Finally decided to giveaway my decade old diesel DZire for good and switch to one of the Korean/Japanese hotshots in the arena. As a result, I happened to visit a car Showroom after 15-20 odd years [ I might've visited a Mercedes showroom in the interim just out of sheer curiosity for the stationary GLS inside

. No showrooms visits for the Dzire as I got it delivered to my place from another city due to the close connection with the dealership and shorter waiting period at the time.]. Despite the usual rush due to the frenzy [ Seemed like people have accepted masks as the ultimate vaccine while throwing social Distancing out into the Garbage

], the Sales Representative was pretty enthusiastic and guided us with humility. Turns out even the dealership folks were shocked with the unavailablity of the prices for top-end Sonet trims, given most of their bookings consisted of GTX+ Auto. According to the dealership, they could not register GTX+ from RTO and hence the TDs have not started yet. Not sure if his argument holds good in the real world. Most of the people have given their opinion on Sonet, so I'd save my two cents for some other time, but I felt the car indeed looked better in person than in the photos.
Since my budget was already stretched to around 15 Lakhs, my wannabe spendthrift mind proposed a wild idea that some extra grands for the bigger cousin Creta SX Petrol Manual Variant wouldn't hurt. So, I tried to reach out to Hyundai Dealerships as well. But my experience with them has been nothing but abysmal. None of the dealerships in my vicinity have a Petrol variant available for a test drive. Seems like people are banking on the brand image and word of mouth that Creta carries with it. To add to the fire, dealerships informed me that there is at least a one month waiting for the best selling model. Add a couple more for other models. But I did visit the showroom to have a look at the display vehicle and personally felt the interiors of Creta triumphs the Sonet by a considerable margin [ Of course it should given the segment ]. After some research, I found the following feature differences between the Sonet GTX+ DCT and Creta SX variant for confused folks like me :
What Sonet GTX+ offers over Creta SX Petrol Manual:
1. Turbocharged DCT [ Duh ]
2. 4 additional Airbags [ Side + Curtain ] - The best [minus XUV300] you can get
3. Front Parking Sensors - Helps to a very good extent in the city
4. Ventilated Seats - Boon for the summers in the desert state
5. Air Purifier - Might be helpful. Not complaining even if I don't have it.
6. Electro Chromic Mirror (ECM) - A good addition indeed. Cuts down on the after office frustration decibels against those stupid high beam drivers in the city.
7. Highline Tyre Pressure Monitor - Definitely a boon from the safety perspective.
8. Bose Audio System with Subwoofer - Its a BOSE ! Say no further [ If its a gimmick, I'm in for a shock ]
9. Multi-drive Modes & Traction Control - Not sure if I'd care about it while I take care of other things amidst the chaos on the Indian roads.
What Creta SX Manual offers over Sonet :
1. Rear Disc Breaks - No second thoughts about it. A practical addition for sure.
2. An extra inch of those alloys - Better Braking, Grip [ add a bit more of those adjectives ]
3. An extra cylinder in the engine - The more the merrier
4. Extra Rearseat Space with that subtle touch of Cushions for headrest - When your near and dear ones shamelessly arrive at your doorsteps [ Living in the Pink City has its own woes ], sandwiching people gets easier
5. The Biggg Panaromic Sunroof - Sweet Addition
6. Cooled Glove Box - Another Sweet Addition
7. 60:40 Split Rear Seat - Standard these days but not for Sonet
8. Rear Window Sunshade - Ah definitely a saviour for those days when you hate the existence of the biggest goblet of fire.
Spoilt for choice between the two. While my mind was inkling towards the evergreen i-VTEC Honda City [5th Gen] but my dear mother vetoed it. On one hand I have second thoughts on spending over 15-15.5 lakhs for a CSUV on the other hand I'm missing out on the bells and whistles on the modern SUV for the same price point. Would be really grateful if fellow BHPians can aid me to get out of this strange conundrum.