[Heart_Revs]

If you have any inclination towards driving and automatic is not mandatory criteria, I would suggest you to find a pre owned abarth punto for half your budget and live grinning for next 10 years.

[auto_enthusiast]

If your driving is limited within the city and with backup cars in your family, I'll suggest you to consider the Nexon EV. Agreed that it'll exceed your budget by a few lacs but that will be compensated by savings on petrol. Your net out flow (EMI + fuel) will be more or less the same. Being an EV, there's no issue of jerky AMT and you get instant torque right from the word go. I would suggest you to take a TD of it and I'm sure that this car will be hard to resist

And according to me one not-so-good sales experience from the SA should not refrain you from buying a car of your choice.

[Researcher]

Originally Posted by armaan_singh

Hello Everybody,
This is my first post here and it's an important one for me at that. The big picture objective is to buy a car under 13 Lacs (OTR),
1. I am in the market specifically for an automatic vehicle
2. The feature list on this car is indeed extensive, but the ones I absolutely adore are the neat touches like the Auto Dimming IRVM and the rear camera integrated into the IRVM.
4. I have a strict budget of 13Lacs, because I did the maths and with my down payment and interest calculations, the installment works out to roughly 20,000.per month which is my upper limit.
7. Also I mostly travel alone or at most with one other occupant so things like rear space, rear AC vents, and even boot space for that matter are not deal breakers for me.

I have been looking in this segment for quite sometime and I am as confused as you.
I would suggest you to check the EcoSport as well. The Ford site says the petrol automatic is available in the top trim only, so you would have a long list of features (nitpicking, but Android Auto/Apple CarPlay may be missing as no mention of these anywhere). The price should be very close to your budget. Since you won't need rear space and prefer a car with sorted handling, EcoSport should fit well. The engine-transmission combo is one of the best in the segment. Also the safety features are an exhaustive list.
For a sedan, Ciaz makes sense if you can make peace with the steering (all premium Marutis have negligible steering feedback compared to the previous generation cars) and missing safety features compared to City and Verna.
Pre-owned premium cars at the price point are very tempting (just look at Kizashis in your area!), but the spares are eye-watering in price!
Personally, for two people, hills and my friend's narration about popularity of SUVs in Gurugram (was looking to replace an old Vento), I would have preferred a compact SUV, and an EcoSport just fits right.

[armaan_singh]

Originally Posted by Researcher

I have been looking in this segment for quite sometime and I am as confused as you.
=====
Personally, for two people, hills and my friend's narration about popularity of SUVs in Gurugram (was looking to replace an old Vento), I would have preferred a compact SUV, and an EcoSport just fits right.

I did see the Ecosport briefly, however I didn't really fancy it's near decade old shape, although I must add that until last year when they were selling the mid spec trend plus variant, it made a whole lot more sense in 11L OTR, I have no idea why Ford went and messed that up. But overall it's the looks department which eliminates the ecosport, otherwise even the Rapid was a good buy.

[AYP]

If you are looking for a petrol automatic car within a budget of 13L, which doesn't include VAG cars and AMT equipped cars, the Verna AT and the Ecosport AT are your best bets IMO.

The Ecosport will get you the 'U' in the SUV and offers a good build, a decent engine, decent features, 6 airbags and reasonable service cost.

The Verna facelift looks much better IMO and now is even better equipped. Full LED headlamps being one great addition, Overall, as a vehicle, the Verna looks and feels more premium than the Ecosport.

So, ideally speaking, I would suggest the Verna but given your familiarity with the i20, the Ecosport wouldn't be a bad choice at all. But then, just the Ecosport has its cons in the form of lack of space(narrow cabin), average looking cabin and slightly dated looks. I would personally prefer the Verna even if it gives you a certain sense of deja-vu.

The Ciaz is a good all rounder no doubt, but if the abundance of space is not a huge draw for you, I wouldn't wanna drive a 4 speed AT for the next 5/8/10 years.

[AZT]

Originally Posted by armaan_singh

Anyway after around 15 minutes of being by myself I was greeted by a rather unenthusiastic SA, to whom I mentioned my requirements, now the conversation went ahead like this : (translated from hindi)
SA : "Have you seen any cars so far ? "
Me : "Yes the Ciaz and the Verna"
SA : "Did you like either of them ? "
Me : "Yes I liked both of them but I want to have a look at all the options in the market before putting my money somewhere"
SA looking miffed : "If you like cars like Ciaz then Honda City is not for you, it's way over your budget"

This is the stupidest thing any SA could have said. How is this not part of their basic training
The good thing now for you is if you still decide to buy, all the quoted prices should have some discount post lock down. Everyone would want to clear inventory and get some working capital moving.

[armaan_singh]

Originally Posted by AZT

This is the stupidest thing any SA could have said. How is this not part of their basic training .

I completely agree with you, I would have been comparatively more content had he chosen to run down the competition with relevant facts but he chose to run me down instead.

I understand the City is Honda's main cash cow in our market but the SA's really need a refresher course in etiquette.

I was once at a Mercedes showroom a while back to check out the CLA, when I told the SA I drive an i20, he didn't seem interested in me at all, later I told him I also own a fortuner, and suddenly he developed feelings for me !

[armaan_singh]

Originally Posted by AYP

So, ideally speaking, I would suggest the Verna but given your familiarity with the i20, the Ecosport wouldn't be a bad choice at all. But then, just the Ecosport has its cons in the form of lack of space(narrow cabin), average looking cabin and slightly dated looks. I would personally prefer the Verna even if it gives you a certain sense of deja-vu.

Yes I agree the Verna makes sense, but honestly the new one starts at nearly 14L OTR for the automatic variant, That's around 1-1.5L over my maximum budget, so unfortunately have kept it out of my consideration list.

The ecosport like I mentioned is something I haven't considered at all given its dated near decade old looks, hence eliminated it.

[itwasntme]

Guys, need your advice for our second vehicle.
Requirements:
1. As cheap as possible (less than 9.99 ex-s preferred)
1.1. Sedan preferred for easy ingress/egress
3. Best-in-class back seat space & ride
4. To be exclusively chauffeur-driven
5. Monthly usage ~ 1200 km so borderline between petrol & diesel
6. To be retained for easy 5 years
7. Manual preferred but automatic would be an asset

Do I really have any other options than the Ciaz petrol manual?

[dr.aviansh]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Guys, need your advice for our second vehicle.
Requirements:
1. As cheap as possible (less than 9.99 ex-s preferred)
1.1. Sedan preferred for easy ingress/egress
3. Best-in-class back seat space & ride
4. To be exclusively chauffeur-driven
5. Monthly usage ~ 1200 km so borderline between petrol & diesel
6. To be retained for easy 5 years
7. Manual preferred but automatic would be an asset

Do I really have any other options than the Ciaz petrol manual?

Hey. So I’d suggest you to the Toyota Yaris. I really liked the ride quality of the car. It felt to have the right combination of stiffness and softness in it’s suspension. The built quality seemed better than Ciaz and the City. But the letdowns were a bit of vanilla looks, an uninvolving steering and a cramped set of interiors especially when put against the Ciaz.
So it makes more sense if you are to be chauffeur driven mostly but since you’re looking for an automatic, i assume that is not the case.

The Verna makes a good choice with looks and interiors being better than most in the segment. I really liked that it handles better than predecessors but I really don’t expect it to be much fuel efficient in day to day conditions especially if you were to consider the Ciaz SVHS. If fuel efficiency is not a concern, then think about it and do double check the front seats for comfort as I personally didn’t find them contoured enough.

I love the Skoda Rapid but again it has some DSG issues. I suspect you to be using the car for 80,000 kms in 5 years so that’s not too much. Check for extended warranty with the dealers and if there’s one which can cover your usage with respected to years and miles, you can go for it. It is very involving to drive, superb NVH levels and a phenomenal ride quality. You might get a sticker shock for top end Petrol Automatic, so be sure to bargain amongst two three dealers and lookout if the government has allowed the extension of BS4 complaint vehicles. Also, some dealers had purchased BS4 stocks because of the lockdown and would definitely sell once everything gets back to normal so you might get a good deal too.

Honda City, the most sought after car in the segment. Again, a good drivers car and the decade old i-VTEC still is the best one out there. The only let downs are a poor built quality, a not so good AC as I have heard and a bit bouncy rear end. Newer Honda’s have a lot of rusting issues too for which you’ll have to make sure of the long standing scratches. Otherwise it still seems to be a the perfect drivers automatic car. I personally find the Ciaz’s steering to be well weighted and the transmission to be more involving than the Honda City’s CVT. So make sure you’re aware of what exactly you want from the car and what doesn’t really matter.

[drsingh]

Originally Posted by AZT

This is the stupidest thing any SA could have said. How is this not part of their basic training
The good thing now for you is if you still decide to buy, all the quoted prices should have some discount post lock down. Everyone would want to clear inventory and get some working capital moving.

This was my experience at Honda dealership 10 years ago.I think they have a premium-luxury sales training hangup from years gone by. It was obnoxious then and is funny now.

They have been replaced by Toyota in the premium segment and have also been upended by Mahindra and Maruti who have moved upmarket with credible products and smart marketing. Backed by better service network.

[jetsetgo08]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

1. As cheap as possible (less than 9.99 ex-s preferred)
1.1. Sedan preferred for easy ingress/egress
3. Best-in-class back seat space & ride
4. To be exclusively chauffeur-driven
5. Monthly usage ~ 1200 km so borderline between petrol & diesel
6. To be retained for easy 5 years
7. Manual preferred but automatic would be an asset

Easy ingress-egress, why not a UV/Crossover instead of a sedan? The spectrum of cars to choose from is huge, but only if you are into used cars.

Among the new cars, Yaris or Honda City base are the only other alternatives to Ciaz. Ciaz may have the best in class space but the ride in Ciaz is jiggly at speeds and incomparable to the others in the segment. Germans belong to a different league altogether.

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by dr.aviansh

So I’d suggest you to the Toyota Yaris.

The Verna makes a good choice with looks and interiors being better than most in the segment.

I love the Skoda Rapid but again it has some DSG issues. It is very involving to drive, superb NVH levels and a phenomenal ride quality. You might get a sticker shock for top end Petrol Automatic..

Honda City, the most sought after car in the segment. Again, a good drivers car and the decade old i-VTEC still is the best one out there. The only let downs are a poor built quality, a not so good AC as I have heard and a bit bouncy rear end.

Thanks!

Wife detests 'taxi specials' so Yaris is scratched immediately as Toyota has huge plans for the Yaris to replace the Etios. You can say the same for the Ciaz too of course. But somehow she is willing to factor it in in case of the latter.

Ex-s has to be as low as possible so automatics are out of the question I feel.

New Verna looks awful :-)

Originally Posted by jetsetgo08

Easy ingress-egress, why not a UV/Crossover instead of a sedan? The spectrum of cars to choose from is huge, but only if you are into used cars.
Ciaz may have the best in class space but the ride in Ciaz is jiggly at speeds and incomparable to the others in the segment.

Apologies, should have clarified. Ingress/egress for saree-clad individuals also a crucial factor! Crossovers are not geared towards the same.

Is the Ciaz ride jiggly at speed? Will have a test-ride on a longish stretch. Remember, I am NEVER going to drive it. 100% for chauffeur, and a maximum of 90 km/hr is set on my OBD GPS tracker

[jetsetgo08]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Is the Ciaz ride jiggly at speed? Will have a test-ride on a longish stretch. Remember, I am NEVER going to drive it. 100% for chauffeur, and a maximum of 90 km/hr is set on my OBD GPS tracker

Just like most Maruti's, soft at city speeds or anything less than 80kmph. But 3 digit speeds on not so good expressways, highways will wear out the passengers gradually. Your use case seems to be mostly urban, so I guess the Ciaz should be good. Do consider the City, if the car would see highways frequently.

[PrasannaDhana]

Originally Posted by jetsetgo08

Ciaz may have the best in class space but the ride in Ciaz is jiggly at speeds and incomparable to the others in the segment. Germans belong to a different league altogether.

I would disagree here. In my experience of 1.14 lakh km in ciaz, I never found the ride to be jiggly at any speeds legal. The steering feedback at triple digit speeds around curves is pathetic in ciaz and the Germans are a different league, agreed. But ride is the ciaz's plus point. Space and ride quality are the only strong points taking into account the below average handling and mediocre engines. This, coming from someone who has done several 700km trips in the ciaz. I am guessing either the tyre/air pressure/suspension in the car you experienced must be off the right settings.