Hyundai Elantra
What you'll like:
• Fluidic design is stylish & contemporary. Will appeal to many
• Priced well - among the lowest in the segment. Offers the most value for money
• Spacious, high quality interiors
• Refined diesel & petrol engines mated to smooth 6-speed automatics
• Suspension delivers a comfortable ride & neutral dynamics
• Loaded with kit! Hands-free boot, ventilated seats, Eco / Sport driving modes, HD ICE etc.
• Top safety rating. Has 6 airbags, ESC, VSM, hill-start assist & more
• Hyundai's reliability, competent after-sales & 3 year unlimited km warranty
What you won't:
• Neither engine offers explosive performance. 1.6L diesel lacks the punch of competition's 2.0s
• Uninvolving to drive. Jetta & Octavia are a lot more fun on the highway
• Conservatively tuned AT can't match the speed of the VW group's DSG
• Some missing features (auto wipers, folding rear seat, glovebox illumination...)
• Shockingly, the Manual SX(O) is lesser equipped than the Automatic SX(O)
• Diesel AT - a popular combo - is available only in the top variant. No choice of trims
Link to Official Review Toyota Corolla Altis
Link to Toyota Corolla Altis thread Link to BHPian hypermiler's Toyota Corolla Altis Ownership Report Link to BHPian Severus's Toyota Corolla Altis Ownership Report Skoda Octavia
What you'll like:
• Classic European styling & build. Premium quality inside out
• Wide engine range: Adequate 1.4L TSI, economical 2.0L diesel and explosive 1.8L TSI
• Smooth, high-tech DSG. Lightning quick upshifts
• Enhanced cabin room & spacious rear seat. Cavernous 590 liter boot as well
• Loaded with features (panoramic sunroof, electric seats with memory, bi-xenon lights etc.)
• Middle
Ambition variant is well-equipped. Has a Diesel Automatic available too
• 5 star NCAP rating. Safety kit includes 6 airbags, ABS + EBD, ESP, EDL and more
What you won't:
• 2.0L diesel & 1.4L petrol get an inferior (
torsion beam) rear suspension
• 1.4L TSI has prominent turbo lag at low rpms
• Some niceties missing (paddle shifters, smart keyless entry & go, alloy wheel spare)
• 1.8L TSI isn't offered with a manual transmission for the purists
• Unusually tall floor hump makes things uncomfortable for the 5th occupant
• Long term reliability concerns over the DSG automatic
• Skoda’s ill-famed after sales service & dealer network
Link to Official Review Volkswagen Jetta
What you’ll like:
• Classic, timeless and understated styling, mated with solid build quality
• 2.0L diesel is fast, torquey, refined & fuel-efficient. 6-speed manual is a joy to use
• Smooth, high-tech 6-speed DSG automatic (diesel). Lightning quick upshifts
• Spacious cabin, front & back
• Mature ride and handling package. Extremely well-tuned suspension
• Features such as bi-xenon headlamps, LED DRLs, dual-zone climate control, touchscreen ICE etc.
• 5 star NCAP rating. Safety kit includes 6 airbags, ABS + EBD, ESP, EDL and more
What you won’t:
• Leather seats, sunroof & reversing camera are conspicuous by their absence
• DSG only offered with the diesel's Highline variant. Octavia has it on the middle variant too
• Lacklustre 1.4L TSI petrol engine. Explosive 1.8L TSI isn't available in the Jetta
• Interior quality is a grade or two lower than the previous generation Jetta
• Unusually tall floor hump can make things uncomfortable for the 5th occupant
• Newer Skoda Octavia has more power, equipment & a bigger boot
• VW's substandard dealership & service experiences
Link to Official Review Chevrolet Cruze
What you’ll like:
• Funky exterior & interior styling
• Well-rounded 164 BHP engine is fast, refined & efficient. Turbo-lag is greatly reduced
• Loaded with equipment (sunroof, keyless entry & go, electric driver's seat, cruise control, rain sensing wipers etc.)
• Good reliability, as proven by the many Team-BHP ownership reviews
• Competitively priced. Variant to variant, the Cruze is priced at the low end of the D1 segment
What you won’t:
• The 2,000 rpm
turbo kick of the older car is gone. Power delivery is tamer now
• Rear seat comfort is inferior to all direct competitors
• Mediocre interior quality. Just doesn't feel premium enough
• Not as dynamically accomplished as the Europeans
• Lousy JK Vectra OEM tyres & weak headlamps. An upgrade for both is mandatory
Link to Official Review