[abaliga]

Taigun or Virtus GT Plus are ideal, performance is amazing on both for the price and these have good safety scores as well, Interiors however, are and will feel slightly cut price

Among the used options I would shortlist the 330i, if you can find a sparingly used example, this would keep you the happiest

Also, do consider the new A4 and Q3, discounts offered may be close to the upper end of your budget

Good luck

[mgastor2022grey]

Hi mate, hope you're doing good.

The Indian car market is in a makeover right now, so finding a car which is fun to drive yet family and pocket friendly is tough. So, I suggest you go for used cars which are sub-40 lakh which are fun to drive yet practical for Indian roads. Some of the examples I can provide you are BMW 530D, BMW X1, AMG GLA 45, Audi A4, Mini Cooper 3 door, Volvo XC40, Volvo S60 Polestar, Porsche Macan, etc.

If you want new ones only, try the BMW 2 series coupe and the Mercedes A Class sedan.

The Indian car market is changing and people prefer CSUV/SUV over Sedans. Finding a sedan is now more rarer as each days progresses. Hence I would suggest you to own your last sedan before it dies. Used car markets are on fire now and finding a good deal won't take long. Hope this helps you!

[GoBabyGo]

Originally Posted by GTO

Spend a little more money now, save big in the longer term. Please read my article on this topic (How a more expensive car can work out cheaper (if you hold onto it for longer)).



It's a fun car. If you are very firm on MTs, by all means, get the Virtus.

A lot of us enthusiasts have converted from MT -> ATs after experiencing the new, fast & smooth gearboxes. If you are open to ATs, see if any dealers have leftover stock of Octavias. In your budget, I would strongly consider pre-owned cars = Octavia vRS, BMW 330i & the Polo GTI (1.8L TSI engine - just what you want). These 3 will be a total blast to drive!

Hi GTO - I would like to understand why MG ZS EV or BYD Atto 3 EVs were not suggested by any of the Senior BHPians. I feel Unrudh will be happy with fast, reliable and fun to drive EV. I don't have comparison handy but EVs are much faster than any of the fastest 1.5 Turbo MT or AT available on sale.

[Cresterk]

Originally Posted by GoBabyGo

Hi GTO - I would like to understand why MG ZS EV or BYD Atto 3 EVs were not suggested by any of the Senior BHPians. I feel Unrudh will be happy with fast, reliable and fun to drive EV. I don't have comparison handy but EVs are much faster than any of the fastest 1.5 Turbo MT or AT available on sale.

From my test drive, the MG ZS ev has very quick acceleration but it is a letdown on the corners. It has way too much body roll and the power steering feels like it seems to give up after 2-3 turns. It's the only car I drove where the steering got so heavy after a few turns that I almost understeered off the road. I'm not sure if this was a problem with just the demo car but that is the last thing you want in a fun to drive or sporty car. It does give you quite the rush every time you floor the pedal though.

Haven't driven the Atto 3 so can't comment.

[Guna]

Originally Posted by Cresterk

I'm not sure if this was a problem with just the demo car but that is the last thing you want in a fun to drive or sporty car. It does give you quite the rush every time you floor the pedal though.

When I test drove the ZS EV, I found that the steering unexpectedly getting hard even at low speeds (and freeing up all of a sudden). Another factor that goes against the EVs as 'fun to drive' car is that the power seem to taper of after the mid range. This may be different in the higher segment (EV6 or Ioniq 5 onwards)

[Cresterk]

Originally Posted by Guna

When I test drove the ZS EV, I found that the steering unexpectedly getting hard even at low speeds (and freeing up all of a sudden). Another factor that goes against the EVs as 'fun to drive' car is that the power seem to taper of after the mid range. This may be different in the higher segment (EV6 or Ioniq 5 onwards)

Ah then it must be an engineering design flaw for the ZS.

Yeah, power tapers off quickly in all EVs after the mid range but in the higher segment EVs, this mid range is reached at quite high speeds (think it was 150 in the xc40 recharge) so it doesn't really matter for practical purposes.

[07CR]

Originally Posted by unrudh

That's what I first thought of! And I looked into it the last few months. But anything that has the necessary features are relatively new and so are priced not very far from a new vehicle. Or they're old models and I'd be giving up some features. I did read that second hand car market is currently at a high and should correct soon. But that would not really help me in the next few months.

Have you considered a pre-owned EcoSport S Ecoboost or TDCI? I have a TDCI variant and it's a hoot to drive. Snappy gearbox, point-and-shoot steering and excellent high-speed manners = fun car for me. It's also reasonably powerful for its size and weight. 215 NM torque is enough for a fun drive.

Suggesting this mainly because of your love for manual gearboxes and the sub-4 meter stature of EcoSport. You could get a great deal in the pre-owned market. And in 5 years you can save reasonable moolah to upgrade to a proper Merc/BMW.

[MotorDev]

Originally Posted by unrudh

So as of now, Virtus GT Plus 1.5 MT is the one to beat. The only thing left to do is test drive when it finally arrives in Bangalore and then pick a colour.

But I am very interested to hear if anyone has any suggestions on alternates. I am still open to changing my mind. Fun drive, and as small and light a footprint as possible.

Hello there! The Virtus 1.5 MT is a really good option worth considering. Have you thought about checking out the Skoda Slavia 1.5 MT ? Skoda has introduced a new Lava Blue colour for it, and the car now comes with a 10-inch infotainment screen now. There's also a powerful 380-watt subwoofer and amplifier included. The car has a super responsive engine. We've driven our Slavia for a bit over 2000 km, and we're quite happy with it so far.

Here's a picture of the new colour for you to see:

[07CR]

Originally Posted by GoBabyGo

Hi GTO - I would like to understand why MG ZS EV or BYD Atto 3 EVs were not suggested by any of the Senior BHPians. I feel Unrudh will be happy with fast, reliable and fun to drive EV. I don't have comparison handy but EVs are much faster than any of the fastest 1.5 Turbo MT or AT available on sale.

I guess a major part of it lies with the usability of that fastness of an EV. They would be faster, but when driven at the limit, the range drops rapidly (much more rapidly than the way a petrol cars FE drops). This along with the fact the sorry state of EV infra, unreliable chargers, and the question marks over long term durability of EV battery's could be one more factor. The initial price of a proper EV (like ZS EV, sorry the Nexon and other's are strictly for city use imo), is also a deal breaker.

[GeeTee TSI]

I can relate to your aspiration for a powerful (quick) small car and also to your disappointment at the lack of exactly such options in India. During my look out for an upgrade from my GT TSI, really wished if there were hatchbacks like the Golf or an A3

But we don't, which is why I feel an Octavia (buying new) or a Tiguan are probably the only options. Powertrains aside, these cars offer an upgrade in every single department - Interior/build quality, fit and finish, NVH and general attention to detail

[abaliga]

Originally Posted by GeeTee TSI

But we don't, which is why I feel an Octavia (buying new) or a Tiguan are probably the only options. Powertrains aside, these cars offer an upgrade in every single department - Interior/build quality, fit and finish, NVH and general attention to detail

Buying a new Octavia is out of question as it is not available anymore, I doubt any dealer in the country has any left over stock as the phasing out was carefully managed without offering sizeable discounts.

I just hope Skoda brings it back sometime as a CKD, rumoured CBU import of the phev Octavia vrs iV is not going to matter at all and is best avoided, it is such a nice car in its 2.0 guise that was overpriced which put it out of reach of many enthusiasts.

It would have sold a whole lot more if they had priced it closer to the 3rd generation with a small premium rather than portraying it as an alternative to the German Luxury Trio and pricing it ambitiously

Onslaught of 'SUVs' and Skoda group's focus on MQB A0 IN cars also did not help its case

[Razor44]

Ford Figo/Aspire 1.5 diesel with 0-100 timing of less than 10 secs is the "smallest" and most powerful sub-40 lakh car.
There I said it.

[unrudh]

Hey everyone. It's a little late, but thanks to everyone for your advice. It gave me a lot to think about. What with other life events, I had to put the car thing on the back set for a bit. But now I am back, and having thought about it, I am pretty determined to find a good, second-hand, Polo GTI, petrol preferred, Manual preferred, as new as possible.

I have also decided that I am quite happy to pay commission to a broker to find a good car, take care of the paperwork and formalities, etc.

In line with that, I would appreciate any leads to direct sellers of a GTI or decent brokers. If it's relevant, i am located in Bangalore and would be willing to travel a little for a good deal.

Cheers

[Cayman_95]

Originally Posted by Guna

Note that Polo GTI was a 2 door car. There are couple of ownership threads on T-Bhp itself. It may be really difficult to get one. I would also suggest pre-owned VW T-Roc. Slightly bigger than the Polo but a much modern car. Stage1 remapping should make it as quick as anything else you are considering.

T roc doesn't have a limited slip differential, only straight line performance will match the gti not handling.