[car_guy1998]

I'd suggest you to go for Honda City for its creamy iVTEC engine and has better reliabilty than the Rapid your brother has. And, your family will be more comfortable sitting in the rear seat than the other cars you considered.

Though I still suggest you the Rapid, but, since your brother owns one, I'd also suggest you to have a look at Vento as well as it has better interior feel when compared to Rapid and you can get the Highline version at 12L. And, VW is offering mouth-watering discounts on the Vento as well. This was confirmed by the SA when I went to TD the Taigun.

If the budget is concern, go for City 4th gen VMT or if you are keen on stretching the budget, then I'd suggest you the 5th gen City.

I'll suggest Verna only if it is a Diesel version. The Petrol version of Verna is not fun to drive when compared to City iVTEC and Vento/Rapid 1.0 TSI.

[rajshenoy]

Since you are talking about sedans in particular, I suggest you to also scout for some good used corolla altis. You can settle for a low running GL(manual) or even VL (cvt) for that price from their U trust.

I had taken test drives of Ciaz/City(previous gen) to Elantra/Octavia and the the higher segment cars definitely feel more solid. They drive better, higher top speeds and are safer too.

Happy owner of Corolla altis now(used 2015 model) and the car is super low on maintenance(perhaps even cheaper than my Alto K10 service)

Only con here is the car will be pretty long if that is a concern in city driving conditions. I usually take Alto for congested roads and Corolla for cruising on highways.

[rajushank84]

If you are looking at new City territory in terms of price range, I would be looking at used Ventos as a backup plan, and shop for a used Civic or Jetta. Not impossible to score one of these in the price range, may take a bit of shopping around or buy in another city.

Net net, you'll end up with a better overall sedan than a new City or Verna.

ICE is easy. 20k will get you a nice Android tablet that runs off mobile Hotspot and not only navigates with Google maps, it also plays YouTube/Netflix on a full screen or split screen when navigating, automatically going split screen, audio paused and resumed for calls and all that. I wouldn't be stuck up on factory ICE, that's the easiest thing.

I'd go for a better class of car, rather.

Have you considered the Nissan Sunny too?

[sam264_2000]

If it's a sedan that you want, then look no further than the 5th Gen Honda City. You can decide the variant based on your budget. My reco would be to go for the VX. It's the most VFM variant with top notch safety features. If you want convenience, then CVT is the best. You would be all set for next 8 to 10 years with this one.

[ramgkulkarni]

Dear Bhpians

I had the opportunity to test drive the new Honda city. The engine is an absolute unit. It’s so much fun in the city and on the open roads. The engine can be heard in the cabin and it puts a smile on your face. I felt the clutch and gearbox were quite fun too.

However, the interior quality is less than satisfactory! This is more like the Maruti quality than Honda.

The test drive vehicle had barely done 11000 kms and there were visible rattles everywhere in the cabin. The doors are thin and barely had any weight to it. The cabin looked dull and the interior bits had already seen better days after 11k run. The piano black around the gearbox was completely ruined!

Some positives though are the engine and superior interior space. No two things about it. Although the car is considerably big, it’s doesn’t make itself feel so big while driving. The steering is light in low speeds and acceptable in the top speed.

Having a German in the garage already, I m not impressed by the city. Even though the rapid is a decade old, the interiors are well put together and feels so much rigid. And the general build quality is miles ahead.

We did visit the VW showroom on our way back and was quite impressed by the Taigun. We couldn’t take a test drive but did sit in the cabin. The space on offer and the engine options are amazing. Sadly this is way beyond my budget and am not really in the market for a crossover.

I m going to follow my brothers route and might go for the Rapid. I guess this closes the Japanese car chapter in our household.

I will update this thread in a couple of weeks time on my decision. As always, very grateful to everyone on their valuable feedback.

Few points mentioned above:
Corolla - is a very nice car but this will be my only car and this is really quite big for the garage. Besides I am not planning to go the used route.

Civic/Elantra/Jetta - definitely better cars but don’t want to go used car route. I generally keep car for 6-7 yrs and want to buy a new car.

Sunny - only the diesel is a better option and a petrol engine is my preference.

Thanks
Ram

[ramgkulkarni]

So I am now out of options.

- Rapid is no longer in production and its not available in dealer stockyards too.
- Vento is available but only in AT guise but its too rich for my blood.
- If I wait for Slavia, it might be more expensive than Rapid and might not be under 14 lacs.

With the options available, a well discounted Honda City V or VX might actually be a reasonable buy.
- Its still has 5 star safety
- Reliable and fun to drive NA engine
- 4 airbags in base avatar

Only regret would be the interior quality.

Damn I miss not buying the Rapid when I had the chance.

Thanks
Ram

[Horizon85]

Originally Posted by ramgkulkarni

So I am now out of options.

- Rapid is no longer in production and its not available in dealer stockyards too.
- Vento is available but only in AT guise but its too rich for my blood.

Damn I miss not buying the Rapid when I had the chance.

Thanks
Ram

That is heartbreaking to know. I was too in the same boat, planning to mop up a good deal on Rapid to replace my Baleno.

I guess, it would be good to wait for the Slavia then. My vote is for the Slavia. I'm expecting Skoda to make it a good value for money model.

[KPR]

Originally Posted by ramgkulkarni

So I am now out of options.

For an ex-MS owner, Ciaz is not a bad choice. Take a TD of both Ciaz and S cross. The power from 1.5P in Ciaz and SCross are good in Suzuki's own way. It will be more than sufficient for our Indian roads. Everyday is not a revving race track or TD day to compare with Ivtec. As a package I find the above two cars VFM compared to competition. For a change and if you can wait look for Toyota Belta launch as well.

[ramgkulkarni]

Dear Horizon85 and KPR,

Thank you for your valueable feedback. I know both Ciaz and S-Cross are pretty well equipped cars. After owning 2 MS cars, I have found the need to look outside that family. The quality of MS cars has defintely improved. As informed in the first post, my friends Ignis is far better in todays terms.

However both these cars do not excite me enough to go for them. Besides the Rapid's 1.0 has changed my tastes. So after much deliberations, I have given up hopes of finding a pretty good sedan in my price bracket.

Vento - I am getting a lot of good offers for Vento automatic but in limited colour choices. These are stock clearences and I am not really a big fan of the VW cars. Its hard to distinguish between the cars for a layman. Also expensive of the same setup compared to Rapid. Its also a decade old car, so is the Rapid.

Upon deliberations with my Friday night gang and looking at current options, I have put all my requirements out of the window and chosen the Kushaq. I have actually booked it too on VijayDashami.

- 3 cylinders over 4: when the options are so low and not in my price bracket, the VAG 1.0 TSI is a fabulous engine. With Skoda's clever and driver focused package, I will be happy for some time to come.

- No keyless entry: The ambition variant comes with a lot of gizmos but not keyless entry. This was not a deal breaker and the other things in the variant make up for it.

- Touch aircon vents: Although I am not a fan of the ones in 4th Gen city, the Skoda Kushaq's unit is quite responsive. I would have liked the analog buttons but I guess I can live with it just fine.

- Crossover instead of Sedan: This was the most difficult decision to make. I know the Slavia is around the corner but Crossovers makes a lot of sense too. It may not be corner carver but offers a plush ride and confident seating position. The space is so much more. The Kushaq offers the same amount of space as the City IMO in the rear seats. The fit and finish is far superior to the City. The Kushaq somehow manages to deliver better power in the lower band compared to our Rapid. The second gear test on the bumps were much more easier compared to Rapid. The engines comes with 5 horses more and the Kushaq is anything but lethargic. I really liked the overall package and now waiting for my Tonado Red Kushaq.

Thank you all for your opinions and feedback.

Mods - Please close the thread if you deem appropriate.

[k.e.s.h.a.v.57]

You may try out the Slavia! The base turbo petrol 1.5TSI spec would be equipped with plenty of features and would make you happy enough on the grounds of tuning it in the future as well. The only question which pops up in my head again is the fact that both the Taigun and the Kushaq were of not so good build quality and did not give that promising feel like the Polo, Vento and the Jetta. If getting a good powertrain with plenty of features is on your priority list in any way get the Slavia.

[ramgkulkarni]

Hi Keshav

Salvia is a killer package. I like how it looks and the engines are well rounded even with the 1.0 TSI.

Thank you for your suggestion.

However I have bought the Kushaq as mentioned in my previous thread.

Thanks
Ram