[Prodigyy]

Yet another confused bohemian soul ponders for the perfect car on this sedan thread in the range of Rs. 10 Lakhs.

Well, my search for a new sedan started a month back when i was sort of fed-up with my current car Tata Manza(P) with its not so good and friendly service & niggling issues. Such was my plight with the Tata Service that the only service station anywhere near my vicinity in Noida was never willing to accept my car for a service let along mending of the some problems. All i used to hear was request you to come back tomorrow with the car & just taking my car out of the station after a service is completed usually took me about a couple of hours to say the least.

Anyways, so after some discussions in my family we decided to opt for another car this time a better one
My requirements were pretty simple:
a. Generous space in the driver's seat (due to my huge 6'4" frame coupled with a more than required 100+ kg weight)
b. A No hassles car (was completely fed up of various trips to the service station) so basically a car which would run without showing up too many issues
c. A car which does not cost me a bomb if and when i needed to get spare parts changed.
d. Good Fuel economy with a monthly run of about 1000-1200 Kms
e. A Budget of 8-8.5 Lakhs

Initial thoughts were towards a Petrol Sedan.. the only ones making the list were a Honda City or a Hyundai Verna (Primarily since both of them had decent fuel economy figures). Went for a test drive of Honda City, which IMO is THE best sedan in Petrol and much to my shock & dismay, i couldn't fit in in a Honda City, headroom was at a real premium in there. Sorry to all the Honda City Supporters but out went the Honda City. The other petrol options would have definitely cost me a lot with the sort of running & a city like Delhi where distances increase exponentially with a single detour.

After a whole lot of discussions within the family, we decided to get a diesel sedan then, needless to say the budget had to go up since we needed a premium sedan (obviously the Dilli ke Punjabis love to show-off same the case with me & my family too ), the budget would now be extended to something like 10-10.25 maybe some 4-5K more but that's about it.

A Complete No-Nos were Tata's, Fiat & Skoda's (Thanks in no small way to the TATA Service station which lived up to its reputation more than required in my case). Nissan Sunny & Renault Scala though being decent cars, the service centres in and around Mayur Vihar were very very few & me being from a service class family could not afford to travel a lot just for servicing or break-downs, so the list got trimmed. In the end left with the following cars:

1. MS Sx4
2. Hyundai Verna
3. VW Vento

TD's for all happened, and without a doubt all three have there own pros & cons, all three pretty fast and with very less turbo lag were completely acceptable for city driving.

Sx4 with its commanding view of the road & the great MS Service network, besides easy on the pocket spare parts. Vento with a great balanced ride & the awesome torque (though for some reason i thought that torque on Verna & Sx4 felt a lil higher, maybe the driveability was better for them). Verna with uber cool looks & more than decent gizmo list was a very good choice.

Now the tough part, Sx4's top model is costing me about 10.2 (pretty much my budget); Vento with the comfortline was just like its name.. very comfortably in my budget, Highline well a tad beyond my budget but just loved the solid feel of the car so could end up spending that much), but have heard horror stories about VW Service stations & its exorbitant labor & spare parts cost (when compared to Maruti or Hyundai)

I despised the Verna's 1.4 Engine so i have to opt one of the 1.6 Engine's models but unfortunately both of them are taking me way beyond my budget with OTR prices ranging from 10.7 & above.

Some help from the members here would be of great help, ill be going for a Ghaziabad registration, so keeping that in mind, any inputs on the three cars above would be of great help here for me. I plan to book & take delivery of my car in the upcoming Navratras !!

[joslicx]

^^ Since you want a no hassles car the diesel SX4 is a good choice considering your frame. I think you should look at the Renault Duster & Scala/Sunny as well. Though I myself drive the Vento but wont suggest the same as you as your requirements are a no hassles cheap to maintain car and that the Vento is not!

Also if you are not averse to Petrol then have a look at the Linea Tjet. Do some research on the local service stations and if they are good enough then it is a pretty brilliant car.

[Prodigyy]

Originally Posted by joslicx

^^ Since you want a no hassles car the diesel SX4 is a good choice considering your frame. I think you should look at the Renault Duster & Scala/Sunny as well. Though I myself drive the Vento but wont suggest the same as you as your requirements are a no hassles cheap to maintain car and that the Vento is not!

Also if you are not averse to Petrol then have a look at the Linea Tjet. Do some research on the local service stations and if they are good enough then it is a pretty brilliant car.

Yeah, Sx4 was coming out as the one towards which i was inclined more to, but for some reason unknown to me, Sx4 is a very less talked about and even less sold model amongst these near 10 Lac cars.

As mentioned in the official T-BHP review of the Sx4 Diesel is a very neutral sedan & hence i guess why no one till date has been able to tell me anything grossly wrong with the car neither though i have been able to get anything outstanding about the car.

Nonetheless, i dont understand why people neither talk about it (Its not even in the thread name ) nor do people buy it, am i missing something about the car ?? Does the car have any major problem per se ??? Say maybe about its resale value or its drive or maybe its security features ???

[sameerg001]

Originally Posted by Prodigyy

Yeah, Sx4 was coming out as the one towards which i was inclined more to, but for some reason unknown to me, Sx4 is a very less talked about and even less sold model amongst these near 10 Lac cars.

As mentioned in the official T-BHP review of the Sx4 Diesel is a very neutral sedan & hence i guess why no one till date has been able to tell me anything grossly wrong with the car neither though i have been able to get anything outstanding about the car.

Nonetheless, i dont understand why people neither talk about it (Its not even in the thread name ) nor do people buy it, am i missing something about the car ?? Does the car have any major problem per se ??? Say maybe about its resale value or its drive or maybe its security features ???

The car is not exciting at all, For a 10L budget, You have other good contenders, Sx4 is not involving to drive, Nor ride and handling is good, Space is okay.

Whereas, Linea with same engine offers best in class ride and handling package. Vento is a balanced car, Involving to drive, Space is good, Powerful engine. Same is the case with Rapid, Sunny/scala offers superior space ( segment best ).

So, Whereas other car excels in one department or other, Sx4 come up pretty balanced.

If I have 10 and half lakhs to spend on a Car, Without no doubt, It'll be a vento for me, Powerful engine which does give decent mileage figures, Good ride and handling, Space is good and Interior quality is segment best.

Cheers
Sameer

[joslicx]

Originally Posted by Prodigyy

Yeah, Sx4 was coming out as the one towards which i was inclined more to, but for some reason unknown to me, Sx4 is a very less talked about and even less sold model amongst these near 10 Lac cars.

As mentioned in the official T-BHP review of the Sx4 Diesel is a very neutral sedan & hence i guess why no one till date has been able to tell me anything grossly wrong with the car neither though i have been able to get anything outstanding about the car.

Nonetheless, i dont understand why people neither talk about it (Its not even in the thread name ) nor do people buy it, am i missing something about the car ?? Does the car have any major problem per se ??? Say maybe about its resale value or its drive or maybe its security features ???

Well the bane of SX4 is the Maruti tag. People dont want to pay that much for a Maruti. Otherwise its a very good car. Nothing wrong with it (as you want a no nonsense car).

Originally Posted by sameerg001

If I have 10 and half lakhs to spend on a Car, Without no doubt, It'll be a vento for me, Powerful engine which does give decent mileage figures, Good ride and handling, Space is good and Interior quality is segment best.

Cheers
Sameer

Well prodigyy wants a hasslefree and low maintenance car. Plus he is 6'4. I doubt Vento would be right for him (given its low stance). It would be a nightmare getting in/out everytime.

[Prodigyy]

Originally Posted by joslicx

Plus he is 6'4. I doubt Vento would be right for him (given its low stance). It would be a nightmare getting in/out everytime.

Sure was a tough job for me Ingressing & egressing from the lowly seated Vento during the TD, although the head room was okayish (at best); no such issues in the Sx4 though.

Headroom was the reason why i dropped the idea of ANHC and moved to the Diesel territory in the first place

[sameerg001]

Originally Posted by Prodigyy

Sure was a tough job for me Ingressing & egressing from the lowly seated Vento during the TD, although the head room was okayish (at best); no such issues in the Sx4 though.

Headroom was the reason why i dropped the idea of ANHC and moved to the Diesel territory in the first place

You tried ertiga ?

Yup, It will be a nightmare for you enter/exit the vento everytime, So I guess this rules out Vento/rapid.

Well, You can see if sunny fits the bill, though it's dull to drive, You won't enjoy driving her much.

If you are okay with driving around in Suv, You can add scorpio to the list too.

and If you find Sx4 to be good, You can surely go ahead and buy one, It's a true no nonsense car, Though not a true driver's car but better then sunny/scala for sure

Cheers,
Sameer

[Prodigyy]

Originally Posted by sameerg001

You tried ertiga ?

Yup, It will be a nightmare for you enter/exit the vento everytime, So I guess this rules out Vento/rapid.

Well, You can see if sunny fits the bill, though it's dull to drive, You won't enjoy driving her much.

If you are okay with driving around in Suv, You can add scorpio to the list too.

and If you find Sx4 to be good, You can surely go ahead and buy one, It's a true no nonsense car, Though not a true driver's car but better then sunny/scala for sure

Cheers,
Sameer

I so so desperately wanted to own an SUV; and everytime i pop the idea to my family all i hear is: "Pehle parking ki jagah banwa lo apne liye ek dedicated fir SUV le lena"; and all i can do after hearing this is stay mum

If only i had that elusive parking space below my house i would have by now had a Scorpio standing there !!!

Anyways, back to the topic, one generic question before i finally pay the booking amount to MSIL, but before i put the question here are some statistics taken from Autocar India

20-80(3rd Gear)
Vento - 9.24 - 1st
SX4 - 10.32 - 2nd
Linea - 11.86 - 3rd
Verna - 13.00 - 4th
Fiesta - 13.48 - 5th

40-100(4th Gear)
Vento - 10.50 - 1st
SX4 - 13.01 - 2nd
Linea - 13.64 - 3rd
Verna - 15.10 - 4th
Fiesta - 15.80 - 5th

Still people usually say that Sx4 needs to be worked upon to keep it on the boil, isnt it a strong mid-range that is much desired while driving in the city ?? Agree that the Sx4 would be beaten fair & square in a drag race by both the Vento as well as the Verna, but dont the above figures suggest that the Sx4 is a great car to be while roaming in the city ??

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by Prodigyy

Still people usually say that Sx4 needs to be worked upon to keep it on the boil, isnt it a strong mid-range that is much desired while driving in the city ?? Agree that the Sx4 would be beaten fair & square in a drag race by both the Vento as well as the Verna, but dont the above figures suggest that the Sx4 is a great car to be while roaming in the city ??

SX4 is a good car, but overall there is nothing outstanding or spectacular to highlight. For e.g.; Vento/Rapid can boast of the excellent 1.6 TDI engine, Fiesta for its steering/handling, Linea for its looks/build, Sunny for its space and reliability, Verna for features etc. And the car now looks quite dated as well. But overall, I feel the car deserve better attention – both from the buyers and the manufacturer.

[joslicx]

prodigyy if you are prepared to wait a bit then do look at the upcoming Ford Ecosport! It is going to be one hell of a car if reports are to be believed. Its got the same character as the new Fiesta and Autocar says that the interiors are better (or feel better at least). The SUVish stance will be a boon to a tall person like you and theres ample space at the back as well.

Do go thru the Ecosport thread here on tbhp.

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by Prodigyy

Still people usually say that Sx4 needs to be worked upon to keep it on the boil, isnt it a strong mid-range that is much desired while driving in the city ?? Agree that the Sx4 would be beaten fair & square in a drag race by both the Vento as well as the Verna, but dont the above figures suggest that the Sx4 is a great car to be while roaming in the city ??

Having given the SX4 a good deal of TD before I finalized on the Vento, let me give you a fair viewpoint. The car is more than enough for driving in the city, infact if you have driven a Swift, then you'll kind of feel at home. And on the highways, although it would not be able to match a Vento or a Verna (?) on every aspect, however it will do the job sufficiently.

As for the comments you have heard, probably the reason is the SX4 doesn't have a turbo rush similar to the (older) Swift; it has a more linear acceleration and hence the feeling of not having a good mid-range.

The car is sturdy, feels large (for a sedan) and is value for money. I haven't driven the Nissan Sunny yet, but I believe you should give that a shot. But if the SX4 ticks all your boxes, then I'd recommend you stop doubting your decision and go ahead with it. This car won't let you down for sure.

[pganapathy]

Of the three models short listed, pick the sx4. The verna would have been a good choice as well but pricing is the issue. Have you considered the petrol version of these three. Cheaper and if driving quantity is limited offsets the higher petrol price.

Am just curious whether you test drove the Jazz. Yes it is petrol only for now (Honda testing out diesel engined brio so can assume whole range will have diesel in some time).

[filcord]

Test-drive the diesel SX4 zdi. As far as room, comfort and handling are concerned, I'm quite happy with my petrol zxi. If the diesel has the reponse you're looking for, go for it. It's a Maruti after all, and peace of mind is guaranteed.

[sandeep3in]

Having driven the cars mentioned here the vento/verna and Sx4.I doubt about the ability of Verna to beat the sx4 . I had instances when i took Verna past the 80 kM/hr, it didn't inspire confidence in me . I doubt the ride and handling of Verna . Though the specs suggest there is difference between a 120 BHP and a 90BHP car , you just don't feel confident to use that 120 BHP on the Verna.These are purely my thought so verna owners, please don't bash me .

Vento/Rapid is a drivers cars , good performance and can beat the sx4 in straight line drive.The ride and handling is much superior than the sx4 .

If i need to rate, i would rate vento/Rapid followed by Sx4/Ertiga and then the Verna

[Prodigyy]

So then, here are my final consideration for giving the booking amount:

1. VW Vento
+ An amazing engine & drive
+ Solid & Robust build quality
- Very low seated for a 6'4" guy like me
- Low on features
- HL version stretching my budget a bit

2. Hyundai Verna
+ Absolutely segment best looks
+ A great 1.6L Engine
+ Loads and loads of gizmos
- Even lower than the Vento ingress & egress for me would make me dread this car
- The car even though very powerful does not inspire confidence by its ride
- CRDi 1.6 was way beyond my budget, didn't like the 1.4 Engine

3. Renault Duster
+ A very practical car for Indian roads
+ High stance made my huge frame very comfortable
- 85 bhp model was threadbare, no features whatsoever
- 110 bhp engine had tons of turbo lag, more than i would have liked besides being out of my budget

4. MS Sx4
+ A good engine, with a strong mid-range making for easy city driving
+ Proven performer
+ have always loved the muscular & solid looks of Sx4
+ High stance gave me a very comfortable driving position and an easy egress & ingress
+ Maruti Service peace of mind
- Low on features when compared to competition
- An Ageing car which would probably be replaced in a couple of years' time, even though its only been an year and a half for the Diesel version.
- Not great on space for a car this size

Did not consider Sunny / Scala (Never really liked the looks for either of them); Fiat Linea (Thanks to the TATA Service Stations); Ford Fiesta (Urghhh; that ugly looking rear !!! )

So Well, after spending a good portion of the last 4 weeks of my life in test driving various near one million rupee sedans i am about to pay the booking amount for Sx4 "Celebration Edition" Diesel tomorrow. The Celebration Edition only because its saving 50K, final OTR cost 9.54 Lakhs (UP Registration) Add 0% Depreciation & 4th Yr Warranty & Reverse Sensor + Camera & the total package cost is 9.78 OTR.

My reasons for choosing this car after discussions on this forum:

a. A Niggle free-no hassles car
b. The only Sedan which gave my huge built enough space (read headroom) and easy ingress/egress
c. The famed Maruti peace of mind !!!

Thank you everyone for helping me out with this choice !!!