[avira_tk]

Originally Posted by ashishskapoor

That's true, SUVs aren't necessarily better. Moving from a hatch to a sedan, we see improvements in ride quality and comfort. But moving from a sedan to an SUV (especially C segment ones) - hardly any benefits are there.

They are just over-priced, vertically-stretched, horizontally-shrunken versions of C-segment sedans.

The shift from a hatch to a c segment suv is huge and comes with added practicality. The step in height gives easier access, better visibility, ground clearance is required anywhere in India. CSUV have the added advantage of dropping the rear seats to carry larger items something sedans can't do. This is monsoon time, usually a good test of usability, imagine having to stray off the main road, would you be better off in a Seltos or a Verna. The old Verna, was a train wreck in terms of ride, my wife hated traveling long distance in it after getting used to our punto.

People are making rational choices, the crossover is any day a better bet than a sedan, consider what the depreciation will be like for a style that's out of fashion. Not a single person I know who is looking to buy a car is considering a sedan, only one I saw was a 320d, but that's the higher end of the spectrum, everyone else has bought an suv, whatever they could afford. Going off road is immaterial to buying an suv, I have a CAT steel toe shoe, doesn't mean I work a physically demanding job, it's just a preference for a tough shoe. You can confidently kick a tennis ball sized stone with no damage, ground clearance is similar insurance.

[sunilch]

Query for both - Sedan lovers and SUV lovers.

I owned the 3rd Gen Honda City for 4 years and the rear seat comfort, rear space and seat ergonomics have spoiled my family.

City I believe has the best rear cabin in its segment. It is very comfortable to drive too. But the car is now sold.

Now I am looking at options that are jack of all trades but master of none. Namely - BRV, Ertiga, Used Crysta, etc.

Not limited to these but my criteria is - easy to drive (I drive 60+ Kms daily in Mumbai), AT preferred but not mandatory, and with good rear seats for family. Marazzo and old Innova - both are rejected as they are large and MT only. They are also not very comfortable to drive in B2B traffic. For such a large vehicle I would prefer an AT.

BRV was rejected as rear seats were not good. Limited thigh support and thin seats. Ertiga has similar issues but is slightly better than BRV. A good low mileage Crysta is out of budget at present.

What are my options? I am looking for pseudo SUVs due to terrible road quality in Mumbai. Otherwise I am a sedan lower constrained by budget and parking space.

Shall I compromise on the High GC and AT needs or there are good options in the market?

A newer used City AT is an option that is at back of my mind but then I am also looking for something new and it still has issues with GC as it will scrape on large breakers again (less compared to my 3rd Gen but still it will be a scrapper)

To me the CR-V (previous gen) seems like a good middle ground here. Is there any other car I am missing?

[Kosfactor]

@Sunilch - 60Kms a day means the vehicle vehicle`s fuel economy may matter to you, I would suggest taking a test drive of XL6 \ Ertiga. It should be cheaper to run than the city while offering comfortable seating and good ground clearance as well.

[Poitive]

Originally Posted by sunilch

City I believe has the best rear cabin in its segment. It is very comfortable to drive too. But the car is now sold.

Now I am looking at options that are jack of all trades but master of none.

Not limited to these but my criteria is - easy to drive (I drive 60+ Kms daily in Mumbai), AT preferred but not mandatory, and with good rear seats for family.

Not sure of your budget Sunil. Based on the above, some quick thoughts:

* Honda City 4th gen is immense VFM. You get something you're familiar and happy with.

* XUV300 if you don't need a large boot. A 2600mm wheelbase in a sub 4m car (city friendly size, and you pay less taxes). I believe it comes from the Ssangyong stables to Mahindra's. Many variants to choose from.

* If a Hector is within a stretched budget, it is worth considering for it's comfort oriented nature and an excellent spacious cabin for the family. Easy ingress-egress with good GC, soft suspension, reclining rear seats soft steering. The FE of Petrol might be poor with an AT in the city (CVT available now fares better); excellent Diesel though more frugal is without an AT. If budget allows, dont strike it off based on hearsay - it is a well rounded package.

Test drives of the Hector and a few others in the Choosing an SUV thread I started (focused on ones between a wheelbase of 2600-2800mm). Link here.

Edit: Again if within budget, Creta? City friendly and well rounded. Nissan Kicks could be another odd choice, though it is more performance oriented, but more VFM than Creta for many. (More on the linked thread).

[aniketi]

After using LUV (Ertiga) for last more than 5 years, I am spoiled for space and flexibility I get with it. Previously I had facelift model of Ertiga in diesel avatar (Vdi). Now recently I got Ertiga Zxi+. It has lots of positives going its way. It has better space than sedans, better luggage carrying capacity, better ingress and outgress, you sit at better height than sedans which is very useful for elderly people in family. It has better ground clearance than sedans & gives me enough confidence of taking on bad roads or speed breakers. Flexibility it offers is priceless for me. When required you can accommodate 7-8 people as well for short trips which is impossible in any sedan.

[sunilch]

Originally Posted by Kosfactor

@Sunilch - 60Kms a day means the vehicle vehicle`s fuel economy may matter to you, I would suggest taking a test drive of XL6 \ Ertiga. It should be cheaper to run than the city while offering comfortable seating and good ground clearance as well.

Agree that Ertiga will be quite economical. More so for the CNG variant. But....please read below.

Originally Posted by Poitive

* If a Hector is within a stretched budget, it is worth considering for it's comfort oriented nature and an excellent spacious cabin for the family.

I forgot to mention, but I am looking at used cars only. I prefer to switch my car in 3-5 years so as to enjoy different models or brands.

I like Hector as an option. Hard to find a used Diesel one in my budget but still looking. Petrol DCT I am not very confident of. Low FE and unknown reliability of DCT is a point of concern for me. Hector CVT is also hard to find my budget at present.

Creta AT is a wonderful option for self driving. But, the rear seat support is bad and family isn't in favor of the car. Also, getting a Diesel AT isn't easy to find in used market without very high mileage. Petrol AT has terrible FE.

Originally Posted by aniketi

After using LUV (Ertiga) for last more than 5 years, I am spoiled for space and flexibility I get with it. Previously I had facelift model of Ertiga in diesel avatar (Vdi). Now recently I got Ertiga Zxi+. It has lots of positives going its way.

I did a TD of the Ertiga AT recently and agree very much on the practicality part of it. But:

1) For some reason I found it to be very boring to drive. May be the 4 speed greabox is the reason for that.
2) There were multiple spots in the car where there was rust. All inside the cabin, nothing outside though. Kind of makes me loose confidence in the car. This was for a 2019 car.
3) I am tall - 6'2". While ingress and seating is good, there is one particular issue that I faced when driving it. I was not able to see the dashboard at all. The steering wheel was intruding my view of it. I tried adjusting the steering but no avail. This was not an issue in any other car that I have driven - City, Civic (Old), 320d, Crysta, BRV, Zen Estilo, Santro Xing, etc.

Have you or has anyone faced this issue in Ertiga? My BIL faces the same issue in Breezza. I would like to have a view of my dashboard while I am driving. After all I am enthusiastic about driving all the time

This one particular issue is making me think multiple times before I pick an Ertiga


For what its worth, I think the best option at present is either a Crysta or Hexa. They both are good to drive even in AT avatar. Crysta AT is out of budget, Hexa I am not able to consider as it is no more in production. Otherwise, Hexa AT fits my needs very well at present.

[Shivam]

Having driven only tall boy and luv for over 2lakh kms, I seriously wonder if I'd ever be able to adjust with a sedan. I used to like the smooth Honda city drive albeit for short distances. Sometimes while touring a day full of drive in Ertiga coupled with sightseeing, walking, etc wouldn't make me tired, but I doubt if I get the same comfort in sedans anymore.

After about a decade or so, got a chance to drive an Ameo for about 50kms in highway + city, but got tired very easily. It was as if I was struggling for space with that low seating and cramped legroom. Not sure if it was just a bad comparison, but overall, not interested in sedans anymore.

[souvikjana83]

Since you use the vehicle for long distance daily run, I would recommend check out the Nexon EV. Silent, smooth and wonderful to drive in daily traffic. For longer runs, you can also look at ZS EV.

[sunilch]

Originally Posted by souvikjana83

Since you use the vehicle for long distance daily run, I would recommend check out the Nexon EV. Silent, smooth and wonderful to drive in daily traffic. For longer runs, you can also look at ZS EV.

EVs are not feasible for me at present. No charging infra - neither at my society, not at my employer premises. Also, our parking at home isn't exactly friendly to install a personal charging point for myself and society isn't that active on this front as a collective measure. So this will have to wait for a while. Otherwise I think both - Nexon EV and ZS EV, are very offerings at present. Have not driven either yet however.

[souvikjana83]

Originally Posted by sunilch

EVs are not feasible for me at present. No charging infra - neither at my society, not at my employer premises. Also, our parking at home isn't exactly friendly to install a personal charging point for myself and society isn't that active on this front as a collective measure. So this will have to wait for a while. Otherwise I think both - Nexon EV and ZS EV, are very offerings at present. Have not driven either yet however.

True that.. I am also in the same dilemma. Been using a 2009 Honda City iVtec and looking to replace it. Its actually quite difficult than it seems. The space, performance, fuel efficiency and high speed stability it has is hard to replace in a single car. The only issue being its low ground clearance.

I have already looked at Nexon, Nexon EV, Sonet, Kiger CVT, XUV300, XUV700 AT and Creta. Will also check out Carens. Till date I have felt XUV300 and Nexon to be quite solid and good in Petrol Manual under ₹12 lacs. In fact if one don't want a lot of bootspace and upgrade the music system, then XUV300 is the most fun car to drive. Under 15 lacs, it had 4 disc brakes, 6 airbags, dual zone front AC and the best rear seat for 3 people. With a little adjustment even 4 people would be able to sit in the rear seat for short distances. The AMT is the best though I feel AT or DCT would have been better.

[sunilch]

Couldn't update earlier due to Codivd19 reasons, but I picked a low run 2016 BRV Petrol this week. It drives nearly like the sedan counterpart on account of the same engine and monocoque chassis. The 5+2 arrangement works perfectly for me. Regarding the middle row, the seats are not as great as those in City but with an extra aftermarket cover, they get better. Being a discontinued model, these are available at good prices in the used market. I tested +ve the next day of my purchase and hence not able to drive it for now

So for now, my problem is solved for another 4-5 years.

Originally Posted by souvikjana83

True that.. I am also in the same dilemma. Been using a 2009 Honda City iVtec and looking to replace it. Its actually quite difficult than it seems. The space, performance, fuel efficiency and high speed stability it has is hard to replace in a single car. The only issue being its low ground clearance.

There actually is one car that is a perfect 1-step upgrade from City. I TDed a couple of times and felt great about the both - the car as well as the engine. It was the Octavia TSI 1.8L. I did not buy it as I need a 5+2 arrangement for a couple of times in a year, the 1.8L TSI is discontinued globally and also since it was a Skoda without warranty. Otherwise, it is a good upgrade from the City.

[paras211]

Unpopular opinion.

I love a sedan, because it can take corners. My workplace is 160km from home with 3 lane highway, been using a Jetta since 2012 with near 400k kms on it. I do have a gypsy to off road in. But that is hardly the suvs we are discussing. I drove a friend's mux extensively in the mountains on the the recent NH memorial drive, that was my first long experience driving a ladder frame suv and I truly understood why the Americans call big suv s trucks. Supreme in terms of comfort, but I wouldn't trade it off for the confidence a German sedan gives in the corners. My primary car is always going to be a sedan.

[shinuak]

Originally Posted by sunilch

Query for both - Sedan lovers and SUV lovers.


What are my options? I am looking for pseudo SUVs due to terrible road quality in Mumbai. Otherwise I am a sedan lower constrained by budget and parking space.

@sunilch check out the new Slavia, as mentioned in one of my other posts it ticks most of the check boxes including a very good ground clearance. Unlike the CSUVs this has a humongous boot space for long trips.

[sunilch]

Originally Posted by shinuak

@sunilch check out the new Slavia, as mentioned in one of my other posts it ticks most of the check boxes including a very good ground clearance. Unlike the CSUVs this has a humongous boot space for long trips.

I agree that it offers a lot of things that I would desire. In fact I do recommend it to anyone looking for a new sedan.

But I don't buy New cars, prefer used ones with low running. My Honda City was a low run direct buy (no dealer) that was VFM and I enjoyed it for 4 years. My depreciation hit was only 40K in 4 years on it - Partly aided by increased prices in used market these days.

Now I have picked a used low-run BRV this month and so far it has been a good experience.

[volkman10]

SUV market share to explode further as more options(manufacturers) are on the way:



Link