Quote:
Originally Posted by SARaymond If we manage to keep the total spend on both cars under 40 lakhs OTR, then we will be happy.
Thank you in advance. |
I'd recommend getting one smaller city run-about (sub-4M), and one that is slightly bigger for the family trips / airport runs / highway runs but still compact enough for self driving.
Unfortunately you will have to compromise between reliability, resale, features, and safety.
Options I would look at:
M/S Brezza for city driving : good visibility, good ground clearance, 4star safety rating, easy to maintain, reliable old school mechanicals and TC gearbox, etc. Interior quality isn't great, and you will miss some features like ventilated seats, etc. The S-Cross is a great option though a little bigger than the Brezza and may not have as good resale either, but is better built with better interiors, etc. The Venue could be a good option as well but no safety rankings for the Indian spec model.
Pair this with a Creta 1.5 petrol which comes with the torque converter. However, fair warning - the Kia Seltos which is sold in India and based on the same platform as the Creta has only received a 3 star NCAP rating with an unstable body shell (for Indian made vehicle), and Hyundai owners have reported niggles in general (various threads on forum) but the Creta Auto should have them rectified.
Given the high pricing and lack of crash test rating for the Indian model, I would rather pay the premium and pick up a Tucson Diesel Auto as the second vehicle though it wouldn't have as good resale value in terms of percentage lost.
You can even look at the soon to be launched Skoda Octavia if you are open to sedans subject to a test drive (a lot of my friends in Hyd drive around in sedans, so could be worth thinking about subject to a test drive). Similarly the Kushaq / Taigun could be worthy contenders in the lower trims with TC gearboxes but resale could be a little worrisome and there could be small niggles.
Have you thought of hiring a chauffeur to do the daily ferrying? If so, the Innova could be a brilliant alternative to the Tucson. Visibility is great but could be a touch too large and boring for self driving and the car practically suffers no depreciation!
I'm not recommending the following popular vehicles as they seem to miss out on what sounds like a key issue for you:
1) Dry clutch equipped DSG cars : Kia seltos 1.4T Petrol, Creta 1.4T petrol, VW T-Roc 1.5T Petrol, Kushaq / Taigun 1.5T Petrol due to reliability and maintenance of earlier models with same/similar gearbox
2) Ertiga & Seltos due to 3 star safety rating with unstable body structure
3) Tata Nexon / Harrier for niggles and average service quality, but they are great options otherwise
4) Compass : high price, and average service quality though a brilliant vehicle otherwise - the Tucson could be a better bet for your needs.