[drsingh]

I was looking for something similar a couple of months ago. All the guys in my family are 6 footers and sport turbans.

The most comfortable rear seats at entry level sedan price were the captain seats in the chevrolet enjoy. Most headroom, arm rests and will recline backwards to offer a comfortable angle if you want to sleep.

Lower lip of the boot makes luggage handling easier for senior citizens too.

Wagon r like walk in- walk out of the vehicle too.

Rear wheel drive and the multijet engine are added incentives.

P. S. None of the sedans in the C segment provide comfortable seating for me at the back or should I say an upgrade from my Indigo. If you're willing to consider used, Toyota corolla will be an excellent fit for you.

[drmohitg]

Moral of the story is that all cars will have there share of pros and cons. I think you still haven't really TD the whole lot. So first go and do that. And also experience the rear seat comfort, ease of ingress etc. Only then you can narrow down your list of contenders. Also you will then get an idea of discounts going on and whats the approximate OTR price of all the cars in your list after discounts.

[ashphil]

The Toyota Etios is a a good buy. The service costs of the Etios is surprisingly less than what I incur on my wife's Alto. With the exception of it's bland interiors , the Etios is a wonderful vehicle.
Regards,
Ashok

[shijinpr]

I would recommend the fiesta classic. Recently spotted in a auto magazine (Fastrack-Malayalam) as the top rated among the family cars. Settled ride and dynamics in the diesel verision.Petrol for the spirited drive. Cabin is quiet when compared to Amaze and needless to mention about the perfectly weighted steering.

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by shijinpr

I would recommend the fiesta classic. Recently spotted in a auto magazine (Fastrack-Malayalam) as the top rated among the family cars. Settled ride and dynamics in the diesel verision.Petrol for the spirited drive. Cabin is quiet when compared to Amaze and needless to mention about the perfectly weighted steering.

Fiesta classic for someone who is primarily is buying a car for parents to travel in the rear seat? How is that even justified. It may have all the handling prowess but fails miserably when it comes to interior space specially the rear bench.

[pahwa]

My vote would go to Etios if you are OK with the plain vanilla interiors. Except the minimalistic interiors and not so solid exterior build, its a great car. It comes from someone who has one in the family and has done 80k KM in two years, without any issues. The maintenance costs are too low. I would suggest to pick up an Etios if you drive a lot.

[F150]

Originally Posted by pahwa

My vote would go to Etios if you are OK with the plain vanilla interiors.It comes from someone who has one in the family and has done 80k KM in two years, without any issues.

Could you please comment on the comfort factor ? How is the rear seat, few people said it is not great due to hard bench like seats.

I am waiting for amalji's comments as well.

[RadiantKarma]

To me, it's a 3-way contest beteween Etios, Verito and Sunny. The rest are out based on your criteria.

Sunny would be a standout winner but for its vague brakes (important, since it's going to be a self-driven car) and lack of cubby holes in the cabin.

Etios has many known strengths including balanced ride (Verito is superior), comfortable rear bench (both Sunny and Verito are better in that order of preference). It's weaknesses are too well-known and you'll have to take your own decision regarding bland interiors, NVH etc.

Verito is certainly a good under-rated car if you're ok with the Mahindra badge. (I have driven Logan, but only been driven in a Verito. That time, the car lacked air bags and had a few ergonomic issues.)

Originally Posted by Sridhar K

...I have vouched that I will never want to sit in the back seat of the Etios with its harsh ride, cabin noise. Have traveled extensively in Fiesta and Verito on the same stretch as well during the same period.

I own an Etios Petrol. I've noticed that whenever the petrol pump guy fills the air for tyre pressure in excess of 32 psi, this light car gets rather jumpy. Keep the pressure at 30 and the ride becomes smooth. The tendency of the pump attendants is to keep tyre pressure at 32/33 and I have to tell them every time to reduce the setting to the recommended level of 30. Taxi-wallahs might be prefering higher tyre pressure for better mileage at the cost of ride quality and road grip.

[GTO]

Honestly, I can recommend only two cars: The Sunny & Ertiga.

The Sunny is superior to the Etios in every way, except for the dynamics & Toyota's excellent after-sales service. The Nissan is super reliable (Jap build & workhorse engine), extremely spacious, has good quality interiors, chilling air-conditioner and soft suspension. It's boring to drive for an enthusiast, no doubt. However, the light controls & excellent driveability are an advantage in the city.

Would also recommend checking out the Ertiga. Car-like ride, handling & refinement. Middle row is extremely comfortable with the seat pushed all the way back (at the expense of 3rd row space). Your folks might find the ingress / egress easy too.

Happy shopping!

[headbanger]

Originally Posted by GTO

Middle row is extremely comfortable with the seat pushed all the way back (at the expense of 3rd row space). Your folks might find the ingress / egress easy too.

Happy shopping!

We have 3 Maruti cars in our garage- Zen, Ritz and Dzire and Ride comfort is in this order Zen>Dzire>Ritz.

In fact, for a majority of modern Maruti cars including SX4 as well, the ride comfort on the front seats vis a vis rear bench is astonishingly very different. While on front, ride comfort is better but the rear bench is nothing short of bouncy and harsh rides. Even though Zen's suspension is stiff as compared Dzire and Ritz, it is way more comfortable while going over bad tarmac.

Ertiga being on the same platform as Swift having a comfortable middle row is a surprise to me!!!

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by GTO

The Sunny is superior to the Etios in every way,

I have not experienced the Suny while on the move. I can say teh interiors appointments are in a different league.

From an ownership point of view, is it not safer to buy the Renault Scala over the Sunny?

[dkaile]

I would like to recommend the Etios to you. I am slightly biased towards Toyota having owned 3 of their vehicles with 2 of them currently in my garage. I find their build quality to last and last, their service costs to be minimal and reliability to be highest, amongst the contenders mentioned by you. It is a decision that you can take with your eyes closed and you wont regret it 5 years down the line. I would also like to recommend the petrol variant over the diesel, seeing the diminishing price differential.

I would also suggest you to add a poll to this thread. And would also advice you to check out all these cars personally and take a test drive. Because personalities differ and so do these cars and each individual has his own unique way of looking at a product.

Cheers...

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by dkaile

I would like to recommend the Etios to you. I am slightly biased towards Toyota having owned 3 of their vehicles with 2 of them currently in my garage. I find their build quality to last and last, their service costs to be minimal and reliability to be highest, amongst the contenders mentioned by you.

I used to abide by that too. Toyotas are usually niggle free and very well built cars. But in the Indian context I feel this is more limited to the Innova and Fortuner and old Qualis that you had. My experience with the Altis has been not as good as the Innova I have. The Altis has a problem with the AC which is still un-diagnosed in my car ( basically a small leak) and also has presented a rattle here and there which either disappears in sometime or keeps coming back infrequently. This looks more bad considering that fact that the Altis is driven exclusively by myself and I take very good care of it. The Innova on the other hand has done 1.2L kms, is driven by a driver, over roughest of roads, has seen multiple drivers, is borrowed every other week by some friend or relative and still after all this is absolutely niggle free in terms of rattles etc.

So my opinion is reserved regarding the reliability of the sedans from Toyota. They might be better than the competition but are far behind the MUV/SUVs of Toyota.

[aniketi]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

I want to get a feedback for these models. Could NOT find a comparo for the entry level (diesel) sedans and a winner from that.

Contestants:

Toyota Etios
Mahindra Verito
Nissan Sunny
Chevy Sail
Honda Amaze
Tata Manza

Criteria:

Absolutely NO problems with the badge value
Sedan + Good boot space
Spacious & Comfortable rear seat.
Silent cabin
(Comparative) Driver oriented nature.
Cost of ownership.
NO pre-owned cars!

I will suggest you to go for Nissan Sunny Diesel. It has very well proven diesel heart, high economy, very very spacious, high reliability and great car to own. Looks wise also it is decent. Looks good in darker metallic shades. Initial cost may be little high compared to others but will give you peace of mind for sure.

My neighbor owns one & he has no complaints at all. He has completed around 45 K kilometers and car is doing well. Maintenance costs are also within budget as per him. Go for it

[JediKnight]

A lot of forum members have mentioned that Sunny is very spacious. I beg to disagree. Rear seat space has three components.Leg Room, Shoulder Room and Head Room. Sunny only excels in one of the components that is Leg Room. Its rear seat is neither very wide nor does it have great head room.

The most spacious rear seat taking into account all the components is the Verito followed By Etios. The most comfortable car overall and perhaps the best economy sedan is the Verito. It rides very nicely and there is no difference in ride quality between the rear and front seats ( in contrast to the Japs). NVH is well controlled ( in contrast to Etios ). But it is marred by subpar Mahindra service experience and a "taxi" image. Lot of owners have complained about Mahindra taking a long time to source some replacement parts. Ball back in your court.