[ad3952n]

Originally Posted by wheeledsoul

I too am in a similar predicament if not the same.
Let me keep it short and say I've zeroed in on Duster (P) and Honda City (P)
Duster (P)
Pros:
Great ride quality, spacious, high seating makes ingress and egress very easy for my parents (they both have knee pain).

Cons:
Rattles and squeaks (?), 1.6 engine's reliability (?), wind/engine noise on highways.

Honda City (P):
Pros:
iVtec's reliability and interiors.

Cons:
Low seating and the ride quality being inferior to Duster. My mother found the rear seat inadequate for 3 adults, due to the elevated middle part.

Don't ever do the mistake of buying a petrol Duster. I am sharing here my experience which I wrote on I booked my car thread. For more details you may also contact our member sidindica.

I tested the RxL 104 PS Petrol Duster that is the top end model with all features. Here are a few pics of the Duster:







Well, I felt the quality of Top-end vehicle and lack of many features like the passenger row AC and the unnecessary big boot appears useless as it could have been a good 7 seater car. I mean for 10 Lakhs I did not find the top variant worth. Second most annoying thing was that I was earlier denied a test ride since the dealer did not have a Petrol Duster.

I was saved of this horror and ultimately I booked the Zxi Ertiga. This will be my 3rd JDM vehicle. I own the 3rd gen Ivtec Honda City too.

Link to my post: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/what-c...hread-187.html

Thanks.

[vibbs]

Originally Posted by athanedar

Background :

Safety is priority hence I need dual airbags, ABS etc.

Correct me if I am wrong, but last time I checked, Petrol Duster had neither ABS nor Airbags.

As GTO already mentioned, if safety is a priority, a car with 3 stars doesnt make the cut. More so a variant without the safety features.

If you want to buy a Duster, buy the diesel. Atleast you get the safety features.


EDIT: OP has already made his decision, so my post has no meaning now.

Originally Posted by ad3952n

Link to my post: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/what-c...hread-187.html

Thanks.

Are you sure that it has ABS? I could not find that information in their website. Nor does Gaadi dot com list a petrol variant with safety features.

[ad3952n]

Originally Posted by vibbs

Correct me if I am wrong, but last time I checked, Petrol Duster had neither ABS nor Airbags.

Are you sure that it has ABS? I could not find that information in their website. Nor does Gaadi dot com list a petrol variant with safety features.

You might be correct as I went by the statement of the sales person over there in the Renault Showroom. Thankfully, I am not a owner of this car.

Thanks

[ToyotaFan]

Originally Posted by wheeledsoul

I too am in a similar predicament if not the same. Our Alto 2002 despite clocking 1,25,000kms on the odo was doing just fine with some minor glitches, until one rainy day when it got stranded in the middle of the road and made my father (a senior citizen) push it until the nearest garage. I then realized it's time to upgrade.

Let me keep it short and say I've zeroed in on Duster (P) and Honda City (P) based on the following:
1. Car will be used by my parents and will hardly travel 300kms/month.
2. Performance is not an issue as it will mostly if not always be driven by a driver hired from one or the other travel agency (I go to India only twice a year and my father doesn't drive).
3. Ride quality should be good.
4. OTR not more than 11L.
5. No used vehicles of any kind (don't want any sort of inconvenience for my father).

Duster (P)
Pros:
Great ride quality, spacious, high seating makes ingress and egress very easy for my parents (they both have knee pain).

Cons:
Rattles and squeaks (?), 1.6 engine's reliability (?), wind/engine noise on highways.

Honda City (P):
Pros:
iVtec's reliability and interiors.

Cons:
Low seating and the ride quality being inferior to Duster. My mother found the rear seat inadequate for 3 adults, due to the elevated middle part.

P.S:
1. Performance of the engine is not an issue as it will be mostly driven by daily wage hired drivers.
2. The above pros and cons are as per our official T-Bhp reviews only. I haven't test driven any of these vehicles, did check them out in person though, along with my parents.
3. Thank you GTO for your valuable recommendations in the first page. I am not much interested in Ertiga while Ecosport is a 4 seater.

I believe the best vehicle for you will be the Toyota Etios. It is the best vehicle for 3 people at the back and has a good petrol engine which is efficient and good to drive as well. There's lot of legroom at the back and you get bulletproof reliability toyota is famous for.

Another option (although outdated) is the mahindra Verito. Its got 3 headrests (showing intent for seating 3) has got Excellent Ride and lot of space at the rear. It's very efficient (although not required by you) and is quite reliable as well.

Another option is the Tata Manza. There are great discounts going on the moment (Zest is about to be launched) and the club class manza is seriously well equipped too. Great ride and space is in ample supply (tata hallmark).

And the Nissan sunny as has already been pointed out.

All 4 options are great and in my opinion better than the duster which has a very good ride but falls short on space on the back seat. Petrol duster is under equipped and much more expensive than these options.

[wheeledsoul]

Thank you all for your suggestions. However if it has to be a sedan it would be Honda City, I can always convince my mother about the rear bench.

Just to throw a little light on why other Petrol Sedans and UVs are not on the list:

Sedans:
1. Fiat Linea- Love it, but there's only one authorized showroom in Hyderabad. Heard that getting it serviced needs an appointment. Not spacious at the back.
2. Skoda Rapid/Vento - All the horror stories of Skoda and not so spacious back. And a thought that the the 1.6 might be replaced with 1.2 TSI.
3. Toyota Etios - Was stuck to it until sometime back, but was taken aback by way too many taxis on the road. (Still have it lingering in my mind though).
4. Tata Manza - Wouldn't touch a Tata with a barge pole. (unless or until it's a Safari Dicor/Storme though!)
5. Nissan Sunny - Another one in my mind as rightly suggested, but it's plain jane interiors don't justify the price tag (just my opinion, hope no offense to the people who own it).
6. Mahindra Verito - Outdated. Too many taxis on the roads too.
7. Swift/Xcent/Zest/Indigo CS - Am looking for a proper sedan.
8. Honda Amaze - Didn't like the interiors.
9. Ford Classic - High probability of it being discontinued.

So all I am left with is Honda City.

UVs (petrol):
1. Maruti Ertiga: There will hardly be 5 occupants in the car most of the time, a 7 seater isn't required at all. Moreover I as a bachelor, wouldn't for sure like to be seen in a Ertiga, mall hopping. Lol!

2. Ford Ecosport: Not a spacious 5 seater.

So all I am left with is Renault Duster.

P.S: I Am avoiding Diesels solely because the vehicle will not be used frequently but only a few times, a month. So don't know what problems a Diesel might throw up.

Originally Posted by ad3952n

Don't ever do the mistake of buying a petrol Duster. I am sharing here my experience which I wrote on I booked my car thread. For more details you may also contact our member sidindica.



I was saved of this horror and ultimately I booked the Zxi Ertiga. This will be my 3rd JDM vehicle. I own the 3rd gen Ivtec Honda City too.

Link to my post: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/what-c...hread-187.html

Thanks.

Thank you for your input, this made me tilt a bit in favor of the City.

[D4D]

Originally Posted by wheeledsoul

Let me keep it short and say I've zeroed in on Duster (P) and Honda City (P) based on the following:
1. Car will be used by my parents and will hardly travel 300kms/month.

3. Ride quality should be good.

4. OTR not more than 11L.

• I don't think duster petrol is that good a choice because there are so few sold and their resale value will never be great, availability of spares maybe a problem and Renault's dealers (in general) have got a bad reputation for ASS
• Nissan Sunny might be a good choice because of it's space and because "not much can go wrong in a Japanese car." But Nissan's dealers have got as bad a reputation as Renaults
• The ideal choice maybe Ertiga ZXI as it's a maruti, has good quality and backed by a solid ASS
• Don't know when the Jazz will launch, if boot space and waiting isn't a priority, it maybe worth checking it out.