[AJ56]

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

we cannot anyway wring out a 2 liter or 2.4 liter engine on most Indian roads within the city or out on the highway.

This part simply isn’t true, older non turbo 2.4-3L engines barely push 200-250hp and speaking as someone who’s daily driven a 2.4 for over a decade, you can easily wring it out on most roads in India.

In fact I redline my 2.5L engine nearly every single day (once warmed up) inside the city, you can redline first and second gears without touching even 100, let alone high speeds.

If you get into cars pushing over 400hp then maybe yes, but you can still redline in first gear without going very fast.

[IshaanIan]

Originally Posted by AJ56

In fact I redline my 2.5L engine nearly every single day (once warmed up) inside the city, you can redline first and second gears without touching even 100, let alone high speeds.

Roads in Delhi NCR region are much better than other cities in India or maybe you are braver than most. Here in South India it is not easy to drive fast these days. The congestion and increasingly lackadaisical attitude amongst other road users make it difficult to go fast even on our national highways. I also daily a 2.4 liter car and I don’t go above 3rd gear in the city. Ofcourse every car has different gear ratios for reference my Kizashi touches 100 in 2nd gear hence I find it a lot more fun to drive cars with smaller engines that require more gear shifts and allow you to extract more from them most of the time.

[AJ56]

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

Roads in Delhi NCR region are much better than other cities in India or maybe you are braver than most. Here in South India it is not easy to drive fast these days. The congestion and increasingly lackadaisical attitude amongst other road users make it difficult to go fast even on our national highways. I also daily a 2.4 liter car and I don’t go above 3rd gear in the city. Ofcourse every car has different gear ratios for reference my Kizashi touches 100 in 2nd gear

Possible, I’ve never driven in Hyderabad. Only Gurgaon and Mumbai (Delhi on occasion).

Same, Camry hits 98 at 6100 rpm in second. But the minute you lift it will start slowing down. Keep out of sport mode so it’ll upshift the second you lift off the throttle.

This way you have fun without getting dangerously fast. Wide city roads I see many cars going well past 100, but to me it’s more about the acceleration kick over outright speed.

The problem with underpowered cars (read 99% of small cars), is that they don’t have any juice and take forever to accelerate, robbing you of the g force and joy.

[harry10]

I believe I do have a 2 car garage currently which is good enough for my needs.
Combine price is a little above 25 lac but I believe it still qualifies.

Kia Sonet D-AT.
Only driven by me. Odo is at 56k kms currently and it has been a stress free experience. Kia Service for me is even better than my experience with Honda. Engine and gearbox combo makes this car an absolute pleasure to drive anytime. Plus this will be my last diesel or even the last ICE car so I cherish it more.

Tiago EV LR.
This was primarily bought for my wife for her office commutes. However, I drive it more these days. Odo is at 6k currently so still early days for an EV car. I am already a convert. Needless to say when I will change my Sonet in 3 years or so my first priority will be an Ev or a Hybrid depending on the options available by then.

Anyways, now a hypothetical. If I am to buy 2 cars for 25 lacs right now.

1st car-
MG Windsor, Nexon 45 or Creta electric base model - 17 lacs around all of them. Nexon obviously has bigger battery. Creta has better service and reliability. Windsor is good on most counts except for a bit smaller battery than the other two. Maruti E-Vitara is also a contender as I expect the price to be same.

2nd car-
Tata Punch.
Good space. Engine is fine for City drives. Safety ratings are excellent. Looks are decent. Except for notorious Tata service it's hard to find a fault with this car at that price point.

[imprezzer]

Two car garage? Hmm.

For one, I'd pick up an 8th generation Honda Civic (manual, most likely). They go for anywhere between 2.75 and 3.5 lakhs. Use case - long highway trips and track days (if any).

As for the other car, I'm inclined to say the Kylaq. Probably the Signature+ with the TC automatic. Perfect NA + turbo petrol combo.

One of the two reasons for wanting a Civic:

[Tekina19]

My current garage -

1. Ertiga Zxi+ : 11.3 Lakhs (2021)
2. Ignis Zeta : 7.9 Lakhs (2023)
3. Honda CB350 : 2.5 Lakhs (2022)

In total I spent around 22 Lakhs but I have 3 good rides for myself and I am totally happy with them.

[shivangbhatt]

My ideal 25L garage would be.
1. MG Comet for city commute.
2. XL6 for weekends and highway.

[HycroBiteVFire]

Ah, great! Was looking for one such thread where we could position our garage a little more practically haha.

1)- Honda City ZX MT-> Having owned all 5 generations of the Honda City, you just can't stop driving it or even consider rivals even if they offer better value proposition. Yes the Honda City misses out on a lot, it is a flawed car (as in like previous gens were a lot better) but for a daily driver, it offers unmatched reliability and comfort, forget about the fancy features hence it makes to the top of my list. (INR 15.05 Lakhs)

2) Kylaq Signature-> Superb handling for it's size and proposition, exciting drive, decently packaged and does a bunch of stuff that the City can't (You could legit take it anywhere but using the City, maybe you'll be a little more cautious) Additionally, it has proven it's safety which adds to its already robust personality. (INR 9.59 Lakhs)

Thank you!
HycroBiteVFire

[AdvanceStarter]

Even more interesting thread compared to the 1 crore one!

Here's what I'd get:

1) TVS iQube S 3.4 kWH - 1.4 lakhs
For running errands in the city. Chose this over all other scooters because it has the most compliant suspension for our pothole ridden streets and also the quietest motor for a super smooth experience. Also, sufficient power to overtake most of the city traffic. This remains even in my 1 crore garage.

2) 2025 KTM 390 Adventure X - 2.91 lakhs
The new KTM 390 Adv is built on an actual dirt bike frame and not a modified 390 Duke frame unlike the last one which means it will actually be fun to ride. Serious performance on a budget and everything that you'd need for cross country trips as well as long commutes.

3) Skoda Slavia 1.5 DSG Monte Carlo - 18.49 lakhs
I'm a sedan lover and this is the best I can do within the budget. We also actually own one in the family.

That totals up to 22.8 lakhs. With the remaining 2.2 lakhs, I'd get a used beater car.

4) Used Honda Brio (Beater car) - 2-2.5 lakhs?
Always been a fan of the Brio because of its diminutive size coupled with the revvy VTEC engine and imagined modifying one with a nice set of 5 spoke alloys to go with it.

In case the budget is too tight for the beater car, I'd buy the base model TVS iQube as that's only going to be used for extremely short commutes and range won't be an issue with the 2.2 kWh battery pack. I'd also happily pick the 2025 KTM 250 Adventure as the KTM's 250cc engine is calmer unlike the frantic 390cc and 200cc engines.

The beater car is essential and needs to be a hatch back or an SUV because there are some places where no matter how high the ground clearance of the sedan is, it's hard to take it without scraping the front and rear overhangs. I'm from Goa and the first such place that comes to my mind is the entry and exit from the ferry boats of Goa.

[shrey14]

The best two car garage under 25L for me would be

1) Hyundai I20 N line N8/MT - 11.27L
2) Citroen C3 aircross Turbo plus/AT - 13.41L

Totalling at rupees 24.68L which is a perfect combination of an easy to drive 7 seater family car and an enthusiastic and fun personal car. One will be left with rupees 32k more which he could save up for future fuel costs.

[trinity_rider]

Great thread and great question, one that I have asked myself loads of times. The answer keeps changing.

Here's the one that I could somewhat wrap my head around with practicality in mind.

Skoda Kushaq Monte Carlo 1.5 DSG - Approx 18.59L.

A dream car of mine. I am in the process of buying a car and this would be the pinnacle. But, my budget doesn't allow it. This, however, is a fantasy and I'm going to indulge my mind.
A great engine and gearbox combo along with a great European understated look. Ideal for highway and hill station escapes.

MG Comet Executive - Approx 6.99L (Base Model)

I live in Bengaluru, and this car would be perfect for my office commute. I've always appreciated the Comet for it's practicality in the City. Travelling through the hectic narrow roads of Bengaluru would be a breeze in this car.

Chose the base model as I don't need any bells and whistles. Just a tool for my daily commutes.

This would be a realistic dream garage. As I'm writing this, I genuinely hope I can make this happen someday!

[super.veloce]

Now this is an intriguing thread. I would be broadly classifying my take of this into 3 parts i.e., new machines, pre-owned machines & a combination of both. (These would be options that I would choose if hypothetically I were to be afforded the opportunity to have this garage as on date)

NEW MACHINES

1. Volkswagen Virtus - 1.5 GT+ MT - Rs. 17.60 Lakhs (approx). The reason that I would be choosing this would be the excellent combination of the 1.5 TSI from VW, a proper 6 speed manual gearbox with its long gearing making it an excellent mile muncher & also the superb mature looks (I know that this is subjective but I love it in the Rising Blue Metallic Shade )

2. Maruti Ignis - Zeta 1.2 AMT DAILY COMMUTE - Rs. 7.40 Lakhs (approx). Spacious car with a decently frugal engine, the AMT is not class leading but decently tuned unlike the one in the TATAs (own the Tiago XZA+ and a 2019 Hyundai Santro Sportz AMT so I speak from personal experience here). All these combined with the hassle free experience from Maruti Suzuki where you can find spares in every nook and cranny of the country.

USED MACHINES

1.Skoda Superb - 2017/18 - You can find a good example of the version of this machine for about 16 to 18 Lakh rupees. I absolutely love this car, the space, comfort and the premiums feel that this car offers is almost at par with 1.5 to 2 segments above what it sells.

2.Tata Altroz (Diesel) - 2020/21 DAILY COMMUTE - Good handling car, spacious, light clutch and decently good gearbox and economical. I feel that this is a no nonsense car for the city (personally don't mind annuals in the city). The only probable grudge that I have with this car is that the TATA after sales which is either a hit or miss.

Combination

1. Hyundai Creta diesel auto-2019/2020 - You can find a decent car for approximately 10 to 11 Lakh rupees. Fuss free, decently spacious and Hyundai after sales which in my opinion is only second to Maruti Suzuki IMHO. Personal opinion - can't go wrong with it.

2.Nexon EV Fearless Long Range (40.5 KvH) DAILY COMMUTE- Class leading in the EV segment. decently spacious, quick (I mean it comparing to any other ICE vehicle i.e., no lag) and from what I have heard from owners, more than enough for daily usage. TATA After Sales might be a hit or miss depending on.

For reference. I am from Hyderabad and the prices of the cars are based on the market here.

[ram.iyer95]

Here's my take.

1. The weekend machine: Mahindra XUV3XO AX7L Petrol AT - ₹15.6 lakhs (ex-showroom). For weekend family drives. Safe, fast and punchy. If Mahindra had offered 6 airbags as standard in the XUV7OO, I'd have picked the XUV7OO MX Petrol MT 7-seater ESP variant (sheer VFM) instead for a similar price or even slightly more. MT would be fine as it will not be used much in the city.

2. The daily driver: MS Dzire ZXI AMT - ₹9.4 lakhs (ex-showroom). For city drives and daily runs. Safe, reliable, reasonable performance, fuel efficient, compact, and has all the basic features needed.

[Way2Jimny]

My pick would be,

Jeep Compass Sport Diesel - Will be a solid fun to drive car for the highways in manual form.

Maruti Ignis AMT - Will be perfect for daily commute.