[Mpower]

@Akshay, I'm just assuming that AMG makes tuning & accessories for every Mercedes out there.

If not, then a knowledgeable dealer can import parts for the A45AMG and fit them to your car.

[supercars]

I am pretty much interested to see where this person decides to go.
I have driven the Cooper S and the ride was just horrible. I think the AMG A Class will ride just as bad.
I am surprised that many of you have not complained about the lack of features in the Mini considering the price.
Is there a second hand RS4 in Mumbai anywhere ?

[vineethvazhayil]

Originally Posted by supercars

I am pretty much interested to see where this person decides to go.
I have driven the Cooper S and the ride was just horrible. I think the AMG A Class will ride just as bad.
I am surprised that many of you have not complained about the lack of features in the Mini considering the price.
Is there a second hand RS4 in Mumbai anywhere ?

Any car that dares to call itself "sportscar" will have a rough ride. The evo has amongst the worst rides you can imagine - add the noise of the thing, it will be a horrible car to drive long distances in. If you want a great ride you need a luxurious car with performance cred. Not a barebones car with a lot of performance.

[Sheel]

The dealership dealing in imported Cars won't have something in stock for you? They seem to deal in brands which are NA in India. I have no idea about warranty & spare issue if purchased from them...rather, a random thought which I shared.

The only Car which springs to my mind is the Focus.

[vb-san]

Originally Posted by msbehave

Any other ideas/options that I have missed? Any thoughts, advice and guidance from tbhp members will be very much appreciated!

I am quite sure that an A45 AMG will not fit in the 40 lakhs budget.
As many others mentioned, the Mini Cooper S should be the best available option. And the car have loads of character.

Alternate options:
1) Wait for the BMW 1-series and see what engine options they are going to offer in India. Even the regular 116i/118i is quite brilliant.
2) Forget the parameter of hatchback and see if you can get a Volvo S60 T6.

[mango_pal]

Originally Posted by vb-san

2) Forget the parameter of hatchback and see if you can get a Volvo S60 T6.

I read somewhere on the forum that they had discontinued the T6 in India.
Besides, the autobox is not the best and the handling is nowhere close to the old 3 series.

The 135i might be a bit out of budget if you import it, but a 128i should be in the range of 40ish. Though you might want to wait for the Re. to stabilize, the Pound is hitting 90 and the Euro is touching 77.
If you had imported a year ago, you could have saved 11% or thereabout (when the pound was 80)

[GTO]

Originally Posted by msbehave

Might TD the countryman too if the handling is similar to that of the S.

Please don't!

Cooper S = Super cool. An icon. A style statement

Countryman = Confused and totally uncool. Only reason it exists is because of a decision by the bean counters

Originally Posted by imp!

At 40 lacs the Lancer Evo really ought to be in contention

50 lakhs is the ex-showroom price. On-road in Mumbai works to well over 60. Honestly, I was disappointed with the new EVO. The Cooper S is a lot more fun to drive and when it comes to sedans, the S60 T6 / 328i / A4 3.0 just make a lot more sense. Heck, you could get a 6-cylinder 5 series for that money.

Originally Posted by Sheel

The dealership dealing in imported Cars won't have something in stock for you? They seem to deal in brands which are NA in India. I have no idea about warranty & spare issue if purchased from them...rather, a random thought which I shared.

When you have the world's best brands selling cars officially in India, why bother with the grey market? There are too many potential headaches associated with a grey import.

Originally Posted by shashank.nk

This is so true! The other day we happened to spot a cooper s while driving with my family.
Mom and sis had a look and said its such a well modified Swift.

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

Ha! However getting a Mini mistaken for a jazzy swift is a good thing as it removes unwanted attention

From our Official Review:

When you see a car like the Cooper S on the road, comparisons to the Swift are drawn almost as quickly as women buy shoes. We had several instances where people approached us asking if it was modified, or if it’s a Swift...or both. Obviously the marquee isn’t as well known as I’d thought it was. In the city, surprisingly, it drew little attention.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by msbehave

Oh! I thought the Evo was around 50 odd on road! Wow,if I get it for 40 I'd give up on the hatch.

Mate. At the risk of being slightly overbearing, I would, upon reflection, like many others have advised, also say that you should look no further than the Mini Cooper S.
What a delicious automobile!
In my case it is 'if wishes were horses....'

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by vb-san

2) Forget the parameter of hatchback and see if you can get a Volvo S60 T6.

The only review apart from Mini which has a penned by a petrol head tag. I would buy the S60 because of that brilliant review. I do not think I have read any review on Team BHP as many times

Originally Posted by GTO

When you have the world's best brands selling cars officially in India, why bother with the grey market? There are too many potential headaches associated with a grey import.

I thought they had a workaround. I was unsure about the service/spares. Glad you threw light on 'em being greys.

These is no need to flip a coin even choosing between a Cooper S & S60. The priorities would over-rule this.

[msbehave]

50 lakhs is the ex-showroom price. On-road in Mumbai works to well over 60. Honestly, I was disappointed with the new EVO. The Cooper S is a lot more fun to drive and when it comes to sedans, the S60 T6 / 328i / A4 3.0 just make a lot more sense. Heck, you could get a 6-cylinder 5 series for that money.

This is good to know about the new EVO. An eye-opener. Thanks!

I am pretty much interested to see where this person decides to go.I have driven the Cooper S and the ride was just horrible. I think the AMG A Class will ride just as bad.

Well, I have been doing this back and forth for the past 7 months - reaching the point of picking up the phone and booking the Cooper S - and deciding to then hold out for a few options. Somewhat fixated on the hot hatch because I love hatches and also because finding parking on 5 occasions in a day in the lanes of bandra/khar/santacruz/juhu will give me a headache in a larger car. Part of me thinks I will have to bite the bullet at a certain deadline because I will never have options in the hot-hatch category due to a lack of demand/numbers from the Indian market.

[karan561]

Import a VW Sirocco R



A hatch cant get hotter than this, period

Pricing starts @ 18L goes upto 24L in the UK, you can do the math.

[msbehave]

@Akshay, I'm just assuming that AMG makes tuning & accessories for every Mercedes out there.

If not, then a knowledgeable dealer can import parts for the A45AMG and fit them to your car.

The cooper S as others mentioned is the best option you got at the moment. However, if you can pull some strings at the MB dealership to get an A45AMG it would be ammmazing! Worth a shot, try your luck in convincing them to import one on special order.

For my peace of mind, I have asked the dealership what it would it entail to do a special import of AMG kit, A45 AMG as well as the CLA. Let's see what they say. Though, I would be loathe to buy a car without a test drive [atleast the CLA]. Will get the A-class for a TD.

[9thsphinx]

With that thread title only one thing comes to my mind.

Get the Cooper S.

It's available directly off the showrooms in India. No hassle. No messy paperwork. Servicing will be easy. Maintenance will hopefully not be an issue either.

Just pure simple adrenaline fun. This is the hot hatchback you get if you want a bang for your buck. It is that simple.

[vineethvazhayil]

Originally Posted by Sheel

The only review apart from Mini which has a penned by a petrol head tag. I would buy the S60 because of that brilliant review. I do not think I have read any review on Team BHP as many times

The S60 has a really sorry transmission - has no place in a car of that price and performance capability. And of course its handling and road behavior is nowhere near as good as what a 3 series would offer. But if all you care is for straightline performance, then that is a good buy. I just find that the interiors of the Volvo are just too basic for the price and segment. The 328i with a simple engine tune maybe able to run circles around the S60 and be faster too (it already is plenty quick). German engine HP ratings are severely under reported - the 240 bhp is probably at the wheels or in the hottest thinnest atmospheric conditions possible.

But none of these are hatchbacks, which was your original ask.

Originally Posted by karan561

Import a VW Sirocco R

Now we are talking! That is a car that looks absolutely sexy. Americans keep clamoring about VW not selling the Sirocco here!
On the import note, aren't there some really good french hot hatches also that you can import from UK? The Citroen's (DS3), Renault (Clio RS) and the Peugeot's (208)? Just throwing more names in here. I still vouch with my original recommendation - the 135i. If it is priced out of the park, the 128i, but the engine is nowhere near as good as the 135. The 128i uses the straight 6 from the last gen 3 series and not the turbo 4. If it has the new turbo 4 when launched, then the equation changes.

[S2!!!]

Although there is no denying the credibility of the Mini Cooper S and its legendary handling/ performance, with a 40 Lakh budget, I would suggest you to lookout for the Audi Q3 which is a much more practical option and a more than worthy replacement for your ageing Swift. Honestly the quality of Mumbai roads demand a softer suspension for better ride quality on a daily basis which this tiny SUV offers along with adequate punch from its motor and decent handling with its AWD system on the twisty ghat sections for your weekend drives. IMO it looks pretty hot and it is for you to decide if it is a 'real' SUV or just an overgrown premium hatchback.