[harpreetsubhi]

I booked a Honda City diesel this week. Should be getting my vehicle delivered this weekend. Will post pictures.

[sunilsoft]

Congrats Harpreetsubhi which variant you went for.

[harpreetsubhi]

Originally Posted by sunilsoft

Congrats Harpreetsubhi which variant you went for.

Sorry Sunil as I did not reply in time. Well I took the delivery of my Car on 29th June 2014. It is a silver i dtech SVMT version. Picture attached. Loving the drive each moment.

[sunilsoft]

Looks awesome in Silver and do go for the tyres upgrade because. 175 will not do justice to the car. Congrats once again. Live to drive

[TheHkrish]

Guys ,

Pardon me if its a re-post, since I did not see any thread in the immediate vicinity which touches my gazillion doubts I thought I would start a thread.

First of all let me start by saying that I love my car , my 90Hp Tuscan wine Punto is like a knight in a shining armor to us ( my little family). Only one year old, we had plenty much adventures together some are here in the forum and others are not. But then the question pops up why sell the car? ( I have not sold him yet, but just figuring out the options before I make the leap).
My car is KL registered and to run in Karnataka now I have to pay the road tax at 14% + the CESS , and getting the refund from here is as elusive as finding a Unicorn ( Yes, the real one) in Bangalore. I am not elaborating the reasons of registering the car in Kerala ; my home state.

I had given lots of thought on how to pay the tax here and make peace here; but not getting the tax refund and this sort of bullying ( my individual opinion) is forcing my hand to sell of my tumblr in my home state and to go for a newer car , which should be an upgrade from Punto.

Guys if you can help me out by suggesting which all Automobiles ( looking for a Diesel car) can be a possible upgrade from my Fabulous Punto ( I am open to SUVs and Sedans or anything which can fit the bill).

If I may quote down the requirements here , do have a look and let me know what are my fellow petrolhead's views

1) Build Quality and safety features of the car
We had a pretty heavy crash with our punto but came out unscathed due to the safety features of the car and the build quality. So ABS with EBD and Airbags are a must with strength of the body to withstand a proper crash.
2) Refined and competent engine
I am possibly looking at an upgrade from punto and I am not a big fan of new Punto-EVOs looks. Linea's engine being the same 1.3L MJD 93PS , (call me greedy, but have not crossed Linea from the list though) looking for a machine which can be fun to ride and competent in the city ( Bangalore)
3) Highway Ride quality and suspension
Most of my driving would be on highways and I munch around 2000KM per month so as in my second point the car should be fun to drive on Highways and the suspension should be able to absorb the speed breakers and pot holes of Bangalore
4) Budget less than 13 Lakhs
One area I am certain of
5) No indefinite waiting for receiving the car
Would have loved to wait for new Avventura , but the indefinite wait is pushing me off.

P.S: It would be great if the car can accommodate an extended family of 5
Thanks for listening

[coolboy007]

I have only 3 suggestions for your mate - Vento/Rapid TDi or the new Ford Fiesta and that is all i can think of seeing your requirements.

1. Vento/Rapid are solidly built and the top models are under 13 lakhs with ABS and dual airbags, also the sheet metal quality is good and you do get a reassuring thud from doors (it is not a tank like Linea but better than other C segment cars). Fiesta also has excellent build and has all the safety features. You can consider City too but the build is light.

2. The 1.6 TDi is not very refined but believe me that after driving a Punto, you will be blown away by the power and torque of this engine and zilch turbo lag. Even after driving my Vento for 2 years, the acceleration in 2nd and 3rd gear is blurringly fast after 2000 RPM, in gear timings are the best and car returns an extremely good fuel efficiency. Verna has the most refined engine but after driving a Fiat, you would not be able to adjust to the boat like handling.

The 1.5 TDCi in Fiesta would suffice your needs but wont give you any thrills, linear power delivery, low turbo lag and extremely refined motor.

3. Top scores here for Vento Rapid, the ride is good and handling excellent as well. Own a Linea as well (165 mm GC) and it trumps Vento in both ride and handling though, wish it had a 1.6 MJD, 1.3 is no justice to a car this heavy with such handling prowess.
Space at the rear is great in Rapid/Vento though accomodating the 5th person could be an issue due to the transmission hump.
The Fiesta trumps every one here with its stellar ride and handling but space at rear is poor and sitting 3 is impossible.

5. Fiesta has a waiting i think but Vento/Rapid are available off the shelves with good discounts too.

Have a TD and let us know what you decide.

[linuxmanju]

^^ As above. If you could hold on to your current car for another 3/4 months, Rapid facelift is around the corner.

There are speculations that Skoda might discontinue 1.6 TDI and bring in only 1.5 TDI. I had a discussion with a sales manager and he confirmed that 1.5 along with 1.6 will be available in the facelift giving customers a choice to pick. Even if they discontinue 1.6, you can bargain better on existing stock of Pre-facelift models.

TDI engines produce loads of torque and are fun to drive on a highway. I would pick Rapid over Vento as its priced cheaper and Rapid seems to be sprung slightly stiffer.

[phamilyman]

Have you put the numbers together?

Value of re-registration + selling the punto after 4-5 years VS
Selling punto now + buying new upgrade car.

I would be heavily biased towards option 1. Punto wouldn't have the best resale, unlike a swift diesel or a honda.

[CountMe91]

With this budget, if I were to go for a sedan, I would choose a fully loaded Honda City - top model iDtec with all the safety features. For a SUV, a Scorpio would be the perfect choice within 13Lac.

[extreme_torque]

Originally Posted by CountMe91

With this budget, if I were to go for a sedan, I would choose a fully loaded Honda City - top model iDtec with all the safety features. For a SUV, a Scorpio would be the perfect choice within 13Lac.

Ride and handling wise, the new Honda City is not an upgrade over Punto. The only options to me are the new Ford Fiesta or the VW Vento. But given an option if I was you, I would probably continued with Punto simply because depreciation hit and the cost of buying a new car just does not make sense.

[ghodlur]

If you are satisfied customer of the Punto 90Hp, then I guess your obvious upgrade should be Linea 1.3 MJD. I presume you are looking for a diesel sedan. The car ticks all your requirement, has the same genes as the 90HP, will cost much lesser than your estimate.

If Linea is not your choice, then I would suggest new Ford Fiesta. Ecosport would be a good option but it will be a different segment.

[F150]

To put it straight, you are just finding reasons for an upgrade where you dont really need one.

Re-register and PUNTO and proceed, no need to buy a new car.

The cars within your budget are not miles ahead of of the power that your punto is already making.

Unless you need more space, which I dont see as a primary criterion in your opening post, you are wasting money.

I am pretty sure you are not doing 2000km per month on the highway with 5 people. Are you ?

[CountMe91]

Makes sense but at the same time, A.S.S and resale value of Honda is much better. While Ford offers the best in class handling and driving dynamics, the egine spec in Vento is something to drool over. I need to prioritize my criteria in this case. Although the new Ford Fiesta is packed with all creature comforts it is selling in very less numbers

The 1.5 iDtec engine may not be that rev happy like the 1.3 MJD engine of the Punto since acceleration is more on the linear side and NVH levels are kind of high too. But the fit and finish, reliability, A.S.S of a Honda weighs more.

Originally Posted by extreme_torque

Ride and handling wise, the new Honda City is not an upgrade over Punto. The only options to me are the new Ford Fiesta or the VW Vento. But given an option if I was you, I would probably continued with Punto simply because depreciation hit and the cost of buying a new car just does not make sense.

[drmohitg]

I would also tend to agree with member phamilyman above that unless you want to change the car for reasons other than finances, it doesn't make any sense. Re-registering the car is going to be much cheaper than the hit you are going to take on the resale and then buying a new car which would also cost you considerably more being in Bangalore and its higher road tax rates. You have also mentioned that your car had a nasty accident and that will reduce the resale value further.

[TheHkrish]

Thanks Coolboy, thanks for letting me know the options.
This touches almost my points . I haven't sold the car yet

Originally Posted by coolboy007

I have only 3 suggestions for your mate - Vento/Rapid TDi or the new Ford Fiesta and that is all i can think of seeing your requirements.

1. Vento/Rapid are solidly built and the top models are under 13 lakhs with ABS and dual airbags, also the sheet metal quality is good and you do get a reassuring thud from doors (it is not a tank like Linea but better than other C segment cars). Fiesta also has excellent build and has all the safety features. You can consider City too but the build is light.

2. The 1.6 TDi is not very refined but believe me that after driving a Punto, you will be blown away by the power and torque of this engine and zilch turbo lag. Even after driving my Vento for 2 years, the acceleration in 2nd and 3rd gear is blurringly fast after 2000 RPM, in gear timings are the best and car returns an extremely good fuel efficiency. Verna has the most refined engine but after driving a Fiat, you would not be able to adjust to the boat like handling.

The 1.5 TDCi in Fiesta would suffice your needs but wont give you any thrills, linear power delivery, low turbo lag and extremely refined motor.

3. Top scores here for Vento Rapid, the ride is good and handling excellent as well. Own a Linea as well (165 mm GC) and it trumps Vento in both ride and handling though, wish it had a 1.6 MJD, 1.3 is no justice to a car this heavy with such handling prowess.
Space at the rear is great in Rapid/Vento though accomodating the 5th person could be an issue due to the transmission hump.
The Fiesta trumps every one here with its stellar ride and handling but space at rear is poor and sitting 3 is impossible.

5. Fiesta has a waiting i think but Vento/Rapid are available off the shelves with good discounts too.

Have a TD and let us know what you decide.

Thanks linuxmanju, Thanks for the suggestion.
I will be certainly looking into this.

Originally Posted by linuxmanju

^^ As above. If you could hold on to your current car for another 3/4 months, Rapid facelift is around the corner.

There are speculations that Skoda might discontinue 1.6 TDI and bring in only 1.5 TDI. I had a discussion with a sales manager and he confirmed that 1.5 along with 1.6 will be available in the facelift giving customers a choice to pick. Even if they discontinue 1.6, you can bargain better on existing stock of Pre-facelift models.

TDI engines produce loads of torque and are fun to drive on a highway. I would pick Rapid over Vento as its priced cheaper and Rapid seems to be sprung slightly stiffer.

Thanks CountMe91, Buddy . Thanks for the suggestion, but I am a bit vary of the sheet metal quality of honda in General.

Originally Posted by CountMe91

With this budget, if I were to go for a sedan, I would choose a fully loaded Honda City - top model iDtec with all the safety features. For a SUV, a Scorpio would be the perfect choice within 13Lac.

Originally Posted by CountMe91

Makes sense but at the same time, A.S.S and resale value of Honda is much better. While Ford offers the best in class handling and driving dynamics, the egine spec in Vento is something to drool over. I need to prioritize my criteria in this case. Although the new Ford Fiesta is packed with all creature comforts it is selling in very less numbers

The 1.5 iDtec engine may not be that rev happy like the 1.3 MJD engine of the Punto since acceleration is more on the linear side and NVH levels are kind of high too. But the fit and finish, reliability, A.S.S of a Honda weighs more.

Thanks Extreme torque, I am still thinking on the up-gradation part from punto , have not finalized on selling the car yet. But I did want to know what are my options.

Originally Posted by extreme_torque

Ride and handling wise, the new Honda City is not an upgrade over Punto. The only options to me are the new Ford Fiesta or the VW Vento. But given an option if I was you, I would probably continued with Punto simply because depreciation hit and the cost of buying a new car just does not make sense.

Thanks ghodlur, Once you are bitten by the fiat bug , its pretty difficult to get over it.

Originally Posted by ghodlur

If you are satisfied customer of the Punto 90Hp, then I guess your obvious upgrade should be Linea 1.3 MJD. I presume you are looking for a diesel sedan. The car ticks all your requirement, has the same genes as the 90HP, will cost much lesser than your estimate.

If Linea is not your choice, then I would suggest new Ford Fiesta. Ecosport would be a good option but it will be a different segment.