[ramgkulkarni]

Dear Bhpians,

So on a Friday night 2 weeks back, My friend, my brother and I welcomed the weekend with our usual schedule.

One discussion on that weekends topic was cars which is an usual topic on most weekends. My friend owns a Skoda Octavia, previous gen and recently bought Ritz IMT as a beater after selling his 2014 Ciaz for a mouthwatering price. My brother sold his perfectly fine i20 diesel(2nd gen) to buy the Skoda Rapid TSI. I have(had now) a Swift Dzire 2013 which had completed 82800 kms at the time of selling. It was a city beater car and did the job with little to no fuzz. I had the tires upgraded and added bluetooth adapter to make it a little more livable.

The discussion started as to how aggressively Ola Auto, OLX auto, Cars24 and Spinny are buying second cars. If the car has single owner history, maintained well and had no accidental damages, they were willing to pay top dollar. I mean even private buyers dont want to invest that kind of money, just ridiculous. Their business model is a whole another topic that needs to be discussed later.

My brother sold the car to Spinny in late December last year. My friend sold Ciaz to OLA cars which offered flat 25k extra on Cars24 quotation. So, I was heavily inspired by their stories and the drinks did the remaining bit of pushing me on the edge. I got appointments for OLX, Cars24 and Spinny. OLA somehow was not taking any orders at that point of time.

The very next day the car was inspected, rated in very good condition and an attractive price quoted by Olx. I knew that this was now or never. I was quite bored by the car and the lack of safety features and poor safety record for the car, it was time to say goodbye. This was the first car I purchased and the waterworks soon proceeded, quite literally. The moment the car was about to be picked up, it rained heavily.

21st Sept 2021 –
“Today we say goodbye to our humble Airavata! It has served the family well. Has attended numerous weddings, ferried us to many destinations. Bought our new ones home. So long friend”


Now –
The hunt is now on with no car to my name. My criteria for the car is pretty simple:
1. 4 cylinders and nothing less.
2. Also if possible only naturally aspirated
3. Petrol engine
4. Sedan, no 4 meter cars and false sense of SUV styling(sorry don’t mean to offend anyone, I am not a fan of small/compact SUVs)
5. 4 stars or above safety ratings
6. Budget ~12 lacs with not really looking to extend

Must have features:
1. Apple car play
2. Climate control
3. Nothing else really. I can live with lesser creature comforts

Good to have features:
1. Keyless entry
2. Automatic wipers, they are a boon in Bangalore weather
3. Climate control with analog controls

So based on the above budget and features, I am now determined to buy a car in the SUV crazed market. So far, It is disappointing. However, these are my choices and preferences. Experts – pls prove me wrong, help me make the right decision.

1. 4th Gen facelift Honda City V MT
Points to consider
- Ticks all the boxes except the climate control comes with weird touch buttons
- The steering mounted controls are also funky, not to my taste but I can live with them
- That’s an amazing petrol engine.
- Price of 11.9 lacs on road is bang on the budget
Points to pickout
- It’s a generation old or 2 if you consider the facelift.
- 5 speed instead of 6 speed
- How is the build quality? Is it the same as 2013 model or better with the facelift?

2. Skoda Rapid TSI
Points to consider
- Only 3 pot engine worth considering
- My brother already owns one and it provide ample performance on the tap
- Well built

Points to pickout
- Its a low displacement turbo petrol, city driving is unsatisfactory
- We already had the car sitting in Tafe service center for over 20 days for an ECU issue, don’t want the heartache of VAG cars

3. Hyundai Verna
Points to consider
- Decent power on tap, 6 speed is an absolute gem
- Good build quality
- Checks all the boxes
Points to pickout
- Not a fan of the styling.
- Slightly less space when compared to City
- Hyundai service costs are relatively higher than Rapid!

4. Maruti Ciaz
- No to Suzuki cars, the build is just not comparable to any of the cars above.

Honestly I am pretty biased towards the previous gen City. Am I really thinking straight?

[DicKy]

I am sorry, but have to address the elephant in the room.

It is not a car in your list, and you have to stretch a wee bit more on the finances (actually nothing if you are looking at five plus years of ownership)

The new Honda City!!! Even the base version V has all you need, and actually addresses the problems of the 4th gen City, namely the A/C controls and the 5speed gearbox.

The criteria literally screams for a new City. Hope, except for the price there isn't any other reason why you have not included the new City.

Here is an excellent ownership report of @TrackDay's.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-...ty-review.html (Athena | My 5th-Gen Honda City Review)

[farhadtarapore]

I recently test drove the 5th gen City top variant (ZX, I think). Other than the soft touch bits on the dashboard, it really didn't feel premium. For a Rs. 17 Lakh car, there's no ventilated seats, no 360 cam, no front parking sensors and most importantly (for me) - no wireless Carplay. Spending so much and then fiddling with the wire everytime to even have basic navigation (which is absent from the ICE system) is not a great experience. Seltos exceeds in this case with lots of convenience and the "feel" of a premium car. And the V version of the city doesn't have curtain airbags. I was looking for a car with the safety of Nexon, space of an XUV, reliability and smoothness of Honda CVT and features of Creta/Seltos. Guess it doesn't exist unless I go upwards of 30 lakhs on-road.

[abhishek46]

Originally Posted by ramgkulkarni

Honestly I am pretty biased towards the previous gen City. Am I really thinking straight?

You are definitely heading towards the right direction.
Just that you are looking at the wrong generation.

The 5th Gen Honda City is leagues better than it's competitors in crucial areas like Interiors, Space, Safety Equipment, Engine Performance & Refinement.

The only area where it lags behind, is in the Handling Department & ability to handle rough roads.

With 3 People & a 7yo Kid on board, I managed to scrape the underbelly of the Test Drive Honda City three times, on a 10Km test drive (South Bangalore), despite crawling speeds.

[IshaanIan]

The City is great, although you have clearly stated that you want a sedan, do test drive the S-Cross it is the best value for money in that price bracket I feel. A low run used new but discontinued Civic might also feel slightly better than the City.

[AYP]

Among the options listed here, the Verna is the all rounder if the rear space is not a concern. Since Carplay/Android Auto is high on your priority, the Verna offers it wirelessly and even its infotainment system is much better. It also looks more contemporary inside out. Though if driving pleasure is high on your priority, the City is the one to go for.

Since you are considering the Rapid as well, why not the Vento. It does look more premium inside out and will be a change from your brother's Rapid. Though the Vento does have a very high waiting period.

If you can extend your budget by 1L, the 5th gen City makes for a better package than the Verna.

[ramgkulkarni]

Gentlemen, Thank you for your valuable feedback. I have now an inclinging to go for the all new City. At 13.8 lacs, it is quite over my budget but it definitely takes the cake on ticking all the boxes.

Scross - definitely a better car, however the 1.5 petrol is not peppy enough. It sure packs a punch but not as good as its competitors.

New Honda City - I really want to consider this if there is no other better option. I am going to take both test drives and see if I can be pulled over to the new one.

Thanks again folks.

[padmrajravi]

I vote for Verna here. While City is neck and neck with Verna, I don't have the confidence to recommend a Honda car to anyone now. They have posted more than 1000 crores loss in the last couple of years and I don't see intent or a defined plan to believe they will be here 5 years down the line. I think the way forward for them is a partnership with Toyota-Suzuki or exit. For this single reason, I have stopped recommending a Honda in any segments.

[lamborghini]

If safety is a priority, I wouldn't be comfortable with the City and Verna.
While their global counterparts may have done exceedingly well, the same applies to other models of theirs which have fared well globally but performed poorly in India.

Unfortunately at your budget, Rapid aside - there are very limited options for a safe & reliable sedan.

I would look at the following options:
1) Toyota Yaris : Yes, the model is discontinued but if you are able to snag a deal on one of the left over models it could be worth considering. Safe, reliable, well built, and comfortable. Only issues would be poor resale value (but if you keep your cars for long, the difference wouldn't be as stark thanks to the T badge), and you may have to wait for some parts (which again is offset by the car's perceived reliability, though it could be an issue in case of an accident or so).

2) Maruti S-Cross : Not a sedan. But not a 4M compact hatch on stilts either. Has solid build for a Maruti, and worth considering.

3) Stretch for the base trim new gen City. From the reviews, it seems to be a generation ahead of the older city, and will keep you happier for that much longer!

4) Pre-owned, low run Corolla Altis. Keep some buffer for maintenance.

[TorqueMonster]

In such a case where you need a sedan, you should go for the City, preferably the V variant of the new City. The New City is much better than the previous generation, and when compared to my car (I own a dzire too, an older one), it almost has all the features that you dzire (pun intended).

If not, please go with the Rapid, it may be a bit dated but has all features, and with the new engine, it becomes a very competent product.

[SedanGuy]

By the way I am the brother addressed in OPs first post.

Even when he bought the Dzire Vxi, I asked him to buy Swift Zxi with the airbags & abs and he was adamant about the Dzire just for the boot space.

Even now I asked him to consider the new gen as pointed out by most members here. With his track record - Alto 5 years & Dzire 8 years. It makes sense to invest in the new gen city and stay put for another 5-6 years at least.

I am glad the forum has swayed him ��

[Dead_Pedal]

I think you should have a look at the Jazz ZX CVT. It may not be a sedan but will surely give you interior space that real sedans offer. Also, it may not be the most energetic car on earth thanks to Honda's 1.2 but, if you're looking for an Urban commuter, it's a very compelling option. It will, for sure fall within your budget with no requirement to stretch. I'd pick this over the 4th gen City V MT because it has few more nice to have features(Led headlamps, sunroof, folding rear seat etc) and there is an option to get an automatic which is an absolute boon in BLR(Hello Silk Board). But, if you are willing to stretch, the 5th gen City V MT/CVT is an easy choice.

[vredesbyrd]

Agreed with DicKy.
This seems like a Honda City issue to me. Go with it, eyes closed.

[lsjey]

The requirements are written for 5th Gen Honda City! Why dilly-dally, huh?

Regards,
lsjey

[anb]

Originally Posted by SedanGuy

By the way I am the brother addressed in OPs first post.

Even when he bought the Dzire Vxi, I asked him to buy Swift Zxi with the airbags & abs and he was adamant about the Dzire just for the boot space.

I am glad the forum has swayed him ��

I am surprised that you suggested him to buy a hatchback instead of a sedan since your teambhp handle is sedanguy.
The new Honda City is the default choice for anyone looking for 4 cylinder NA petrol engine sedan