[Luke1972]

Well I have joined this forum quite recently and pretty eager to get the knowledgeable opinion of fellow members regarding my dilemma.

Currently I drive a Honda City 2007 model and due our environmental laws it would not be possible to continue driving the same from next year onward. I embarked upon a hunt to change my vehicle and got drawn in by various posts in this forum about the various vehicles and having read umpteen reviews of the different vehicles started my journey of vehicle finalization since last 6-7 months.

Initially I was waiting for the Kushaq and Taigun. The launches have left me underwhelmed, especially the Kushaq with the fit and finish and omission of safety kit. I paid a visit to the nearby Jeep dealer and was reasonable impressed by the fit and finish and the safety equipment on offer. Though the Jeep Compass ticked all my boxes however since I was taking things leisurely, I came across several posts regarding the availability of the Audi Q2 at a mouthwatering price. Lured by the prices i started on thinking about the Q2. Further on visiting the showroom saw the Q2 and there were some minor points like i) CBU unit so there may be long delays due to parts unavailability (again less nos sold), ii) No rear AC vents or grab handles (felt that this should be standard equipment), MY 20 model.

Next to the Q2 the A4 was being showcased which felt like an nice executive sedan (I felt that it was a little large for using on as a daily commute). The interiors were top notch and it surely felt luxurious. After considering the A4 and with the BhPian's buying the A4 at good prices I really looked long and hard at the A4. Since the OTR had now stretched out thought to have a look at the competition i.e. the Mercedes A class and BMW 2 series before taking a call.

Visited the dealership and the 2 series and the A class seem to be the perfect size (a wee bit smaller perhaps but I was happy with the size). The 2 felt sporty and the frameless doors left me drooling.The A class in my opinion had the better interiors and looked like a more complete package. Well now with the above shortlist and with the family members throwing the X1 and GLA into the mix I am pretty confused (I like sedans however the ingress and egress of the SUV's are more easier).

The dealerships have informed that they would send across the offers in a couple of days as the October offers are awaited. I have not test driven any of the vehicles, will do so in the coming days.

[SShandilya]

Hi Luke
It would really help if you can list out on what you’re looking for in your next car which could help in deciding.
If you’re looking for something compact, luxuries and gets all done - I think you should really check out the new GLA which is a bit overpriced but really ticks most of the boxes and does justice to the Merc badge.
However if you’re looking for something fast, I’ll suggest go for Q2. It’s a real fast car -190 bhp with a Quattro and compact.
Personally, if I had to pick a German on this budget I would’ve chosen the A4 given it’s from a segment above and it just feels more special

[DevSunit]

My pick here would be the A4 as it itself is a segment above the 2series and A class sedan and If you push hard you can get one at a Mouth Watering price even as low as the Price of Superb L & K for the Technology varient. You will get a mix of both worlds. A fair amount of power, Good luxury features and it is actually a nice place to be in. A & C class IMHO will not give you the real merc feeling nor the 2 series give you a Pure Bimmer feeling. So it would be best to get a deal on the A4. Considering the case of Q2, I always get confused between its rear end with that of Polo and I genuinely feel It is a jacked up Polo. Best of luck for your purchase. Keep us Posted

[Shreyans_Jain]

I’ll say it bluntly. Nobody should ever waste their money on the 2 Series or A Class. They are cramped, they are uncomfortable, they are massively overpriced and are not proper Mercs or BMWs. Why even bother? You can buy the far more spacious and premium Audi A4 for about the same price. It’s the best car you can get for 40-45L

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by Shreyans_Jain

I’ll say it bluntly. Nobody should ever waste their money on the 2 Series or A Class. They are cramped, they are uncomfortable, they are massively overpriced and are not proper Mercs or BMWs. Why even bother? You can buy the far more spacious and premium Audi A4 for about the same price. It’s the best car you can get for 40-45L

Agreed, I have been looking to upgrade from the Jetta

BMW 2 Series- nice car but not worth the money. Not seen any on Bangalore roads. That says a lot. Everything aft of the B pillar is a joke.
Mercedes A Class - Surprisingly good but not 54L worth. Again, petrol is bound to run out of breath on a highway. Also, during a morning walk, while bleary eyed, I wondered why the rear of a Verna looked bloated, it was an A Class.
Q2 - looked at it- it is a capable hatch but not worth it unlike the price is reduced
A4- Best of the bunch - still expensive in Bangalore. Great in town but when we “over” ran in Mansons new car in Belgaum, we found it was rather bouncy at speed and it understeers. Okay to drive calmly though.

[SideView]

Originally Posted by Luke1972

Well I have joined this forum quite recently and pretty eager to get the knowledgeable opinion of fellow members regarding my dilemma.


Initially I was waiting for the Kushaq and Taigun. The launches have left me underwhelmed, especially the Kushaq with the fit and finish and omission of safety kit.

Not sure if you are aware, now the top spec variant gets 6 airbags. (Or is it some other safety feature you are looking at?)

But i would wait out until its EPC issues are sorted out.

[rahulkumarin]

We were in a similar quandary just a fortnight back. You can read more about it Here (The 'Garage dilemma' thread : Buy / sell / keep / shuffle my cars).
Replacing a Honda City is not an easy thing to do in my own experience. I have TD'd most of the above cars you have mentioned and here are my observations

Q2 and A4 : Q2 was the most cramped car amongst all we tried and A4 and Q2 both being the only petrol we tried did not have the initial torque we experienced in the other cars. With a lot of city driving that was an important factor for us, it might not be for you. If backseat is of less importance and you are fine with low ground clearance and petrol performance , A4 is one of the most compelling buys. The 39-40L OTR that was publicised on the forum might not be available though but still even at 1-2L more it is still a good value for money buy.

3 Series : We got the TD the 3 LWB (D version) which due to the length we were not very comfortable with. It was still a pleasure to drive and with a steering which was very light at regular speeds it also is easy to drive in the city. My mother however rejected it basis the fact that she found ingress at back extremely uncomfortable. ( She is 5'2" for reference).

A Class : Besides the badge value and the better interiors ( A4 is much better by the way) A class did not feel like much of an upgrade to us from the Honda and even the salesman agreed to it.

GLA220d : The best of the lot hands down for us. It drove well, was spacious enough for 3 at the back and the overall drive was silent ( for a diesel) and drama free. Body roll was the only thing observable which can cause discomfort at times but that too is manageable. If it was not for the absence of rear hand rest and that our ride would be chauffeured a lot we would have ourselves gone for it even at a huge premium to our selection.

BMW X1 20d : While it does not have the looks of the GLA both inside and outside ( personal opinion) and rides a bit harder then the GLA it feels like the perfect tradeoff between comfort, drive characteristics and space. Oh and the steering i felt was the heaviest of the lot as well on the X1.

Our experience in BMW has been very good so far. We asked for a fast delivery and between the (booking)RTGS transfer and getting delivery of the vehicle it was just 1 day in between. We chose black this time for our vehicle, though white was in close consideration as well. Family did not like the blue.

One thing to note is that we replaced our 3rd Gen Honda City with a 5th Gen one and this was an additional heart over head purchase. Though the booking for City was made before the X1 we are still to receive the car yet (it is scheduled for tomorrow)

PS : Personally, if you ask me after having driven these cars, I would say a Honda City offers almost 80% of what these cars offer at 1/3 the price. The rest you are paying for the badge and the 20% extra. The tradeoff with luxury i felt is in the size department as when you move to E class/ X5 etc that is where you really get the pampered feel to begin with. Like yourself we wanted something more manageable to drive (size wise). Hope the above helps but test drive everything and then let your needs determine what you get.

[kvothe_rules]

Originally Posted by ajmat

Agreed, I have been looking to upgrade from the Jetta

I think you should start a thread on this one Ajmat. I'll be keenly interested to follow as I too want to upgrade from a Jetta. Its just that my current residential situation means I cant drive my Jetta ( Its in bangalore being just barely driven by my relative) till I return.

[McLaren Rulez]

Since your search started with the VAG twins, you might want to look at the Astor. Someone described it as a baby Volvo and on the safety front, this really does seem to be the case (pending an NCAP crash test).

It actually has more safety kit than the entry level luxury cars you are looking at!

[sunikkat]

Originally Posted by Shreyans_Jain

I’ll say it bluntly. Nobody should ever waste their money on the 2 Series or A Class. They are cramped, they are uncomfortable, they are massively overpriced and are not proper Mercs or BMWs. Why even bother? You can buy the far more spacious and premium Audi A4 for about the same price. It’s the best car you can get for 40-45L

Agreed, happened to see A class close by at a 3M outlet (was getting PPF done) and that car did not impress me a bit. Looks cramped and design isn't great for me. Considering its FWD and power figures are not impressive it doesn't justify the high asking price at all. And not even mentioning the mediocre petrol engine. I felt my Octavia is much bigger and spacious and with remap much powerful too

Though it has the badge, not sure how much of a badge value does these entry premium sedans really give. I personally feel Superb or Camry gives more snob value than these entry compromised sedans. But then each to his own.

[mondymk3]

I would suggest below:
1. First decide your budget. Kushaq, Q2, GLA all have difference of over 50% or more. I
2. Decide your requirement. Sedan? SUV? Speed? Gimmicks? you can't compare GLA with A4 or 2 series to Q2.
3. Who will drive- self or driver? self u should see driver comfort, if driver driver you see car with better rear comfort which you will never find in a SUV.

4. What are must features and what is good to have? Cruise control, NCAP rating etc are must , not sure how much you will need or use 24 ambient lighting or sunroof etc.

5. How many people will travel mostly- 4 seater or 5 seater or 7 seater will suffice- I see lot of people go for 7 seater thinking they have 7 people in family who will travel. But all 7 may travel once or twice in a year and if u spend 5-10 lakhs over a 5 seater just for 7 seater, it doesn't make sense, for 2-3 trips a year one can always hire cab in much lower price than the premium you for 7 seater over 5 plus extra maintenance insurance and other costs.

[hrk997]

I'd suggest making a purchase based on your use. If it is going to be a daily driver, it needs to be quite versatile. A compact SUV would be ideal as it can handle most situations and even unexpected ones like flooding and bad roads, which Delhi seems to have a lot of. I'd strongly recommend not going for either the 2 series or the A class. Both cars are too small to seat four people, and definitely overpriced. Your options ought to include the A4 and Q2 both of which are selling at very good prices at the moment. You should strongly consider both the X1 and GLA along with A4 and Q2. All cars have their pros and cons, but given that these are luxury cars, it's better to go for a compact SUV and stay on the safer side than to have any mishaps with a luxury sedan.

[samik_jonak]

I was in the same boat a few months back and ended up picking the 2021 Audi Q3 45 TFSI here in the US (New York).

I test drove most of the cars you have mentioned. Here is my take.

2 series - Too small for me for the price.

A class - Beautiful interior, looks good, noticeable turbo lab in regular drive mode.

GLA - The new GLA looks good but doesn't drive that well. I am not a fan of this gearbox and transmission.

X1 - The interior feels old now. However, it drives the best among the cars you have mentioned.

I also test drove the Porsche Macan and the Alfa Romeo Stelvio.

I picked up the 2021 Q3 45 TFSI Quattro premium. Wish Audi India brought the Q3 in 45 TFSI avatar.

[gungax]

Entry into the luxury segment in October is like getting stuck between a rock and a hard place. With increase in prices and reductions in features due to the chip shortage.

I too am looking to enter into this segment. After extensively driving all the Mercs/ Beemers/ Audi and Volvo – Personally an upgrade for me is nothing less than 75 Lakh OTR Bangalore due to the car I intend to replace (Santa Fe).

I initially wanted to replace the SF with an A class or 3 series.

At the requirement given by you:-

1. The A4 is the best hands down, I am in communication with Audi Gurgaon even though I live in Bangalore (Hoping for a BH plate), and the prices quoted are very tempting and well worth the stretch on your budget if you can. I too am looking at the A4 as a serious buy. (Replacing my SUV! The A4 has the highest seating position in its class and the only sedan I will consider for now.)

2. The Mercedes A class is a great entry level car with good features and lots of space, however, the GLA just wowed with good interiors and great diesel engine. It is truly a pocket rocket. The price is C class territory though. I suggest a test drive.

3. The 2 series rear seat is just too small. This is a driver only car. A great one. You could take some passengers for short trips though.

4. My family is very keen on the X1, however the interiors are just too dated! It’s a good entry point into the brand and more practical then the 3 series or even the A class!

[Luke1972]

Heartfelt thanks to all the fellow members taking out time for putting forth their opinions which will really help me get an perspective on the issue at hand.

Well it seems that the popular opinion boils down to the A4. I have not formally asked for a quote from the SA regarding the A4 and it seems that they are clearing out the stocks they have in hand and very few colour options are available in Premium Plus model. From what I have read I guess that the OTR pricing of A4 technology trim would veer towards the 46+ mark in Gurgaon. Well a BH plate ought to shave off some cost off the sticker price but to the best of my knowledge Haryana is yet to adopt the same. Would really appreciate if some esteemed members can send a msg regarding the ballpark price they are in the process of finalising with Audi Gurugram with respect to the A4.

As regards the Q2 I have got an rough quote of 34 OTR for the premium variant which I feel is quite a good price and I think there is room for a little haggling. The only issues that makes me think twice is that being a CBU I may end up waiting for routine spares since these need to come from abroad.

I really agree that the 2 series and the A Class are overpriced but I have not still received any quotes from either of them though the BMW person has called up regarding scheduling of the test drive.

As regards the usage and requirements, well as I have already stated my car will enter the 15th year in December and the registration is valid till Dec' 2022 so with this target date I have started exploring the various available options (I am in no hurry but given the right prices may jump the gun). Well the range really seems quite wide and I had really started looking at the Kushaq as my next drive but as many of you may have experienced (as I do regularly in my HiFi and HT journey) that the marginal increase in quality over an acceptable level commands an hefty price increase. Head says do not spend so much on an depreciating asset however heart says otherwise and the decision is yet to be finalised. My usage is a daily driver maybe 10kms per day, am able to differentiate between responsive and laggy engines and would like to own an quality product with good response. Compact SUV seems to be an better choice but let me drive them all and see how it turns out.