What car for 25 lakhs budget? I just sold off my Cruze and on lookout for a new car to replace it. My budget is 25 lakhs max and cannot stretch beyond this. I am a sedan person but don't mind a good crossover or SUV. My family size is 3 with me, wife and 12 years old son and I will be driving 100% of the time. I am planning to keep my next car for at least 9-10 years and not comfortable with used cars.
My requirements are as follows:
1. Petrol engine with good power. My average monthly drive is less than 1000 KMS. No diesel unless it drives better than petrol (Jeep Compass). I like fun to drive cars. With the new speed buzzer rule and 100 KMPH speed limit on Hyderabad ORR (Gachibowli exit is less than a KM from my home), I am not serious about top speed. I am looking for a good performance at mid range. After driving Cruze for few years, lack of low end torque is not a major issue anymore.
2. No fixed choice for gearbox. I am as comfortable with MT as driving auto. But would avoid CVT.
3. Spacious interiors. I am 6'1.5" tall. I should be able to sit comfortably in the rear seat when driver's seat is set to my comfort position. My driving position is usually relaxed with seat pushed all the way back. My previous purchase was Sunny before I exchanged with my Dad's Cruze after GM shut the shop.
4. Comfy seats. Manual adjustments are ok. If powered seats, prefer to have memory option. Cruze has the best front seats among all the cars I used including my Dad's 2017 Hyundai Elantra.
5. Android auto support. I use my phone to listen to audio podcasts, audiobooks, Spotify while traveling alone. I frequently use Google maps too. Android Auto is must and fortunately most of the cars in my budget support this.
5. Cool factor. Hence I am ruling out XUV 500, Tata Harrier, Hexa, Innova.
Following are the cars I was considering. Honda Civic : I traveled to US frequently in the past 7 years and I was really excited when I saw the latest Civic there. Waited for it to be launched in India. But along with many others I was also disappointed with their choice of gearbox. As I am planning to keep this car for at least 9 years, ruled this out. Skoda Octavia : This ticks almost all the check boxes in my list. 1.8 TSI Style and Onyx variants are with in my budget. I am less worried about the long term reliability of the DSG gearbox in this car because of my less usage. Today I got the shock from sales person that Skoda has stopped producing Style variant. Only L&K and Onyx are available. L&K is way above my budget. While they were offering 90,000 cash discount on other variants, there is no discount on Onyx because it was recently launched limited edition model. I feel Skoda has stopped production of current Octavia and may not start the production again. They might be dumping all the leftover stock. Unless they are offering good discount, I don't see a point going with Octavia now. Hyundai Elantra : My dad has 2017 Elantra SX(O) petrol automatic. In last 2 years it covered only 4000 KMS. As he is mostly chauffer driven, he uses my old Sunny more. I have the option to take the Elantra and buy a new SUV for him for outstation trips. I offered my Dad a new Innova in exchange for the Elantra. My parents live in a big town (Rajahmundry) in AP where roads are not wide and they are not comfortable using Innova if My dad has to drive. I thought of giving them the Seltos I booked, but decided against because of the space for the rear seat. Also Elantra ride is more comfortable for my father. I personally did not like driver seat in Elantra. Under thigh support was lacking for me. So not keen in taking this car. KIA Seltos : I booked GTX+ DCT on the second day after they started bookings expecting it to be fun little crossover. My cousin already got the delivery of the same variant and I took her car for an extensive test drive. It did not disappoint me WRT power and tech. Driver's seat was also very comfortable. But I felt it lacking on the overall space, especially in the rear. My knees were hitting the plastic on the back of the driver seat when it is set to my comfort setting. As I have more budget, I didn't want to compromise on the space and cancelled the booking. JEEP Compass : I considered this SUV too. Drove Diesel car and liked it. Apart from the less space in rear, I felt driver foot well also cramped. Did not feel like a car I would like to use long term. Even the price was expensive. Limited Plus was costing 25.5 lakhs on road in Hyderabad after all the discounts. Octavia Style / Onyx have more features for lesser price.
Unable to decide what car I should go with. Should I wait for new launches in 2020 after Auto Expo and then decide? By then I can save some more money and can increase the budget. I have my wife's Baleno CVT Delta and my RE Thunderbird 500 as backup until then. Not sure what cars would be launched in the next one year within my budget. Expecting a Skoda SUV and new Octavia. Or I may be able to fit VW Tiguan Comfortline in my upgraded budget.
Or should I go ahead with current Skoda Octavia Onyx after taking whatever discounts they offer? I have a feeling Octavia 1.8 TSI will be last best sedan we will ever have in India in D segment. Next version Octavia may be more expensive with no comparable engine to 1.8 TSI and few features removed. Also in recent Style and Onyx variants, they bridged the gap little bit with L&K. From the latest variant comparison in their brochure, I see the following features for Style and Onyx which were not seen in Style few months back. I could be wrong with few of them though.
1. Parktronic display on central infotainment system.
2. KESSY - keyless entry, start and exit system with engine start/stop button
3. 12-way electrically adjustable passenger seat.
4. Paddle shifters
5. Two foldable baggage hooks in luggage compartment instead of one.
Last edited by satish_appasani : 10th November 2019 at 01:26.
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