[lamborghini]

Hey guys,

Our Fiesta has covered 80kkm, and is now due for replacement. Here are the requirements for the next car:
Budget: 20L (a little more is ok)
Fuel: Petrol or Diesel will both do, though I prefer diesels.
Transmission: A/T with tiptronic, or a M/T

What I would like:
- good space for driver, as I am 6'2"
- Stiff suspension (soft suspension, but good handling capabilities are a no-no. I prefer stiffer suspensions as the cars typically have lesser body roll, and at higher speeds, the car doesn't jump about/loft around as much)
- Good GC (similar to Fiesta at least)
- Superb performance (For diesels, no turbo lag)
- Easy to drive in city (Good visibility)
- Good handling capabilities (given that I drive a Fiesta)

Options I am looking at: Mitsubishi Outlander
Honda Civic V M/T
Skoda Laura TSi/TDi
Chevrolet Cruze A/T
Fiat Linea T-JET Plus
Ford Fiesta (New) 1.5 TDCi

Advice would be appreciated!

[Akshay1234]

Considering you want a drivers car, there are options I'm gonna suggest based on your budget -

Firstly since your in Mumbai, you need at A/T, and the car shouldn't be too big. Parking problems, squeezing through tight spaces etc.

1) Laura Vrs - Coming in September, 160bhp petrol. Will most probably be fully loaded like the L&K. Possibly the 7 speed DSG in which case this will be a brilliant combo.

2) Laura L&K - 140bhp diesel, 6 speed DSG. Its = to a mini Superb. Nuff said.

3) New Jetta - Due in August. Will most probably have the 140bhp diesel + DSG combo. And expect a few more features than the Laura L&K like a sunroof etc. Expect it to be priced a little more too.

[2500cc]

Since you are looking for a performance and space, consider Laura or Jetta. In this category I personally would vote for Laura because of the equipment level it offers and fun to drive factor.

If I were to be in your shoes, then I would buy the new Fiesta

[Mpower]

Lambo, I say get the fully loaded Jetta diesel DSG. Its interior quality and finish is better than the Laura.

[Santoshbhat]

- For 20L + budget , the Linea T Jet + and the new Fiesta would be way below your budget.

- Civic may have to be ruled out for poor GC concerns.

- Cruze has high turbo lag for city driving.

- That leaves you with Laura and Jetta.

Laura's suspension does not offer as sporty handling as the Fiesta and the steering may not excite you, a fiesta owner. But in its segment, it offers the best combination of ride and handling and the diesel with DSG gearbox offers excellent performance. The TSI ofcourse offers phenomenal performance and since you woudn't mind a petrol car, you can consider this option.

But I would advise you to wait for the new Jetta. TD it and then take decision as to what suits you best.

[MaserQ]

Why is the new Fiesta TDCi on your list? It is hardly a step up from your current Fiesta TDCi in terms of performance. Also the dynamics of the Cruze might be a disappointment after the Fiesta. The new Jetta might be worth waiting for. Else the Laura is a good bet.

[ghodlur]

Originally Posted by MaserQ

Why is the new Fiesta TDCi on your list? It is hardly a step up from your current Fiesta TDCi in terms of performance. Also the dynamics of the Cruze might be a disappointment after the Fiesta. The new Jetta might be worth waiting for. Else the Laura is a good bet.

+1 to that, no point in having a Fiesta in your list if your budget is around 20K unless you want to have more than one ride to buy in the budget.

Would Yeti be a bad choice, the only drawback is it does not have a AT. Another option would be Hyundai Sonata transform but the -ve is low mileage.

[GTO]

Lamborghini, if you can stretch your budget, the new VW Passat seems to meet your requirements to the T. The only downer would be an unknown long-term reliability track record. And being a complicated Euro, I wouldn't expect it to be fuss-free. Another option is a used 530d. I remember you praising the car in your E60 drive thread. There's quite nothing like a 530d & that pure hydraulic steering. Sure, the maintenance & upkeep won't be cheap. But if you get a clean car that's 2.5 - 3.5 years old, I'd say it would be well worth the $$$.

[karanraheja]

Among the List neither the Laura or the Cruze have a good legroom. My advice would be wait for the New Jetta . Else go for the Laura DSG TDI.

[lamborghini]

@akshay: Is the vRS confirmed for a september launch? I would gladly wait for it, and pray that it comes with a sunroof! Not too impressed with the L&K pricing which works out to nearly 22L OTR mumbai with company registration. Similarly, I can get the TSi Classic with the discount, 17" vRS alloys and tyres, spoiler, leather seats, and a customized audio for around 16L. I believe safety equipment should be similar in both variants. However, if the vRS is launched for a slightly higher price with the tuned suspension, 12 speaker system, body kit, DSG gearbox, and a sunroof, I wouldn't mind splurging.

@2500cc and Mpower: Will check out the new Jetta when it is launched then.

@santoshbhat, MaserQ, and Ghodlur: I actually have just shortlisted the best driver cars that I could think off. The T-Jet and Fiesta offer me what I want at a fraction of the price, however, it wouldn't be an upgrade exactly. To be honest, I love our current fiesta as it provides exactly what I want except the additional power. Was even contemplating another 1.6 Classic, but they discontinued the S variant.
As for the Yeti, I was not impressed by its looks, or space. Cruze was on the list because of the performance it offers, and I was hoping that the legroom wouldn't be an issue for the driver, but according to the review, the knee fowls with the center console. The turbo lag would have been dealt with by the A/T gearbox from what I have heard.
The Sonata is not being considered as it is soon going to be replaced at some point, though it is a superb car!

@GTO: I would happily stretch for the 530d, but as we already have a 525d in the family, another one would be hard to convince my parents for.
The Jetta is a car I haven't considered, and was not too keen on it as well. However, lets see how it fares once launched.
The Passat is an interesting suggestion, but with the base variant costing around 24-25L, I don't know how keen I shall be. However, will put it on the TD list.

@karanraheja: Thanks! I will be looking at the Jetta now. However, the wait period for these cars (the Jetta and vRS launch) is going to be a little troublesome.

Keep your opinions flowing in guys!

[lamborghini]

Test drove the Linea T-JET and though I loved the performance and handling, I was not able to find a comfortable driving position, and the pedals seemed too cramped. Also, my foot kept on slipping off the accelerator pedal due to its placement. However, a special mention has to be given to the sales representative. He was much better than the ones I spoke to at Honda, Skoda, and Chevrolet.

At this point it seems that there is no perfect car for me:
- Cruze: Driver knee fowls with center console. A No-No for me.
- Laura: Good handling, but softer suspension. The L&K DSG seems to be exactly what I want as Akshay pointed out, but I can't digest the 22L price tag! Need some convincing in this regard. The vRS is still a while away, and the Classic TSi seems to make good sense.
- Jetta: When is the launch?

Also planning on throwing in the Fiesta 1.6 SXi Classic as an option. The engine is superb, it has all the safety features, is very comfortable to drive, has superb handling, and will leave me with some money to spend on nice alloys, ICE, and a S type spoiler.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by lamborghini

Jetta: When is the launch?

In the August-September period.

You might want to tell your broker to keep an eye out for A4s. The odd 3.2 & 3.0 AWD variants come up from time to time.

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by lamborghini

@akshay: Is the vRS confirmed for a september launch? I would gladly wait for it, and pray that it comes with a sunroof! Not too impressed with the L&K pricing which works out to nearly 22L OTR mumbai with company registration. Similarly, I can get the TSi Classic with the discount, 17" vRS alloys and tyres, spoiler, leather seats, and a customized audio for around 16L. I believe safety equipment should be similar in both variants. However, if the vRS is launched for a slightly higher price with the tuned suspension, 12 speaker system, body kit, DSG gearbox, and a sunroof, I wouldn't mind splurging.

Yes the Vrs is confirmed even by Autocar for the September launch. I think it will come with the same features as the L&K except things like sport seats, bodykit etc. But it will be the same price as the L&K, at least thats what I expect going by what they did with the Octy.

Sunroof will not be there, they removed it from the Laura when it was facelifted.

Originally Posted by lamborghini

- Laura: Good handling, but softer suspension. The L&K DSG seems to be exactly what I want as Akshay pointed out, but I can't digest the 22L price tag! Need some convincing in this regard. The vRS is still a while away, and the Classic TSi seems to make good sense.
- Jetta: When is the launch?

Think of the 320d for a second. Its almost 30l on road, and besides the 44 extra bhp you get nothing extra. Laura has more room, touchscreen, xenons, 12 speakers, real leather. Doesn't seem like such a bad deal now eh?

Jetta is scheduled for August. It will most likely come with a sunroof.

[frankmehta]

Boss, why do I not see a mention of the Verna 1.6 crdi??? The NEW verna!!
It's a meek handler no doubt, but it does everything else with elan. It's almost become my most favourite car in that segment (yes, I know there is a new Fiesta out)

You can keep the change (8.5 lacs) and after a few months, get in a Tein suspension, some good brakes and you have a car that goes like stink and handles decently (not entirely, but with the suspension mods, I am sure you can get a lot out of it)

[lamborghini]

Originally Posted by GTO

In the August-September period.

You might want to tell your broker to keep an eye out for A4s. The odd 3.2 & 3.0 AWD variants come up from time to time.

Done, and done! However, used A4s are very rare in the used car market, and the 3.0 and 3.2V6 even more so. Also, the Audi dealer is offering a 4L discount on the A4. This is one car I would love to get, even though it is 'not me' right now (in terms of image). Just for comparison sake, how would a 1.8TFSi A4 or the 2.0 TDi A4 compare to the Laura in terms of handling and performance?

Originally Posted by akshay1234

Yes the Vrs is confirmed even by Autocar for the September launch. I think it will come with the same features as the L&K except things like sport seats, bodykit etc. But it will be the same price as the L&K, at least thats what I expect going by what they did with the Octy.

Sunroof will not be there, they removed it from the Laura when it was facelifted.

Think of the 320d for a second. Its almost 30l on road, and besides the 44 extra bhp you get nothing extra. Laura has more room, touchscreen, xenons, 12 speakers, real leather. Doesn't seem like such a bad deal now eh?

Jetta is scheduled for August. It will most likely come with a sunroof.

So the vRS and Jetta are now on the waiting list, if I don't like the drive of the Laura DSG L&K. As you rightly said, it has started making a lot more sense! Thanks!!
The reason I was so keen on the Classic was because maybe I could have spent some money doing up the engine after a while as well. Do you have any idea if the suspension would be tuned differently? Otherwise I might as well get the TSi Classic or TDi L&K DSG.
The thing is that I have had this itch for a very long time to carry out simple mods to my car, and petrols are a lot more mod-friendly. I can get the vRS alloys and tyres for 60K, stanley nappa leather for around 60k as well, a vRS spoiler for 15K, and a Caska touchscreen HU for 60K as well and a further 20K for speakers and a sub. After the discount, I would get a near L&K spec car, with more power for nearly 5L less. I would however lose out on the Xenons and extra airbags and DSG gearbox. Also, my fuel costs would shoot up and resale would be lower.

Originally Posted by frankmehta

Boss, why do I not see a mention of the Verna 1.6 crdi??? The NEW verna!!
It's a meek handler no doubt, but it does everything else with elan. It's almost become my most favourite car in that segment (yes, I know there is a new Fiesta out)

You can keep the change (8.5 lacs) and after a few months, get in a Tein suspension, some good brakes and you have a car that goes like stink and handles decently (not entirely, but with the suspension mods, I am sure you can get a lot out of it)

I am a big fan of the new Verna too, and believe me, if it wasn't for the lousy handling at speed, this thread wouldn't even be started! Suspension mods take care of this issue, but then I would lose out on my warranty, and that is the only thing that bothers me. But if the Laura doesn't work out, this is something I could consider.