfortunate is: most manufacturers trim the top variant in a way you are forced to buy a whole lot of tech you wouldn't choose by choice (sunroof, auto headlamps / wipers, leather seats) just for the full set of airbags and safety features. The incremental cost of ensuring you have all the safety features has sadly been deliberately high, and comes with compulsorily buy many more comfort / convenience features.

Agree with you on this, made my recent decision based on these 2 Criteria only.

For my City booking was confused between V and VX variant, VX had 2 additional airbags and Sunroof. Decided to go with V itself just because it didn't have sunroof. I would have happily picked any variant if they had 6 airbags without Sunroof.

[Torque_Curve]

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

Safety too comes at a premium. The higher the variant the more the airbags. The six airbag norm is yet to kick-in. ABS and EBD too would be OE only for the top variants.

Small correction here: ABS with EBD has become a standard feature across all carmaker's in India due to safety norms.
Not just these, but also dual airbags, rear parking sensors, high-speed alert system (the annoying beeps at 80 and 120kmph ), as well as the seat-belt reminder system are available in each and every single variant of cars sold in India as of today.

[MSC]

I always opted for the topmost variant in all the four cars which I've had. The topmost variant though usually is costing a bit on higher side, however in the topmost variant there is absolutely zero work required. Just get the car, documents and maximum foot mats which are usually offered complementary by dealership. There is absolutely zero wire cutting to fit any electrical accessories. No hassle of looking for any experienced fitter. Just get keys and you are good to go.
Now in the last car, alongwith this, there is additional benefit of having all bells and whistles with all safety equipment.

[anjan_c2007]

Originally Posted by Torque_Curve

Small correction here: ABS with EBD has become a standard feature across all carmaker's in India due to safety norms.

Yes, in fact my sentence with the phrase "would be" talks about the past and says that though not very lucidly.

The six airbag norm is yet to kick-in. ABS and EBD too would be OE only for the top variants.

To make things more clear it should have read:

"The six airbag norm is yet to kick-in. ABS and EBD too would earlier be OE only for the top variants."

[BhaskarG]

It depends on whether your budget is flexible or not. Also, if you have the budget for accessories, then it is better to go for factory fitted equiptment in a higher variant than aftermarket fitments in a lower variant. Here is how I approach this:

I have a maximum budget prefixed, and preferences almost sorted when i go car shopping. Nowadays since there are lots of variants and engine options within a model, sometimes your budget allows you to shop across two different segments. Then all it comes down to what matches my requirement in that budget.

For a very crude example, let us consider that you have a fixed budget where you can buy either a top variant i20 or a base variant Creta. Now, how will you go ahead? Will you stick to the top-variant/base-variant theory, or chose what suits you the best in your budget?

[KryptonMonkey]

Had I been eligible to vote, I'd have picked "I prefer the Safety features that come with the top variants" from the available options.

Personally, I make a list of non-negotiables and then eliminate variants that don't have those. For example: for hatchback cars (including pseudo and bona fide SUVs), rear defoggers and rear wash and wipe are mandatory features for me. Any car variant not meeting such criteria gets booted out without remorse.

After the elimination above, the value-for-money proposition decision is made if multiple variants remain in the mix.

[Cyborg]

I always buy the top variant for the safety features and all the bells and whistles because I prefer everything to be factory fitted, don’t want any work done on a brand new vehicle by either the dealer or outside.

Cheers

[CEF_Beasts]

I would add one more option to the poll: ‘Depends on the Price Difference’

Most important factor while narrowing down to the most appropriate variant is the price difference between the variants and of course the VFM quotient of the different variants.

Example: The Kia Carens base variant has all the safety tech that the top end variant offers, looking at it solely from a safety perspective the base variant is the most VFM.

Next would be the engine specs, the base variant misses out on the turbo petrol and the availability of automatics. So one will move up one variant to see the next best option for themselves.

Top spec variants are more in demand these days because manufacturers smartly skip automatics in their lower variants to maximise their profits.

Personally I will go for a mid spec variant if it offers most of the safety and tech needed and won’t get anything added from the aftermarket. Otherwise the top-spec variant, factory finish is factory finish.

[shankar.balan]

I dont buy new cars every day. Ive also learned that it is sensible to hang on to the car for longer durations while maintaining it nicely. Hence, its best to spring for the top most spec available. Simply because it is likely to have all the latest and greatest when it comes to safety kit and features in general. And in this way one is able to slightly future-proof one’s self.

[Sen]

Safety should be baked in to any variant you buy, it's just our misfortune that base variants are usually stripped of safety features at all.

It's the feel-good and satisfaction inducing features on top end cars that make you keep it for longer instead of taking a massive depreciation hit every 3 or 5 years. Buy and maintain the car well, keep it spruced up every year, and be satisfied when you make the purchase, don't settle for something because that dissatisfaction will fester.

My two cents.

[CoolFire]

Voted for the first option. Had there been an option to combine the first two, I would have gone for that. Though safety is always the top priority, more often than not there are some "must have" kind of feature on the top variant which cannot be retrofitted. Same happended in the case of the Skoda Kushaq I bought recently. The six airbags safety feature sealed the deal for the top variant. Yet, the Stile variant had some feel good features, along with the keyless entry feature which for me is now something very hard to forego. So the decision was very easy.

Also, with every car we buy there are some features which we feel is not important - but once used to it becomes important in our next buying decision. Like electric seats for me. If Kushaq had a higher variant with electric seats including lumbar support, I would definitely have gone for that one.

A good stock head unit and music system, android auto/apple car play, good projector headlamps, auto folding side mirrors and the above mentioned keyless entry with start button are some other such features which have over the years become "must have" for me. Though many of these can be added after market, the seamless integration of stock features is something never matched by after market options.

Some of the features like sunroof, auto wiper, auto headlamp, automatic day night mirror are all still in the "just good to have" category for me.

[meetbhav]

We've got two cars at home. One of them being the top model and other one was a base model that was offered then. We bought it according to our needs. The Suv was bought in the top guise as we were all out to get the best while the hatch (base variant) as it was to be used in city only.