[DicKy]

From the looks of it, Trivandrum motors is here to stay.
Their new showroom near Pazhavangadi flyover is a lot better (still small) than the joke of a showroom in the bypass.

For me the deal breaker is their service centre. I wouldn't mind taking a Tinago there, but a Hexa? No way.
The place is too cramped and has an unprofessional vibe about it. Mind you, it's been months since I have visited. They could have changed to a better place by now.
Still, do visit the service centre before making the purchase rather than the showroom.

About the choices...

Zest
(+)
* Awesome ride quality and ride height that makes you question the need for quasi crossovers.
* Strong build quality
*THAT music system
*A pretty good steering feel by EPS standards.
(-)
*ONE teeny weeny cupholder. Lack of storage space seriously puts you off. They did the same in the Hexa, but Tiago and Nexons made up for it.
*Petrol Tata...Poor resale and long term support are a part and parcel.
*A stop-gap model between old Tatas and the new awesome Tatas.

Etios
(+)
*Strong mechanicals. The engine, suspension, brakes, body frame et al
*Ergonomics, ease of driving and space.
*In an place where wheezy 1.2s bring shame to petrol engines, the 1.5l engine is a brilliant one. Pretty basic and not a gem as Hondas 1.5l, but in day to-day driving you will love it.
* That boot capacity.
(-)
*Mechanicals by Toyota. Outer body skin and interiors by Kirloskar.
*The interiors from the pull type outer door handles onwards will make you feel shortchanged compared to rivals. But rest assured, these will remain the same for the next 5+ years, unlike other rivals' pull type handles that jiggle in a couple of years or interiors that fade with a couple of strong summers and use

[AYP]

Between these two cars, I'd suggest the Etios. However, if you can stretch your budget till 9L, have a look at the Ciaz Sigma. Even though it will be a tad spartan, I'd still suggest it over the Etios. Or else you can go for the Ciaz Delta .

Any reason why cars like the Dzire and Xcent are out of contention?

[DCEite]

With thousands of Tiago's, Nexon's on the road, most of them running on the same Revotron Petrol engine - i do not think you need to worry about long term reliability of this engine at all!

Rather than Zest - why not go for the newer generation - the Tigor ? Although it doesn't come with a Turbo charger like Zest, its a lot more car per car than the Zest. Specially the AMT version.

[avingodb]

I would recommend waiting until the Autoexpo is done with now. Tata is about to unveil various updates/versions and I feel it would be worth it. I am also in same bracket, waiting to see Auto/AMT versions in 7-10 lakh bracket.

[blackwasp]

Originally Posted by DicKy

About the choices...

Zest

Etios

Between the two, I'd choose the Etios. Toyota may not be a looker or feature loaded, but features like 3-point seatbelts for all occupants, ISOFix, and the fuss free ownership of the Toyota will be beneficial over the long term.

Did you consider the new Dzire?

[su1978]

Out of the two cars that you have mentioned above, my pick would be Etios any day. Toyota cars are built to last forever. They have never compromised on quality. Looks are something that you will learn to live with after a period of time. The dealers themselves will declare that their cars are not good to look. They do not want to win beauty contests. It is the mechanical magnificence and Service cost that will keep you happy in long run. You will smile every-time you walk out of the service center with a service bill little more than what it takes to service a bike.

On the other hand if you buy a Maruti or Tata vehicle or even a Hyundai, you might want to open a recurring deposit account to pay for your service bills every 6 months or 10000 kilometers.
Last decision rests entirely on you. Go with your heart. After-all its your money that you are paying.

[Latheesh]

I have another suggestion - Honda Jazz S CVT. It is going to cost under 9L OTR in Kerala.
It has dual airbags+ABS+ivtec engine+Spacious interior+350L boot+convenience of CVT. They may launch face lifted version during Auto Expo next month.

[revvhed]

Have you considered the Nexon ? Seems like a really good vehicle at a good price point. Should meet most, if not all of your requirements. Or, If you only want a sedan then the Tigor is much newer, better built, looks good and has well appointed interiors. Either of these two will hold their value better than the Zest. I haven't driven them though so can't comment on the drivability of either.
I find the Etios too plane jane. While I'm sure it is a very reliable car being from the Toyota stable, it feels very flimsily built. The few Etios taxis that I have sat in have had quite a few rattles and clunking suspension. I didn't feel that they were holding up any better than any of the other vehicles used as cabs.

[GT3]

I recently purchased the Etios GXd. Here are my observations regarding my vehicle:

1) The looks are OK after the facelift in 2016 and the interiors are good to look, atleast in the V and VX model. But the interiors are a bit inferior in quality of materials but the fit is good.

2)The seating comfort and space is excellent. There a lot of useful cubby spaces all around the car and it has a large boot which is useful for your highway drives.

3)The 1.4 diesel is not even what you would call as adequately powerful(My previous car - Figo 1.5 D). I test drive the 1.5 petrol and found it to be good in performance and refinement.

4)The suspension is extremely sorted with a bias towards comfort. Hard cornering is not it's forte.

5)My car has covered 4K kms and the serive provided had been excellent. They genuinely put an effort to resolve all my small issues.

[GTO]

Between these two sedans, it's the Etios without a doubt. Main problem is the outdated styling & taxi image. On the other hand, it is beautifully engineered - the 1.5L petrol has excellent driveability, the suspension is fantastic and the car is spacious. You can really have fun with the Etios on the open road. In terms of safety too, the Etios has scored well in the crash tests (all of us were pleasantly surprised). The Zest, on the other hand, is decent but not great. My best friend has a Bolt with the Revotron engine and it had visited the workshop twice for engine related issues in 5,000 km. I prefer to stay away from freshly developed Tata engines. Tata petrols also depreciate like stink. The Zest isn't as fun to drive as the Etios either. And lest we forget, Toyota's after-sales blows Tata's out of the water.

However, what I would really recommend is to look outside of these two cars. There are many more modern options in the budget, and the Yaris Ativ is coming up as well (although it's a segment up - against the City & Verna). You can consider the Dzire (very competent) and other options like the EcoSport, Baleno etc. too.

[DCEite]

Originally Posted by GTO

I prefer to stay away from freshly developed Tata engines. Tata petrols also depreciate like stink.

I beg to disagree here, GTO.

In the days of Indica/Vista, the statement did hod true. I myself wouldn't have touched a TATA petrol with a barge pole.

The newer generation - namely the Revotron, has undergone extensive testing and endurance, and thousands of examples doing absolutely fine in the Tiagos, Nexons and Tigors on the road are a testimony to that.

True, things can go wrong even in a Japanese or Korean. My 20k run Hyundai Xcent had a sudden failure of alternator belt for no reason.

On the other hand, my neighbour's Tiago XZ petrol has done close to 40k kms without any engine issue whatsoever.

I think we all need to stop stereotyping TATA for its past and give it credit where it is due - for developing competent products in house and acceptable levels of engineering finesse.

If i am not wrong, most of the Tiagos, Nexons and Tigors sold in Indian roads are Petrol powered ones - all based on the same Revotron engine. I do expect the depreciation to be more than Maruti/Hyundai for example - but not by a big margin anymore.

[ashis89]

Originally Posted by DCEite

If i am not wrong, most of the Tiagos, Nexons and Tigors sold in Indian roads are Petrol powered ones

This is true.

- all based on the same Revotron engine. I do expect the depreciation to be more than Maruti/Hyundai for example - but not by a big margin anymore.

This is not true. The Revotron on the Zest and Bolt are 4-cyl ones and based on the old Vista petrol engine (which was a Fiat engine if I am not wrong). That said, I shared examples in my post earlier where a couple of Zest(P) have done 70k kms each without any issues at all.

The Nexon and Tiago/Tigor use the same engine with or without turbo-charging. This is an all new 3-cyl engine which is planned for use in all the future models. Both the engines have been tested extensively as you mentioned.

[Added_flavor]

I had the exact same requirements and shortlist - Zest and Etios Petrol.

My Zest TD experience has been noted here

Finally, after driving the Baleno Petrol, I zeroed in on that. It is fairly peppy for the highway, very very fuel efficient and spacious.

The only dicey factor is the safety. Although EURO NCAP has given 3 and 4 stars to Baleno, not sure if the same can be considered for the Baleno running on Indian roads, knowing Maruti's history WRT safety. However, to a layman, the sheet metal on the Baleno feels much better than that on the Etios.

All the best!

[abhi7013]

With a Sports version of the Tigor/Tiago coming in with better engine specs and 6-speed gearbox, I would suggest you hold on till the date of the Auto Expo. Only then would we know when these cars are planned to launch and what other features would be added.
However, if you need a car within a month or two, suggest you TD the new Dezire. Etios is a great car but being so common on the road, I wouldn't go for it!

[Altocumulus]

I would say go for a pre-owned Honda City, especially 2012 to 2014 ones. I think those were the best Citys. Has adequate safety equipment and ratings, much better build than the 2014 onwards one, cruise control, power mirrors, etc. The reason I am saying this is because Honda has the option of anytime warranty for cars upto 7 years/ 100000 kms. Spend a little more for that and you have peace of mind as well. Everything should close by 7-8 L and you have a brilliant engine and car from segment above.