[VEA]

Hello Bhpians,

I am getting a new sedan in a months time. my budget is 14 lakhs at the maximum. I drive around 30-40k kilometers an year. 25% of this in the city and 75% on semi urban and highways at around 80-120 kmph. I have a chauffeur but used less than 25% of the time. following are my preferences.

1) ABS (a must)
2) Airbags (a must)
3) Good ride (a must)
4) steering mounted controls (a must)
5) decent space (both front and rear)
6) Economy (highly desired)
7) Climate Control (highly desired)
8) Automatic (highly desired)
9) Good Headlights (a must)

I have short listed the following

1) The Honda City AT
I liked the city for its fuel efficiency, automatic, decent space, good ride and low cost of upkeep. however i found the lack of auto AC disappointing. I have used a NHC Gxi few years back and still have bad memories from it. it returned very bad FE, did'nt have good tyres or brakes to stop it. met with few accidents because of the poor brakes and sold the car in 6 months time. The new ones thankfully have ABS and decent tyres with alloys.

2) Toyota Corolla Altis
I liked the car as an all-rounder and is found it good to drive in the city too with a soft clutch. I would have preferred the AT, but not sure if it will be economical for my use. The HIDs are good, so is the resale value.

3) Cruze LTZ
I was looking forward to this launch, but slightly disappointed by space at the rear and unfriendly city drive. too much of clutch usage! No automatic too. upsides are the good highway manners, equipments (though i dont need most of them, but its all bling and can impress people), brakes etc. I found the headlamps poor and i drive a lot at night along some busiest night traffic routes and bad road surfaces. ride is acceptable to me.

Apart from these cars, i am looking at the Jetta trendline 1.9 eventhough i have to stretch my budget a little. but poor equipment levels, poor rear seat comfort is a let down. I would have bought it without a second thought if the car offered steering mounted audio controls. I can also wait for the Linea if it comes out with a bigger diesel engine in the next 3 months time.

I havent used a petrol car for the last 5 years, but i am hoping that the good residual values of the city and altis will make up for the expensive fuel it consumes. I would like to know the following from you fellow bhpians.

1) the real life fuel consumption of these cars of my choice in both city and highway.
2) the estimated values of these vehicles after 3 years or 100000 kms (in Cochin).
3) Do I need to consider the Civic manual which offers low comfort, space, features & FE compared to Altis?

[Akki_5]

Why haven't you considered the Facelift Skoda Laura? You can get the Ambiente Petrol 1.8 TSI (an awesome engine) for your budget.
The brakes and headlights are very good. The equipment levels are decent on this trim. The car is still fresh in the market. It is a very good car for it's segment. All you need to worry about (if at all anything) is the A**. I suggest, before taking a decision, do take a TD for this as well.

1. It's got more than ABS on the braking front. (ABS+EBD+MBA+HBA)
2. Airbags available.
3. Decent ride quality.
4. Steering mounted controls absent.
5. Decent space.
6. Economy should be decent (IDK about this).
7. Climate control absent.
8. AFAIK, this trim only available in M/T. (you can look at the diesel as that is available in A/T DSG 6-spd)
9. Headlights are better than many others.

[hondadude]

A diesel sedan would be better considering that you are planning to drive 30-40k a year. If you can stretch your budget a little, Sonata transform would satisfy all your needs and some more.

[thorpe]

Considering the fact that you drive 30-40k kms an year. I'd recommend you to get a diesel sedan e.g Cruze but at the same time stay awaaaaaaay from Skoda!

[DieselFan]

My Suggestion would be to stretch a little further and take Jetta - Dus Auto.

[VEA]

Originally Posted by Akki_5

Why haven't you considered the Facelift Skoda Laura? You can get the Ambiente Petrol 1.8 TSI (an awesome engine) for your budget.

I am not looking at the laura. its not because of the ***, but i have used an octavia and a superb in the past. thinking of having something different. I have a fabia in my family used by my brother. Honestly, i find the skoda dealer here better than the hyundai dealer and i have only had good experiences with my skodas.

Originally Posted by hondadude

A diesel sedan would be better considering that you are planning to drive 30-40k a year. If you can stretch your budget a little, Sonata transform would satisfy all your needs and some more.

My dad is using a sonata embera (not transform, but hardly any different). Even the hyundai dealer wont appreciate two sonatas in one shed!

Originally Posted by thorpe

Considering the fact that you drive 30-40k kms an year. I'd recommend you to get a diesel sedan e.g Cruze but at the same time stay awaaaaaaay from Skoda!

I dont have anything against skoda, but this time just avoiding it. Cruze defenitely is on the cards.

Originally Posted by DieselFan

My Suggestion would be to stretch a little further and take Jetta - Dus Auto.

yes, im thinking about it. but in my budget all i can get is the manual jetta which is not feature packed, even some basic features are missing i would say. but i like the looks, the quality, ride & handling etc. how i wish it had steering mounted controls so that i can scan the radio without taking my hands off the steering.

[//M]

I think the Altis MT makes the most sense as an all-rounder. It drives well, looks good, is reliable and has that peace-of-mind-factor missing on the Cruze. Although Cruze may be a great car but according to my preference the Altis comes out to be the top, no offence though. The Altis AT may be less economical than the Altis MT but it makes for a sound car and would be a great buy. Moreover with great resale value and comfy interiors, the Altis almost clinches the deal irrespective of the MT or the AT.

[hondadude]

How about Scorpio VLX-AT. It currently satisfies all your needs except Airbags and Climate control. However scorp with Airbags has been recently launched and you can probably expect deliveries to start around Jan/Feb time-frame.

How about Innova?

Among the cars you have mentioned, ANHC AT would be most VFM and hence would be my pick.

[anb]

Originally Posted by hondadude

Among the cars you have mentioned, ANHC AT would be most VFM and hence would be my pick.

i think you should wait for the chevrolet cruze automatic

[Axe77]

+1 to anb. just my thought. The Cruze auto will virtually meet all your requirements. Convenience of an Auto, well kitted out, the turbo lag effect will hopefully be less of an issue thx to the A/T. Rear space (lack of) would seem to be the only issue left. I hear its slated to launch in a few months so should be worth the wait if that is an option.

[princemanatt]

My vote goes to Cruze. You are driving quite considerable a distance(diesel makes good case). You drive 75 percent of time and 75 percent of your driving is through highways. Cruze diesel monster will keep you smiling all the way(And also at the pump). Also the novelty factor also comes to the advantage. Check if it is uncomfortable in the city.

My second choice would definitely be Altis. No problem car(which our family owns). You can never go wrong with this car. Excellent after sales. The only down side is that it doen't have a diesel.

[greatcar]

A good thread. I was comparing between Honda City & Altis as well, and still struggling to make a choice.

I drove almost all the cars from i20 to Civic, and liked Altis the most (actually i liked only the Altis). I was about to go ahead with the booking of Altis but on talking to some users came across nagging issues with the current Altis and have postponed the decision for the purchase.

I reached out to multiple people to learn more about the issues and it seemed to me that there aren't any serious issues with the car. But at the same time, it is not coming out as a great car either. Some Altis cars had complaints about brake noise initially which I believe is now resolved. But rattling noise (body rattling not engine rattling) still seems to be an issue. Some others complained of noises from the door (nothing significant but enough to be irritating).

So all in all, a list of minor noise issues seems to be haunting Altis. I was willing to stretch my budget and go for an Altis, but these nagging issues pulled me back.

And coming to resale value raised in this thread, i think we should expect Altis resale values to be much lower than the City. While I admit the superiority of the Altis versus City (they are not even the same segment cars), it is a fact of life in India that Honda cars command a better resale value. And Altis being more a luxury car (by indian standards), resale value is ought to be lower. But that was not a major decision point for me, as I was looking at keeping the car for 8 to 10 years, especially if I am going for an Altis.

[Ramsagar]

As you do lot of highway driving, stay way from City,Altis and Jetta as well.

Jetta:I own a Jetta-MT. The GC is very low difficult to breakthrough the pothole during night. Though it has under body protection, the suspension will take a toll. It will cost you an arm and leg. I was left with a bent steering when ditched in a pothole. It had costs 19500 for the alloy alone. 400 for replacement of the wheel. This is not a highway car. It is meant for GQ driving in smooth roads. We have clocked 6K in months.

Cruz: Is the best highway car & comes with all the features that you opted for. The pick up is superb and has good on-road stability. Its an apt for you to drive & be driven with little compromise on the rear, but not much.

Innova: The best vehicle if you allow me choose. No regrets & you will never look back with great resale value. You will never sell even after 3 years or 100000 kms
The Engine is bullet proof even after being driven for 2 to 2.5 lacs kms.
I would say Innova - V model is the best bet and have all the bells & whistles you are looking for.
Not to mention the city driving is very easy with a minimum turning radius which is a boon for a length of this vehicle.
A perfect highway cruiser.Looks are subjective.

[contactme27]

I agree with Ramsagar. I own innova and i am loving it. Even I travel a lot and I do not see any discomfort in any feature. Few after market add on's will feel satisfied. Rock solid MPV.

[VEA]

Originally Posted by hondadude

How about Scorpio VLX-AT. It currently satisfies all your needs except Airbags and Climate control. However scorp with Airbags has been recently launched and you can probably expect deliveries to start around Jan/Feb time-frame.

How about Innova?

Among the cars you have mentioned, ANHC AT would be most VFM and hence would be my pick.

I thought about the scorpio AT. It is a good choice, but i do a lot of uneven roads. Its quite bumpy on those kind of surfaces. So is the Innova.

Originally Posted by anb

i think you should wait for the chevrolet cruze automatic

Too early to wait for the cruze AT i think.

Originally Posted by greatcar

A good thread. I was comparing between Honda City & Altis as well, and still struggling to make a choice.

And coming to resale value raised in this thread, i think we should expect Altis resale values to be much lower than the City. While I admit the superiority of the Altis versus City (they are not even the same segment cars), it is a fact of life in India that Honda cars command a better resale value. And Altis being more a luxury car (by indian standards), resale value is ought to be lower. But that was not a major decision point for me, as I was looking at keeping the car for 8 to 10 years, especially if I am going for an Altis.

There is a ANHC S AT for sale here. Its a 2009 model done 9000 kms and asking 8 lakhs. not good for a few months old model which was 10.25 lakhs on road.

Originally Posted by Ramsagar

As you do lot of highway driving, stay way from City,Altis and Jetta as well.

Jetta:I own a Jetta-MT. The GC is very low difficult to breakthrough the pothole during night. Though it has under body protection, the suspension will take a toll. It will cost you an arm and leg. I was left with a bent steering when ditched in a pothole. It had costs 19500 for the alloy alone. 400 for replacement of the wheel. This is not a highway car. It is meant for GQ driving in smooth roads. We have clocked 6K in months.

Cruz: Is the best highway car & comes with all the features that you opted for. The pick up is superb and has good on-road stability. Its an apt for you to drive & be driven with little compromise on the rear, but not much.

Innova: The best vehicle if you allow me choose. No regrets & you will never look back with great resale value. You will never sell even after 3 years or 100000 kms
The Engine is bullet proof even after being driven for 2 to 2.5 lacs kms.
I would say Innova - V model is the best bet and have all the bells & whistles you are looking for.
Not to mention the city driving is very easy with a minimum turning radius which is a boon for a length of this vehicle.
A perfect highway cruiser.Looks are subjective.

Innova is too bumpy on uneven roads. I owned one which i sold an year back. Not thinking of buying another one. On all other aspects the innova scores.